Monday, August 2, 2010

Seven Smart Tips for Living Below your Means Comfortably

Investment is important for anyone taking in an income. Investing in something long-term is also pretty important for someone who is looking out for retirement and their future. Here are basic tips to making that easier.

Sell the Losers, Let the winners Ride! It may be hard to let it go, but sometimes it needs to be done. And the winners flourish when they go a long way, so keep it going rode. Think about the future. Don’t chase all of the “hot tips.” They are often hot for a moment and cold for another. Do your own research and you’ll know better.

Don’t sweat the small stuff! Your psychology is important to investment. Your mind is your money. Don’t over emphasize the P/E ratio. This is a classic mistake and can lead to more mistakes. Avoid this one! Resist the lure of penny stocks. I know it can be hard, but they can often lead to uselessness or even worse. Resist!

Stick with the strategy you pick! I know it can be hard. But if you stick with it, it will pay off. Just keep trucking and don’t get pulled away.

Focus on the future. That’s right, its patience. The future is coming, I promise. Just hold off. The longer you wait and more focused you are, the better things will be. Adopt a long-term perspective. It’s not too hard to do, considering you’re doing number seven on this list. Keep it real and remember how much time you’ve got. Long-term is the key to success. Stay focused.

Select companies with an open mind. It may sound self explanatory, but like investopedia.com says, “Many great companies are household names, but many good investments are not household names (and vice versa). Thousands of smaller companies have the potential to turn into the large blue chips of tomorrow. In fact, historically, small-caps have had greater returns than large-caps: over the decades from 1926-2001, small-cap stocks in the U.S. returned an average of 12.27% while the S&P 500 returned 10.53%. “

Don’t put taxes up too high in importance. Yes they’re important, but that as important as some think. Taxes…yum, don’t you love them? Who doesn’t? In all honesty, American’s hate taxes. Since the beginning of taxation, people have hated it. It is necessary for national defense and other things, though. But still…is there a way to beat it? According to smh.com, “Assuming they are eventually passed by the Senate, lower tax rates and the abolition of the superannuation surcharge will change the rules for many taxpayers. Some strategies need to be put in place now to make the most of the new rules; in other cases it may be better to wait until after June 30. But if you want to save on tax, you can't afford to ignore the looming end-of-year deadline.” What about inflation? It seems like it’s impossible to win in a situation where you cannot have control. There are certain things you can do, though. You can always talk to your tax guy, and if you don’t have one, you can call a certified CPA f or advice. There’s always something you can do, just keep looking.

For more information on any of those things, go to the web and look for advice. It is also important to understand inflation and exactly what it is. Inflation can sometimes be tricky. Then you can understand how it affects you and how to beat it. “The fact of the matter is whether you like/understand it or not, the danger posed by inflation is real and present and as an investor you have to take steps to safeguard your interests. In other words, you need to bring a fresh perspective to your investments,” says rediff.com. They have four main pieces of advice on how to beat inflation. For more information visit their website. These are some great ways. Again, for more information go ahead to the website. There’s more information out there to be found as well. For even more help, call a CPA. They are the trained experts in money!