Alternative Investments in Finance

Alternative investment involves investment in assets other than the traditional products of stocks, bonds or cash. These assets include the likes of art, antiques, wine, coins or rare stamps - in other words, rare items. Financial assets like commodities, private equity, hedge funds and financial derivatives are also accommodated in alternative investment. Due to the complexities in their nature and the regulations and the illiquidity involved, AI assets are usually held by institutional investors or accredited individuals.

A thorough investment analysis is required before buying and investing in alternative financial resources. They also involve a high minimum investment and fee structures compared to mutual funds. Traditional investment involves risk. We have seen how in recent times the world of finance was hit as bankruptcy triggered across the globe. But even in troubled waters, you do not need to be bearish if you are the proud owner of a few bottles of Bordeaux or a Penny Black or may be a series of Andy Warhol prints as you are supposedly to get their money back virtually.

Why do people go for alternative financial investment?

A probable reason why people invest in alternative resources is to diversify and reduce the overall investment risk. Portfolio diversification is proposed to potential investors to minimize the risk. And this can be achieved through alternative investment.

Advantages to investing alternatively:

1. Alternative investment involves low correlation with traditional financial investments like stocks and bonds. As a result several large institutional funds like the pension and private endowments have already begon allocating a small proportion, less than 10%, of their capitals to alternative investments like hedge funds.
2. It is comparatively less liquid in nature.

Disadvantages to investing alternatively:

1. Lack of published verifiable performance data and minimum opportunity to advertise to potential investors.
2. Determining the current market value of assets is often difficult.
3. Cost of purchase and sales is relatively high.

The most common types of alternative investment include:

• Hedge funds as alternative financial investments include a wide range of investment assets like stocks and commodities, which principally aim at offsetting the potential losses in the markets.
• Future funds as alternative investments are standardized contracts of sale and purchase of commodity at a predetermined price on a specific date. Futures are used to trade currencies and commodities like petroleum and agricultural products.
• Real estate can also serve as an alternative investment option, which typically involves buying and selling of immovable properties like land and concessions. It yields income income as well as capital appreciation.
• Although not always viewed as such, art is certainly an alternative investment. This investment option gained some new transaction after the 2008 market downturn and recession period.
• Investment in vintage items, such as fine wine, has proved profitable with consistent high-yield returns, even in the months of 2008 credit crunch.
• The precious metal gold is used as a defensive alternative financial investment, which tends to grow in popularity during periods of prolonged economic upheavals.

In this emerging economic economic climate, as investors are striving to locate the best investment niche, these alternative financial investment options are gaining greater and greater appreciation due to their low-risk and high-yield nature.

Family Reunion Planning Step By Step

As a wise proverb says "There is a time for everything under the sun. A time to run, a time to laugh, a time to skip about." With that sentiment there is a time to strengthen the bonds of family union. And what better way to begin then planning for your next family reunion. Family reunion events have evolved into big-time annual family shindigs these days. From gatherings at the ol 'homestead to luxury cruise ship gala events. But when is a good time to start planning for your family reunion? The fact is, anytime is a good time to start planning a meaningful memorable family gathering.

KEEPING TIME ON YOUR SIDE

They key to successfully planning a modest to large family event is giving yourself and the rest of the family plenty of time to put it all together. This will also allow family reunion planners drum up support when and where needed. This calls for good communication and organization on the reunion planners part.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT FAMILY REUNION SOFTWARE

Your best approach to organizing a family reunion event is using what is called a family reunion planner organizer with * attendee registration spreadsheet features. Planner organizers now come in many software formats. A stand-alone program may require the manual input of information such as reunion date, time, number of attendees, guest list contact information and such. It is advantageous to choose reunion planning software platforms that allow users to export and import data into formats most users are familiar with such as MS Word and Excel Spreadsheets.

COMMITTEE MEETING PRESENTATION FEATURES

Users should be able to take advantage of spreadsheet data and presentation features such as bar and pie charts for surveys, dues ledgers and such. Your family reunion planner organizer should allow you to easily enter survey data and tally. For example, the reunion committee narrows down three possible locations for the family reunion event. Perhaps you want to find out how far these locations are from each attendees home address. Features that allow you to enter travel distance to the reunion event location per household and run a comparison report can help you narrow down the most convenient locations.

CHECKLISTS ACCOUNTS AND BALANCES

Your software should include features the allow you to add up T-shirt orders and payment balances. Keep track of desired reunion activities and menu surveys. Keep track of delegated assignments. Make sure your planner also comes with a family reunion planning primer. It should contain an edit pre-written timeline planner with built in checklist. Reunion supplies and materials lists are extremely helpful. Many reunion planners come with a host of templates such as flyers, labels, nametags, official reunion correspondence stationary, welcome letter template to name a few.

HELPFUL SEARCH ENGINE FEATURES

Now major search engines offer features that allow users to share standard data in MS Word and Excel spreadsheet format with other online users making the reunion communication process a whole lot easier for all involved.

REUNION PLANNING STEP BY STEP

Step 1. Your first task is to gather information from family members regarding the kind of family reunion event that would like to have. To do this you should first remark announcing that plans are underway for the next family reunion and the need to consider ideas and select committe member volunteers.

Step 2. Compile a list of family members and their addresses and send out your announcements as a flyer or in newsletter format. Your announcement should include a brief survey asking for their opinions and suggestions for food, entertainment, theme, events and location. Those who respond quickly and provide practical input should be asked to form the reunion committee.

Step 3. Establish an initial committee meeting time and place where most can attend.

Step 4. Form your initial committee members including the chairperson and treasurer.

Step 5. Using your "Committees List" pause selecting other subcommittees heads. Your committees lists includes the following duties:

Food committee

Welcome / Greeting Committee

Finance Committee

Communications Committee

Setup and Cleanup Committee

Fundraising Committee

Family History Committee

Photography Committee

News and Media Committee

Supplies Department

Health and Safety Committee

Security Department

Genealogy Research and Presentation Committee

Step 6. Now review your consideration elements and consider potential reunion site locations visited ", reunion themes, proposed date, initial cost estimates for budget. Remember to use the survey you sent out with your initial mailing. more elements for consideration.

Step 7. As you discuss consideration elements record final decisions as to who will do what. Delegate committee heads and volunteers accordingly. Make sure delegations are in harmony with your committee heads department. Avoid overlapping assignments.

Step 8. Now get into the details of planning the event. Using a "Possible Locations and Activities" list compare completed surveys to the possible location and activities list. Draw a line through locations not recommended and narrow down the desired location to about three or four choices. Now take a vote. Follow the same pattern for activities.

Step 9. After deciding on location and activities you now have a better idea of ​​event needs in the form of materials and services.

Step 10. Using a "Needs List" as a starter, beginning listing all needs for your event with the help and feedback of department heads.

Step 11. Create a ballpark "Expense List" to get an idea of ​​the amount of funds required for the event and activities and add this to your Reunion Planner Budget list and Calculation Tool.

Step 12. Using your surveys complete a "Reunion Lunch Program Agenda" if your reunion event will be held in the after noon. Otherwise create a "Reunion Dinner Program Agenda".

Following these basic steps when choosing your family reunion software and organizing your reunion event will get you off on to a good start.

* A Family Reunion planning "Attendee Registration Worksheet" is a spreadsheet that allows the user to record information in the form of a dues ledger, tally reunion surveys, create a guest list roster. "Enter T-shirt orders and keep track of special needs .

How To Make Music - An Easy Way To Learn

Learning to play instruments can be a lifelong study. Many people will never learn simply because they do not have the patience or the natural talent to do so. The ability to play an instrument should not deter you from making music though. Many great musicians are mediocre at playing an instrument. In our technological age the game has changed. With computers and software making music has never been more accessible. All that is really required is a desire to learn and a basic feeling for music.

The easiest way to learn how to make music is with music software. There are quite literal thousands of software packages on the market and all of them do something different. There are specific types of software that I want to focus on and look at in terms of learning how to make music.

Lets first look at some of the fundamentals of music and making a song. All songs have melody and rhythm which can be a tough thing when composing on any instrument. With music maker software it becomes so much easier. The software itself is designed to help you to easily put beats together. Many of them come with vast libraries of beats and you can mix and match them, change the tempo and even add effects to each. Even if you just use these beats, anyone can put together a catchy song with a good melody and rhythm.

Another great feature of music maker software is the fact that most packages has "artificial" digitized instruments that allows you to "play" any instrument without playing it. Some of the more advanced packages will allow you to automatically overlay certain instruments over an existing beat and you can quickly build up a very full sound that not only sounds professional but its perfectly in beat and in tune.

By learning to compose music with software you can not only build a great foundation for understanding rhythm and melody but you also learn the basics of producing music. Its also a great way to help any aspiring singer and songwriter to write music and create songs without a full band or an expensive production studio.

Important Upgrade for Every Computer and Backup Planning

One important upgrade every computer owner should perform is to have surge protection. Sure protection protects your desktop or laptop from a power surge that can happen during a storm.

A surge protector is a piece of hardware that your computer is plugged into. The protector then plugs into the wall. Thus, it is an intermediate between your computer and the power outlet. The surge protector prevails dangerous levels of power from reaching your computer and causing overload problems.

Here's the scenario:

You're using your computer during an electrical storm. Lightning strikes and sends a high amount of power to your computer.

With a surge protector, the surge protector notices the power is too high and prevails the high power from reaching your computer.

Without a surge protector, the high voltage travels right to your machine, and you're left to pray that it does not overload your computer and cost you to have repairs performed.

A surge protector can also prevent spikes that occur because the power go out and then come back on at a higher level.

Thus, surge protectors are reliably cheap and are the standard in computer protection. A wise investment to be sure.

The second topic for this article is data backup planning.

Data backup planning is not only important to large corporations, but to the personal computer owner as well. We'll be focusing on the personal computer owner here.

Many people do not think about backing up their data. They should though. Recently someone came to me and asked me if I could recover data from their storage drive. It was their only copy. Unfortunately, I had to refer them to another service provider - someone who would have to perform some low level data recovery (expensive). This would not have had to happen if the person had kept a second copy of their data. There are a number of ways for people to back up their data.

One way is to buy some writable CDs or DVDs and burn data to them - of course you'll need hardware that can write to CDs and / or DVDs. These would probably be a good option for people with not too much data they want backed up. These are also nice because you can store them in a different location from the original data and then the computer should be destroyed in some cataclysmic event, you still have a good copy.

Another option is to purchase an external hard drive. These usually require a USB hookup. They are a nice option and are generally much larger in size than a CD / DVD. They are also easily transportable and lightweight. Furthermore, you can read, write, and rewrite (write over) data - something Most CDs / DVDs do not do. So, they can be a money saver and space saver when compared to CDs / DVDs.

Another option still is to purchase an internal hard drive. This will stay within your computer. It provides read / write / rewrite and generally large (and inexpensive) storage capacity. These tend to be less expensive than a similar external and faster. However, they are less mobile than the two previous options. Still, you've got to know a bit more about hardware in order to find out which drive to purchase and install, making the other two options more user friendly.

I think all options have their strong points, it boils down to what you require or desire. Bottom line, it's a good idea to have some backup strategy, because you never know how valuable your data is until it's gone.

Client Appreciation for Financial Advisors

A quick Google search on "client appreciation for financial advisors" unearths a lot about client awareness events, (which are very common in the industry), and not much more. Are advisors hoping their clients bring friends with them to the event so the planner can get an introduction for potential new business? Such events are perfectly fine and good, but they are not really the best way to show your thanks or differentiate yourself.

Sure, some financial planners may host events that are real blowouts, the kind of "you have GOT to be there" parties that people talk about for months. But most do not come close to that.

Like gift cards, these appreciation dinners have three main drawbacks. One, they're not personal. It's a party for a bunch of people, not in honor of them personally. Two, they require your clients to make an effort. And a majority of your clients are not excited about making any efforts outside of their normal routine. Three, if everyone's doing them, how then are you so special?

That's why if you really want to let your clients know you value them, you send them something that requires no effort on their part - a genuine token of thanks that can be enjoyed right away, without sharing, in the privacy of their own home. In case you have not noticed, especially in America, people like instant gratification.

A survey done earlier this year of registered investment consultants found that most saw an increase in assets under management, coming from both new and existing clients. So you've got lots of new people with whatever it would behoove you to strengthen bonds. Additionally, the study revealed almost 25% of advisors expected to increase spending in client appreciation activities. If you're going to increase spending, do not you want to make sure you're doing it effectively?

Here are 3 better ways for financial advisors to reach out to their clients:

1. Handwritten notes - even if your assistant wrists them. Send a card to say thanks at a random time, other than a birthday.

2. Gourmet food - people love treats, so send something they'd not likely find or buy for themselves and let them indulge courtesy of you. Food is a very social and nurturing thing; it says, "I care," which is why it's received particularly well.

3. Books - do you have a favorite recommendation? Sharing something you enjoy allows your clients to feel a closer relationship and who knows, maybe you'll introduce them to a new genre or author that they would have never otherwise discovered.

There's no doubt that building tighter relationships with your clients is essential to the success of your business. Just make sure the money you spend actually accomplishes what you intend.

Financial Help for First Time Home Buyers

Purchasing your first home is an exciting time and transitioning from renter to property owner presents a long list of significant long-term benefits. Yet, there are numerous thoughts and fears many have when considering buying their first home.

When beginning the initial process of owning a home for the first time, most people spend a fair amount of time looking around for the perfect house, in the right neighborhood and in the right location. Selecting the right property that is a good fit on all levels and ensuring the location will meet all of your requirements is obviously a big part of making sure your short-term and long-term needs are met.

However, as you get past the initial stages of simply looking at different properties and trying to determine your exact needs, you may find buying a home is a bit more involved than you first realized. Most first-time home buyers go through feeling a little overwhelmed at the beginning and a top notch realtor can offer significant help for first time home buyers.

Financial Help for First Time Home Buyers

Plus 5 Important Tips

Think About Today and the Future

When you are looking around for the right home to purchase it is important to think about what will meet your needs today and in the future. Most of the time, buying a house is not only a financial commitment but also a commitment of time; meaning, you will probably live in the home for at least several years.

If you do not have any children a small cottage on the lake might sound fun now, but if you decide to have kids in a few years it may become impractical very quickly. Thinking about your current lifestyle and how it might change in the coming years is an important consideration and can help make your home purchase successful on a long-term basis.

Choose a Realtor Carefully

Choosing the realtor you work with is a very important consideration, sometimes the most important. A good real estate agent can help make the home buying process much easier and much more successful. Real estate agents are experienced professionals who know what to look for, what to be careful of and all the important details that you will need to take care of through your first home purchase.

Some real estate agencies offer special programs that can provide significant help for first time home buyers such as down payment assistance, tax credits and special mortgage programs. There are even a select few real estate agents that are willing to give up a portion of their commission and offer it to home buyers as a cash back rebate. If restrictions on cash back rebates exist due to guidelines of the lender, then buyers can apply the rebate towards closing costs instead. Either way it is a significant financial bonus and can provide generous help for first time home buyers.

Pay Attention to the Type of Mortgage You Accept

Knowing the price range of home you can really afford is based on many factors such as your credit score and your debt to income ratio. Knowing your budget from the lenders perspective is very important so you do not waste your time looking at properties that do not fit your budget and do not fit a lender's criteria either. A well-seasoned realtor can assist you with the mortgage pre-qualification process so you are ready to not only make an offer on a property, but you are actually able to secure a loan and close on the property successfully.

In some trending real estate markets the seller will not even consider an offer unless the buyer has a pre-qualified certificate from a lender. Working with the right realtor who can help you get pre-qualified and who is also affiliated with multiple lenders, title companies and home inspection services will help you be prepared for a successful purchasing process. Additionally, it will allow you to negotiate on the selling price of a home from a position of strength.

The details, terms and costs involved with your mortgage are important for knowing how much a home will cost you on a monthly basis and over the length of the entire term of a mortgage. Knowing if there is a free down payment program associated with the loan, the interest rate, term and closing costs are just a few of the considerations you should be clear about before committing to a mortgage. One very important element of a mortgage is if the interest rate is fixed or variable.

A fixed interest rate will give you a set rate of interest for the entire term of the mortgage, which will result in a predictable monthly payment that is the same month after month from the very first month until the last payment is made. A variable rate mortgage will typically offer a fixed rate for a short period such as 1 year, 3 years or 5 years and then the rate will fluctuate based on a set parameter such as the London Interbank Offered Rate, also referred to as LIBOR .

Other Expenses In Addition to Your Mortgage Payment

We all know it is important to make sure you can afford the monthly payment for a new home, but what about the other costs involved with home ownership? Besides your monthly mortgage payment, there will be other costs involved with owning a home that some first-time buyers may not have thought about. Take some time to make a list of all the possible expenses that will fall under normal maintenance for any property you are considering.

For instance; will you need to maintain your yard up to the standards set by the neighborhood homeowners association which means purchasing lawn maintenance equipment or hiring a service to do it for you. What are the costs for your monthly water, electric and gas bills? Is there adequate WiFi and or cable service available and the fees associated with it.

Keeping a home in top condition is not only important for maintaining a quality standard of living and following the rules of the HOA, city ordinances or even just imposed rules based on how your neighbors care for their homes but also for the resale value of a home .

Resale Value

When you look around at all the different properties available it is always a good idea to listen to the advice of your realtor on what homes present the best resale value opportunities. Depending on the area you are in, there will be certain properties that lend them to higher potential resale values ​​due to the number of bedrooms, how much property the home sets upon, the school district or other factors.

An experienced realtor will know the area well and what will sell quickly. Listening to their advice will not only ensure a good decision today but can also save you from big headaches when you try to sell the property many years from now.

An Experienced Realtor is the Best Help for First Time Home Buyers

Buying your first home or even your next home can be a little intimidating and it does involve some making careful decisions. However, working with an experienced realtor who works for you specifically as your buyer's agent rather than a transaction agent will help keep the process smooth and successful.

"We can not imagine a better home buying experience. Our Realtor was professional, courteous, and straightforward and did whatever it took to get us a fair deal and made sure that we were buying a home that was right for us. that, they offer a 1% rebate back on the purchase price of the home! I would recommend them without any hesitation ... you simply will not find a better realtor. Thank you Kellie and Kent Lighthill. "

Stay on your goal to purchase your first home and explore the available programs offered by some realtors; like down payment assistance and home buyer's cash back rebate program as both are available to all home buyers first time or next time purchasers.

With Money

Every time I get an email with "fw:" in the subject line, I role my eyes at the complete waste of time that reading it is going to be ... I maybe I was wrong) . So why then, would I or anyone else for that matter ever bother to read one of those annoying things Let alone respond to it? Although I can not read all of them (or someone might get hurt), I always have hope; hope that occasionally, if I take a chance, one of them may contain something interesting or in some way valuable ..... maybe.

Since when does "hope" come in the form of an email chain letter? Actually, it can come in any form and often, unexpectedly. When it comes to reading emails, who can afford not to choosey with our precious time? But, on the other hand, we all need to be inspired. And making the decision to be open to inspiration is really important. Inspiration can mean the spark of an idea, or an idea for an idea-what could be more valuable? I may read a chain letter, listen to a radio show, or talk to a random stranger because of the opportunity that this moment may afford to reveal something valuable to me. The choice of where to put my attention I leave to my intuition (the unconscious) because I've made a conscious decision to stay open and I trust that guiding force-because that is all there is.

Inspiration, of course, does not do anyone any good if it is not acted on. All great things start with an idea; and its fine to dream. You should indulge in it. But then you have to act on it. If you're honest with yourself you realize that if you're not actively involved in getting what you want, you do not really want it. Emile Pereire, one of the Péreire brothers, prominent 19th century financiers in Paris who established railroads in France and Europe said "it is not enough to outline gigantic programs on paper. I must write my ideas on the earth." Get it? Railroad .... write on the earth .......... It's not enough to say "I want to lose weight" or "I really want to get in shape" and think that it's somehow just going to happen . You may think this is obvious but trust me there are many people who, "somewhere in there," believe it will just happen. If you apply the "if you build it, they will come" theory to this, it's like hiring a trainer and then believing that just because you've written her a check, your body is going to transform. Do I wish it was that easy! I'd be really, really rich.

When you remain open and receptive, great things can and often do come your way. The world comes fully loaded with opportunities all you have to do is recognize them, like one of those drawings that has something hidden within it. But then, you've got to act on that gift of inspiration. This email chain letter arrived in my in-box with dramatic graphics and bold colors which earned it a sigh in addition to the eye-roll but in the end, it inspired me to write this little column (case in point). You may have seen it before but it bears repeating. So, whoever it was who forwarded this, thank you for sharing.
With Money ...

-you can buy a house, but not a home.
-you can buy a clock, but not time.
-you can buy a bed, but not sleep.
-you can buy a book, but not knowledge.
-you can buy medicine, but not health.
-you can buy a position, but not respect.
-you can buy sex, but not love.
-you can buy blood, but not life.