Planning your retirement age

By Sara Ferguson

The first decide when youre going to retire. If youre in your 20s you may feel this is ridiculous: How on earth can you possibly predict how you will feel about working in 40 years or so? Or it may be one of the easiest questions in the world to answer if you have long had no intention of working past the age of 50. Whichever type of person you are, thinking about the age you plan to give up work is critical because it has an impact on your retirement planning " how much you need to save and where you need to invest it.

Were all living a lot longer. Life expectancy has shot up in the past of decades. If youre a woman born in 1990 you can expect to live until your early nineties. Government buffoons reckon that the news on life expectancy is going to get better, with the average woman born today expected to live until they are nearly 110 years old!

This means if you retire in your mid 60s and enjoy just average health youre going to need enough money to live on for at least 30 to 40 years. Retiring at 50 or indeed anytime before the official state retirement age of 65 for men and 60 for women (until 2020, when it becomes 65 for both) is an impossible dream for the majority. Realistically, youll probably have to work until your seventies because you simply cant save enough to retire before then. Retiring at 50 requires a huge pension pot, supplemented with additional investments. If you are in a well-paid job and start saving a significant percentage of your salary from your early twenties, it might just be possible.

Otherwise, it wont be. Doing the math could make you appreciate that your dream is unrealistic. Either you invest more money to make it possible or get used to the fact that youll have to stay in the rat race for much longer. - 23221

About the Author:

How to Invest Today is a free website dedicated to helping you become a smarter investor.

Global Macro Investing and Yield Curve Strategies

By Hugh Thiel

The Treasury yield curve is one of the best and most applicable tools that a global macro investor can have in his or her toolbox. Most of the time used for bond trading there are several applications for it in the stocks and currency market as well. The truth is by using the yield curve correctly you can better trade just about everything.

The Treasury yield curve is the curve you get when you plot out the yields for different maturities. For instance if the 90-day T-Bill is at .2 percent and the 10-year T-Note is yielding 3.5 percent you have an up sloping yield curve as the long dated Treasuries are paying a higher yield then the short dated Treasuries. Usually you would also plot out the two year, five year, and thirty year along with the ninety day and ten year. This will give you a better picture for what the yield curve is really saying.

This is great but how do you use it to make money? Well the global macro investor knows that if the curve is sloped from the lower left to the upper right that things are looking good for the economy. If on the other hand it is sloping downwards the Fed has tightened and the economy is or will be slowing.

You may be asking yourself why this is. The reasons are actually fairly simple and straightforward. If the curve is steep, meaning the short term rates are low and the long term rates are high it means that banks are lending as they are able to borrow short term from the Fed and charge long term rates to their customers. Obviously when business is good for the banks, they will be lending as much as they can. This in turn spurs new business spending as money is available.

If the curve is inverted however business is usually about to slow down, rates will be lowered, and bonds will climb. This is because with the incentive of the banks to lend now gone they will throttle back and the spigots of available money run dry. In turn this forces the Fed to lower short term rates, the Fed Fund rate, in order to spur business growth once again. When they lower rates bonds inevitably go up.

Think of bonds and interest rates as a teeter totter where yields are on one side and bonds are on the other. If bonds go down, rates go up. If rates go down, bonds are going up. In a regular inflationary environment this is always the case unless there is a severe credit quality issue.

If this is the case then anytime you can forecast the yield curve to show when the Fed will be lowering rates you can jump on it and go long bonds, typically with little risk. At the same time whenever you see rates being lowered you can wait a while and then go long stocks.

Neither of these relationships works perfect every time so it is important to still use risk controls. In fact if you had gone long stocks in 2008 when they lowered rates you would have lost a lot of money, but more often then not this trade and the concept behind it work well. Look at the yield curve, learn from it, and apply it to your market forecasting toolbox. - 23221

About the Author:

If you need actionable trading ideas then check out The Macro Trader It is a weekly global macro investing advisory publication with frequent intra-week updates for time-critical analysis and actionable trading ideas.

Do You Know These Mutual Fund Basics?

By Jane Calhoun

Despite a drastic economic downturn, it seems that mutual funds are still as popular as ever, with many people buying in through their retirement accounts or getting in at low prices. Mutual funds make investing fairly easy, compared to stocks. But one reason people lost money in mutual funds is that they didn't know the mutual fund basics they needed to keep money safe. Although mutual funds are often touted as being easy to invest in and virtually no-lose investments, we know that's not true, and learning more can help you avoid the losses we saw in the past year.

There are thousands of mutual funds available, literally more than 10,000 are traded on the market. Together, all mutual funds have succeed in attracting $4 trillion dollars of investments! It's still possible to profit with mutual funds, but you should understand the basics to know how safe they are for you.

Mutual funds have been popular as a result of great returns over part of the last few decades. Up until 2008, these vehicles were thought to provide diversification, safety and solid returns for the long run. They are easy to buy and sell, and have been thought to be less risky than other investments.

As a mutual fund is set up, the fund raises investment cash from investors, then uses that money to invest in stocks, bonds, and other securities that are a proper fit for the objective of the fund. Within the fund there is nearly always than a single individual investment. When the value of those investments goes up, or goes down for that matter, its investors also see a gain or a loss. When a fund pays out a dividend to shareholders, the investors get their fair share too. In addition, you can find that funds are well managed by professional advisors.

Mutual funds are designed as special types of corporations, which are allowed by charter to combine funds receied form investors, and invest that pool os cash for the whole group, based on the defined objectives of the fund. To raise investment capital there is an offering of shares of the fund to be sold to the general public, just as any public company wolud seek to sell stock on the market. Then the funds take the proceeds from selling shares and use it to purchase a variety of investments, such as stocks, bonds, derivatives, or money market instruments.

Shareholders investing in shares of the fund receive a proportional share position in the mutual fund. Literally the shareholders each have ownership of a piece of the securities within the fund. Generally speaking, shareholders are permitted to freely sell any fund shares they own at any time, with the price to be determined by the daily price fluctuations in the share price, based on the performance of the investments.

Often you'll find that investors will select a mutual fund based solely on the mutual fund performance in the past year or years, or they might go with a tip from a friend or family member, or even make a decision to buy based on articles they read or se or the Internet. While these are frequently usd ways to select funds it is also risky, since there is no analysis of the fund itself and whether it might be appropriate for that investor.

Note that every mutual fund has individual characteristics that are unique to it, such things as the performance, the personalities of the management, what the fund's investment objectives are and so on. When choosing a mutual fund, it's better to also consider your own financial plan overall, to see if the fund fits your own objectives. Start by defining your personal financial goals first, and address your financial priorities, the amount of money you have available, and the level of risk you are comfortable with. Put down also in your plan the time line you expect your strategy to bear fruit.

Everyone likes to talk about the super star funds, the high fliers that had double digit annual returns, to which everyone flocked with their cash. Today, we are a bit more realistic, and know that what comes up, can easily come down again. So, hopefully, you've learned that the performance of a fund is not the most important metric. Instead, examine the returns in the perspective of the underlying investments, and whether they are good long term investments. Don't forget that past performance is never any guarantee of future results. Start out by looking at other mutual funds on the market which are in categories that match your overall strategy, whether it be bond funds, growth funds, equity income funds, etc.

You should analyze the track record of a fund beyond just the recent several months, to see the fund's management syle and performance over time. By keeping these mutual fund basics in mind when you look for investments, you'll begin to create a sound investment foundation. - 23221

About the Author:

Trying to figure out the best way to invest? Jane Calhoun is a blogger who writes about how to invest in mutual funds even in a shaky market.

Why and How you Should Compare Auto Insurance Rate!

By Guiscard Mathurin

If you are comparing free auto insurance quotes, then there must be many questions that come through to you. Here are solutions to few of them.

There are many reasons why people compare auto insurance. However, before you do that, you need to know what goes behind the scenes when companies give free auto insurance quotes. While comparing the free auto insurance quotes, please note the area that you live is a major factor that affects the free auto insurance quotes. If the area that you are living in has high number of crime & thefts, then the rate will shoot above the roof for sure. If you prove to the insurance company that you have parked the car in your garage & has installed an alarm system that might help you lower the quotes.

Getting the best rate is one of the main reasons for you to compare auto insurance. The Internet provides the best answer to compare auto insurance quotes. All you have to do is simply enter some important information and the quotes for you to compare auto insurance are ready. It has been noticed that if you compare auto insurance & study it well, it will surely be beneficial for you in many ways. And for those who compare auto insurance, and do it well, they save a lot of dollars.

Now, when you compare auto insurance policies, you do that with the free auto insurance quotes that you would have got, either online or over the phone. The key is " The source from where you get these free auto insurance quotes. If it is credible enough, trust you would get good quotes for your perusal.

There are many things you could do to get quotes for the insurance coverage. While some of them may seem time-consuming to you, it is important you spend this amount of time. At stake is " The best and the most affordable auto insurance coverage for your vehicle.

Saving money is one part of the deal, but you also need to ensure you choose a respectable company when you compare auto insurance. At the end of the day, the free auto insurance quotes will only tell you certain things, and credibility of the company is definitely not something it will tell. This is for you to find out!

Getting free auto insurance quotes is not a tough ask at all. All you have to do is log on to the Internet, and get some quotes from different websites. One thing you should avoid is getting quotes from the same company, else you would spend a lot of time to compare auto insurance and yet not get anywhere.

If you do the compare auto insurance activity well, you would realize how profitable the free auto insurance quotes are for you. For starters, you will easily be able to save at least hundred dollars on your insurance coverage. Not a bad incentive that! - 23221

About the Author:

When it comes to shopping for auto insurance, we all need the cheapest possible policy that we can find. Simply calling an auto insurance agent is not enough. We need to Compare Auto Insurance Quotes from multiple insurance agents online. By contacting different companies, you can be on your way to reduce your Auto Insurance Rate in no time.

The Fabulous Chinese Silver Commemorative Coins

By Christina Goldman

If you're a coin collector and are especially keen on brilliant, uncirculated silver coins then most likely you will be inquisitive about Chinese Silver Commemorative Coins. These coins are sometimes minted for collection purposes as well as memorial pieces in honor of special events and folks who have made a difference or a great impact in the country of China.

For example, to commemorate the Beijing Olympics, Chinese coins were made and designed just for that purpose. Other nations have also recognized the wonderful thing about Chinese coins, especially Australia, Somalia, Singapore, and the Isle of Man, so coinages were prepared and different gold and silver coins are now circulating the markets today that contain the Chinese zodiac on one side and the partnering country's national symbol on the other.

These coins, depending on the weight, the design, and the dear metal content, can either be reasonable ( RMB 3 to US $10-15) or expensive ( sometimes over one hundred to a thousand greenbacks ) due to its rarity and the history that go with it. If you have an interest in collecting Chinese Silver Commemorative Coins, you can find plenty of original pieces or series online in merchant web sites like Amazon and Ebay.

If you are searching for those with the Chinese zodiac or the Giant panda in them, all you must do is just search through Google and Yahoo and you can be ready to find the set or piece to finish or add to your collection. There's sure to be a seller or coin dealer that may have the coin or series you want to complete your private collection.

If you are a seller of coins, you will also take advantage of this opportunity by selling your own set of Chinese silver and gold on the web. Particularly if they are Chinese Silver Commemorative Coins, you are certain to be showered with all kinds of offers from coin fans all over the world. - 23221

About the Author:

You can find wonderful prices and selection on the fabulous Chinese Silver Commemorative Coins at: http://ChineseSilverCoins.com