Tips to make money online by investing in forex market

Foreign exchange market, also referred to as forex market, forex capital market, currency exchange market or fx, deals in currencies from all around the globe. The market permits financial institutions including banks to trade different currency denominations in an easy way. The best thing about forex trading is that it can be done online. 

However, before investing hard earned dollars in the forex market, one should consider some essential information about the market to understand how he or she can make noteworthy profits through this investment tool. Here are the factors to take care of before having a jump start in the market.

• Have a clear concept – At the outset, one must have a clear concept about what is forex market and how to trade in it. Foreign exchange market allows a trader to buy a certain amount of a particular currency paying the exact amount of currency from another country. The motto is obviously to purchase at a low and sell at a high price. This is same as the procedure followed in the stock market. For instance, if a trader believes that Euro is going to rise in terms of value, he can buy particular amount of Euro through forex market using American dollar or any other currency of his choice. 
• Understand the worthiness of forex – One must understand that forex trading is not as popular as stock trading. According to many economists, foreign exchange trading is nothing but currency speculation. Some of them even call this as a type of gambling. But that doesn’t make any sense as even buying bonds or stocks depends on sheer speculation. Nevertheless, before actively participating in online forex trading, a wise investor must open a free demo account with any forex trading website and gather hands on experience in the subject and about the market. A trader can operate virtual transaction through such an account for as long as thirty days. Trading in the forex market can be done online through a forex broker or forex mini account. Such an account can be created by signing up for an online trade account with reputed forex brokerage companies like FXCM, FX Solutions and GFT Forex. Taking a course on forex trading may come handy in order to trade successfully in the forex market and ensure minimum loss as well. Participating in mock forex trading can also come handy to gather experience. 
• Know the scams – To conclude, one must understand what is genuine and what is not. The beginners often get confused with promises like ‘forex made easy’, ‘make huge profit in forex’ etc. These are often misleading or even scam. One should study the market and know the basics of forex trading before he invests his hard earned money in it. He may also participate in seminars or webinars related to forex trading to enhance his ability to make more dollars by trading in the foreign exchange market. 

These are some good and helpful forex trading tips that come really handy especially for the newbie in the market. If you were looking for foreign exchange try here https://www.hsbc.com.au/1/2/personal/foreign-exchange/getrate

What to Do and Not Do When Selling Your Home

In the past couple years, real estate values have been the subject of many debates and news stories. With a down market, many home sellers are finding it hard to get the price they want and many are finding it hard to get a return on their investment. This doesn't mean it is not possible to get your asking price and make a little profit. There are right and wrong ways to sell a home, you just need to understand both sides.

Selling Solo or Through an Agent?

"I can sell my home myself" is often the first words of a bad deal. Many homeowners decide to go at it alone, trying to save money on the sale. For many this is the single mistake that keeps their home on the market and often results in a loss in profits. The average agent's cut is 2.5-3%. This can actually be negotiated down due to the competition real estate agents have from discount brokers and flat-rate services. Additionally, the benefits of an agent's years of expertise may yield a higher selling price, cancelling out the commission altogether.
Pre-Inspect and Repair

Before you sell a car, you would get the broken headlight fixed, or deduct the amount of the repair from the asking price. A home is no different. If a buyer sees a minor or major repair that is needed, they will negotiate you down from your asking price to cover the cost of the repair. Have your house inspected and make any repairs that will drive the price down. You want to sell your buyers on the features, stability, and possibilities of your house becoming their dream home, this is hard to do if you have leaking faucets and bad wiring.

Pricing and Value

If you have been following the real estate market or even talking with your neighbors, you know the market is down and prices have fallen. When you decide to sell your home, you have to keep the price within the current market and price it similar to other homes for sale in your neighborhood, even if you feel your home is worth more. Pricing too high will slow your sale and often result in a desperate sale later. Remove your emotional attachment and price your home at what the market deems is the true value.

Clean, Stage, and Prepare to Leave

One of the biggest mistakes made by first time home sellers is the lack of preparation. When you are selling your home, you are selling the structure, not the clutter. Remove as much as you can so your prospective buyers can get a good look at the floors, walls, and surfaces of the home. Your best tool for selling your home is your buyer's imagination of what the home can become when they move in, not what it looks like as you live in it.

Take Compelling Photos

Whether you are selling solo or using an agent, a picture is still worth a thousand words. You can easily find listings with blurry, low quality pictures of the property, and you will more than likely see those years from now as the house stays on the market. Be sure to take high quality photos of the outside, landscape, inside, and the unique features of the home to catch the buyer's attention and make them want to tour the home.

Selling your home is a big decision filled with planning, preparation and care. Take your time to sell the beauty of your home, research the local market value, and give your buyer the experience they expect when they visit their prospective new home. You will find the smallest details can result in the largest sales.

Sheila Madison is a property blogger who advises both home owners and real estate agents on the proper way to prep a home for quick sale.

Small Business Ideas You Can Start at Home

Working in the corporate world isn’t easy but you do it anyway because it is fulfills a very basic need of us, which is to survive. We need money to raise our children, provide them with their needs and send them to school. We need it to finance the roof over our heads and feed our family. It’s a lot of hard work and by the time retirement rolls by, you’re more than ready to hang up your corporate hat. And then you’re faced with a new dilemma--empty nest syndrome. 

The first few weeks and maybe months of retirement are going to be all about leisure and travel. But once the novelty of being unemployed has worn off, you suddenly realized that the house is a little too quiet. With your grown children either married or away at college, you realize that you have very little to do. Even gardening and other hobbies are not enough to fill all your free hours. So you begin to think of a small business--nothing too stressful--something you enjoy and something you can start in the comfort of your own home. Here are some suggestions that you can take inspiration from. 

Home Daycare

Some parents love taking care of children that they take to caring for other children as well. If you fall under this category, you can opt to operate a home daycare center where you will care for kids whose parents are busy at work and unable to watch their kids during the day. What makes home daycare better than a commercial day care center is that you can set the limit to how many children you will look after and this small number will help you in making sure that every child’s need is met. Home daycare is also more reassuring for parents especially if they are your friends and they know that you can be trusted to take care of their beloved children.

Bake by Demand

Another lucrative small business that you can start at home is a mini bake shop where you only bake by demand or on an order basis. This will make a great venture especially if you love baking or if you find it therapeutic. You can start out with your friends until your clientele grows through word-of-mouth recommendations. Another great marketing strategy you can employ is to always bring a cake or any homemade dessert to a party or as a gift so that guests who love your baked concoctions will ask about who made them and place an order.

Consultancy Firm

If you have been in a particular industry for a long time, then you know your work inside and out. This experience would be beneficial for you especially if you decide to open a consultancy firm, where people can ask about starting a business similar to where you’ve been working at. Example, if you were in finance, you can advise people on how they can manage their money wisely and also on what would make fantastic investments. If you’re used to be in marketing, you can help small business owners to come up with effective strategies that would help market their products and services better.


If you are planning to make one of these small business ideas into a reality, make sure you get prepaid legal plans for whatever legal problems that may arise. Attorney fees are expensive but if you go for prepaid plans, it comes out cheaper through its monthly subscription fees. Another thing you should remember about starting your own small business is that if it’s something you love to do, then it doesn’t feel like work at all.


About the AuthorBased in San Diego California, Tiffany Matthews is a professional writer with over 5 years of writing experience. She also blogs about travel, fashion, and anything under the sun at wordbaristas.com, a group blog that she shares with her good friends. In her free time, she likes to travel, read books, and watch movies. You can find her on Twitter as @TiffyCat8

Is Car Insurance Calculated the Same the World Over?

UK drivers have enjoyed some reductions in their car insurance premiums over the past few months, which has been caused by new gender neutral policies, as well as by ongoing competition within the insurance sector. However, there can be some significant differences between car insurance policies around the world, which are often the result of varying regulations and levels of risk. How car insurance policies and premiums are calculated are also determined by local circumstances for drivers.

In the UK, the average cost of car insurance is currently around £1,100, although this can vary quite considerably once age and location are factored in. Younger drivers still tend to pay a lot more than older drivers, while those over the age of 55 can also suffer from increasing premiums. Decisions are made on insurance calculations from your past driving history, the kind of car you drive, and whether you’re doing everything you can to keep a car safe.

The level of risk attributed to a car insurance policy can rise and fall depending on different countries and their general insurance policies. In the United States, for example, the cost of insurance is different from state to state, and can be as high as $2,500 on average in Michigan, through to $995 in Vermont. Michigan also issues driver responsibility fees, and has a high proportion of uninsured drivers, which pushes up premiums.

The cost of car insurance can also be considerably different in countries where third party liability insurance is not mandatory; this is the case in South Africa and New Zealand, where the larger number of people without any form of insurance means that some individual policies can end up being large. Other factors that can affect insurance premium calculations can include limits of no claims discounts, which in France can be a maximum of 50 per cent of the policy’s value.

There are ongoing efforts, however, to standardise insurance costs and calculations. The EU Motor Directive of 2009 imposes rules over third party insurance across European member states, as well as practices for compensation and minimum claims. How rates and premiums are calculated still comes down to individual insurers, though, who can choose to be stricter or more lenient depending on their target market. Specialist insurers can be more relaxed, for example, about providing reasonable cover for kit cars or to drivers with spent criminal convictions.

Similar rules apply in Asia, where car insurance can range from the competitive policies and specialist rates of an insurer like Direct Asia in Thailand, through to China’s combination of nationalised and private insurance. Average calculations and the level of risk calculated across different drivers can consequently be affected by how much of a stake governments have in keeping insurance rates low, and the competitiveness of individual companies to offer low rates to customers.

Author Bio

Paul Taylor is a freelance blogger covering car insurance from around the world. He recommends that drivers check out www.directasia.th for more information on low cost insurance. When not looking for deals, Paul enjoys camping tours and caving.

How to Save Money on Your Next Car

Car dealership (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you are in the market for a new car, you may think that there are simply no ways for you to save money on your purchase. However, this cannot be further from the truth! There are countless ways for you to save money on your next car, and we are going to examine a few of the top methods here.

Conduct Some Research First

The fact of the matter is, not all car dealerships are equal. Some of them have higher prices than others, and some offer better deals. With that said, it definitely pays to shop around and conduct a bit of research before you step foot on a dealer's lot.

There are many websites where you can discover the average selling prices for various cars. In this way, you will know whether or not a dealership has overpriced its vehicles. Additionally, by accessing the Internet, you can shop around for the cheapest and best vehicle of your choice. 

Obtain Your Own Financing

Before you begin shopping for a car, you need to determine just exactly how much money you can afford to spend on one. In short, what size of a payment can you fit into your monthly budget? Contact your bank or local credit union and apply for a pre-purchase loan. If you qualify, you will be better prepared to determine what you can afford.

Try to save up as much money as you can for a down payment. This will help significantly in lowering your monthly payments or the term of your loan. Once you have been pre-approved for a loan, you will have about two months to find a car you wish to purchase.

Use the Power of Negotiation

After you have obtained financing and determined what you can fit into your budget, you will then be prepared to visit a few dealerships. Keep in mind, though, you should always stick to what you want to spend. In other words, never let a dealer take advantage of you. Additionally, make sure that the price you are offered includes everything.

By “everything,” we mean the price of the car, taxes, the cost of the title, tags and any other applicable fees. All of these expenses added together equal what is known as the "out of door" price for the car. Furthermore, never conduct negotiations over the phone or Internet--always negotiate in person. 

Get the Most for Your Trade-In

If you want to use your old car as a trade-in for the down payment, be sure to find out its Kelley Blue Book value before visiting any dealerships. Furthermore, do not mention your trade-in to the dealer until after you have negotiated the price of the new car. In this way, you will get a much better deal for both the old and new cars.

Never Give in to Pressure

The best tip when shopping for your next car is to never give in to pressure. A dealership is going to try to pressure you into buying one of its cars right then and there. The salesperson does not want you to think about your purchase because you very well may change your mind. However, remember that it is your money, and you have every right to walk away.

There are other dealerships that may offer you a better deal. If you do not like a price or need time to think about a deal, ask the salesperson for their business card and tell them you will call after you have thought over your decision. When you use these valuable tips, you just may be able to save hundreds or even thousands of dollars on your next car.


Bill Akintoye works at Shabana Motors in Houston, TX. They buy used cars and provide appraisals in fewer than thirty minutes.

The Top Four Cheapest Cell Phone Plans for Even the Tightest Penny Pincher

Your cell phone plan is one of the most important concerns. Of course, if you are on a tight budget, you might want to spend less money. At the same time, it is not always the top priority to get a plan that offers too few services when there are many that offer unlimited everything. With that being said, you can enjoy some of the best plans that are inexpensive and should appeal to you even if you are among the tightest penny pinchers.

Bell Voice and Data Lite Promo 45

Samsung Galaxy phones are some of the most popular, and you can get them at a reasonable price if you sign up for a brand new contract with your wireless provider. One of the best plans is also extremely cheap at only $45 per month. It is referred to as the Voice and Data Lite 45 plan and offers 200 minutes, unlimited text messaging, which includes SMS and video messages, unlimited nights and weekends and 200MB of data. Should you go over your data by an additional 100MB to a total of 300MB, you will be charged an additional $15. Of course, you can enjoy using your Samsung Galaxy S4 or Samsung Galaxy Note II with free Wi-Fi at home, the office and other places to save your data. Get your great Bell.ca Android phone and sign up for the plan.

T-Mobile Individual Simple Choice

T-Mobile’s individual Simple Choice value plan is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to spend less money on their wireless plan. It is $50 per month and provides you with unlimited talk, unlimited text and 500MB of data. You can even use up to 2.5GB of data at the highest 4G speeds, although anything used thereafter is throttled down. If you are not a very heavy data user, you will find this plan to be absolutely perfect for you.

AT&T GoPhone

AT&T’s GoPhone plan is one of the cheapest you can find. You can even purchase a great new smartphone in the Nokia Lumia 520, which runs on Windows Phone 8, for only $99. One of the newest plans is only $40 per month and offers 500 talk minutes, unlimited text messaging and 200MB of data. For each additional 100MB of data, it costs only $5, which is a great deal.

Boost Mobile Shrinking Payment

Boost Mobile has great unlimited plans that start at $50 per month. However, what is special about Boost is that your plan can be reduced to as low as $35 per month when you remain in good standing. For every six payments you make on time, the carrier will lower your payment by $5 until you ultimately reach $35 per month. This is a great package that includes unlimited talk, unlimited text and unlimited data.