investing

How to Sell Stuff Online Fast

by
A person taking a picture of clothes to sell online

Whether you’re trying to get out of debt or boost your investment income for retirement, one of the best ways to achieve these goals is to resell items you no longer need.  Thanks to the Internet, it’s even easier to sell things online.  You’ll need to research which platforms would be the best and that would give you the most decent profits.  Make sure your items are in good or excellent condition, and you should research the average prices of what you’re selling so that you’re not overcharging but still charging enough to earn a profit.  Here are some cool ways to sell items online fast and achieve your financial goals.

eBay

This is one of the best ways to sell things online, and here are a few tips on getting sales quicker on this platform.  Start by including as many details as possible on the items you’re selling.  By doing this, the buyer won’t have as many questions, which speeds up the ability to earn profits faster.  Use the Best Offer feature on your listings since this helps buyers who want to negotiate.  Offer multiple payment options and avoid auction-style listings. Take high-quality pictures of your items.

Consider Which Items Sell the Best

Don’t waste time online selling items that people will not want.  It is better to research which items are the most popular among certain demographics and budget levels.  This helps you sell items faster online.  Brand-name clothing is always popular with online shoppers, and if you have outfits from the most popular designers, you’re likely to sell faster.  Other items that do well for online sellers include video games, electronic gadgets, kids’ clothing, furniture, toys, and sports equipment.

Use the Decluttr App

If you have a lot of gadgets that are in good condition, sell them through the Decluttr app.  All you have to do is look up the devices you want to sell then enter the barcodes in the app.  Then the app lets you know the overall value of your items and how much they’ll offer for your items.  After you accept the offer, they’ll send you a shipping label and you can pack up your items for shipping to them.

Try Facebook Marketplace

This is a neat way to sell items fast online.  Start by taking pictures of a certain type of item and then post the pictures and information to Facebook groups that sell specific types of items such as used books or used kids’ clothing.  It would be quicker to sell if you can do it locally and have the person meet you in a public place to pick up the items.  However, you have the option of shipping your items for a 5% selling fee.  

Customer Service Should Be on Point

Be sure to answer potential customers’ questions promptly as this helps you sell items faster.  Be concise with the information in your listings and the pictures should be clear enough for everyone to see.  Make sure the items are priced fairly and exhibit a professional attitude at all times. Offer products that promote sustainable lifestyle.

These strategies will be helpful in selling your items faster online.

Can You Practice Green Investing as a Currency Trader?

by

As a Forex trader, your goal is to make money off of exchange rates and different types of money-related markets. For many people, not only do they want to be able to make returns off of this particular endeavor, but they want to take a green approach to their work as well. Understanding how to correlate your eco-friendly goals with your Forex transactions is an important part of building your portfolio.

What is Green Investing?

Green investing simply means that you have a focus on companies that either support or provide eco-friendly and sustainable services. For example, the company might base itself in organic farming, or it might be a company that has taken hundreds of measures to reduce their impact on the local environment. Another great example of green investing is choosing to buy stock in a solar panel manufacturer or an electric hybrid car company. It may take a bit of research on your part to figure out which companies and areas are practicing these environmentally-friendly methods so that you can make smarter decisions.

Is It Possible with Forex?

As a Forex exchanger, your goal is to buy and sell currency as it changes in value. This is one of the most popular options available, and it is why so many people have gotten involved in the monetary market to date. Rather than purchasing individual stocks, online Forex trading can be done as a way to avoid severe fluctuations in the market on any given day. If you’d like to become a green investor, this is definitely possible when dealing with monetary markets. It simply takes a bit of research to figure out which currencies to buy and trade that align with your goals.

How Can It Be Done?

There are several ways for you to take your love for the environment and blend it into your Forex trading. First, you’ll want to buy, sell or exchange currencies that are specific to countries that are more environmentally-friendly. These countries may be adopting sustainable practices, so you’ll be supporting their efforts by investing into their currency. Likewise, you can take the funds that you make off of your investments to put back into eco-friendly companies and sustainable manufacturers.

What You Need to Get Started

The first step is to find a Forex platform that works for you. Before choosing the company you’ll be using to do your trading, it’s a smart idea to see what efforts they are taking to lower their impact on the environment. Choosing an eco-friendlier platform will help you to achieve your goals of becoming a green investor. You will then need to create a portfolio for yourself to get started. Your next step is to buy and exchange currencies in order to start seeing a monetary return. While actively working, it’s a smart idea to continue to familiarize yourself with different currencies and countries. This will allow you to avoid investing in countries that are not practicing environmental conservation so that you can focus all of your efforts on ones that do.

Stock Investing Don’ts: learning from others’ mistakes

by

Stock investing is a good thing: you get a say in a company you believe is bound to success. You earn dividends from the company’s earnings. You sell a part of your share when the price goes high, and so on and so forth. So, you could assume it’s a pretty advantageous way to invest your money with the expectation to get profitable returns. But if you are a rookie in this just wanting to start out, there are a few things to should keep an eye on. Stock investing is an interesting sphere. You have to have, what’s best called, a special sense of feeling when to make certain actions. If the prices go up, down, or somewhere unknown, or if you are hyped about investing all of your money in one place, there are a few DON’Ts you will have to know about in order to eliminate risks and invest smart.

DON’T N1: Do not make emotional investments

Emotions are not acceptable in this tricky world of stock investments. I mean, if you love investing, that’s a good thing, means you are enjoying the process. But, do not let your emotions have control over your investment decisions. Under all circumstances you have to remember to take a “sober look” at the situation and remain rational. Do not panic and withdraw your money right away when you see the stock market going down the road, like many people did during the Great Recession back in 2008. Do not give in to emotional outburst of anger or fear to keep you from taking a step up into a bigger opportunity. In a similar manner, do not get too attached to the ownership of a share to the point of not willing to sell it when it needs to be sold. The examples are numerous, the moral is one: stock market is a place where emotions should not be allowed. All of your actions and decisions should be made solely based on research, data and your senses, which are way rational than your emotional feelings towards a certain asset or share.

DON’T N2: Do not overinvest. Just. Don’t.

Investing in stock market is a good place to put your money in. However, you should do it wisely, because too much of everything can harm. Investing all your money once and for all is not the smartest decision ever. You should be able to invest some at a time. Everyone knows that in stock market you should buy shares when they cost low and sell them when they reach their peak. Investing all of your hard-earned money at once will defeat the purpose of investing and trading wisely.

DON’T N3: Do not try to put the stock market into time frames, you’ll fail

Don’t get me wrong, you can, in fact, make good assumptions and predictions about when the market is more likely to hit the downroad or the opposite. But do not try to underestimate the abilities of the market to surprise you and hit you right back. Putting time limits and frames on how the market will perform in a month can be done only based on years’ of experience topping with good research, valid data and understanding of the spectrum in the first place. But other than that, you shouldn’t be timing the stock market, it will find a way to make you pay for it, literally.

DON’T N4: Conformity is not a smart thing in stock investing

You know there are people with no guts of their own, willing to make money  through stock investing without actually having their own ideas, motives, understanding and readiness to, actually, invest. Believe it or not, but people do lose their “individuality”, as investors, while trying to follow the crowd when the market is at its worst or the opposite. 2008 is a great evidence to that. Funny thing is, no one knows how and when the market will perform as expected, so conforming to the decisions of a few investors is not a good idea. Investing in the stock market is an individual thing as well. One might get away with investing all of his money into one company, whereas you might lose a big portion of yours if you went with the ‘all or nothing’ motto. Do your own research and study, collect your own data and, most importantly, make your own decisions while investing.
Do not rush the stock market and do not expect it to fulfill your expectations, because it won’t, and that is, frankly, the intriguing character of stock investing.

Who Else Wants To Retire Early and be Free?

by
retiring early and looking to the future

At times, it can seem like staying in the workforce grind isn’t worth it any longer. As one gets older it’s natural to want to take things easier and enjoy freedoms that have been earned from a lifetime of work. The standard age of retirement in the United States is roughly 67 years of age. 

However, you can retire a full five years earlier at age 62. There are pros and cons to this decision, and it should not be made lightly. However, if you’re ready to get some of your freedom back, here are the things you need to know and consider about retiring early.

Understand Your Money Situation

Your thirst for freedom is valid. You’ve worked hard in your life and want to reap the rewards. However, you need to understand that choosing to retire early can drastically affect what your financial situation looks like for the rest of your life. Take, for example, your social security check.

If you were to retire at 67 you could receive the full amount of possible money from your Social Security. However, retiring as soon as you can will bring in less money. This may not necessarily be a deterrent for you based on your needs. It is simply something to be mindful of.

If YOu Retire Early, What Does Your Budget Look Like?

One of the most important steps you need to take if you intend to retire early is to assess your yearly spending habits. How much did you spend on utilities? Do you rent or own your home? Add your yearly housing costs to the list. Compare that with the amount of money you are estimated to receive and you will start to form an idea of what your financial situation may look like.

This may seem like a daunting task to take on. This is where speaking to a financial adviser could really be a benefit for you as they would be able to help you put together a realistic idea of what you would have to spend to get through the year while relying on your Social Security check.

Look at Remaining Debts

It  needs to be said that if you are considering early retirement, you should also be considering how you plan to resolve any outstanding debts that you may have. Making new arrangement with your debtors may be something that you have to do in order to achieve your retirement goals.

Consider Investments

You may still want (and need) to make money after you’re retired. It may behoove you to place investments that can earn you money back. Once again, this is a matter in which speaking with a financial adviser can give you the information and insight you need in order to decide if making such investments are the best plan for you and your retirement.

What Will You Do With Your Time?

It is easy to imagine a life of retirement as simply kicking back in a lawn chair with a cold lemonade and bidding goodbye to your worries. But it may not take long to realize that you may find that version of retirement to be a bit boring after awhile. 

You should make up a list of things that you would like to do with your retirement. Having a game plan like that can not only give you a sense of purpose during your retirement, it can actually save you money in the long term because you will not waste time, energy, and money trying to figure out what you want to do on a day to basis.

Retirement Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Retiring

When talking about retirement it is easy enough to think of retirement as the end of working in one’s life. However, whether you feel you are not getting enough money or because you are likely to become restless, you should know that collecting your retirement does not mean you have to quit working altogether. 

You can choose to take up a side hustle: Turn a well-loved hobby into a business opportunity or even take up food delivery. There are numerous things that you can do to continue to bring in money, even after you have technically retired. Best of all, none of them lock you into a contract and they allow you to work at the pace that you desire. You can stay as busy as you would like.

The Plan is Worth It

It may seem headache-inducing to have to plan out how you want to live post-retirement. However, having no strategy at all could turn the retirement itself into a big headache if you are not careful. Being smart with your financial and life plans will help you get the most out of retirement to ensure that it is as enjoyable as possible.

Bond Investing 101: How bonds work and why they belong in a balanced wealth-building portfolio

by
how bonds work

how bonds work

The stock market keeps hitting all-time highs and setting records that are rewarding investors. Students of history know, however, that stratospheric climbs often portend a looming market correction, or the end of the bull run and the start of the next bear market cycle. This is where it pays to understand how bonds work.

One way experienced investors safeguard their portfolios is by diversifying into bonds because when stocks fall, the value of bonds often rises, making quality bond holdings a good buffer against stock market losses. Bonds are also an appropriate investment to help manage interest rate volatility because when prevailing interest rates fall, bond prices rise, and when rates go back up again bond prices become cheaper.

A prudent way to invest in bonds is to hold them for the long haul, until they reach maturity. Once the maturity date is reached you are entitled to the original face value of the bond plus any interest you have earned along the way.

What Are Bonds?

Bonds are a sophisticated form of I.O.U. and they are issued by both government entities and corporations. You can buy bonds issued by the United States Treasury, for instance, and they are regarded as the safest bonds in the world because they are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government.

Treasury bond interest is exempt from state and local taxes, too, but not from federal tax. Bonds are also sold or issued by cities that use them to raise money for municipal projects. To save on taxes you can buy tax-exempt municipal or “muni” bonds. One way to determine whether that would save you money is to look at the interest rate you hope to earn on the bond, and then compare that to your tax rate. People in a higher tax bracket, for example, may have their bond earnings undermined by having to pay taxes on those earnings. In that case, a tax-free “muni” bond may make more sense.

You can also buy bonds from companies of various sizes that operate in all different kinds of industries. To incentivize investors to buy their bonds, those who issue them promise to make annual interest payments to bondholders.

Bonds also have a face value. When the bond reaches its maturity date the issuer pays you the bond’s face value – which is equal to the original principle you “loaned” them. As far as terminology goes, the price when issued, or face value, is also referred to as the bond’s “par value.” The interest payment is called a bond “coupon.”

How a Bond Pays Interest

Not all bonds are the same, which cause bond interest to differ as well. Say, for instance, that abond promises to pay 2% per year and has a par value of $1,000. That means it would have a $20 coupon. Interest would likely be paid in two separate payments of $10 each – paid six months apart.

Some bond interest is on a different timeline such as quarterly or even monthly. Here are a few examples of how bond interest differs:

  • Structure payments by buying mutual funds that invests in bonds. You can choose funds that pay at different times in order to ensure a steady stream of payments throughout the years. Bonds are popular with retirees, for instance, because of this ability to schedule payments that help provide a regular stream of income.
  • Some bonds have floating or variable rates, which means that their interest rates adjust with market conditions.
  • If you hold the bond to maturity you can also cash it in for the $1,000 face value. In the meantime, though, another investor may offer you a higher price in exchange for your bond.
  • Bonds can also be bought and sold on the open market, the way stocks are traded. So you may decide to sell your $1,000 bond before it reaches maturity in order to profit from a higher price. In that case you gain the extra money being offered to you plus any interest you have already banked.

It is important to study the terms and conditions of bonds before making an investment to be sure the bond meets your particular goals and needs. You should also review your investment portfolio annually to make sure it remains diversified.

Additional Aspects of Bonds

  • The bond issuer may “call the bond” back if they want to, which means that they will buy it back from you before the actual maturity date. When that happens the issuer usually pays you a premium, and if the interest that was promised on the bond is especially high, the premium may also be quite high.
  • You can also invest in convertible bonds. These offer you the option to convert your bonds into shares of stock, according to the terms of the convertible bond purchase. While convertible bonds usually pay lower interest, the upside is that they give you a flexible investment option in case you want to shift out of bonds and own stocks instead.
  • Rating services such as Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s will assign quality ratings to bonds, and those measurements can be a useful guide when shopping for bonds. An “AAA” rating usually indicates very high quality, for example, while an “AA” rating is slightly lower. A “D” rating would reflect high risk, and might fall into the category of so-called “junk” bonds.
  • If you are not afraid of risk, higher risk bonds usually pay considerably higher interest. Conservative investors can use high interest as an indication that a bond may be too risky, too, since sometimes if the interest is too attractive it could mean that the company is not financially sound – and could go bankrupt before paying interest.

When calculating value, it is important to not just look at the interest paid, but also the potential appreciation (or loss) of value compared to the price you pay for your bond. Also be aware that if you purchase bonds through a broker they may charge a commission fee which will also cut into your gains. If you buy U.S. bonds directly from the United States Treasury, though, you won’t be charged any sales fees.