Category: Personal Finance

Personal finance covers managing your money. That can be saving and investing. Personal finance includes budgeting, investments, insurance, mortgages, retirement planning, banking, etc. In other words, it is an entire industry that provides financial services to people and advises them about financial and investment possibilities.

Traders-Paradise gives you comprehensive articles on all these matters. We’re covering all mentioned above but our team stepped forward. Here you can find very useful articles about loans, personal loans, pay-day loans, and why some are better than others.

Traders-Paradise provides you, our reader, full and detailed guides on how to apply for loans, how to improve your bad credit score, how to get out a loan even with a bad credit score.

Here you’ll find all about the process of applying, what documents are required, both for online lenders and traditional banks. So, you can be prepared in advance.

Tredares-Paradise team that has experts in different fields, will guide you, with their articles, trough the personal finance issues and help you to solve them.

We are giving you a key to keep your personal finances on the right track. You’ll learn how to obtain skills that can help you in your personal success or your business success. These articles are all about that but with a concrete explanation of personal money management. How to do that, why to do that, how beneficial it is.

What Do You Need to Know About Prepaid Cards?

A prepaid card works like a debit card, but without risks and the bank account

By Guy Avtalyon

Prepaid cards are similar to debit cards. This means, prepaid cards seem like credit cards and use as credit cards. But the main difference is there’s no credit behind. When using the prepaid cards you are spending your own money, banks will not grant you to spend their money. So, in essence, they are debit cards.

However, there is one difference. It isn’t needed to have a bank account to have a prepaid card. All you have to do is to download a certain amount of money straight onto the card. And you can use your prepaid card for purchasing and payments.

When the balance on the card drops low, you have to reload more money.

You can use your prepaid card everywhere, just like any card. You can pay bills, buy in the shops.

The fees retailers pay to receive prepaid cards are lower than for credit cards, you will often find, for example, the shops that are receiving the prepaid cards rather than credit cards.

Prepaid cards are a good option instead of credit cards.

Moreover, prepaid cards allow the comfort of shopping without the troubles of administering with a bank. You may deposit your paycheck direct onto your prepaid card.

They were basically invented for people with bad or non-exciting credit history. This kind of card is a great choice for people with credit problems. The other advantage for all of you, who are not sure how should you spend your money, is that the prepaid card expires when the preloaded money runs out.

It is a very helpful first card for youngsters or for someone who is recovering from debt.

There is no credit check, hence, it will not help you develop credit. The outgo on prepaid cards is not traced by credit bureaus.

Seek for characteristics that satisfy your needs.

Amazing, prepaid cards allow you to pay bills online by setting up automated monthly payments. Some will allow you to withdraw money from an ATM.

To manage your account online, you can use some app available for desktop or even mobile.

“Seventy percent of general prepaid card users use mobile to check balances and transaction history and receive text alerts,” said Bill McCracken, CEO of Synergistics. “So mobile capability in a prepaid card is very important.”

Opportunities to put more money on your card are growing.

You can transfer money from your bank account if you have one.
Your company can deposit your paycheck directly onto your prepaid card.
Money transfer from a PayPal account, for example, is so easy.
If the balance on your prepaid card is too low you can reload by using a reload card.

Moreover, as we mentioned before, there is no need to pay interest on a prepaid card. On the other hand, with a credit card, you have to pay. Instead, you will pay fees.

Prepaid cards require fees from setup to reloading. The good thing is that you can limit fees. How? Just keep a minimum balance or arrange a direct deposit.

Prepaid cards can assist you to control your money if you employ it as a budgeting tool. For example, you can load the weekly budget for shopping onto your prepaid card. When you spend all amount, your spending will be stopped immediately. Well, unless you load more money. Anyway, it will help you manage your spending by limiting costs and risks.

And, you’re protected. “While prepaid cards were developed by entrepreneurs as an alternative to banking, the funds in these accounts are almost always held by a bank or credit union and enjoy federal deposit insurance,” Richard Cordray, director of the CFPB.

Moreover, if you notify the loss or stealing of your registered card, most of the issuer will restore your balance and give you a new card. Let’s say, a prepaid card operates like a debit card, but without risks and the bank account.

Prepaid cards are good for people with bad credit. Especially when they are not accepted for a credit card. You can use a prepaid card as a method of building positive credit. If you make small payments frequently and pay them off every month, you’ll be able to show that you are financially stable. After some time this secured account can be changed to an unsecured one.

9th July 2019
How Long It Takes to Have Enough to Buy a Home

4 min read

To have enough to buy a home is everyone’s dream. This is a tricky time for millennials who want to buy a home. Some research, for example in Canada, shows that young people need between 13 to 29 years to purchase their first home. That’s too much.

While millennials over the world are striving to get on the property, about 70% of Chinese millennials reached the milestone.

Mexico is the next with 46% of millennials homeowners, the following is France with 41%.

For the majority of millennials, owning house persist too expensive and they can’t save enough for a deposit. Property prices have increased in the last several years and the rise in salary did not follow this

Almost 2/3 of millennials declared they would need higher incomes to buy a home.

According to Forbes, China has seven of the world’s 10 most expensive cities for buying such a property.

So how have so many millennials in China have enough to buy a home?

There are no secrets. For most of them, a parent’s help was crucial. Also, they have some benefits for married couples. For sons in China, parents will do almost everything to help them get married.

Thanks to the One-Child Policy, next year will be 30 million men more than women who are looking for marriage partners. Parents in China want to improve the chances for their sons and support them financially to have enough to buy a home. Speaking about, gender equality. But it isn’t the subject of this article.

We want to show you how to ensure your deposit in order to buy a house, to have enough to buy a home.

There are some other ways to get on the property on your own.

Let us ask you something.

1) Are you able to save each year?

2) When you save, where you put your money?

The message of the following story is: start saving early and try to save often. We want to show you the influence of compounding.

Let’s estimate how long it will take you to become a millionaire. Yes, why not?

We will start with the Rule of 1.5, likewise recognized as Felix’s Corollary.

This rule says that for a flow of investments where the number of years times the interest equals 72, the final value will equal approximately 1.5 times the amount invested.

Say, investing $10,000 per year for 8 years at 9% interest.

8 x 9 = 72

The value of the investments at the end of year 8 will be about $120,000.

Or make it simpler

$10,000 x 8 x 1.5 = $120,000

It’s so far from being a millionaire but…

We will use Felix’s Corollary again. All we need to do is decide how long it will take you to save $720,000 at a contracted interest rate.

To explain why $720,000. Because $720,000 times 1.5 equals $1,080,000. This describes why we didn’t use $1,000,000.

This is easier than it looks, you will see.

Say, with a saving of $90,000 per year you will need 8 years to acquire $720,000.

And at 9% annual interest, you would save $1,080,000 over 8 years. Of course, most of you don’t have $90,000 per year to put on savings.

That’s why most of us are not able to collect a million dollars in 8 years.

So let’s expand it to 16 years.

Now, what do we lack to be a millionaire? Again implementing a 9% rate of return? Yes! Here is where the rule 72 again in the scene. Using the Rule of 72, we know that whatever we have saved over the first 8 years will double over the next 8 years because 72 divided by our interest rate of 9% equals 8.

So we can break the 16 year savings period into 3 equal portions:

1) the amount we save over the first 8 years;

2) the doubling of this amount over the next 8 years;

3) the amount we save the second 8 years.

And here it is: $720,000 divided by 3 equals $240,000. That is the amount we need to save each of the two 8 year periods. That is $30,000 per year if my math is good. And it is, so you just follow the rest of this. That means $2,500 per month, which is a reasonable saving for some people.

But you want to determine what it will take to be a millionaire in 24 years. All you have to do is just divide $720,000 by 7 and then again by 8.

So, $720,000 divided by 8 equals 90,000 divided by 7 equals about $12,800. Right? Hence, investing just a bit over $1,000 per month at 9% interest during 24 years period will make you a millionaire.

Invest in stocks with little money to have enough to buy a home

But, how to know when to get in a position in investing?

Investing takes time to grow. It requires a relatively moderate risk and moderate returns in the short run. But investing may produce bigger returns by placing both, interests and dividends to hold for a longer period of time. So, you are taking a long position while investing.

You would like to hold your stock for several years and have a decent return. In most circumstances, you should take the profit when a stock grows 20% to 25% of the buy price.

When to get out in the investment

The general rule of investing is never getting out of your investment just because the stock price is dropping. The rule “buy high/sell low” isn’t valuable while investing. Otherwise, you will never earn money in the stock market.

A selling an investment too quickly can hurt your portfolio.

Can you “ensure” some positions?

All beginners, no matter how smart they are, have illusions, so they have losses. You have to keep your losses small, don’t let them scare you and survive.

The rules for managing the risk that we’ll show you may feel disturbing for beginners because they have small accounts. Well, the proper risk control may limits trade size. I know that. But it is important for you to know that it is a protection in the first place.

The crucial rule of risk control is the 2% rule: never risk more than 2% of your account investment on any opened trade.

Start by writing down three numbers for every trade: your entry, target and stop. Without them, a trade may become a gamble.

I want to share with you one of the best advice I got when I become an investor.

If you see your stock rises by 40% you should sell 20% of your position. When the stock later increases 49% more, sell the other 20%. That will provide you to have 125% of your primary position.

You have 100% of the initial position. And it grows 40%:

100%*1.4=140%

You sell 20% of it, which means that now in your hands you have 80% left:

140%*0.8=112%

Stocks rise for another 40% progressively:

112%*1.4=156.8%

Now you sell 20% of the stock you have in your hands:

156.8%*0.8=125.44%

You end up with 125.44% value of the initial position.

The bottom line

To know how to structure your portfolio just implement this rule:100 minus your age.

This rule is used for asset allocation. Subtract your age from 100 to find how much of your portfolio should be allocated to equities

If you are at your 30s you should have 70% in equities and 30% in debt.

Investing doesn’t have to be difficult if you start early, understand investment opportunities, and invest in different assets to minimize risk. And provides you to have enough to buy a home.

5th July 2019
How to Become the Billionaire

There is nothing wrong with being poor. Many circumstances may cause that. Lack of opportunities because of the place where you are living, the poor economy in your country, but anyone should try to change that. Even if you feel you are not capable to run that long way, just make that one – the most important first step. Find the strength to reach what you want. The life you are seeking is the life you deserve.

TP is giving you a few stories about poor people who became billionaires. We want you to know something, they came from nothing. Some of them have a really impressive life story.

So, who they are?

Jan Koum WhatsApp founder

Jan Koum

Jan Koum was born in Kyiv, Ukraine in 1976. He lived in the house outside the Kyiv, without running water.

Koum has memories: “It was so run-down that our school didn’t even have an inside bathroom. Imagine the Ukrainian winter, -20°C, where little kids have to stroll across the parking lot to use the bathroom. Society was extremely closed off: you can read 1984, but living there was experiencing it.”

When he was 16, he moved with his mother to Mountain View, California. They lived in an apartment secured by government assistance. In order to survive, he cleaned floors at a local store.

Koum developed computer skills on his own. In 2009, he co-founded mobile messaging service WhatsApp and sold it Facebook for $22 billion in 2014.

Net worth:$9.1 billion

Ken Langone, Investor

Ken Langone

His father worked as a plumber and mother was a school cafeteria worker. They lived between two paychecks.

But Langone wanted a better life and that desire was supported by his family.

In order to contribute to paying scholarship at Bucknell University Langone worked different jobs. His parents also mortgaged their family house.

In 1968, Langone in associate with Ross Perot took Electronic Data Systems public. Later it was acquired by Hewlett Packard. Two years later, with Bernard Marcus, he started Home Depot. This company also went public in 1981.

Despite his huge business success, Langone still is cautious with his money. He still calls the cable company when he considers his bill is too big.

Net worth: $3.6 billion

Howard Schultz, Starbucks founder

Howard Schultz was born in Brooklyn, New York, on July 19, 1953.

Schultz grew up in a housing complex for the poor.

When he was 3 years old he moved with his family to the Bayview Housing in Canarsie, a neighborhood in southeastern Brooklyn.

A football scholarship helped him to move from Canarsie to Northern Michigan University in 1970.

Schultz found work as a salesman for Hammarplast, a company that sold European coffee makers in the United States. Schultz remarked that he was selling more coffee makers to a small enterprise in Seattle. It was the Starbucks Coffee Tea and Spice Company.

“Every month, every quarter, these numbers were going up, even though Starbucks just had a few stores,” Schultz later remembered. “And I said, ‘I gotta go up to Seattle.’”

At that time, 1981, Starbucks didn’t exist outside Seattle. The company’s original owners, old college buddies Jerry Baldwin and Gordon Bowker and their neighbor, Zev Siegl, had founded Starbucks in 1971. The three friends also came up with the coffee company’s universal mermaid logo.

Howard Schultz joined them. The rest is history.

Net worth:$2.9 billion

Kenny Troutt, the founder of Excel Communications

Kenny Troutt

Troutt grew up in a poor family. His father was a bartender. So, Kenny Troutt had to pay for his own education at Southern Illinois University. He did it by selling life insurance. He made most of his money from phone company Excel Communications, which he founded in 1988 and took public in 1996. Two years later, Troutt became a billionaire when Excel was sold to Teleglobe for $3.5 billion.

This a self-made billionaire owns WinStar Farm in Versailles, Kentucky. He’s now retired and invests massively in racehorses.

Despite his allergy to horse hair.

Net worth: $1.4 billion

The bottom line

So, how to become a billionaire? It looks there is no universal formula for that. But there is something common for all of them who raised in poor families. All of them wanted changes, worked hard, had a desire to make success. And they were not afraid to take advantage when it came to it. To become a billionaire you must have passion, you must be curious and have opened eyes. In order to recognize the right opportunity. Never hesitate to start this journey. These guys made a success, so why wouldn’t you?

2nd July 2019
Money Management

by Hans Stam

A little off topic but well received within my group how I manage money.

So I decided to put this in writing to your benefit.

Many don’t know where all the money went at the end of their month.

Usually, they have a bit of month left at the end of their money.

Others make a lot of money but always seem to have a shortage anyway.

Some are doing just fine but don’t seem to get ahead in their finances.

The process of Money Management

Here is the process I went through personally.

I had one account at my bank as most people have.

All my money came in on that account and all payments were made from that account.

I started to write down all my expenses.

Then I noticed I was overpaying for some services like my phone, so I contacted the phone company for a better deal and instantly got more than 50% discount. That was my first step in money management.

Same with other bills, I noticed some things I spent but didn’t really need or that could be done differently.

When I had a complete picture of all my expenses per month, I divided it into daily portions.

2nd Account in the process of Money Management?

I opened a second bank account at another bank, and whatever income I had I placed at that central account.

Not only the usual income but also whatever money I got like tax returns or bonuses, etc.

Then I set up automated daily payments from that central bank account to the initial bank account where most bills were deducted automatically.

The way it was set up plus perhaps a few bucks a day was taking care of the bills and it grew a bit every day.

Why another bank?

Anything can happen, and when it hits the fan, you better keep control yourself instead of letting the bank decide for you!

3rd Account?!

Then I set up a third Bank account. I decided on a number I needed to do groceries on a daily bases.

So from my central account, I got daily payments to use for shopping.

Now I knew what was there every day to use and not overspend.

4rth Account!!

I also got Gas money from jobs I do.

So I opened a Fourth Bank account.

Every time I’m getting gas money, I deposit it in that account.

Most times I’m getting more than needed so all other car bills like taxes and maintenance are being paid from that account.

Central Account for Better Money Management

When I did set it up that way, all I needed to focus on was the central bank account and I knew exactly what I needed a day, week, month.

I noticed at first it wasn’t easy but I was determined to get it right.

So then I realized I needed a buffer of 3-6 months based on my daily payments.

I knew what I needed to survive 3-6 months without any income in case something happens.

This has saved me several times as I do not have a steady income.

Interest

I noticed I was paying interest on open balances.

So how did that happen?

I was in need of a car, and that’s a huge sum for most people.

So that had to be paid from the Gas account, but there wasn’t enough.

So I had to loan from a bank, but I paid more due to interest.

I decided to calculate the interest and paid the same interest amount into my central account as well.

Basically, I was paying back the bank, and now also myself.

Over time I needed more money on bigger spendings.

So I loaned from the central account and paid it back from the account I needed it for with interest!

How does that work?

When I saw something in the shops I really wanted to have, I just paid it from the central account to my Groceries account.

Same goes for Gas-account when in need of more cash instantly like buying another car.

Then by the daily income, I was getting on those accounts, I paid it back to the central account with interest.

It also made me aware that at times I did not really have to buy whatever it was I wanted, so it kept me from buying the item.

All I need to watch for is the buffer on the Central bank account to keep my internal economy going.

But before there was a buffer, I took care of small bills that were past due and made them disappear quickly.

Doing that gave me more and more control to work towards my buffer.

Investments as the best way for Money Management

When I wanted to start investing, I didn’t really have much money to do it with.

So I loaned money from my central account, and whatever money went out, I paid back with interest from my income.

So even if that investment was not working out, it was covered by future manageable income, bit by bit.

Whatever the investment did produce was placed back into the central account which also helped to pay off the initial loan.

If the investment made more, I was free to either let it grow or to fund the central account after the internal loan was settled.

When I invested more I considered it to be a separate loan which re-entered the process.

No logic

It doesn’t seem logical to work with your money like that, it seems too complicated.

But what it did do for me was that it gave me control over my bills which all happens automatically and it made me think twice before spending outside the balance on the cards.

So in a way, it made me focus and I know what I have to do next.

If my investments are not providing enough for my buffer, I know I need to get another job and quickly maintain my Central Account.

Anything can happen in life, and I never really valued stability really going day by day without much thought until the day came I got stuck financially.

So through desperation and a whole lot of debt, I decided to set it up to the way I have it now.

And although it did not help me overnight, the action alone to contact another bank and set up the accounts gave me a feeling of control.

It also made me go look for other ways to make an income like another job to maintain the central account.

This got me moving with a plan in action and it has given me many benefits in my financial life.

Back on control

I took back control, and I crawled back from a deep hole which made me an investor and Trader.

Hopefully, you are not facing that mountain of debt in your life and you might not give this a second thought as long as you always have enough, but even millionaires can go bankrupt if they don’t pay attention.

Be wise, don’t let money become a problem where it doesn’t have to be.

I surely hope this off-topic article will benefit you, as money is not everything and it should not control your life.

Yes, we need it, so let’s deal with it and go on with other important things in life.

If you can support my work as a Mentor, please click here for a donation

I really appreciate your encouragement.

Also, any support you like to show through PayPal is very much appreciated!

to your success,

Hans Stam

1st July 2019
Best money apps for 2019
Traders-Paradise presents you the best money apps that we examined, and use.

By Guy Avtalyon

Today everyone is looking for the best money apps. That’s a great help in money management. The principle is the same as before, everything else is nuance. Also, the development of advanced technologies is a great help. We all remember how our parents did that. They didn’t have an app to manage their money, they had to do all alone. Several envelopes “loan” “electricity” “heat” “phone” etc. were usually on the table with slips filled.

The pile of bills and a checkbook on one side, envelopes on the other. And a notebook where they wrote everything they spent. As the envelopes became fatter, the bunch of bills would become tiny.

Today it is completely different. We have apps for almost everything. Also, we have automated payments. So, it is easy to track all payments and where our money goes. So, we can know our net worth in a second.

Traders Paradise came across numerous reviews to find the best money apps. Of course, our personal experiences were valuable too.

So, here are some of the best money apps we estimated. All available to download for Android and iOS, which was the very first criteria. The second criterion was a free download.
- Mint
Mint is a free money app. It comes from Intuit (the creator of TurboTax and QuickBooks). Mint provides you to set up and link all your accounts and cards into one place.

The app automatically classifies banking and credit card transactions and its Trends feature provides you to track your credit cards, spending, cash, net worth. Also, you are able to set your financial goals or payment reminder, bill reminder, or receive suggestions on how to reduce fees and save some money. Mint will signal you when you are going over your stated budget.
Mint has over 20 million users.

The app will automatically classify banking and credit card transactions and there is a Trends feature that allows you to track credit cards, cash, spending, income, and net worth over time, along with the ability to set up financial goals.

This app is available for iPhone or iPad, as well as Android and Windows devices.
- Goodbudget
Goodbudget is previously known as Easy Envelope Budget Aid or EEBA. You can download the free app on iOS and Android devices from the App Store and Google Play store.

This is an automated version of the old envelopes. The idea is to split up your money into digital “envelopes” based on your wants or needs. You can pick from pre-labeled envelopes or design your own.

Start by adding your income and listing a financial “account” like a checking account or savings account, credit card, or cash.
Customize your envelopes.

You should log to your Goodbudget every time you send or receive the money, allocate some amount to each of your envelopes. For example, you allocated $200 per month to your hygiene. Every time you bought something from that kind of supplies you should click “add a transaction”, insert the store name, and the value you spent. That value will be taken out of a certain envelope. And you will see how much you can spend on hygiene more.

You can pick one of two Goodbudget offered plans. A free plan and a paid Plus plan that costs $5 per month or $45 per year. The envelope’s balance is colored: green means you have money to spend, red means you have gone over the budget.
- Trim
This isn’t only a money budgeting app. This app is the best if you have a lot of subscriptions or memberships and you wanted to cancel them. Trim helps you save on all subscriptions you don’t apply that are still cost you money.

This app employs your credit card and bank transactions to warn you of forgotten subscriptions. Trim will load only the transactions linked to subscriptions. Then you will receive a text message with all your subscriptions so you can cancel them if you want.

Trim is a truly assistant. It can send your certified letter telling you aren’t coming to some event. There is no need for phone calls. Also, Trim will negotiate your cable or Internet bill down for you.

It operates with Comcast, Time Warner, Charter, or any other provider.
- MoneyStrands
With MoneyStrands you’ll get prompt access to your account balances, transactions, budgets, saving goals, and more.
All you need to win smart financial decisions today. Moreover, you don’t need to link it with your bank accounts. There is a possibility to do that but it isn’t necessary.
Millennials like it very much. And you have a calendar. Well, it is easier to see when your bills are expected if you have a calendar in front of you. You can set goals and track how much you’ve saved.

This app suits those who need a good money app but don’t like to link bank accounts. When you plan your money you can see where your money goes and save more. You can observe your spending for some time and then rearrange the budget if it is necessary. Also, you can secure your payments on time and never go over the limit on credit card fees.

These money apps are very helpful, especially if you never update your budgeting skills. We recommend you best money apps from our own experience.

Don’t waste your money!
3rd May 2019
Automated Trading – Improve Your Trade
Here are Traders-Paradise’s suggestions for the automated trading software we examined.

By Treaders-Paradise Team

Do you know how automated or algorithmic, also algo, trading can make the profit to individual investors?

OK, let’s start. We don’t want you to waste your time.

But, honestly, we are doing this to not let you waste your money.

How does it work?

What computer program is going to do?

A computer program will follow the share price. That tracking will also, add moving average indicators. Automated trade means that software will place buy and sell orders.

Don’t you think it is a great help?

The automated trade program will help you to block emotional trading. And as you already know, it is very important. Not to trade under emotions and make errors.

We, here at Traders Paradise, think it is a great opportunity to have algo that will trade in your side. Moreover, it will make a true profit for you.

Finding such an automated trading system is a life dream goal for many traders. The one that places orders and guarantees profit.

And one that demands almost no or little input from the trader.

Automated trading means the trader has to set precise requirements for entries and exits. They will be automatically launched by your computer.

The main thing is that you can set requirements in the range from very simple to extremely complex strategies. That complex strategy will require complete knowledge of programming language special for the platform you would like to use for your trades.

What is an automated trading system?

It is the method of employing computers to support a set of established directions to execute a trade.

Producing a profit is in demand and expected. Moreover, with automated trading, it is guaranteed.

Can you expect from humans the same? Of course not.

The main benefit of using automated trade is that you have to do almost nothing. Your automated system will recognize the potential for profiting even before traders who are humans, of course.

Automated trading is very popular among institutional investors, but past several years it is accepted by retail investors especially for investing in the stock.

Although, automated trading platforms are the most popular for the Forex market.

But as you are reading this, you are ready to use some automated program. Your only concern is to find the best automated trading software.

Traders Paradise has some suggestions for you.

We will try to give you a hunch about some automated trading platforms. And we think these are the best in our opinion.
- ZuluTrade
Image source: ZuluTrade website

ZuluTrade is an honored brand in the field of online trading software providers. It runs an online and mobile social and copy trading platform. ZuluTrade is one of the most popular automated trading platforms that you can find today.

ZuluTrade turns the suggestions of experienced traders and automatically executes the trade in your account. You can test it by clicking the button in our navigation bar TEST YOUR SKILLS FOR FREE!

You can choose the program or traders that are best for you.

ZuluTrade automated trading platforms allow traders to copy the trades of successful traders. Also, you can copy signals or full strategies.

This autotrading platform recommended by Traders Paradise grants you the trust to involve in trading. Especially if you are a beginner with deficient knowledge or skills.
- E*Trade
Image source: E*trade website

Power E*TRADE is an innovative platform.

Thanks to it you can improve trading and invest by uniting trading applications directly into E*TRADE.

Its automated platform is reasonably positive. They give access to streaming market data, free real-time quotes, also the market analysis. The user interface is smooth and simple to operate. For instance, using their dashboard, you can follow accounts, build a watchlist, and execute your trades.

More about E*Trade you can read HERE>>>
- Wallstreet-forex robot
Image source: WallStreet Forex Robot website

If you want a fully automated trading experience, try WallStreet Forex Robot 2.0 Evolution.

You should check the robot’s latest performance on real money accounts.

If you follow all their instructions your success is guaranteed.

The entire system is smooth-running.

You’ll enjoy the latest version of the program.

This high-grade program has a lot to offer advanced and new traders.

The program involves a Broker Spy Module.

This module is created to protect the trader from scams and unethical brokers.

The main advantage is the program works by automatically scanning for new updates and settings.

Moreover, you don’t have to worry about restarting the robot. This is a great feature.

This new program doesn’t allow the scam broker to fool the software using methods such as delayed order executions and spreads.

The software will monitor for broker movements and investments all time and can easily recognize a scammer, 24/7.

The main features of automated trading software

The risk associated with automated trading is high. It can cause large losses.

Automated trading software is created to perform real-time all market data.

It must have a connection to multiple markets.

The software should have feeds of different formats or to go with third-party data vendors and give it in the same format.

Latency must be decreased to the minimum.

In today’s vibrant trading realm, the initial price quote can be modified various times in only one second.

Automated trading offers quick and timely access and full adaptability to your needs.

But before you enter algo trading you must understand and have the full experience of trading software. The best way to do so is to test it on a free demo account.

Don’t waste your money!
7th April 2019
Digital work: A bright future or a fatal fate

3 min read

Most digital workers work from home

Digital work is an idea that has become a crucial subject of debates within the area of the economy of the Internet.

Living in nowadays, you can find just a few jobs that you can do without including the word “digital”.

In the most general sense, it would mean that you are doing something that is in connection with the Internet.

Digital work is not only for those who grew up with the Internet but much older take such jobs. So we are more and more likely to be able to digitally freelance, all collectively.

General unemployment, high unemployment rate, and bad living conditions are the main reasons. Even if you have a job, relatively solid, salaries can not grow up to half of the rate that boosts the cost of living.

The employer can exploit you as he wants because if you refuse to work, there is someone who will. All of this has shifted us to the necessary creative thinking about employment.

We spoke to Janne. She is a freelancer and digital worker.

The thirty-five-year-old woman had the opportunity to choose a classical “steady job” in a family business. She would have conventional working hours, from 9 am to 5 pm. But still, Janne chooses to combine freelancing and regular work for now. As a freelancer, she deals with media and events management.

“The question that I hate is: what are you doing for a living? The answer is complex because it involves the history of my vocations and non-formal education, as well as a mix of regular work with working hours and freelancing. I like to explain to a freelancer as a lancer. In essence, you always have a lance in your hand. And you have a bow and arrow continually and you are looking for your targets, “says Janne.

For her, the regular working time always was synonymous to monotony and killing of freedom. Then she went to the labor market. Actually, she signed up on one of the platforms that provide freelancing jobs.

Most digital workers, however, mostly work from home.

Digital work from home

So far, you probably know people in your area who get up at five in the morning to hold English Japanese and Chinese lessons through Skype.

Or you know some web designers, developers, or just people who fill up some charts or excel to pdf for the clients.

They are working over platforms such as UpWork, Freelancer, People per Hour and others.

All these people are freelancers and digital workers because, for all the work they do, they do not need to do anything offline.

So, what is digital work?

It involves carrying out a series of gigs. All without indications of long-term employment. These gigs may be English lessons for the Chinese, or essay writing to American high school students but also the more complex tasks. That kind of jobs requires that you are actually educated and skilled. These are jobs in the field of IT, writing and translation, sales and marketing, advocacy, financial, consulting, etc.

Since everything is going virtual, over the platform, they somehow take over the role of the employer. They can issue the modes for doing business. Majority of them, act as economically active profit-making entities. Hence, they decide who and under what conditions can be engaged, or stop working, and, ultimately, perform bookkeeping functions. However, the disadvantage is that the platforms do not offer the opportunity to establish a working relationship.
But it is an advantage at the same time.

If you want working freedom it is for you.

The development of online digital work platforms caused one of the main alterations in the world of work in the last decade.
More and more people, especially young, pick to forego conventional jobs and start a freelance business. That provides them more freedom to build a lifestyle they love.

When the majority think of freelancing, they see jobs like writing, web designing, developing, IT programming, editing gigs.
Those fields are full of chances for all people who want to work from home. It can be on a full-time or part-time basis. they’re far from the only occupations that lend themselves to the freelance life. You can do whatever you want but you must be skilled and have a good education and knowledge.

And you have to be digital educated.

Digital work requires education

That’s imperative.

Modern jobs require a certain level of digital competency. More than it was the case five years ago.

For example, marketing. It is now mostly a digital job. You must have digital skills for almost all parts of this work. Or writing. There is the same situation. Moreover, it isn’t enough to know how to write and do it like an expert. There is some other knowledge required in order to be among the best-paid writers. For example, you have to be familiar with WordPress, or you must know SEO writing, and for some of the writing jobs, you must have other digital skills.

What is freelancing?

A freelancer is self-employed. Such expert offers assistance to clients. However, they can give their assistance straight to clients, without third-party included. But the majority of freelancers use some platform as intermediator.

Almost every kind of co-operation or assistance could be given by a freelancer.

How much you can be paid as a freelancer

Freelance pay differs depending on the skills they have to offer.

The knowledge and the business you’re targeting very often will determine your paycheck.

Generally speaking, digital workers can earn from $1 to $100 per hour.

The best paid is website coding, accounting, then virtual assistance, writing, etc.

Advantages of digital work

It is a good way to make extra income.

You can begin immediately. Of course, as soon as you find a client.

You have freedom over work.

Digital work allows you to work from every place over the globe.

Disadvantages of digital work

The new digital workers and freelancers are paid low. The downside is that it requires some time to be paid full-time.

Work can be random.

When you have several clients and projects managing all of them may be pretty tricky if you don’t have excellent organizational skills.

The bottom line

However, with all the defects, you can earn more money through digital work. For the freelancer’s average salary is about $1,000 per month. Among digital workers, the highest salary has the IT sector with an average of $2,000 per month and with full-time engagement.

But the most interesting for our research is that there are gender differences in income. More than 50% of female freelancers earn $500 per month. As a comparison, more than 50% of male freelancers earn $900 per month.

But it is the reflection from the rest of the world. Women are more represented in sectors that are traditionally less paid and pre-defined by prejudice as female jobs.

Don’t waste your money!

risk disclosure

4th April 2019
Best Forex Brokers UK FCA Regulated
3 min read

The best Forex broker in the UK is regulated by authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

FCA is the only governor that supervises the actions of brokers.

Before some Forex broker can accept UK forex and CFD traders as clients, they have to be approved by FCA.

It is the same rule for all brokerage houses, exchanges, or other financial markets. So we can say the FCA is the central guardian or watchdog.

The official website is FCA.org.uk.

The UK has been the favorite place of many a Forex brokerage for years.

The FCA is prepared as a very intelligent regulatory for brokers trading online financial services.

Where is the advantage of being regulated by FCA?

It allows authorized brokers the right to legitimately contribute through the European Economic Area.
It was the situation since now, but how Brexit will influence the FCA we will see.

But we will stay in UK territory. London is an attractive international financial hub.

Finding the best forex brokers in the UK is simple as in the other parts of the world.

The traders are looking for great execution features, a secure platform that they can invest their deposit with confidence.

Also, traders would like some account opening bonuses, mobile-friendly trading and SMS alerts.

Anyway, we are giving you some short reviews of 5 best Forex brokers the UK regulated in order to make your search easier.
- IG Group – UK FCA Regulated
Image source IG Group: Trading floor

IG is regulated over the world one the best Forex brokers in the UK. It offers traders a huge list of products, a lot of trading tools, educational material, and reasonable prices.

The IG Group could easily be the No. 1 in 2019.

They are covering the wide variety of markets, currency pairs, and CFDs including cryptocurrencies. Also, they have full trading and analysis tools and real-time market data.

According to users experiences, all specifications stated by the company on their website are true and without double standards. A live trading account can be opened fast. The same is with deposit and withdrawals and there are multiple options.

But, IG trading fees are expensive, particularly if you want to trade with a cheaper account. The other problem is that in most countries, it gives only CFD trading.
- FOREX.com – Best Forex Brokers UK
Image source Forex.com

FOREX.com gives traders the possibility to pick a standard trading account or an Active Trader account.

The minimum opening deposit for a standard account is $50. The Active Trader account requires $20,000.

It is regulated by several authorities, the U.K., U.S., and Japan.

The minimum deposit is $50.

They are offering two types of platforms:

MetaTrader 4 (MT4) with features and tools that allows traders automatic trading. With the MT4, traders have access to more than 30 types of CFDs and 45 forex markets.

The other is the new Advanced Trading Platform. But there is third, the Dealbook where traders can choose from 120+ currency pairs.

It is robust and fully designed for trading forex. It has a wide collection of trading tools such as pattern recognition software, trading strategies, and an advanced charting package.

Also, FOREX.com offers quality educational material. Also, Advanced charting is accessible through the Forex.com DealBook platform.

In our opinion, all this makes them one of the best Forex broker in the UK.
- Oanda
Image source OANDA: OANDA logo

Oanda is an American Forex broker but the UK regulated.

Actually, Oanda is regulated by six regulatory agencies around the world: the UK, the US, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and Australia. They have a demo account available for as long as a trader needs. So, it is different from the majority of brokers.

Also, they have huge research sources and educational tools.

Their trading fees are low but financing rates are high.

The platform is Oanda’s proprietary (they have MT4 too) and it is very user-friendly and well-designed and also, very customizable. And fully automated. That provides traders to execute more trades than they could do it manually.

Oanda has one of the best API offers we have ever seen.

They have a demo account. But Oanda offers only FX and CFDs. Also, there is no minimum deposit.
- Alpari – Best Forex Brokers UK
Image source Alpari website: Alpari home page

Alpari is one of the largest forex brokers in the world and the UK regulated. That have over a million customers.

It is easy to start trading with Alpari because they have eight different methods that accounts can be financed.

They have 75 trading instruments, such as currency pairs, spot metals, and Contract for Difference (CFDs), and cryptocurrencies too. Alpari offers a broad variety of options to trade currencies or trade in other markets. There is also, a small lot sizes. It provides traders to trade as small as 0.01 lots.

Alpari is one of the rare brokers that offer both of the MetaTrader platforms; MT4 and MT5.

It also offers mobile apps for Android and iOS.

Like most brokers, Alpari takes a fee from the spread.

You need a minimum deposit of at least €1 but they also have a demo account.
- eToro – UK FCA Regulated
Image source eToro: eToro demo account

eToro forex broker is primarily a forex and CFD provider. But still, one of the best forex brokers the UK regulated. With them, you can trade CFDs including stocks, commodities, currencies, ETFs, and indices. Forex trading on eToro includes 47 currency pairs. All from the main currencies pairs to the minor and exotic currency. Spreads on eToro are as low as 0.8 pips. But spreads can be wide as 200 pips for exotic assets.

Spreads are priced as a percentage of trade’s amount. If you decide not to copy other traders you will not pay any fees.
As one of the best forex brokers, eToro doesn’t offer various account types. Instead, they have opted one. Every trader on eToro has one single account type. So, everyone receives the same features and advantages.

This means if you start trading with, for example, $250 on their platform, you will acquire the same benefits as the trader who start with $20,000.

eToro is a multi-asset platform which offers both investing in stocks and cryptoassets, as well as trading CFDs.

Please note that CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 76% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Past performance is not an indication of future results. Trading history presented is less than 5 complete years and may not suffice as basis for investment decision.

Copy Trading does not amount to investment advice. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.

Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more
- CITY INDEX – Best Forex Brokers UK
City Index is founded in 1983 in the UK. Today is one of the leading multi-asset brokers in London.

City Index is a subsidiary of publicly traded GAIN Capital Holdings (NYSE: GCAP).

With over 35 years of tradition, City Index works as a confident brand under GAIN Capital in the UK and in Asia.

It is licensed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and operates according to the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) rules. That means you have limited leverage and safety from negative balance security. Also, it is regulated by ASIC, FCA, FSA(JP), IIROC, MAS, NFA.

It gives traders over 12,500 products across global markets. CityIndex offers cryptocurrency CFDs, bitcoin and a lot of other crypto pairs. Also, you can trade over 84 currency pairs including Exotic Forex pairs. And all over the world.

CityIndex has a free demo account with access to their trading platforms for 12 weeks. They will give you £10,000 in virtual money.

Also, you will have access to pricing on thousands of markets including shares, indices, and bitcoin. Moreover, it is in real time

The bottom line

To find if a forex broker is regulated by the FCA, you have to identify the register number. You can find it in the disclosure at the bottom of the broker’s UK homepage.

To find the best Forex brokers UK FCA regulated you have to make research. The reviews may help you. But the best way is to test them through their demo accounts or, even better, open a real account with a small amount. Small that you can afford to lose.

That will give you the real picture about the quality the broker you are testing.

Don’t waste your money!

risk disclosure
3rd April 2019
Start Investing with $100 and Make a Fortune

Start investing with $100 only is possible, here is how to do that.

By Guy Avtalyon

You really don’t believe it’s possible to start investing with $100? I’ll show you how is possible. Are you wondering about making money on the stock market with only investing a 100-200$?

Start investing with $100 may sound tricky, but it isn’t impossible. The fact you don’t have much money to invest shouldn’t stop you.

Yeah, I know!

Starting to invest is challenging anyway, but even more, if you think it is impossible to start investing with $100. When you jump over that difficulty, investing is pretty easy.

Don’t be scared! It is very possible to invest with a bit of money and profit yet.

Honestly, $100 is not some kind of limit. You can invest even less.

Don’t think that investing requires a fortune. If you already have a fortune why should you want to start earning?

How to Start Investing with $100?

This is the place where it becomes a bit complicated.

Discouraged at the first step? Just be patient and continue your reading!

Yes, one of the significant puzzles with investing with a little money is that broker’s fees can be expensive.

For example, if you buy one stock, some brokerage can take off from your account up to $20. So, you would have only $80 to invest.

When you start investing with $100, your first step is to open an investment account. For that, you have to find a good brokerage firm.

Don’t let anyone discourage you. Brokerages are like banks. But there is a difference, the brokers are concentrated on holding investments.

In order to help you more, we will give you a list of the best and most cheapie brokers.

* 1. Zulutrade

* 2. Wallstreet-forex robot

* 3. TradeInvest90

But we rather go to talk about the ways to start investing with just $100.

This is the place where the fun begins.

Where you can get help?

For example, from automated robo-advisors.

Why?

The answer is as simple as that. When you want to start with $100 or less, you wouldn’t like a big broker fee.

Robo-advisors afford online automatic investing assistance.

The computer performs everything. Your obligation is to put your risk tolerance and your aims. That’s all!
The computer will select an investment that is meeting your goals. It will recognize them upon your inputs.

And do you what is the best part of robo-advisors?

There is no account minimum. You can start your investment without fears.

Actually, there are some robo-advisors that will request, for example, $5 balance or you have to pay $1 per month because of your account worth under $5,000.

But you should never take this as a setback.

Investing stocks getting started

Also, you can start investing with $100 and buy one stock of some company that pays the dividend.
What is the formula here?

When you buy a dividend stock, you can re-invest them in more stock. In this way, you will expand your portfolio. Moreover, you will not drain your account. You will earn more and more.

Also, you can buy individual stocks.

With just $100 you might not be able to buy a lot of stocks. But here is the trick! Choose one right stock! That will bring you money in return. For that purpose, you can find some discount broker. A lot of them have research tools, very helpful to find the right individual stock.

Open a savings account

That can be a safe investment. The advantage here is that the savings account is secured at a bank and guaranteed by the FDIC if you are US resident.

If you open a savings account it will provide you interest. So, we can say you started investment.

Not, quite, but still.

That interest is lower than you could earn with real investment but you will have some income. Try to put $100 every month on your savings account, with an interest rate of over 1.50 %, after 40 years, you will see. Compound interest will do its job.
Moreover, it is almost impossible to lose money in the savings account.

Remember, happiness follows fearless people. So, don’t be afraid to start investing with just as little as $100. The main reason to invest is to increase your wealth.

It will not come overnight. Well, maybe it will but it is better not to count on it. Let time work for your benefit and on your side.

Don’t waste your money!

2nd April 2019
Millennials – Five stereotypes about them

3 min read

Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the demographic group following Generation X and preceding Generation Z.

The results of the survey showed that 59 percent of people aged 18 to 34 years of age consider their peers egoistic, 49 percent that they are useless, and 43 percent greedy.

Only 36 percent of the millennials stated that members of their generation are hardworking, and 24 percent are responsible.
Is that right?

Generation Y is often characterized as a group of young people who are lazy, irresponsible, and who expect to be served almost for nothing. A survey by the British magazine Guardian suggests the opposite, indicating that stereotypes about the millennials are largely ungrounded assertions.

A lot of articles have been written about what the millennials have ruined.

This is the generation that changes the world by not agreeing to a job of 9 am to 5 pm, to conventional jobs.

They are shaped by the fact that the state did not provide the job for them as it was normal for older generations after the education.

Contrary, they are working in a world that is in ever-increasing debt.

But all of them were born in the period from 1980 to 1997. Today, they are a majority of the working-age population that is increasingly taking over the labor market and imposing his rules. And these are the ones that the older generations call “the youngsters”.

What are myths about millennials and their business habits and how correct are they?

Prejudice about Generation Y is not rare.

For example, they are spoiled, lazy and dependent on technology.

It’s important to know these prejudices, whether you are millennials or need to employ them.

Let’s break down some of the prejudices.

All the millennials are the same.

Although it is quite easy to identify some common values and habits among the millennials, the fact is that their number is so large that any generalization at the start must be wrong.

Even marketers who target millennials are always choosing subgroups within this generation.

Millennials are not all the same

That can vary drastically!

The millennials are equally, a guy with 24 who lives with his parents and drink in front of the drugstores, as well as the successful 36-year-old CEO.

That’s why, in the first place, they should be viewed as individuals, not as homogeneous groups of people of certain generations.

Millennials are lazy.

The fairly widespread prejudice of the millennia is that they want higher and better status. And much before they earn them and without any efforts. Besides, many are ready to say, they are not prepared to do as much as necessary to achieve the set career goals.

Personal development is goal 1 for Millennials

However, research once again shows a completely different picture: the majority of millennials said that learning opportunities and personal development are extremely important. That means they are not passive or spoiled lazy people, which is often assigned to them.

The Millennials are disloyal.

This is one of the more prevalent prejudices. The millennials are not loyal to the companies that employ them and that’s why they “jump” from work to work.

In reality, research shows that Generation Y stays longer with their employers than Generation X in their ages.
So, back off!

The millennials are inert.

You can hear they are satisfied with themselves and therefore do not perceive the work as a struggle.
Reality shows a different picture.

Many of them have student loans, and they are often poor because they work badly paid jobs or are unemployed.

They have average less income than two previous generations in the same ages.

This means that many of them are willing to work to provide economic benefits. This is supported by the fact that 59% of the surveyed millennials said that competition was the only reason why they got out of bed in the morning. This option was chosen as the most motivating by 50% of Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964.

Millennials only deal with the digital world.

Although you certainly know at least a handful of fully digital-ignorant persons under 35. The fact is that 98%of millennials aged 18 to 24 have smartphones and are familiar with digital technologies.

Millennials deal with the digital world

However, this does not mean that this is the only world they are dealing with.

When it comes to learning new skills, Generation Y prefers live contact, rather than via the Internet.

It is certain that this is not the end of the list of prejudices about the millennials.

To observe the whole of this group of people as homogeneous at the start is a serious error in the mind.

That’s why every person, whatever the generation belongs, should be observed as an individual who has his own characteristics and things in common with his generation. That may not necessarily determine its qualities but it will help you to understand them.

Millennials and their finances

Generation Y makes up a significant and growing percentage of the workforce, and it is estimated that by 2025, they will make up about 75% of the total workforce.

Millennials are overflowed by debt

The majority of millennials are overflowed by debt.

The big expense of education takes to significant debt. Some surveys show that more than 70% of millennials have at least one long-term debt.

The same source point that 30% have more than one. That may be student loans or revolving accounts. Also, Generation Y has unpaid medical bills.

All this touches millennials’ capacity to handle their outgoings. One in four, meaning 25%, has overdrawn their checking account in the past year. In the same period, 23% withdrew the money from their retirement accounts.

“Young adults may not understand how taking money out of their retirement accounts now has an exponentially negative effect on account balances in the future,” says Ted Beck, former president and CEO of NEFE.

Our question is, did they have some other possibility?

There must be some ways to earn money.

According to this research, the majority of Generation Y feel they have significant debt and they are generally disappointed with their financial position.

The fact is that paying off debt ASAP is the priority but how to do so if there is no steady paycheck?

Rising a career is a difficult and individual path.

We heard it so many times: Generation Y should think about long-term possibilities.

They have to find a solid career that will produce the income to finance expected goals.

How? Where?

Many of millennials are already in high corporate positions. But the majority still have a problem to handle their debts.

Maybe this can be the solution.

The early ages are a good period of life to save for major purchases.

Do you want to know how?

Don’t waste your money!

risk disclosure

31st March 2019