Chill Maadi

If you want to save money when you buy your next car then you will need to haggle with the salesman to get a better deal. The salesman will expect you to haggle and if you are a good haggler then you could save yourself thousands on your car purchase. We have listed below some top tips to help you negotiate a better deal.

1. Do as much research as you can before you visit the garage. Try to find out how much cars are selling for at other garages and other sources. If you let the salesman know that you can get a similar cheaper elsewhere they should be willing to offer you a better deal.

2. Keep an eye on car models that are about to be replaced or are slow sellers as the garage may be more likely to offer a better deal.

3. Visit garages near the end of the month when they are more willing to offer better deals on their cars in order to meet their sales targets.

4. Be polite and friendly to the car saleman and avoid being rude as that it just likely to annoy them and make it harder for you negotiate a good deal.

5. Try to stay calm and focused, remember that the salesman negotiates with people for a living and will therefore use different selling tactics on you so be alert for these.

6. Don’t be afraid to ask for a discount and to haggle with the salesman. If you are slightly embarrassed then why not say something along the lines of “My wife/husband will hit the roof if I spend that much on the car, couldn’t you reduce the price a bit?”. This will allow you to remain friendly with the salesman whilst at the same time asking for a discount.

7. Never accept the first offer the salesman makes and respond with something like “surely you could do better than that?” or just be patient and keep silent and eventually the salesman may throw in some further extras to close the deal.

8. If you want to make an offer for a car then start at a low opening price but try to be realistic and allow the salesman to negotiate you up to a price that is acceptable to you.

9. If you show that you are serious about buying a car the salesman should work harder to try and reach a reach that will suit both parties.

10. Don’t be persuaded by the salesman to buy a car specification that you do not want or that does not meet your requirements.

11. If you feel that you are getting close to making a deal say that you will buy the car at a particular price if the salesman agrees now.

12. Do not be afraid to just walk away if you do not feel you are getting a good deal, there are lots of garages out there and one will offer you a good deal for your custom.

13. Be careful that if the salesman gives you a very good discount that they do not claw back their profits and your money by undervaluing your trade in. Similarly they could try this the other way round and give you a good price for your old car and a low discount on the car you want to buy.

14. Special finance or insurance deals are often used by garages to attract potential customers. Some salesmen will then use these as an excuse not to give a discount but often the special offers are funded by the car manufacturer and not the garage. If you can combine a decent discount with a cheap finance package then you will have negotiated yourself a good deal.

How to read the stock market is not as difficult to understand as one would think. Each and every company who is on the stock market is issued a 3 letter abbreviated name or ‘Symbol’, and through this symbol you are able to research what a particular stock is doing right now or even over the last year. This information is readily available on-line or from a number of other locations such as the business section of your local newspaper.

Basically what you have is a 52 week high which pertains to the highest value that a share of stock was worth in the past year, as well as the 52 week low. You may also find that other information may be available such as if there was a dividend release and if so how much it was per share of stock.

Furthermore you may also be able to tell what a particular share of stock has done in the previous week and if it is a gainer or loser you may also see the last day’s trends. More advanced data can be found on-line in the form of charts.

The most common terms you will see when looking at any stock’s value is the “High” or “Low” price, as well as the “Close” price which is the last price that was paid for that stock on the day you are looking. You will also see the “Change, or the difference between the previous close and the current one and of course the “Volume” or the number of shares that were traded during the time period.

The concepts on how to read the stock market for dummies are very simple. What is not simple is figuring when to buy, when to sell and if you would like to hold on to the shares for a longer term period. This is the most important information that the stock market investing for dummies guide tries to teach and is the key to creating sustained growth.

For most people, when it first comes to researching more about dealing in the stock market, almost every newcomer is wondering how to find stock market help. To answer this question, it is important to note that there are many forms of help available and whilst some may me bad, others can be very helpful to both you and your bottom line.

It only takes a second to go on-line and type in a phrase regarding what type of help you want, and you will almost certainly come up with millions of results, but how good is all this information?

Truth be told, a vast majority of the ‘help’ covers the same concepts that have been rewritten so many times in one stock market for dummies book after another that it is next to impossible to tell if it is all just the same information. This does not mean it will not help you, it just means that finding the answers you need will take more time than you originally thought.

Furthermore, some of this information you may not be accurate, because it is not uncommon for one who is trying to find stock market help to come across stuff that is just made up. People do this to draw you to their websites, and in some cases this made up stock market information can cause you to loose money – so be careful.

At different stages in all our careers, we have all been searching ‘stock market for dummies’ for help and advice, but choosing the information that will help us succeed in investing on the stock market, comes down to knowing the basic fundamentals of the stock market and from there using our own common sense to determine if the information will help or not.

Of course one of the best ways to find stock market help is to keep an eye on the major financial media centers like Forbes, the Wall Street Journal and a lot more. All of these publications will provide you with the latest information and trends in the stock market today.

While at first glance, the stock market can seem like a very intimidating monster, there are some things to know as a stock market beginner that will help you overcome this intimidation and maximize your profits.

The concept of trading is a bit misleading. You are not actually trading the stocks for another stock, but rather you are trading them for money which more or less constitutes as buying and selling, but not actually trading.

While there are many ways to make money in the stock market, the easiest way for you to trade in the stock market is by opening up an account with a broker through which you will be able to invest in the stock market. The big name players that you may hear about in the news are people that have made so much money over the years with a stock broker, that they have either become a broker themselves, or they own the brokerage firm.

Once you have made a deposit into your broker’s account, you are then able to buy and sell stocks on the stock exchange. When you are new to investing, it is better for you to start simply by creating a diverse portfolio which means purchasing small amounts of stock of different companies in different industries.

When you choose to purchase a share of stock, you will instruct your broker to purchase them and that request will be sent to the firm’s floor runners who are the representatives of the firm on the stock exchange floor. They will be responsible for the purchase for you in exchange for a small fee.

At Stock Market Investing For Dummies, we would always advise stock market beginners to start off making small investments in a wide variety of companies so that your risk is spread wide. By doing this you are far less likely to be affected if certain sectors of the stock market start to fall.

When it comes to learning to trade in the stock market, it is first very important that before you even open an account, you learn the stock market fundamentals you will need in order to make money rather than lose it.

One of the first and also the most important stock market fundamentals is understanding exactly what a stock is. A share of stock is a form of ownership. Companies use these stocks to sell off portions of their company ownership in exchange for liquidity. The share of stock itself is a representation of a portion of ownership in that company. If one were to have enough shares in a company, they are able to influence decisions within the company based on voting.

While a business can have shares of stock and not be part of a major stock exchange, this does not mean that you cannot buy them if they are for sale. However for reasons of simplicity, the average person will deal only through a major exchange, as the demand for the stock there is higher, and you can therefore buy the stock when there is less demand and sell it when there is higher demand.

The value of the stock in general is based on this demand, and knowing that there is only so many shares available, so if someone truly wants a share, he or she will increase the value simply by offering more money per share. Should the company run a profit and decide to release a dividend as a means of increasing its value, then this causes a higher demand for the stock and thus increases its value.

In all simplicity, the stock market fundamentals are to know what a stock is, and anticipating an increase in demand for a particular share of stock – when you have mastered this you will probably move away from Stock Market Investing For Dummies and on to a website offering more advanced stock buying techniques.

If you’ve ever watched the financial section of the news, channel surfed and landed on a financial channel, or browsed through a financial website, you’ve probably heard that you need to start investing for retirement. Maybe you’re not too worried because you have a pension and social security, but what if neither of these are available once you retire? Or, what if the money you get from them is not enough?

Increase Wealth by Investing

Whether the markets are booming or our economy is in great distress, no one will tell you never to invest a dime of your money.If someone tells you to just hide your money under your mattress, they are either very ignorant, or they want to steal it from you.

If you look back in history, recessions and even the Great Depression don’t last forever.The economy has highs and lows, and overall, the average return on the stock market is about 13%.If you had invested $10 in the stock market 100 years ago and earned the average historical rate each year, by now you would have $1,797,902.

Now I know you might not live to 100 and even if you did, that nearly $2,000,000 probably won’t do you much good, but that’s why you need to invest more than $10 one time.This just shows you the power of compounding and what kind of money you could make.Just think how much money you could make if you invested 100 times that every year?

In 10 years, investing $1,000 a year with even just 9% interest, you would have over $16,000. Give it another 10 years and you would have over $55,000. If you are 30 now and you invest $2,000 a year for the next 35 years until you retire at 65 and make a 9% annual return you would have over $466,000. Bump that percentage up to the historical 13% average and you would have over $1.2 million.

How Much can I Make through investments?

The amount you all depends on how much you invest, how much time you have, and how active you are investing.Don’t invest more than you can afford, but be honest with yourself about how much you really can invest.Also, don’t be afraid to increase how much you invest as you begin to save more.

What Should I Invest in?

Invest in whatever you want: stocks, bonds, mutual funds, commodities, derivatives, real estate, or anything that appeals to you. Nowhere does it say you have to invest in stocks or you have to buy bonds. Diversifying in all sorts of investments is better for your portfolio anyway.

How do I get started with investing?

Before you invest a dime, you need to learn about investing. Sure, you could pay a financial advisor to make all your investments, but that can cost you a lot of money that should be earning you more money. Start by reading, reading, and reading, until you are ready to make an investment plan you are comfortable with. If you are worried about wasting time that you could be investing, save your money and put it in a high interest savings account until you are ready to begin.

If you want to build your wealth and build it quickly, there is no better way than through investing your money.  Sure, it would be even easier and faster to win the lottery, inherit a large sum of money from a distant relative, or invent the next big thing, but all of those things have a much smaller success rate.

Why should you learn how to invest instead of just paying someone else to invest your money for you?

The more money that is invested, the larger and faster it will grow.  If you are paying fees and commissions to a financial adviser, that money is not getting invested, that money is not growing, and that money is not compounding.  Depending on how much you are paying your adviser or money manager, you may be severely limiting the growth rate of your wealth.

When you learn to invest yourself, you can effectively invest on your own.  You can invest your own money while simultaneously saving bundles on commissions and fees.  On top of that, because you are in charge of your own money, you know exactly where it is.  You don’t have to worry about trusting someone else with your money.

Wouldn’t a professional do a better job to earn you more money?

The stock market is unpredictable.  That means nobody, including “investment professionals”, no one can know for sure what stocks are going to earn the most money.  No one know where the markets will go for sure.  It is likely that over time the average return will be the same or close to the average return of the markets as a whole according to stock indexes such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (Dow) or the S&P 500.

Once you read and study as much as you can about investments, including all kinds of investments, you can do very well to earn yourself a high return.  If you aren’t that confident in yourself, even after studying, you can invest in an index mutual fund and you don’t have to worry about it as much.

Even if you never choose your own investements because you decide to hire someone else to do it for you, you should still learn how ot invest.  If you know how it works, you can better understand your money and wealth and don’t have to worry as much.  If you know nothing about investing, you could easily get taken advantage of.

You know you should invest your money, but what securities should you buy?  The investments you choose have a great effect on how much money you will earn.  Choose wisely and reap the reward.

First, let’s look at the basics.  If you are new to investing and don’t know much, there’s really no reason why you should be investing in anything other than stocks and bonds.  Real estate is another one you may know about and be interested in, be we aren’t going to talk about it here.

Should you Invest in Stocks?

Stocks are probably one of the most common investments out there, though not necessarily the most used.  Even if you know nothing about investing, you’ve probably heard of stocks.  Stock buying is ideal for those who are far from retirement and still great as you get closer to retirement.  Buying stocks is a little riskier, but if you have a long time to build wealth, you can take that risk and will earn more over time.

Should you Invest in Bonds?

Bonds are another common investment.  You might have savings bonds that you’ve received from family over the years.  Bonds are usually less risky and are better to invest in when you near retirement.  Keep an eye on the rating of the bond become low rated bonds can be just as risky or riskier than stocks.

Should you Invest in Commodities, Currency, Derivatives, etc.?

These types of investments are more for the advanced investor.  If you don’t know what they are, you shouldn’t invest in them.  Can you make more money with them than other investments?  Maybe, but maybe not.  Just like all other investments, they are a risk and you are taking a chance that you might lose money, or you might make money.  You have to take that risk.

If you are brand new to investing, while you learn, you should consider investing in mutual funds.  They are a great way to be invested in the stock market, bonds, or whatever investment you are interested in while not having to research yourself.  Later, when you are more knowledgable, you can take the new information you learn to try new things in your investing.

Financial derivatives are a bit more complicated than stocks and bonds. They are fairly new and require some concentration to understand. If you interested in investing in financial derivatives, make sure you have a good understanding of them, as you should with any investment.

A financial derivative is a contract.

When you invest money into a derivative, you aren’t buying ownership or debt, you are buying into an agreement.Derivatives aren’t stocks, but they often involve stocks.A derivative is a contract to buy or sell another security at some point in the future.

Types of Derivatives

There are several different categories and types of derivatives available. Two of the most common derivatives are futures and options, but also include forwards, SWAPS, warrants, etc.

Options

Options are most often given to employees. They are an agreement that the buyer can buy or sell a security at an agreed upon price in the future. They have the option and are not obliged to do so. It is called a ‘call’ when they have the right to buy, and a ‘put’ when they have the right to sell. These options are most often given to employees when a company first issues stock.

Futures

Futures are similar to options in that it is an agreement to buy or sell something in the future.The difference is it isn’t optional.With a future, you agree to buy or sell at a specified time in the future.

Derivatives can be just as risky as stocks, but they are also very complicated.The great investor Warren Buffett refuses to invest in derivatives because he believes he can do better with stocks and that derivatives will ultimately lose you money.

Whether or not you should invest in them depends on what kind of investing you are interested in and if you feel derivatives are a good investment. Learn more about them and find out everything you can before you throw any money into it.

What do you think of when you think of the word investing? Do you think of Wall Street and corporations? Do you picture the savings bond your grandma gave you for your eighth birthday? Maybe professional, suit-wearing business-people come to mind.

You’ve probably heard of some of the basic investments, such as stocks and bonds, but there are many more. Here are just a handful of different securities and assets you can invest your money in:

Stocks

Most people have probably heard of stocks, but in comparison, few probably own any.Stocks are a great investment for novices, experienced investors, wealthy, middle class, dirt poor, or basically anyone who is willing to invest the money.

When you own stock in a corporation, it means you own part of it.The amount of shares you own is how much you own of that company.The amount of stocks that a company has outstanding means the shares of stock issued that is still being held as investor.

To know how much of a company you own, you simply divide your shares by the shares outstanding. If you own 200 shares of 1,000,000 outstanding, you own .02% of the company. If you own 500 shares of 10,000 outstanding, you own 5% of the company. Unless you own more than 20% of a company, you won’t have a very important role or influence in the company aside from some voting rights. But technically you do own the company.

You buy shares of stock to make money. To make money with stocks, you must buy a stock at its price and later on when the price is higher, you sell it for what is called a capital gain. For example, you buy 100 Shares of stock A which is currently priced at $24. The total cost to you is $2,400. In 2 years, you sell all 100 shares at the price of $30 for a total of $3,000. Your capital gain is $600.

There are hundreds of companies you can invest in both in the U.S. and in foreign countries. Some common methods of investing in stocks include buy-and-hold, short-selling, and trading. Stocks can prove to be a very lucrative investment.  Read The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing to learn more about stocks.

Bonds

Bonds are another very common investment.When you purchase a bond, you are lending money to the bank, corporation, or government, whoever you purchase the bond from.The bond has a maturity date which is the time the entity you lent it to will pay you back.

There is also an interest rate that they will pay you annually or semiannually, that is the money you earn. You can also earn money if you buy it for less than the face value (amount printed on the bond). For example, you could buy a $1,000 bond for $950 with with a 6% interest rate with a 10 year maturity, you will be paid $60 a year for ten years, and when the bond matures you will be paid $1,000. Your gain is the $50 paid back over $950 plus $600 ($60 times 10 years), for a total of $650.

Though bonds have a maturity date, you don’t have to hold it until maturity.You can also buy and sell bonds just like stocks.

Bonds should make up more and more of your portfolio as you get older because they are less risky. As you get older, you want to take less risks to ensure that you won’t lose the money you’ll need when you’re retired because you won’t have a regular salary income.  The Bond Book: Everything Investors Need to Know About Treasuries, Municipals, GNMAs, Corporates, Zeros, Bond Funds, Money Market Funds, and More will help you understand bonds better.

Mutual Funds

A mutual fund is a large collection of stocks, bonds, or other securities. To invest in a mutual fund, you invest a minimum amount, usually $1,000 to $2,000. Your money is pooled together with the money of other investors. A mutual fund manager is in charge of your fund and uses the money to invest in different securities.

Mutual funds are beneficial to those who don’t have enough money yet to properly diversify their portfolio, want a professional to manage their portfolio, or want a cheaper way to invest. No-load mutual funds are very affordable because “no-load” means no fees. If you are interested in mutual funds, read Morningstar Guide to Mutual Funds: Five-Star Strategies for Success.

Derivatives

Derivatives are a little more complicated than stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. There are many different kinds of derivatives such as options, futures, SWAPS, Warrants, and others. Commodities are also a derivative. A commodity can be corn, steel, wheat, or something else of substance that people buy and sell usually through future contracts.

Because derivatives are detailed and more difficult to understand, I’m not going to go into detail here, but I encourage you to read up on them to see if they are a good investment for you. Derivatives Demystified: A Step-by-Step Guide to Forwards, Futures, Swaps and Options is a great beginner’s guide to derivatives.

Real Estate

Real Estate investing is much different from investing in securities such as stocks, bonds, and derivatives, mostly because real estate is a tangible good and you often have to have a substantial amount of money to get started. If you own a house, you have already invested in real estate.

Some people flip houses, meaning they buy a house, fix it up, and then sell it for a profit. Others buy buildings and rent them out or buy foreclosures and sell them. If you want to get into real estate, I suggest reading up on it and choosing an option that will fit you best. A great place to start is with Real Estate Investing for Dummies.