Providing For My Long Term Future There must be a thousand and one different ways of providing for your long term future and retirement from the yachting industry. The course of action you choose will depend very much on whether you are making this industry a lifetime career, or you intend to “settle down” in a few years time. If it is the latter then it might be an idea to read the “Short Term Savings and Investment” article. In reality you will probably adopt a series of different strategies to achieve your goals. What is important in the selection of those strategies? Given the fickle nature of the business one major consideration is flexibility. It is important that the flexibility exists to adapt to both your changing circumstances and possibly your changing goals. One of the first objectives that most people have is to buy property. It is after all a basic instinct to find shelter! While there are fluctuations in the property markets, as many will attest to after recent events, property in the long term is generally a good bet. This is especially so now as there are bargains to be had in various areas of the world. It can also be used in the future to generate an income stream from rent. You may decide to build a portfolio of different properties, the income from one funding the next. What is interesting is there are now cross border mortgages available in a number of countries to non residents of those countries. These are ideally suited to the yachting industry because of its general nomadic nature. What is really interesting is that these mortgages are available in a wide range of currencies and can be switched into different currencies at any point through the term of the mortgage. This means that you can have the mortgage in the currency of your salary thus avoiding the fluctuating payments associated with currency exchange. It is conceivably possible to play the exchange rates with your mortgage, witling the mortgage down with long term currency shifts, although this does involve an element of risk! Another strategy is savings and investment into various products. These include life assurance bonds, which may have tax advantages depending where you reside or where you intend to retire to, “pension” plans, direct investment into investment funds, or investment in the equity markets. The selection of the right product is very much an individual preference and there can be no blanket advice on this subject, except that it is necessary to seek professional advice from a regulated advisor. They will discuss your current circumstances, take into account the provisions you have already made, consider your aims, any anticipated hurdles in the future and most importantly your “attitude to risk”. It is vital that you ensure you understand any products and charges that are proposed. Trevor Illingworth General Manager ICM Financial Services Limited e: ti@i.im t: +44(0)1624 682426 f: +44(0)1624 682403 ICM Financial Services Limited is licensed to conduct Investment Business by the Isle of Man Financial Supervision Commission.

Making money on the stockmarket is a dream enjoyed by many but a reality only lived by the few. The theory is that trading in the stockmarket, just like any business, takes time, dedication and persistence. So how do you start your journey on this path?

Stock market traders consider bracketed orders to be good investments, because unlike other types of stocks you can limit your losses. The profit you make might also be limited, however you can sell your stocks automatically when they reach a specified value, whether that be a loss or a profit. The question is, should you use them?

The New York Stock Exchange is the largest stock market in the world. Millions of dollars worth of stocks, from many significant and valuable companies, are traded on a daily basis.

Investing on your own can be intimidating and risky. If you put the combined knowledge and resources of several investors together in a club, you can minimize some of the fear and benefit from combined knowledge and resources.

This 3rd component of this series centers on another crucial component of Warren Buffett's enormously successful methodology - return on equity (ROE). Nowadays, you might have used the term "return on equity" earlier. It is not a comparatively novel concept, and it's something that is typically applied in finance. Nevertheless, its importance must not be underestimated.

Financial discipline is what each one of us wishes for but it becomes very hard to achieve. Same thing goes for the return on the money we earn.

When you enter the tock market for making money then the fundamental difference between you making money or losing money lies in the kind of stock pick you make for trading.

Golden Investment Opportunities For most of us, the word "gold" brings to mind jewelry that is made from gold. Jewelry is only one of the forms of gold, as there are other ways in which we can buy gold. You can buy gold in the form of gold bars, stock certificates, and there are even several different types of gold coins. When it comes to gold coins there are basically two types of coins. The first type is bullion gold coins that is valued only by the price of gold on any given day, which can actually change several times per day. The second type of gold coins is more rare. With investment-grade gold coins, there are only so many minted in any given year, and they have never been circulated. Instead, they have been saved for investment purposes. Among all the types of gold investments, gold in the form of uncirculated rare coins are the easiest form of investment. For example, if only 5000 of these coins were minted in, say, 1928, and only 500 are left known to exist, as that number decreases in lost coins, the value continues to rise on the rarity side of the investment. The other side of the value of these coins is by the weight, but the rarity is the most important. Unlike bullion gold coins, the rarity value increases substantially as the price of gold rises, in addition to the weight, whereas gold bullion coins only increase in value as the price of gold rises. For example, a $20 gold piece that is investment grade and uncirculated will far out-perform a bullion gold coin up to six or eight or more times growth of the same weight because of the rarity value in addition to the weight in gold. These coins can be easily acquired all at once when liquidating other investments, or you can start out small and add to your investment portfolio over time. So we can gradually accumulate our wealth in the form of US investment-grade gold and silver coins as we accumulate extra money, and put that money to work. They can also be easily stored, they can be liquidated at any time if you need some quick cash, and the best part of it is they are a private investment with no tax consequences (as opposed to bullion). Bullion coins are reportable, however. Therefore, you would have to pay taxes on money, which doesn't make any sense at all. Rare, numismatic, or investment-grade gold and silver coins are not reportable. They are held as a tangible, private asset, which is why gold ownership is the best investment you can make in your future today. In fact, you can roll over your IRA or 401k individual retirement plan into a self-directed plan backed by gold, i.e. a gold IRA, and it's very easy to do. We must warn you that when you buy gold from just any dealer, that dealer may not disclose to you their mark up price otherwise known as investment spread. They can mark the coins up anywhere from 28% to 45%. So you must find a discount gold dealer or discount coin dealer who is an expert in the marketplace. Call a few different precious metals dealers and ask for their recommendations and quotes on prices for the coins they suggest. Superior Discount Coins (dot com) has the lowest prices in the industry, nation wide, and an expert with over 25 years of experience to help guide you. You can find substantial savings on investment spreads (or profit margins) from the large dealerships if you simply search for discount gold coins or discount coin dealers or discount gold dealers. Don't just talk to one out of forty brokers for the larger precious metals firms that has little or no experience and only wants to sell you a coin. Do your research and find an expert you feel comfortable with, check around to ensure they have the lowest prices, and then begin your endeavor to invest in gold and silver coins for privacy, security and maximum growth potential.

This third part of this series focuses on another important element of Warren Buffett's hugely successful methodology - return on equity (ROE). Now, you may have heard the term "return on equity" before. It's not a relatively new concept, and it is one that is commonly used in finance. However, its importance must not be taken for granted.

Have you ever thought of investing in stocks? Often when we think about investing in stocks we think it to be a very intricate process but it is not true it is very simple and can be understood very easily. If I teach my kids even my kids can trade stocks.

Ever pondered putting some of your money in the Stock Market? Its regularly assumed that when money is devoted to stocks it involves complicated procedures, but the reality is this is a misconception. Dealing with stocks is actually quite easy and comprehendible. If it was taught to children, even they could understand it enough to do it.