6 Month CD Rates

Shorter term certificate of deposit accounts are ideal for people who may need access to their money in the near future, or are uncomfortable not having access to their funds for a long period of time. 6 month certificates are perfect for these situations because they can still offer a good return rate with a minimal deposit term. You may also want to consider a 6 month CD if you just want to earn a little more interest on your money before a large purchase. Here are some quick features of this type of CD:

• Short deposit term
• Average rate of return
• Very little commitment required

12 Month CD Rates

These types of deposit accounts are considered medium term, since they do not go longer than a year or more like some CDs. 12 month certificates are great for people who are looking for a little bit more interest and do not mind having their funds tied up for half a year. Usually, people who choose to invest in a 1 year CD have a higher tolerance for inaccessibility to their funds. They usually have a higher amount of money saved for emergencies and so do not need access to their money. They are also great because you can switch over to another CD rate after only a year, unlike with longer term certificates or jumbo CDs. Here are some quick features of this type of CD:

• Average deposit term</li>

• Good rate of return
• Above average commitment required

Both a 6 month CD rate and a 12 month CD rate are great, but the right one depends on your personal situation. If you can afford to wait longer, a 6 month CD will generally give you better return rates. Of course, it is never recommended that you invest money you may need for the year. Build up an emergency fund, pay down all debt and then start investing. It’s a great way for you to take work towards true financial freedom.

Phi Vo is a personal finance writer for a number of finance and insurance blogs dedicated to helping people save as much money as possible.

You shouldn’t confuse wealth with prosperity. Wealth is abundance of properties and money. Prosperity is no lack i.e. wealth, health, peace, protection, grace etc. Therefore, wealth is much less than prosperity. Prosperity, therefore involve the fruit of the spirit. You cannot price prosperity. The box-chest of prosperity includes victory, good health, preservation and protection, meeting and seizing good opportunities, and reward.

The building blocks can be summarized in 16 steps below:

1.Paying to God at least 10% of all your monthly income including material gifts.

2.Paying to yourself at least 10% of all your income every month and save this in a dedicated account.

3.Open savings account for all your family members, and save at least 10% of your monthly income proportionately as would be determined by you and your spouse.

4.Cultivate the attitude of putting aside at least 10% into an emergency account to take care of other extended family members’ request on monthly basis.

5.Use the remaining 60% of your monthly income to provide the good things of life for the members of your family.

6.Understand the difference between assets and liabilities, and decide to increase assets, and reduce the acquisition of liabilities.

7.Pay up all your debts on monthly basis, or buy only what the 60% of your income can accommodate. If it is not enough, go and do more work to earn more.

8.Never spend more than your income. It will put you into debt. Do more work or reduce your expenditure.

9.Seek knowledge on how to manage finances by reading books and engaging the services of experts who understand the language of money.

10.You must stop impressing people with materials things. The main reason for impoverishment amongst people today is ostentatious living.

11.Open fixed deposit account, and let your money work for you and make more money. Invest in Treasury bills, but listen to expert advice.

12.Buy shares/stocks in viable and blue chips companies. Your money manager and stock broker will advice you on the right stock/company to invest in. This is a good inheritance for your family.

13.Invest in Real Estate business. Buy old homes in good location with excellent advice from Estate/Property Agencies. Your net worth will increase will increase with time.

14.Set up a business, or become an entrepreneur. Employ people with education, let them use their brain and time to make more money for you. This is the apex of building wealth and prosperity. There will always be a need or service to render in your community, area or neighbourhood.

15.Get a family lawyer to write your WILL once you discover that your asset level is increasing. Your lawyer will give the legal advice as to how to proceed.

16.Prepare not to leave liabilities to your wife and family now. Let your children have the best education you can afford. Give them all the best of life you can afford, but never be prodigal.

The road to marriage success/marital happiness starts from the time when young people decide that they are ready for marriage. It is at this point that they need to know a lot about what they are getting into.

Dr Aphys Fade have been helping would-be and married couples in their bid to have a successful,trouble free marriage and marital happiness.He equally helps people in troubled marriages to turn around their marriage.Visit my blogs

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The question is how to invest money to make money. The answer is to invest money only after asking a few questions about investment basics. Here are the questions to ask, and how to invest money to avoid scams and bad deals in general.

How to invest money, rule #1, is that there is no such thing as a perfect investment. A perfect investment would have the following features: guaranteed safe, guaranteed to make money and lots of it, high liquidity, zero costs and expenses, big tax breaks, and easy to monitor… so you always know where you stand financially. All investments can be compared based on investment basics, but no honest proposition contains all of the above features.

A scam will generally IMPLY that safety and high profits are guaranteed. Your first question before you invest money: what are the specific guarantees for safety and investment returns? If the answer you get sounds confusing or misleading, you have no need to ask any more questions. Something is rotten in Denmark, since no investment offers high safety and high profits… except scams. Now, let’s move on to some other investment basics and questions to ask. Remember, a large part of knowing how to invest money involves knowing how to avoid bad investments or those that don’t fit your needs.

Ask about LIQUIDITY. How quickly and easily can you get your money back if you want to cash in? What will it cost you? This is a very honest question, and the answer you get should be straightforward. You’re out to invest money to make money; not to get stuck with a loser that will cost an arm and a leg to liquidate.

The COST OF INVESTING is another investment basic you need to ask about. Most investments involve charges and fees to buy, hold, and/or sell. Many times the details are in the fine print, so make sure to ask upfront. High investment costs can turn a winner into a loser. For example, a good simple fixed annuity will pay a competitive interest rate and will have no charge to invest or hold; and no charges to cash in after just a few years. The wrong annuity contract can cost you 3% or more a year in charges and fees, plus heavy charges if you cash out in the first few years.

Be real careful when an investment promises tax breaks. Ask questions first and get it in writing before you invest money. Then, run it by your tax professional if you have one. If you don’t, take a pass. Your goal is to invest money and make money in the process. Not to take a chance and wind up in trouble at tax time.

Our last area of concern in regard to how to invest money and investment basics I refer to as VISIBILITY, or the ability to monitor your investment. After you invest money, then what? Can you track the value of your investment so you know where you stand financially at all times? Will you receive statements each quarter and at the end of each year showing the value of your investment assets?

As a financial planner, some of the worst horror stories of new clients I interviewed were brought to light when I asked to see their records for the investments they held. Sometimes their records or statements were incomplete or otherwise questionable. Sometimes, these investors could find no records at all and didn’t know who to contact to find out the status of their investment. That’s a perfect example of how to invest… NOT.

Before you invest money, sort out the investment basics covered in this article to avoid scams and other major investment mistakes. Don’t be afraid to ask the questions presented here. If you are dealing with honest people, they will be glad to answer your questions. If not, look someplace else.

A retired financial planner, James Leitz has an MBA (finance) and 35 years of investing experience. For 20 years he advised individual investors, working directly with them helping them to reach their financial goals.

Jim is the author of a complete investor guide, Invest Informed, designed for average investors or would-be investors of all levels of financial background and experience. To learn more about investments and investing and his new financial guide go to http://www.investinformed.com.

Futures are also sometimes called commodities. They are traded on the stock exchange in the form of agreements made by the buyer to purchase a commodity at some date in the future for today’s price. The buyer is assuming that the price of the commodity will be higher on that future date, meaning that their purchase will be below market, and if then sold on that date, he will make an immediate profit. Futures brokers execute the buy and sell orders placed by clients.

Futures are not the same thing as options. As the name implies, options are instruments that give the client the option to purchase at a predetermined price. Futures, on the other hand, are obligations, and the buyer must fulfill that obligation. His broker may liquidate his position prior to that date, if the client so desires, by selling the client’s position to someone else. If the client chooses to hold his investment, the broker will finalize the trade.

A futures broker may or may not have a seat on the trading floor. If he does not, he will utilize the services of the broker in his firm who does have a seat. Information received from the futures broker will be executed by his co-worker who is licensed to trade “in the pit” on the stock exchange.

A discount futures broker will execute the orders received from a client. Few discount brokers include any other services for the client, at least without a separate fee. Those who use a discount broker will seldom have access to any market research or advice that is tailored to the client’s situation. Instead, most discount brokers merely buy or sell what is requested.

You can trade with a futures broker online or at a traditional brokerage firm. Typically, the online traders will charge lower fees, but their support services may be more limited. It would be beneficial for those considering the use of an online service to take the time to educate themselves on what futures are and how the futures market works prior to investing.

A full service futures broker typically offers more personalized service. He or she will keep clients informed of news that might affect the client’s trading position. The broker will keep clients apprised of the latest market research, the balances in their accounts, and makes recommendations.

Some, but by no means all, of the types of items traded with a futures broker include gold and silver, food crops such as soybeans, oat, wheat, and corn, and livestock such as cattle and pork. Cotton, lumber, orange juice, coffee, cocoa and sugar also fall under his expertise. Foreign currency, energy, and many U.S. Treasury bonds or notes can also be handled by a futures broker.

A futures broker usually has a degree in finance, economics, or business. In addition, he or she should have communication skills, sales aptitude, and research skills, along with the ability to perform in a fast paced and stressful environment. Futures brokers must also pass the Series 3 exam, or the National Commodities Futures Examination. They must also register with the National Futures Association.

David has been writing articles for nearly 2 years. One of his many interests is stock brokers and the share market. So come visit his latest website that discusses online share market products such as the best internet stock broker and some tips to find the best online stock broker that every person needs to explore before heading into share trading.

What most people refer to as a stock broker is basically a securities broker. The broker works with clients, which may be individuals, pension funds, or other institutions to buy and sell stocks, mutual funds, and bonds. For his services, the securities broker receives a commission based on the amount of the transaction.

A full service securities broker will work with clients to determine how much they have available to invest and what their goals and needs are. He will usually recommend certain stocks, but get the approval of the client before purchasing them.

Securities brokers are often involved in the IPO, or initial public offering, of a new company or one that has heretofore been privately held. The Securities and Exchange Commission has very strict guidelines for stock that is to be sold to the general public, and the services of a securities broker is often of great benefit in these cases.

When searching for a securities broker, prospective clients should make sure that they are registered with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, also known as FINRA. The firm for which they work must also be registered, and the broker must have worked there for a minimum of 4 months as well as pass the Series 7 exam, or the General Securities Registered Representative Exam. Many individual states also require further licensing, such as the Uniform Securities Exam.

Securities brokers who work for a traditional brokerage firm are typically compensated by commission. In the past, some unscrupulous brokers have increased their earnings by “flipping” stocks, or buying and selling more frequently than is needed. Those who work for online discount brokerage firms are usually compensated on a flat salary basis, regardless of the activity in their clients’ portfolios.

A securities broker may specialize in one aspect of investing, such as initial public offerings, mutual funds, or government securities. Or the broker may handle all investment opportunities for the general public. Other brokers work primarily with pension fund investments, real estate investments, or investment banks.

A full service securities broker will take the time to meet with prospective clients to carefully analyze their financial picture. He will recommend investments based on factors such as the length of time until retirement, the amount of liquid assets the client has, and other aspects such as insurance or home equity. Additional services, such as the sales of insurance policies, may be offered by the firm or one of its affiliates.

Securities brokers are subject to various laws and rules passed by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Brokers are required to offer not only a prospectus to clients but also disclose any public information not included in the prospectus that could impact the investment. Insider trading is a criminal offense, and brokers are not the only ones who can be charged.

The SIPC, or Securities Investor Protection Corporation, was designed to protect investors in the event that a securities firm encounters catastrophic financial reversals and must liquidate. The SIPC arranges for claims to be paid from a trust fund, and can borrow is the amount in the trust fund is inadequate.

David has been writing articles for nearly 2 years. One of his many interests is stock brokers and the share market. So come visit his latest website that discusses online share market products such as the best internet stock broker and some tips to find the best cheap stock broker that every person needs to explore before heading into share trading.

One investment that dragged us down was the rice trading. I cited in my previous article about lumber trading, this time we dropped off our business in rice trading like a hot potato.

Like wood, rice also take so much space, time, money and effort. Aside from being the number one favorite of rats and ants, the quality of rice easily deteriorates if it is exposed, more so when it gets wet.

For every pound of rice, we get only like 15 to 20 cents, but like wood, it does not bring your money’s worth. You also get to meet problems in the shipment because it would take a number of laborers to bring the hundreds of sacks from the boat to the cargo truck. Like what I’ve shared on the lumber business, you can’t also compete with big businessmen as they buy in volumes for their warehouses. And some outlets that you have already contacted would negotiate for terms which would slow down your next shipment if you only have just enough capital for the business. You may ask when we get into it? I believe on the saying that strike while the iron is hot but before the iron gets hotter, you better quit before your capital goes down the drain.

We also went into networking of rice, we made some few thousands because we had recruits who contributed to the growth of the team, but eventually, the company folded up because the supply was low and demand was high, the quality of rice was also not maintained properly during the first few months of operations as it was harvest time. It was summer when the company opened but come rainy season, the supply dwindled so the quality of rice also deteriorated. To be fair also to the company and to the networkers, but as they saying goes, some good things never last.

Please visit my blog - Click here.

I had visions and positive ambition in life which brought me to where I am and where I will be in terms of finances. I applied the book of proverbs 13 that says “Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.” This principle in life has guided my through all these years and have shared it with my two boys and close family friends.

You can visit my blog on Ways To Invest Money and Increase Finances at - Click here

As the dust settles from the Wall Street meltdown of 2008, the average investor needs to chart a course that threads its way through future growth and perils. Simply relying on the old investment adages may not be the wisest course. Here’s some things to think about.

(1) Wall Street is not your friend. At this point, it should come as no surprise that the goal on Wall Street is to make money for Wall Street, rather than giving investment advice that the average investor can actually benefit from. Washington makes a lot of noise about reform, but don’t hold your breath about anything happening. We have gone through two major Wall Street screw ups since 2000 that cost most individual investors a good chunk of their portfolios. First was the attempt to convince everyone that there was a “new math” on how to value companies that had some relationship to the internet and, after that didn’t exactly work out, Wall Street moved to use the environment of easy money to package high risk real estate mortgages that fell apart when real estate values started to decline. Even though most investors never owned internet stocks or CDO’s, the collapse of these products helped drive down the stock market in general. To thrive, Wall Street must continue to find and distribute economic “hot spot” products. A good bet in the future might be derivatives created from “cap and trade.” After all, trading air seems ready made for the street.

(2) Take a new look at “asset allocation.” Although asset allocation models do not ensure a profit or protect against a loss, they have become the standard of investment models for many investors. The theory itself is over 50 years old. The world has changed since Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House. Thanks to a developing global economy, asset class correlations are becoming more similar and this increases volatility in a portfolio. Don’t exit asset allocation like the last helicopter out of Saigon, but do avoid the rigid “pigeon holing” of asset classes that’s become prevalent in asset allocation design. Investment managers today need the flexibility to move a little if the asset class returns really moves against them. You can’t take your boat out without a life preserver on board. Your portfolio should be no different.

(3) Does passive indexing investing still work? Index investing was the “flavor of the month” back in the 1990’s when proponents of “efficient markets” promoted that it was so difficult to beat the market that everyone’s best bet was simply to mirror a market index and go to the beach. Today, the market is full of inefficiencies and with the S&P 500 flat lining over the last decade, it’s time to pour the sand out of your shoes and get back in the game.

(4) Portfolio “compression” is the next best idea. The average investor doesn’t need to squeeze all the upside out of a bull market as long as there’s some protection against the next bear. Cutting portfolio volatility should be on your new year’s resolution list. The future market road will continue to be rough and rocky roads generally demand good shock absorbers. If you are a competent investment mechanic, by all means install them yourself. If you need a qualified mechanic, seek one out. If you enjoy a really rough ride, just hang on with your current portfolio. You may get a few teeth knocked out, but that’s not what’s going to hurt the most.

Although the stock market is going through a tough patch, it’s still where a lot of the action is to outpace inflation and grow funds for the future. No promises, no guarantees, but that’s always been the story from the beginning. Going forward, caution will be your best friend. One old adage you will still be able to hold near and dear is that if it looks too good, it probably is.

Glenn (”Chip”) Dahlke, a senior contributor to the Living Trust Network, has 30 years in the investment business.

He is a Registered Representative of Linsco/Private Ledger and a principal with Dahlke Financial Group. He is licensed to transact securities with persons who are residents of the following states: CA. CT, FL, GA, IL. MA, MD. ME, MI. NC, NH, NJ, NY.OR, PA, RI, VA, VT, WY.

If you have any questions or comments, Chip would love to hear from you. You may contact him at dahlkefinancial@sbcglobal.net. You may also contact him at the Living Trust Network. Its web site is http://www.livingtrustnetwork.com

Copyright 2010. Living Trust Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved

As the resident ETF expert, I’m always on the lookout for new ways to make money with these wonderful financial tools. Some of the most exciting developments over the last few years are the leveraged and inverse ETFs.

As a regular reader of the Dynamic Wealth Report, you’ve seen me write about these before. I’m a big fan of leveraged and inverse ETFs. But I’m sorry to say if you have a managed account at some big bank or brokerage, you’ll never hear about some of the most exciting new products. It’s not because your broker doesn’t want you to make money. It’s not because he doesn’t know about these products (the smarter brokers do). They’re not allowed to offer these ETFs to anyone.

Here’s the deal.

Regulators are turning up the heat on anyone involved with leveraged ETFs. The list includes the ETF providers like Profunds’ ProShares and Deutsche Bank’s Powershares. They’re also looking at brokers and the exchanges. All of the extra attention from regulators has some major players running scared.

Take Wells Fargo for example. They’re no longer offering leveraged or inverse ETFs to anyone with a managed account. And Deutsche Bank is shutting down one of its most popular leveraged ETFs.

The reason brokers are pulling these products off the shelf is FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority). They sent a ’shot across the bow’ of brokers reminding them they’re looking over their shoulder. And it got everyone’s attention.

FINRA’s main point of contention is the investor’s suitability to these types of investments. The fact is leveraged ETFs deliver the targeted return for one day. But the relationship can breakdown over time periods longer than a single day. And the effects are amplified in times of increased volatility, like we’ve had the past year.

Their conclusion is leveraged and inverse ETFs aren’t suitable for buy-and-hold investors with a long term time horizon. (But if you’ve read the prospectus or their website, you’d already know this.)

The truth is I don’t think regulators are done, not by a long shot. It’s going to get more difficult to trade leveraged and inverse ETFs. In the not so distant future, you’ll need specific approval, like option trading already requires, to trade them.

In the last six days, the S&P 500 is up just under 5%, but UPRO is up better than 15%.

It’s a great way to turn a decent profit into a windfall. And you can do it in a short time frame.

As long as you understand these ETFs, they can deliver some impressive gains. In my opinion, they’re best used for speculation with a short time horizon. Make sure you take the time to understand the regulator’s ‘game’. You don’t want to be left on the outside looking in…

Corey Williams is the co-editor of the Dynamic Wealth Report, a free investment newsletter that offers investment ideas and news you can’t get from the mainstream investment press. Corey and his team bring decades of Wall Street and Silicon Valley experience to help you discover profitable trading ideas you can use today. In addition to leveraged etfs trade ideas, you’ll also receive FREE updates on penny stocks, options, ETFs, commodities and currencies that offer the best opportunity for immediate profit. For more information on a FREE subscription to the Dynamic Wealth Report, please visit: http://www.DynamicWealthReport.com/new.htm

Although their forecasts are notoriously inaccurate, economists spend a great deal of time thinking about and forecasting future economic growth. Investors often consider these forecasts when deciding where to invest their money. The conventional view is that countries and regions with strong long-term economic growth prospects are more likely to deliver higher stock returns than those with slower growth expectations.

One popular theory is that corporate earnings in the aggregate should constitute roughly a constant percentage of GDP over the long run and, therefore, dividends will rise along with economic growth thus producing higher stock returns in faster growing economies (note: historical data does not appear to support this idea).

Following this logic, asset allocation would be a straightforward process of favoring high growth regions and countries of the world at the expense of the slow growth areas. For example, economists generally agree that the long-run growth potential of Asia is higher than either the United States or Europe. Is getting higher returns on our portfolios as easy as overweight Asian countries since the expected economic growth rate of the region is so much higher than both U.S. and Europe?

Of course, there is no free lunch in finance and market participants know which countries and regions of the world are expected to have higher economic growth in the future. These expectations are incorporated into current market prices, thereby making this knowledge of little value in making investment decisions.

Most important, several academic studies have failed to find a positive correlation between a country’s economic growth and its stock market’s return. British economists Dimson, Marsh, and Stanton find no evidence that economic growth is a predictor of future stock performance or that high growth economies outperform low growth ones. Similarly, Jay Ritter of the University of says that future economic growth is largely irrelevant for predicting future equity returns.

Simply put, while short-run changes in GDP growth can affect stock prices, there is no necessary long-term connection. Growth of an economy is determined by growth in the supply of labor and increases in productivity. Stock returns, on the other hand, are determined by the cost of capital, which is the rate of return required by investors to bear the risk of owning stocks.

In other words, it is primarily risk that determines long-term stock returns, or the returns on any investment asset (not the growth rate of the economy). Some investment advisors recommend investing in fast-growing economies with the expectation of superior returns, but historically that strategy has not generally succeeded.

This is not to say there is no connection between GDP growth and the stock market. The prosperity of companies and shareholders depends on the health of the economy at any point in time, but instead of GDP growth predicting stock returns, it is the stock market that predicts future GDP growth.

Just as global stock markets rose in 2009 in expectation of economic growth in 2010, economic researchers have found a statistically significant between a country’s economic growth and its prior-year’s stock market return. In short, a positive return on stocks in year t portends positive economic growth in year t+1.

The fact that the stock market discounts anticipated economic conditions and is a good predictor of future economic growth, suggests that free and competitive markets are efficient processors of information. This is good because the idea that free markets work is a central idea of capitalism and necessary for the proper functioning of capital markets.

In summary, buying into growth markets does not generate market-beating returns because markets anticipate the growth and factor this expectation into current prices. This underscores the importance of having a globally diversified portfolio with exposure to many different countries, regions and asset classes.

Dan Goldie is a financial advisor and financial planner working with high net worth individuals and families. Investment advice provided through Dan Goldie Financial Services LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor.

There are two types of investments done in the trading market. These two major classification falls under short term investments and long term investments. If you find yourself more confused in choosing which to choose among these two types of investments, simply be aware of the differences and the pros and cons and you will be on the right track.

Basically the major differences between these two types of investments are that short term plans are designed to show a substantial return in a short period of time. Long-term investments meanwhile, are investments designed to last for a few years or so and present a slow, steady progressive increase in its yields.

With the main difference between these two types of investments stated, the disadvantages and advantages of each should also be known and weighed.

The first of the two types of investments is short term investments which has great potentials of growth and increase in value over a very fast period of time ranging only from a few weeks to a few months. Although it might face the challenges of fluctuations trends in the market, short term investments still allows more personal control since it is likely that you will be the one to keep an eye on your money.

Its weakness meanwhile is it will prove to be riskier due to the shifts in an unpredictable market. Compared to its counterpart, this is more prone to volatile circumstances because of its lifespan. So even if the chance of greater yields is aimed for, there are also greater chances of risks that you lose a lot of money.

Long-term investments on the other hand provide steady and reliable yields for the future retirement years. It gains small and distributed profits over a longer period of time. Thanks to its slow-but-steady pace, it is seen to be a lot stable and it involves lesser risks along the way too.

One disadvantage though of long-term investments is since profit cannot be expected right away; this particular investment will not be an option for you if you are in dire need of money during emergency situations. Aside from this, it would be expected that you would have lesser control over your money because the maturity date of your investment is not immediate. Also, it would be expected that there are fees to be paid while the investment is making its way to its maturity date.

Knowing the major advantages and disadvantages between these two types of investments would be the first step so you can make the right decision.

I’ve been investing for over 10 years now and by no means is this simply a hobby, it’s a business for me. Over the last 10 years, I’ve gained a lot of inside knowledge and made gains in the thousands of percent and I’m willing to share that knowledge with you for free. Download my free e-book here >>>>> http://www.trinityreports.com/stocks