How to start a dividend portfolio with $5,000 & Intelligent Speculator Anytime we talk about stock picks or building a portfolio, one of the most asked questions on this blog is how to start building the portfolio itself. It’s easier said than done of course and lends easily to procrastination. Of course, this is what makes the biggest difference in the end. Making the right picks and trades is important but getting started, to actually build the portfolio is the real critical part. We used the example of starting with $5000 but this can be applied to any amount really. #1- Open a brokerage account The first step is perhaps the more “complicated” one as you must of course open a brokerage account. #2- Buy 2 reliable growth dividend stocks Because commission end up being paid, you do not want to buy too many different stocks all at once. -In different sectors -That have consistently increased their dividend payout for years -Companies that can maintain the increases and current payouts -Mature companies -Etc This is really one of the main keys. Conclusion
7 Money Tricks Rich Guys Know : MensHealth.com My dad taught me how to rig a mainsail, my college buddies taught me how to hold my Jim Beam, and my teachers taught me how to parse Chaucer. But somehow no one got around to helping me calculate compound interest or build a diversified portfolio. Of course, people teach only what they know, and previous generations had less cause to study the finer points of finance, says Charles Farrell, a Denver-based investment advisor. Ensuring your financial survival will require learning to be your own CFO. Figuring Out Your Net Worth Would you start a diet without knowing your weight? And if you've never stepped on a financial scale, it's way too easy to binge on debt. One warning about net worth: The equity in your home is an asset, but its value is subjective, and it's not as useful in a pinch as cash or nonretirement investments. Running Your Ratios Smart stock investors use handy ratios (price divided by earnings, for example) to gauge the health of a company. Gauging Interest
Disrupting Banking: The FinTech Startups That Are Unbundling Wells Fargo, Citi and Bank of America Traditional banks are under attack from a number of emerging specialist startups. Here are the FinTech startups unbundling banking. In November, Tom Loverro of RRE Ventures wrote that “banks are under attack” and showed a few of the major players leading this trend. Inspired by his post and Alexander Pease’s, in May 2015 we dug in to see how banks are being unbundled by startups and made the first “unbundling of a bank” graphic. We have now (11/18/15) updated the graphic and added over 30 new companies, while leaving on a few notable startups that have gone public such as Square, OnDeck Capital, and Lending Club. The graphic below details companies attacking bank services ranging from robo-advisers wealth management services like Wealthfront and Betterment to small business loan companies like Prosper and Kabbage to small business service providers like Zenefits and Gusto, and many other areas. The complete 29-page PDF of the Fin Tech White Paper for FREE & more
Tutorials Ponzimonium After Bernard Madoff's $65 billion Ponzi scheme was revealed, many new (smaller-scale) Ponzi schemers became exposed. Ponzimonium ... Quarterly Earnings Report A quarterly filing made by public companies to report their performance. Included in earnings reports are items such as net ... Dark Pool Liquidity The trading volume created by institutional orders that are unavailable to the public.
Infographic: The True Cost of Homeownership Everyone is talking about how now is a great time to buy a home. And, on the surface, it looks like the perfect time. Home prices are low, and mortgage interest rates remain at near-record lows. There is some argument, though, that it might be better to buy a home in six months; without the home buyer tax credit to help keep home prices higher, some argue that another dip in prices is likely. When many people start thinking about purchasing a home, they usually get excited about figuring out how big a house they can get, and use online mortgage calculators to help them estimate monthly payments at a specific interest. The following infographic from CreditLoan.com offers a sobering look at how much it can cost to own a home. You can experiment with your own set of numbers at New York Times. There are a number of financial experts that recommend you plan to live in your home for five to seven years if you buy. Finally, consider other options before you buy a home.
Examining The Top 4 Fintech Predictions For This Year And Beyond Alongside “Unicorn” and “Grexit/Brexit,” “Fintech” was considered one of the top 10 financial buzzwords of 2015. But fintech isn’t a newcomer to this list — and for good reason. For a few years now, fintech companies have moved from the margins to the mainstream. As the CEO and co-founder of CommonBond, a fintech lender that to date has focused on student lending, I’ve seen that evolution firsthand. Here are my top four predictions of where I think fintech is going this year (and beyond): Capital will get more discerning and bunch up around the best players. Of the emerging fintech lenders, the big ones will get stronger and the small ones will attach to the larger players or simply peter out. A large tech company will make a big move into finance. According to The Millennial Disruption Index, 73 percent of millennials would be more excited about a new offering in financial services from companies such as Google, Amazon, Apple, PayPal or Square than from their own bank.
24 Quick Actions You Can Do Today That Can Change Your Financial Life Forever Note: This is a post from Adam Baker, founder of Man Vs. Debt. Last week, while I was talking about our new You Vs. Debt class, we touched on the “status quo” of our Upside-Down Nation. We talked about our obsession with the debt-fueled life path and how it’s keeping millions trapped. But talk is cheap. I’m much more interested in action. And this week, I want to do my part to shatter any excuses or justifications you may have. I took the time to provide 24 different options. Sure, there’s little chance all will be viable for your situation. I’m asking for one. Do it. Action #1: Pull Your Credit Report (10-20 minutes) Simple steps: Visit Annual Credit Report – Visit annualcreditreport.com. How this can change your life: When we first pulled Courtney’s credit report, we were saddened to find she was a victim of identity theft. We had better luck with my credit report, however I did discover a $200 collections account I didn’t even know existed! Action #3: Get 1 paying client (15-35 minutes)
How to Watch Movies in the Theater for Free Wise Bread Picks I know this sounds amazing, and there's a kicker — you can see these movies in theaters for free BEFORE they're released to the general public! It sounds too good to be true, but it can be done really easily. For the past year or so, I have been attending movies in theaters before they've been released. I pay nothing to see them, and to top it off, there are often no previews, so 100 minutes actually means 100 minutes. Some movie studios provide free screenings of movies. These are the same movies you can see a few weeks later for $12 a pop. How to See Movies in the Theater for Free It's a very simple process, you just need to know where to look. What to Know Before Attending a Screening There are several things you should keep in mind for these screenings: 1. For most movies, people enter on a first-come, first-served basis. 2. I've never been disappointed by the selection, but when movies are free, it's a little difficult to complain if something's not perfect. 3.
Free Credit Scores (Seriously, They’re Really Free) | MintLife Blog | P... In the world of credit reporting and credit scoring the word “free” gets thrown around too liberally, especially when it comes to products and services marketed to consumers via retail websites. “Free” in many cases actually means “conditionally free”, which really means it ain’t free. Last week I wrote about credit related processes that are 100% free but are often included in fee-based subscription services. My criteria for this article were simple. I couldn’t go so far as to say the score has to be the same score used by most lenders because that would limit the score option primarily to a FICO score, which isn’t available for free anywhere. My criteria left two websites standing, CreditSesame.com and CreditKarma.com. CreditSesame.com What Do You Get: CreditSesame provides a free credit score and a summarized version of the data on your Experian credit report. The score you get is your Experian National Equivalency Score. Credit Card Required: Nope Trial Membership Required: Nope
How to Check and Manage Your Credit Score for Free Last Updated: 4/05/2014 14:17 PST Most people know that a lot is riding on their credit score, from the interest rates you pay on your loans, to your ability to rent an apartment, buy a home or car, and even to find a job. Companies are increasingly using credit scores as an objective measure of not only your credit, but your credibility. But, there’s still a lot of confusion out there about credit scores and what they mean. Some people confuse a credit report with a credit score, when they are two different things. A credit report contains all the information in a person’s credit file maintained by a Credit Bureau. People also incorrectly assume that checking your credit score lowers it—this is partly true. In fact, it’s essential to know what your score is, because it can change at any time, and it impacts so many different areas of your life. Many companies have figured out ways to charge consumers for reporting on their credit scores.
How Stocks and the Stock Market Work" For a new investor, the stock market can feel a lot like legalized gambling. "Ladies and gentlemen, place your bets! Randomly choose a stock based on gut instinct and water cooler chatter! If the price of your stock goes up -- and who knows why? Not exactly. The stock market can be intimidating, but a little information can help ease your fears. Why would a company want to share its assets and earnings with the general public? The disadvantage of borrowing money is that the company has to pay back the loan with interest. Perhaps the best way to explain how stocks and the stock market work is to use an example. 5 Innovative Ways to Teach Your Skills Online The Global Innovation Series is supported by BMW i, a new concept dedicated to providing mobility solutions for the urban environment. It delivers more than purpose-built electric vehicles — it delivers smart mobility services. Visit bmw-i.com or follow @BMWi on Twitter. Through projects like Khan Academy, MIT OpenCourseWare and University of the People, the Internet has made it easier for anyone to be a student. Now it's also making it easier for anyone to become a teacher. Several platforms have launched within the last two years that democratize teaching. Here are five ways to get started. 1. Skillshare is an online marketplace that sells tickets to offline classes. Skillshare takes a 15% cut of the tickets sold. 2. Sophia helps experts curate the social web in a way that reliably explains a topic. 3. Learnable asks its teachers to put together an entire online course rather than a single lesson packet, but it also gives them the opportunity to make money from it. 4. 5.
How 401(k) Plans Work" In 1978, Congress decided that Americans needed a bit of encouragement to save more money for retirement. They thought that if they gave people a way to save for retirement while at the same time lowering their state and federal taxes, they might just take advantage of it. The Tax Reform Act was passed. Ted Benna, who was a benefits consultant, actually came up with the first version of this plan. When people talk about 401(k) plans, you often hear about advantages like: Free money from your employerLower taxable incomeSavings and earnings that accumulate without you having to remember to make depositsThe opportunity to retire and not have to worry about money anymore Does this sound too good to be true? Although retirement plans may be the farthest thing from your mind, think about how much of a difference 10 years can make in the investing world. 401(k) plans are part of a family of retirement plans known as defined contribution plans.