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Though in many ways in the modern era it looks like an obvious step, before this point the acquisition of loan portfolios has occured across several markets with no single outlet. Change has come about due to the creation of a business designed for dealing in portfolios employing a bidding format, similar in execution eBay. The packages assembled for sale on this national platform are offered to investors for bidding at substantial discounts to maximize your investment power. The sale of portfolio packages in this way provides for standardization of data and opens the market even for minor packages. Not only this, it will also support packages of all sizes, credit qualities and loan performance.

With the coming of a business model loosed from the constraints of time and location many other limitations are eliminated and savings are possible. Get better access to banks and investors through careful use of the reaching power that is a central tool of any web company: take care that what you have to offer is known to investors. Any and all possible leads need to be investigated and reached for them to learn you have packages they might be interested in. To optimize the identification process, those registered with this service will be given any access to information they request.

The better the data at your fingertips, the more profitable it will be to sell anything you have. During examination of any portfolio, transparent data gives you a fuller awareness of what you’re bidding for and in consequence helps reduce the overall exposure you operate with. The standardization of information on loan level lays the control of selling loan portfolios entirely in your hands, rather than in the hands of a broker or other third party. Direct negotiation with freely given data helps to put you in a position where both buyer and seller will mutually benefit. The preventation of fragmentation in packages ensures assessment is straightforward when it comes to identifying the right package. Time is not wasted in this manner: not simply for the investor but equally, of course, on the dealer’s part. Add to all this open bidding and any and all transactions become much more likely to be finalized with, thanks to open discussion, a firm likelihood of benefit for both sides.

Online trading is able to exploit the inexhaustible openings of the web business space. Trading in loans online expands your range, creates a standard for data and can supply you with the ideal portfolio to enhance your investments.

Visit and take a gander at our comprehensive page for sell notes advice!

Property investment has become an extremely well liked way for people to make cash. Owning a loft or multi family housing unit can be a way to wealth, however,property investing requires lots of time, knowledge and up front capital.Residence building financing, or multifamily property financing, is in a constant state of change. As a result, multifamily finance providers must have in depth knowledge and perception of available debt programs and be ready to quickly research financing options.

Most multi family or apartment loans have a thirty-year term with IRs from 4.7% to 6.625% for loans up to $3 million. I learned that most of the time these’smaller loans’ carry a little higher interest than loans exceeding $3 million and are named as ‘recourse’ loans ; in other words, if you default on the loan the lender may take ‘recourse’ by seizing your private assets. Loans above $3 million are termed as ‘non-recourse’, meaning private assets are protected in the event of a borrower default. Additionally, most banks offer basic options like fixed and variable rate loans.

There are two first ways to pursue multi-family buildings that leave your valuable liquidity intact. One is to secure seller helped financing to complement a loan, leaving you with almost no money of your own in the deal. The other is to use other people’s’s cash ( or OPM ) in the place of your own money. Each has its advantages and flaws and my focus in this article is to help illustrate how your display of the upsides to a multi-family investment can help you attract funding. The key to enticing funding is to recollect why you are making an investment in these properties in the 1st place. Multi-family properties are ideally acquired at a reduction, are located in areas where time and natural market conditions will increase their worth, and produce money flow. This time tested benefit of multi-family property ownership is a massive plus when securing funding for your deals.

I strongly advise that you summarise your loan scenario on one 8.5 X 11 inch bit of paper. You may be enticed to write a multi-page description full of details, projections and research. Don’t . The objective of the primary approach is to arrange a loan officer interested, nothing more. A borrower who has a bank requesting info is in a much better position than a borrower who is sending information uncalled-for. This strategy of approach will generate replies from interested lenders as-well-as denials from banks who can not help you. Those that are interested will request more info and if the deal fits with their standards they will issue a term sheet. The secret is to get them calling you, pique their interest first and then sell them the deal when you get them on the telephone. Before you know it you will be sat at the closing table.

More investors are now inquiring about Coalbed Methane exploration companies. Just as uranium miners were flying well below the radar screen in early 2004, coalbed methane exploration may very well be the next very hot sector later this year and next. Historically, coalbed methane gas endangered coal miners, resulting in alarming fatalities early in the previous century. This is the fate suffered today by many Chinese coal miners in the smaller, private coal mines. Typically, the methane gas trapped in coal seams was flared out, before underground mining began, in order to prevent those explosions. Rising natural gas prices have long since ended that practice.

Today, coalbed methane companies are turning a centuries-long nuisance and byproduct into a valuable resource. About 9 percent of total US natural gas production comes from the natural gas found in coal seams. Because natural gas prices have soared, along with the bull markets found in uranium, oil, and precious and base metals, coalbed methane has come into play. It is after all a natural gas. But because it is outside the realm of the petroleum industry, coalbed methane, or CBM as many industry insiders call it, is called the unconventional gas. It may be unconventional today, but as the industry continue to grow by leaps and bounds, on a global scale, CBM may soon achieve some respect. Please remember that a few years ago, there was very little cheerleading about nuclear energy. Today, positive news items are running far better than ten to one in favor of that power source.

CBM is the natural gas contained in coal. It consists primarily of methane, the gas we use for home heating, gas-fired electrical generation, and industrial fuel. The energy source within natural gas is methane (chemically, it is CH4), whether it comes from the oil industry or from coal beds.

CBM has several strong points in its favor. The gases produced from CBM fields are often nearly 90 percent methane. Which type of gas has more impurities? No, it isn’t the natural, or conventional, gas you thought it might be. Frequently, CBM gas has fewer impurities than the “natural gas” produced from conventional wells. CBM exploration is done at a more shallow level, between 250 and 1000 meters, than conventional gas wells, which sometimes are drilled below 5,000 meters. CBM wells can last a long time – some could produce for 40 years or longer.

Natural gas is created by the compression of underground organic matter combined with the earth’s high temperatures thousands of meters below surface. Conventional gas fills the spaces between the porous reservoir rocks. The coalification process is similar but the result is different: both the coalbed and the methane gas are trapped in the coal seams. Instead of filling the tiny spaces between the rocks, the coal gas is within the coal seams.

One of the past problems associated with CBM exploration was the reliance upon expensive horizontal drilling techniques to extract the methane gas from the coal seams. Advanced fracturing techniques and breakthrough horizontal drilling techniques have increased CBM success ratios. As a result, a growing number of exploration companies are pursuing the early bull market in CBM. Market capitalizations for many of these companies mirror similar “early plays” we mentioned during our mid 2004 uranium coverage (June through October, 2004). Industry experts told us there would be a uranium bull market. Now, we are hearing the same forecasts about CBM.

SEVEN TIPS BY DR. DAVID MARCHIONI

We asked Dr. David Marchioni to provide our subscribers with his 7 Tips to help investors better understand what to look for, before investing in a CBM play. Dr. Marchioni helped co-author the CBM textbook, An Assessment of Coalbed Methane Exploration Projects in Canada, published by the Geological Survey of Canada. He is also president of Petro-Logic Services in Calgary, whose clients have included the Canadian divisions of Apache, BP, BHP, Burlington, Devon, El Paso Energy, and Phillips Petroleum, among others. He is also a director of Pacific Asia China Energy and is overseeing the company’s CBM exploration program in China.

Our series of telephone and email interviews began while Dr. Marchioni sat on a drill rig in Alberta’s foothills, the Manville region, until he finished outlining his top 7 tips, or advices, on how to think like a CBM professional.

1) COAL SEAM THICKNESS

Is there a reasonable thickness of coal? You should find out how thick the coal seams are. With thickness, you get the regional extent of the resource. For example, there must be a minimum thickness into which one can drill a horizontal well.

2) GAS CONTENT

Typically, gas content is expressed as cubic feet of gas per ton of coal. Find how thick it is and how far it is spread. Then, you have a measure of unit gas content. Between coal seam thickness and gas content, you can determine the size of the resource. You have to look at both thickness and gas content. It’s of no use to have high gas content if you don’t have very much coal. The industry looks at resource per unit area. In other words, how much gas is in place per acre, hectare, or square mile? In the early stage of the CBM exploration, this really all you have to work with in evaluating its potential.

3) MATURITY LEVEL OF THE COAL

This is the measure of the stage the coal has reached between the mineral’s inception as peat. Peat matures to become lignite. Later, it develops into bituminous coal, then semi-anthracite and finally anthracite.

There is a progressive maturation of coal as a geological time continuum and the earth’s temperature, depending upon depth. By measuring certain parameters, you can determine where it is in the chemical process. For instance, the chemistry of lignite is different from that of anthracite. This phrasing is called “coal rank” in coal industry terminology.

4) PERMEABILITY

When you are beginning to think about CBM production, this and the next item must be evaluated. How permeable is the CBM property? You want permeability, otherwise the gas can’t flow. If the coal isn’t permeable at all, you can never generate gas. The gas has to be able to flow. If it is extremely permeable, then you can perhaps never pump enough water. The water just keeps getting replaced from the large area surrounding the well bore. The water will just keep coming, and you will never lower the pressure so the gas can be released.

5) WATER

In a very high proportion of CBM plays, the coal contains quite a lot of water. You have to pump the water off in order to reduce the pressure in the coal bed. Gas is held in coal by pressure. The deeper you go, typically the more gas you get, because the pressure is higher. The way to induce the gas to start flowing is to pump the water out of the coal and lower the “water head” of pressure. How much water are we going to produce? Are we going to have to dispose of it? If it’s fresh, then there may be problems with regulatory agencies. In Alberta, the government has restrictions on extracting fresh water because others might want to use it. One could be tapping into a zone that people use as water wells for farms and rural communities. Both water quality and water volume matter. For example, Manville water is very salient so nobody wants to put it into a river; this water is pushed back down into existing oil and gas wells in permeable zones (but which are also not connected to the coal).

6) FUNDING

To be able to access land and do some initial drilling, i.e. the first round of financing, it would cost a minimum of C$4 million. This would include some geological work and drilling at least five or six wells. In Horseshoe, that would cost around C$4 million (say 1st round of finance); in Manville, about C$9 million. This is under the assumption that the company doesn’t buy the land. The land in western Canada is very expensive and tightly held. Much of the work is done as a “farm in” drilling on land held by another for a percentage of the play. (Editor’s note: During a previous interview, Dr. Marchioni commented about his preference for Pacific Asia China Energy’s land position in China because comparable land in western Canada would have cost “$100 million or more.”

7) INFRASTRUCTURE

The geology only tells you what’s there, and what the chances of success are. You then have to pursue it. Can we sell it? Gas prices are “local,” meaning they vary from country to country, depending whether it is locally produced and in what abundance (or lack thereof). How much can we extract? How much is it going to cost us to get it out of the ground? Are there readily available services for this property? Will you have to helicopter a rig onto the property at some incredible price just to drill it? Will you have to build a pipeline to transport the gas? Or, in China as an example, are there established convoys for trucking LNG across hundreds of kilometers?

One addition, which we have mentioned in previous articles, and especially in the Market Outlook Journal, “Quality of Management Attracts PR,” it is important that the CBM company have experienced management. This would mean a management team that includes those who have gotten results, not only a veteran exploration geologist but a team that can sell the story and bring in the mandatory financing to move the project into production.

There are two primary reasons why many of these coalbed methane plays are being taken seriously. First, the macroeconomic reason is that rising energy costs have driven companies in the energy fields to pursue any economic projects to help fill the energy gap. Coalbed methane has a more than two decades of proof in the United States. The excitement has spread to Canada, China and India, where CBM exploration is beginning to take off. Second, the fundamental reason is that exploration work has already been done in delineating coal deposits. There are, perhaps, 800 coal basins globally, with less than 50 CBM producing basins. In other words, there is the potential for growth in this sector.

James Finch contributes to StockInterview.com and to other publications. His archived work can be found at http://www.stockinterview.com Feedback is encouraged and James Finch can be contacted by email at jfinch@stockinterview.com

This article describes the model of a natural relationship between trading system performance, trade position size, stop loss settings and profit goals. The model consists of algebraic equations that specify the trade size and stop loss settings needed to meet profit goals over a specified time period for any consistently used trading system for which historical performance data is available.

Most of us think of a trailing stop loss when the term money management is mentioned. William O’Neil in his book, “How to Make Money in Stocks”, used a value from 7 to 8%. Many stock advisories, including Stansberry and Associates, Outstanding Investments and the Oxford Club, typically use a 25% trailing stop loss. Option advisories use still higher values in the 35% range, as is done by Michael Lombardi, and up to as high as 50%, as used by Dr. Stephen Cooper. Trailing stops are typically used along with a maximum percentage of capital per trade to avoid large portfolio draw-downs in the event that a given trade goes badly.

Beyond this precaution, there is little theory to explain how position size and trailing stop losses should be arrived at, leaving the impression that they can be arbitrarily chosen based on one’s risk comfort level. However, this is not the case. Too narrow a stop loss setting can eat into profits by exiting volatile trades too early. Too wide a stop loss setting can eat into trading profits by consuming too much capital. A systematic way is needed to choose an optimum position size and stop loss setting to achieve a precise level of money management.

Intuitively, the higher the success rate in correctly choosing the direction of trade and the higher the average gain per trade, the looser one can afford to set his stop loss. However, when one has a specific earnings goal, this relationship needs to be more precise. Fortunately, the availability of consistent trading system performance data allows the use of an engineering approach. This approach enables us to define a very precise relationship between the average return for a series of trades, the percentage of correct choices in the direction of a trade, the size of each trade, profit goals and the appropriate stop loss settings.

The model introduced here for precision money management is based on average values of historical trading system performance and is only applicable when a trading system is consistently followed. The model should not be applied to unstructured trading across a variety of instruments requiring varying trading techniques. Each trading system or technique generates a unique set of statistics to which this methodology can be applied on an individual basis.

The model is derived based on fractional averages from information readily available to anyone that uses a trading system consistently. A pair of concise algebraic relationships evolves in the process. Finally, examples are provided to show the roles of position size and stop loss settings in meeting profit goals.

FP is defined as the average fractional profit for all historical trades being taken into consideration. FP is equal to the sum of the fractional gains and losses for all trades divided by the total number of trades N,

FP = (sum of fractional gains + sum of fractional loses) / N

In order for this to be valid, each trade must involve very close to the same amount of capital that we will assign an average value C. For example, if there were 3 historical trades resulting in +25%, -15% and +30% gains, the average fractional profit would be (0.25 – 0.15 + 0.30)/3 = 0.133. Of course, a much larger statistically significant number of trades would be used in practice.

Since the sum of fractional gains is equal to the number of gains NG times the average fractional gain FG, and the sum of fractional loses is equal to the number of loses NL times the average fractional loss FL, the definition can be expressed as,

FP = (NG FG + NL FL)/ N

It is understood that NG + NL = N. The value of NG divided by N equals FC, the fraction of trades chosen in the correct direction. NL divided by N equals (1 – FC), the fraction of trades chosen in the wrong direction. So N divided into NG and NL leaves the following form.

FP = FC FG + (1 – FC) FL . . . . . . . . . .(1)

Where,

FP is the average fractional profit for N trades that each uses an average amount of capital C

FC is the fraction of trades chosen in the correct direction

FG is the average fractional gain for NG winning trades

FL is the average fractional loss for NL losing trades

The fractional quantities can each be expressed individually as percentages but they should be expressed as decimal fractions in the equation.

In order to use equation (1), a profit goal must be established over a definite period of time. The profit per trade needed to meet a specific profit goal in a given amount of time depends on the number of promising trades likely to be identified by the trading system over that time period. The number of promising trades that become available within a given time period must be estimated judiciously because the last thing we want to do is force a trade under less than ideal conditions. In other words, we need to remain true to whatever system we are using.

For N trades each valued at an average capital amount C, the average fractional profit can also be defined by the total dollar profit goal DG divided by the dollar sum of all N trades DS,

FP = DG / DS

Since DS is equal to the average capital amount C times the number of trades N, this becomes,

FP = DG / (C N) . . . . . . . . . .(2)

Example 1:

Let us suppose that we have done a sufficient number of trades using our system to determine that the average fractional profit is 10%, the average gain per trade has been 29% and the fraction of times we chose the correct trading direction was 70%. Further let us set a goal to earn $3,000 per month. By our estimate, we figure that we can safely enter an average of 3 trades a week and remain within trading system guidelines. This equates to 3 trades per week times 4.33 weeks per month or an average of 13 trades per month.

Variables: FP = 0.1

N = 13

DG = $3,000

FC = 0.7

FG = 0.29

Solving equation (2) for C gives us the average size of each trade,

C = DG / (FP N) = $3,000 / [(0.1) (13)] = $2307.69 for the average size of each trade

Rearranging equation (1), the average stop loss setting FL must be,

FL = (FP – FC FG) / (1 – FC)

= [0.1 - (0.7) (0.29)] / (1 – 0.7) = – 0.3433 or -34.33%

Example 2:

Using essentially the same situation, we can look at what the effect of certain improvements in trading would have on the profits. Say we habitually exit winning trades too early and could possibly increase the average fractional gain FG from 29% to 36%. From the same relationship used for example 1, the resulting stop loss setting FL could then be widened to,

FL = (FP – FC FG) / (1 – FC)

= [0.1 - (0.7) (0.36)] / (1 – 0.7) = – 0.5066 or -50.66%

Example 3:

Let’s suppose that for a series of potentially high yielding trades we know that an extra wide stop loss setting of -60% is needed and we want to know what the effect will be.

First we might want to look at the effect of a wider stop loss setting on profits with everything else remaining constant. We do this by equating the right sides of equations (1) and (2) and solving for DG,

DG = (C N) [FC FG + (1 - FC) FL] . . . . . . . . . .(3)

= ($2307.69) (13) [(0.7) (0.29) + (1 - 0.7) (-0.6)] = $689.99

Clearly, our original monthly profit goal of $3,000 can not be met without some additional changes, such as an increase in the number of trades from 13 to 57 over the month period. But this is not feasible since it was already estimated that the maximum number of trades identified by the trading system would be only 13 per month.

Example 4:

Next, since the trades in example 3 are believed to be potentially high yielding trades, we might look at the increase in the fractional gain per trade FG needed to justify the wider stop loss setting of -60% and still meet the original profit goal. By rearranging equation (1),

FG = [FP - (1 - FC) FL] / FC

= [0.1 - (1 - 0.7) (-0.6)] / 0.7 = 0.4 or 40%

So the average fractional gain for winning trades FG would need to increase from 29% to 40% to justify a widening of the stop loss from -34.33% to -60%, keeping everything else the same while meeting the monthly profit goal.

The foregoing examples give insight into trading system characteristics that affect position size and stop loss settings. Narrow stop loss settings imply a smaller fraction of trades chosen in the correct direction or a smaller fractional gain for winning trades. Wider settings imply the opposite. Stop loss settings should not be arbitrarily set independently of position size, trading goals and trading system performance. Stop loss levels more or less define future profits for a given set of trading rules, whether the user realizes it or not. While it is laudable that traders are encouraged by their advisors to adopt money management, the recommendation of a specific stop loss value without knowing the profit goal and average position size can be misleading. When a trading system is used consistently, this model enables precise money management.

James Andrews authors a free newsletter at http://www.wisertrader.com where investment math formulas are developed at little or no cost. The site offers option alerts, free stock picks, an online forum, trading templates and advanced automatic trading systems.

© 2005 Permission is granted to reproduce this article, as long as, this paragraph is included intact.

An investor can find and research the best stock on the market, one with huge potential but if the general market indices are negative, it will most likely be the wrong time to buy. A stock with tremendous accelerating earnings, rising sales, an up-trending chart pattern and a strong industry group may sound excellent to buy but will mean absolutely nothing if the market is positioned to move in the opposite direction of your expectations. As soon as a stock is purchased, the time comes for an investor to make a decision to hold or to sell. If the position shows a profit, hold as your judgment is correct. If the position shows a loss, cut it quickly and don’t rationalize the situation before it doubles in size. Timing will play an important role in determining if you are right or wrong.

Losers must be cut quickly, long before they materialize into enormous financial disasters. They company and stock may not be a loser but rather your timing may be premature to a strong movement, forcing you to sell on a pullback. After a stock is cut from your portfolio, the transaction must be forgotten about and eliminated from your subconscious mind and/or emotional bank. The trade must be studied to capture the true essence of your mistake but the specific security involved must be blocked from any sentimental attachments, allowing you to consider reinstating the position at a higher level. This repurchase may take place immediately or well into the future but the important fact is that you were wrong with the timing on the initial position. The timing, also known as the ‘M’ in CANSLIM by William O’Neil, may have been wrong even though all fundamental and technical criteria related to the individual stock seemed to be perfect.

A quote from the great Gerald Loeb:
“Cutting losses is the one and only rule of the markets that can be taught with the assurance that it is always the correct thing to do.”

The wisdom shared by Loeb is easier said than done. Humans like to take profits and hate taking losses or admitting that they were wrong. Pride and ego distorts the clear thinking process that every investor must posses when following clear cut rules that provides insurance to their cash stake. Even tougher, humans refuse to repurchase anything at a higher price that they sold it previously. As Loeb states, only logic, reason, information and experience can be listened to if failure is to be avoided.

It is advisable to make a “test buy” in a shaky or unstable market which allows the investor to assess the general conditions with minimal risk but still maintain an emotional attachment. If the position goes bad, a small loss will be realize but the damages will be limited and the investor’s pride and ego can be repaired rather quickly. In a sense, the investor was half right by only initiating a partial position also known as a “test buy”. If the market was trending up, a “test buy” would not have to be established as the market direction would have been clear from the beginning.

When it comes to timing, an uneducated investor may realize better gains during a solid bull market based on pure luck than a seasoned investor will return in a sideways or unstable market. Following the trend will be the most successful route to consistent profits over the long haul. By watching the general market indicators, such as price, volume and daily new highs, an investor should know exactly what type of environment they are trading. The most important factor weighing on the stock market is the presence of public psychology, even more so than any fundamentals that the most intelligent academic analyst can compute. Technical analysis along with confirmation of the market trend allows us to see the combined thought process of the general public and tells us if the timing is right to buy or short a specific stock, regardless of the fundamentals.

In conclusion, we must understand that certain situations are only applicable during specific times. Buying leading stocks during a down trend is a sure way to multiple losses that are cut quickly. Shorting stocks during a raging bull is another sure way to financial disaster and margin calls. Don’t get discouraged if you take a few small losses consecutively as this is your rules telling you to stay out of the market at this time. The timing may be off even though the stock and research is favorable. Why would you swim upstream to reach your destination if you could jump in a boat and row downstream with the current another day? Before you ever start to immerse yourself into researching a stock to purchase, make sure you know the exact environment of the market and determine if it coincides with your objective. If it doesn’t, get ready to get slaughtered, especially if you don’t follow strict rules to cut all losses quickly.

Chris Perruna – http://www.marketstockwatch.com

Chris is the founder and president of MarketStockWatch.com, an internet community that teaches you how to invest your money with solid rules. We don’t stop at just showing you our daily and weekly screens, we teach you how to make you own screens through education. Through our philosophy, you will be able to create your own methods and styles to become successful.

I’m going to show you a secret powerful way to move from where you are now, into a much higher level of success than you’ve ever dreamed possible.

My name is Grey McKenzie and I’ve been successful in everything I put my hand to once I learned to apply these simple principles and techniques I’m about to share with you.

I absolutely guarantee, if you apply what I show you here, you will have more success than you ever dreamed possible.

Whether you’re a seasoned business veteran, or just starting out in the world, there are proven ways to fast track whatever goals you have. There are certain underlying principles that will absolutely improve your chances of success.

So lets get to it.

I can tell you in 5 minutes of being around you if you have what it takes to be a success… I’m not bragging, I’ll even show you right now how you can tell yourself if you or someone you know has the potential to be successful.

Below, in my opinion, are the two predominate personalities on the earth today…

Which one are you?.

The Lion Personality…

These people rarely speak first, they will listen intently to information that is presented to them, and if it makes sense, they will apply what they’ve just learned to there situation.

Lions are solution oriented people.

Lions may be afraid of change, but they’re more afraid of staying where they are.

Lions will take a risk if there is a good probability of achieving their goal. They generally are never completely happy with where they are in life, and have a very strong desire to grow and move ahead.

The Lion is usually always hungry for change and it shows in everything they do. A Lion personality can be aggressive at times, but they are definitely the type of people you want on your team.

The Jackal Personality…

No matter what anyone tries to teach them, they will have a better way of doing it.

A Jackal is usually living in fear. They are afraid to take chances. They are afraid of change. They are afraid of anything they aren’t familiar with. If a Jackal personality is around a Lion personality, they will do everything in their power to hold the Lion back.

The Jackal type personality doesn’t want anyone close to them to improve themselves, they just want things to stay the same. Jackals love to live in comfort zones. They don’t want to stretch out and claim new territory and they’re always looking for an easy meal to prey on.

Jackals are the people you MUST ABSOLUTELY AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE if you want to be successful in any area of your life.

Your first step to success is, you need to decide if you are a Lion or a Jackal

If you are a Jackal personality you might as well stop reading right now because I don’t want to waste any more of your time. I don’t mean to be harsh, but you will read this information and you won’t do anything with it.

Is it possible for a Jackal personality to turn into a Lion personality? Absolutely, but generally it will take a life shattering experience to move from a Jackal to a Lion.

Now that you know what personality type you are, lets get down to it.

Here is the roadmap for success in every area of your life…

– End From The Beginning

The first thing we all need to learn, is to have a vision of where we are going and how to get there. If I dropped you in a strange city, and told you to find a building you’d never seen before, you’d have a very hard time locating that specific building wouldn’t you?

Now if I dropped you in the same city and gave you a map and an address, you’d suddenly find it very easy to locate the building… right?

It’s EXACTLY the same with ANYTHING you want to get out of life…

If you don’t have a map on how to get there, chances are you never will. So how do you build a map of somewhere you’ve never been? Simple. Here’s how you do it.

Get out a piece of paper and write down the job of your dreams… I’ll wait. Don’t fudge on this part, DO IT !!!

Ok put the paper aside and read on. You can go back to it later.

Now here’s how you create a road map to your dreams. This example can be applied to every area of your life that you want made better. Your health, your marriage, your finances. Anything you want to dramatically improve just apply this simple technique.

Ok just for example sake, lets say you want to be a successful real estate agent.

Write that down on your piece of paper and then backtrack… WRITE DOWN EVERY STEP IT WILL TAKE WORKING FROM YOUR DREAM BACKWARD… in as much detail as you can think of.

For Example what will you need to become a successful real estate salesperson?

– Real estate license
— Decide which real estate broker you want to work for
— Learn how to get lots of clients
— Find a very successful real estate person and learn their secrets

Are you starting to see how to develop a roadmap to your dreams?

Of course your roadmap will have much more step by step details than what we’ve written down so far. Then go over and over it again outlining every step you will need to take to get where want to be.

And then once you have the roadmap, you need to plan your trip.

– Time Management

It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’ve come from, everyone needs to manage their time effectively. Time is the one thing that once it’s gone, you will never get it back.

If you are serious about achieving your dreams, you MUST manage your time and the people you network with efficiently. I highly recommend you get yourself a time management software package. The one I use and highly recommend is called Time & Chaos http://www.chaossoftware.com

Once you have organized your time and your contacts, the next step, in my opinion is…

– Find a Mentor

No matter what project you are undertaking, there is almost always someone, who has gone before you. These experts can save you months if not years of your life…

If you can get your hands on “how to” information showing you how someone got where you want to be, GET IT AT ALL COSTS… source this out with all diligence. This information can catapult you into your dreams faster than you could even imagine.

OK so you’re probably saying how can I get someone to show me their secrets?

Believe it or not there are thousands upon thousands of downloadable information products written by experts who have done pretty well everything you can imagine. All you have to do is search them out. Check their credentials, and buy their product.

If it seems to easy, it is… Your only hardship is to investigate the “expert” and see if they really have done what they say they have. If you’re not familiar with Google it’s very easy to use. Just type some ones name in the search bar and hit search. You’ll find out soon enough if they can do what they say they can…

Now go back to the piece of paper you wrote down your dream job and start building the roadmap to your dreams…

I wish you great success in everything you do…

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If you want be a successful penny stock trader, you’ll need to be an intelligent trader. There are very few requirements to start trading in penny stocks. It can be broken down into three main things.

1. Money:

The money we are talking about is not just the money that is sitting in your bank account. It is not the money that you use to pay for your rent, your car or your food. Penny stocks can be extremely unpredictable and although you might make a great deal of money it is also true that may lose everything, so it is important especially when you are starting out with penny stocks that you only use money that you can afford to lose. After you have built up a nice profit, you can re-invest your profits from past trades which will snowball your earnings.

2. Knowledge:

This is without a doubt the single most important factor in determining whether your budding career as a penny stocks investor will be a spectacular triumph or a dismal failure. If you are a newcomer to investing of any kind there are various guides you can buy and it is a good idea to read several of these before spending any money.

Penny Stocks: The Next American Gold Rush by Dan Holtzclaw
Stock Investing for Dummies by Paul Mladjenovic
The Guide for Penny Stock Investing by Donny Lowy

These are all good and although they will not help you with specific decisions such as whether to buy a particular penny stock, or when to sell, they give you a good background on how it all works and are invaluable in building a good knowledge base.

3. Make A Plan:

Before you investing any money, make an investment plan and stick to it at all times. This will help you become disciplined and will also help you organise your time and investments. Keeping things simple will result in less stress. Your plan should consist of the investments you are going to make and why and how much you are investing in them. It should also include your exit point (the price which you will sell your investment at to take profit) and also the time you want to allocate for your investments each day (i.e. The time it takes to monitor and research them).

Now you have got all the major elements in place you are set for the roller coaster ride that is the world of investing in penny stocks But remember that knowledge is the most powerful tool you have to make your penny stocks successful so start learning today.

Click For More Detailed Information On Intelligent Stock Trading Visit The Author’s Penny Stock Trading Advice Site.

Are you confused as to the question of how to deal with your incentive stock options? Or are you worried about owing a large amount of tax on options that you have not even exercised and do not have the cash to pay for it? Well, luckily, if you manage your affairs well and take on board some simple advice, you will be able to avoid owing too much tax on your stock options, and also postpone paying it until you have the cash to do so. In most cases, if you have a large amount of money tied up in stock options, then you should probably get some professional advice. This article is only intended to give you an idea of the steps that can be taken when tax planning with stock options.

First of all, you do not have to pay any tax owed immediately, if you do exercise your stock options. This is the case so long as you do not sell the stock you receive. If you exercise an option to buy some shares, then so long as you do not sell that stock, you do not have to pay any tax at that time.

The second piece of good news is that you can end up only paying 15% tax on the options when you do sell. This will apply if you hold on to the stocks for long enough to qualify for a long-term capital gain.

So things are starting to sound a lot better on stock options taxation. By postponing the tax owed until you sell the shares, you can avoid the hardship of having a tax fall due without any money coming in to pay for it. It is similar to the cases in the past where people received valuable paintings or other works of art in a will, and then immediately had to sell the painting in order to pay the tax that was owed on the inheritance. Also, 15% is quite a low rate of tax and it should also be remembered that this is the highest rate that can be payable on a long-term capital gain.

For more information, consult a qualified financial advisor.

The first quarter of 2006 is over. Now is a good time to reflect on stock prices and the opportunities they present.

Bargains are scarce. Equities are expensive. In recent weeks, I’ve heard several fund managers say valuations are still attractive. I don’t agree. Generally speaking, valuations are unattractive. Returns on equity are higher than historical levels. A market-wide return on equity of 15% is unsustainable. Price-to-earnings ratios may not fully reflect how expensive stocks are. Price-to-book ratios are more alarming.

There are two additional concerns. Most discussions of the relative attractiveness of equities focus on the S&P 500 and forward earnings. The S&P 500 is not the most representative index. It may not be the best index to consider when looking at market-wide valuations.

Forward earnings are (necessarily) estimates. Where current returns on equity are unsustainable, projected earnings that use similar returns on equity may overstate the earnings power of equities in general. This can occur even where the estimates appear reasonable given current earnings. If you start with unsustainable base earnings, you are likely to overestimate future earnings even if you truly believe you are assuming very modest earnings growth.

Assets in general are pricey. Value investors have few places to turn if they continue to insist upon a true margin of safety.

Bonds are unattractive. Long-term inflation risks make U.S. treasury, corporate, and municipal bonds a fool’s bet. There is little to gain and much to lose. The know-nothing investor who buys a top-quality bond today and holds it for decades may very well find his purchasing power diminished.

There may be some select opportunities in foreign equities. But, these are difficult to evaluate. Foreign government obligations are also difficult to evaluate, but that isn’t much of a problem for value investors, because most foreign government debt is priced to perfection. You’ll have to be willing to take a lot of uncompensated risks if you want to own such bonds.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. There may be a few bonds out there that are attractive. There certainly are a few attractive stocks out there. But, even those stocks that look very attractive relative to their peers don’t look nearly as attractive when compared to past bargains.

Value investors face a difficult choice. They can assume stock prices will return to historical levels, and hold cash until the correction comes. Or, they can accept the reality they currently face.

There is no logical reason stock prices must necessarily return to historical levels. During the twentieth century, real after-tax returns in diversified groups of common stocks were very high relative to other investment opportunities. There have been various reasons given for why this occurred. Many have said these returns were possible, because of the higher risks involved in holding equities. Over the long-term, risks were somewhat higher than today’s investors seem to remember, but they were hardly severe enough to justify the kind of performance spreads that existed during much of the twentieth century.

True, if you bought at inopportune times, it was possible to remain in a fairly deep hole for a fairly long time. But, if you gave no real consideration to the timing of your purchases or the prospects of the underlying enterprises, you did better than many bondholders who chose their investments with the utmost care.

This is a disconcerting problem. It may be that most investors are overly sensitive to the risk of an immediate “paper” loss in nominal terms, and therefore overlook the much greater risk of a gradual loss of purchasing power. Issuing fixed dollar obligations may be the best bet for any business or government that seeks to swindle investors.

For the sake of the common stockholders, I hope many of the best businesses continue to issue such obligations when money is cheap. Corporate debt gets a bad name, because it tends to be overused by those who don’t need it and shouldn’t want it (and, of course, by those businesses that do need it but won’t survive even if they get it). The businesses that would benefit the most from the use of debt usually appear to have more cash than they could ever need. But, it’s best to think ahead. For truly high quality businesses, the cost of capital will fluctuate far more wildly than the likely returns on capital.

If, during the last hundred years, stocks really were far cheaper than they should have been, is there any reason to believe stock prices will return to past levels? The past is often a pretty good predictor of the future – but, not always. It’s difficult to say whether, over the next few decades, valuations will, on average, be higher or lower than they are today. However, it isn’t all that difficult to say whether, at some point over the next few decades, valuations will be higher or lower than they are today. The answer to that question is almost certainly yes. They will be higher and they will be lower. Maybe for a few years or a few months. Maybe for a full decade. I don’t know.

What I do know is that value investors will have opportunities to make investments with a true margin of safety. But, should they wait?

That’s the most difficult question. Today, I am not finding opportunities that look particularly attractive when compared to the best opportunities of past years. But, I am still able to find a few (in fact, a very few) situations where the expected annual rate of return is greater than 15%.

That will be more than enough to beat the market. It will also likely be enough to provide a material increase in after-tax purchasing power. That’s not guaranteed, but it hardly seems holding cash would offer the better odds in this regard.

So, is an expected annual rate of return of 15% good enough? Is it reasonable to bet on the good opportunity that is currently available instead of waiting for the great opportunity that may yet become available?

I’ll leave that for you to decide.

Geoff Gannon writes a daily value investing blog and produces a twice weekly (half hour) value investing podcast at Gannon on Investing

Perhaps the White House flap as to whether or not Saddam Hussein’s government tried to buy uranium ore from the country of Niger was the best publicity Niger has had about its uranium production for more than two decades. How many geologists know that the Republic of Niger ranks fourth, behind Canada, Australia and Kazakhstan, in terms of the quantity of uranium annually produced worldwide?

Named after the river which runs through it, Niger produces nearly four times the uranium currently mined in the United States. More uranium is mined in Niger than in Russia, South Africa, India, China, Brazil, Ukraine Namibia or Uzbekistan. In fact, if you added up the total amount of uranium mined in South Africa, China, India, Brazil, Czech Republic and the Ukraine for 2004, Niger would trump the combined production of those six countries. Until Dr. Jon North came along, uranium mining was pretty much monopolized by Cogema and a consortium that includes Spanish and Japanese interests.

“This is the fourth largest uranium producer in the world,” raved an excited Dr. North into his cell phone during our taped interview. “Niger has never had an entrepreneurial and nimble junior mining company ever explore for uranium. And this is the first one.” North was talking about Northwestern Mineral Ventures (TSX: NWT; OTC BB: NWTMF). “Imagine if Australia, Canada and Kazakhstan having never had a junior company looking for uranium. It’s absolutely absurd to even consider the concept.”

The Republic of Niger supplies about 9 percent of the world’s annual production to meet the growing need for uranium to fuel the world’s nuclear reactors. According to the IAEA-NEA Red Book of 2003, the sub-Saharan Niger ranked #4 behind Australia, Kazakhstan and Canada for total uranium reserves. In the 2005 update, it fell to seventh place. It may be that this country is under-explored. In 1981, Niger produced a peak of 4366 tonnes of uranium. As with others, mining production plummeted with the spot price of uranium during the 1980s and 1990s. The slump hit the country hard because Niger depends upon uranium for more than 30 percent of its exports, more than $100 million. Five percent of the country’s tax revenues come from uranium mining.

Dr. North discussed how he came to obtain concessions for both his company, North Atlantic Resources (TSX: NAC) and Northwestern Mineral Ventures, in which he serves as a director and helps guide geological colleague and president Marek Kreczmer. “I traveled around the Sahara Desert twice on field trips with a local Niger geologist before I decided to apply for permits. When I did this in 2004 with the minister of mines, he said to me, ‘You know, you’re the first person to ever do this, and the only people who have done this are energy companies or governments.’ So, I told him I would like to apply for two permits.” North obtained two for Northwestern Mineral Ventures and another for North Atlantic Resources.

Salt Tectonics the Key to Uranium in Niger

North explained, “We selected the projects based on the geologic ingredients that we felt were important in the control and distribution in the uranium, such as, but not limited to, northwest trending fault corridors, northeast trending fault corridors, and inliers of stratigraphy that are popping up through younger parts of the stratigraphy.” According to North, the salt structures are the key to finding uranium in the Republic of Niger. “The northeast and northwest faults, and the inlier there, are all salt-related structures,” North remarked. An inlier is an area or formation of older rocks completely surrounded by younger layers. “For decades, the oilfield people have understood, emphasized and completed research on salt, the deposition and then the movement of salt through stratigraphic sequences,” North pointed out.

Salt is very common but it doesn’t last very long in stratigraphy and it escapes, North explained. “When it escapes, it forms walls and diapirs (an anticlinal fold where the salt has pierced through the more brittle overlying rock).” Oil exploration geologists pay attention to these because they tend to form permeability barriers to oil and gas deposits. North is interested in them for a different reason, “We noticed that the salt diapirs, where they escaped through the sequence in Niger, coincided with the distribution of uranium deposits.”

Uranium in the Republic of Niger is mined by open pit because of the sandstones. “These are redox deposits,” North noted. “They tend to be associated with reduced layers and structures, such as the former salt diapirs and faults in the stratigraphy. At the time, we didn’t really understand why we were doing that. We just knew there was an association with uranium deposits and these structures in Niger.”

That appears to have made Dr. North’s job a walk in the park, or in this case, a walk in the desert. How do you inexpensively explore concessions of 2,000 square kilometers each? That’s about 24 miles and 30 miles each, both in the desert. “If you do the target selection carefully, and you stick to the salt diapirs, those really narrow down the search,” North revealed. “When we do our first multi sensor mag and radiometric survey, which will happen in the next couple of months, we will map out those structures and features, and look for radiometric anomalies associated with them. When we have that data, we’ll have at least 50 drill targets on those projects.” There appear to be no scarcity of drill targets on the concessions.

Without that data, North believed he could have picked out ten high quality drill targets, just from the geology map. “They show up as circular bull’s eyes on geology maps,” North noted excitedly. “In the desert they show up as low hills. They’re topographic anomalies where you have about maybe 50 meters of relief. It’s just a low rise because the desert is flat as piss on a plate.” North explained that you can drive anywhere by pointing your vehicle and stepping on the gas. “The only things in your way are these very low hills, and those hills are related to either faults or inliers (exposed older rocks surrounded by younger rocks).” Initial targeting comes straight from a topography map.

A Vote of Confidence on Current Progress

But what about the availability of drill rigs for this project? North conceded there is a global shortage. But he shot back, “There’s a drilling company in West Africa called West African Drilling services – and surprise! surprise! – I’ve been working with them for the past four years.” North has already discussed moving a rig in with them. “Quite honestly, it’s not a big issue,” he said. Neither is labor or the cost of drilling. “We pay an all-inclusive cost of approximately US$150/meter,” North told us. “Labor costs are very low, about one-third the cost of North America. We use all local people because that’s what we do in Mali. There are lots of highly trained, skilled geologists in Niger.”

Clearly, Northwest Mineral Ventures is excited. “We are very pleased to be one of the first North American companies to acquire exploration permits in Niger – a country that has not been explored using modern techniques and has, until now, been one of the world’s best-kept uranium secrets,” Northwestern’s Chairman and CEO Kabir Ahmed told Reuters in wire service story published in March.

Northwestern Mineral President Marek Krezcmer, who has been a geologist for more than thirty years, seventeen of which were spent exploring in Africa, was also enthused about the company’s prospects in Niger, “We know there is uranium mineralization on the surface, based on the work which was done by Jon North. I think we can succeed. We’re going to find uranium.” Kreczmer is familiar with geology in Africa and doing business on this continent. “I’ve worked in Tanzania, Zambia, Swaziland, Ethiopia and Eritrea,” said Kreczmer. He was optimistic about developing Northwestern Mineral Venture’s uranium concessions, “Our business plan there is to discover mineralization, and (have) probably someone like Cogema become a partner of choice.”

At Cogema’s seven open pit uranium mines which feed the Arlitt mill, the grades have run 0.3 percent with 2003 production at 1126 tonnes. At the two open pit uranium mines which feed the Akouta mill, grades have run at between 0.4 and 0.5 percent with 2003 production at 2017 tonnes. Krezcmer explained that Northwestern’s exploration licenses are valid for a period of nine years, three-year licenses which are renewable three times. The country’s mining act, according to Krezcmer allows Northwestern to apply for a mining license, which can be granted for between 25 and 70 years.

We were concerned with any political situations, but both North and Kreczmer assured us the country is stable. “When I first went to Niger in November 2004, and that was during the last election, it honestly looked like a lot of fun. Everybody had a little piece of rag tied around their wrist or tied to the antenna of their car to represent their political affiliation.” Kreczmer added, “My experience working in Africa is that because this country relies so heavily on foreign aid, the World Bank has great influence.”

The Republic of Niger has North’s vote on confidence. He has worked for the past few years as Chief Executive of North Atlantic Resources, which hopes to develop its Kantela gold property in Mali. Niger and Mali and demographically and geographical identical, he told us. North feels Niger is going to become more aggressive in developing its uranium properties. He talked about how the President of Niger told his minister of mines, “Get out there and advertise Niger as being open for business. We want people to come in here and invest. We want to give them mineral rights, and we want them to do what Mali is doing.” From the looks of it, the first to jump on the Niger bandwagon were Northwestern Minerals and North Atlantic Resources, but they won’t be the last.

“My experience with Niger is that it’s a peaceful, democratic country with no civil unrest. Let’s put it this way. They have less civil unrest than France.” Ironically, French is one of the country’s official languages. “You gotta be fair, right?” asked North. “The French recently stormed the Bastille in France, and they didn’t do anything like that in Niger.”

Just how exhilarated is Dr. Jon North? “The excitement in the market is we do the airborne survey,” he enthused. “We find some radiometric anomalies that correlated within inliers. We show the model. If that doesn’t excite people, then I don’t think their hearts are beating.”

James Finch contributes to StockInterview.com and other publications. His archived articles can be found at http://www.stockinterview.com Please contact James Finch with your feedback and comments by emailing him at: jfinch@stockinterview.com. Additional information about the company featured in this article can be found at http://www.northwestmineral.com/