Are you cheap or frugal

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I'm a frugal person and I'm proud to be one. I value the quality of everything that I buy because money doesn't grow on trees, right? I make sure that I set aside a portion of what I earn every month. Sometimes I put it in my savings account and sometimes add it to my stock market investment.

Every time I go grocery shopping, I bring a list of things that I need and don't just grab anything that I fancy from the shelves. I compare the price and quality of different brands. I don't exactly buy the cheapest and not the most expensive either. Expensive doesn't necessarily mean the best and cheap doesn't necessarily mean the best value.

So I'm frugal but I'm not cheap. Like for clothes, appliances or furnitures, I don't go for the brand but I go for the quality. If for example I buy audio racks, I won't buy the cheapest if it looks like it's made of low quality material. If it's the most expensive but looks like it's worth the price, that's what I'll buy. I prefer buying expensive clothes because it lasts longer than cheap clothes made with cheap material.

My Maid Invests in the Stock Market

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I just read Bo Sanchez's My Maid Invests in the Stock Market and I cannot help but agree on everything, well almost everything, he said in the book. It's very hard indeed to say "no, sorry, I don't have spare cash", when someone we know needs monetary help. And that's the last we see of our hard-earned money because they either don't have any plans of paying it or worse they get angry when we tell them we need the money already.

We don't all own a very successful business, like a food cart business which is very in-demand right now. So if you want to learn one way of protecting your hard-earned money  and have more funds for your retirement, grab a copy of the book mentioned above. A free ebook version is available at citiseconline.com.

Invest for the Future

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I'm not comfortable with the thought of not being able to buy the things that I want to have, eat the food that I'm craving for and travel to new places that I want to visit in the future. So this early, I don't use everything that I earn. I try to put most of it in savings and investments. I don't buy gold coins but I do buy shares of stocks. I also have some savings account.

I teach my son to save for his future also. He has savings accounts from different banks and he has investments in equities as well. And he's only 10 years old. It's never too early to plan for your future. The best time to start is today.

what the future will bring

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I am a thrifty person, I make sure that I have enough for "rainy days". I want to know where I spend every single centavo of my hard-earned money. I try to save more than half of what I earn.

To avoid buying the latest expensive trends, I look at the opposite direction of counter displays on department stores. But I must admit I do buy once in a while, especially if the price is right.

No one in this world has the power to know what the future has in store for each one of us. It is better to save up, a single peso a day will do, instead of begging money from people we know during rainy days.

more investments for the new year

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I am thinking of doubling my investments next year. I am still studying where to invest my modest savings. Buying a term life insurance online is one option. The other is adding more funds to mutual fund investments and some on my online stock account. The market has been uptrend for quite some time now. And my paper losses has been slowly recovering.

It's been proven, through personal experience, that putting money in a savings account is not a good idea. So I just want to leave some in my savings account and invest most of it into something profitable.

investing in mutual funds

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A mutual fund is an investment scheme where a group of investors pool their money and hire a portfolio manager. The manager invests the pooled money in securities such as stocks, bonds, money market instruments and similar assets. The fund manager buy and sell stocks and securities according to the investment objectives stated in its prospectus.

Investing in mutual fund is a way for investors-like-me, who don’t have the resources or the time to buy individual stocks, to get a piece of the market.

But of course, there are advantages and disadvantages alike in mutual fund investing. Finding the right mutual fund company should not be considered lightly also.

The first step to mutual fund investing: prospectus. Start collecting and comparing - now.

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how to pick the best stocks

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I started trading stocks listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) two years ago. I started investing my hard-earned money in Mutual Funds. But when I was researching online about investing, I got curious with stock-picking.

I became a frequent visitor of forums, except those discussing about things like extenze side effects, where experienced investors also frequently give their advice about stock picking. That's my first step in picking the best stock, check what other investors are gaga about.

The next step: research about the company and the stock performance. Will give more details about this next time.

should i invest more?

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I opened an online stock account a few years back. I was just a newbie in stock investing at that time. Because I got distracted with other things, I neglected my stock account. I checked my account a few weeks back and I got disappointed with what I saw. 

I guess the companies, where I put my investment on, still hasn't recovered yet. My friend, who is experiencing the same thing, just made short sales with her investment. Maybe I should do the same thing and invest in a better company.

best advice buffett has ever received

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The advice has nothing to do with money.

The power of unconditional love. I mean, there is no power on earth like unconditional love. And I think that if you offered that to your child, I mean you’re 90 percent of the way home. There may be days when you don’t feel like it, it’s not uncritical love, that’s a different animal, but to know you can always come back, that is huge in life. That takes you a long, long way. And I would say that every parent out there that can extend that to their child at an early age, it’s going to make for a better human being.

He credited his Father for that advice. For teaching him how to live, and explained that all parents can make a "better human being" by offering their children unconditional love.

source: Yahoo News

have you tried investing in gold?

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I haven't...yet. I want to try investing in gold. With the global economic environment growing more and more uncertain, gold has become the #1 alternative for Pension Plans.

Do you know that if you purchased, during the early 70’s, $25,000 of gold bullion coins - you could sell that gold today for a whopping gold price of $524,999.00. The price of gold has surpassed every other asset that one can include in a retirement account.

A lot of global and economic trends, like inflation, stock and bond market turmoil and bank failures to name a few, weaken stocks and other paper investments and usually cause gold price to rise.

Have to research where to check gold prices. Have to learn how to spot gold. At least I know the difference between a "gold spot" and a "bald spot". That should be a good start!

ways to promote your business

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Business plan? Check.

Register business? Done.

Promote new business? No idea yet?

You have come to the right place. I have been busy with business strategy research the last few weeks. An effective marketing plan is very crucial in attracting new customers and retaining old customers.

Here are the online and offline marketing stategies that can be used in promoting a business.

1. Website - What better way to promote your business than to make it visible in the world wide web. Do compare the different hosting packages available because some webhosts are more expensive than others.

2. Facebook - Use social media marketing work for your business. You can create a fanpage, group or both. Join the current facebook craze.

3. E-Newsletter - Updating your clients with your current deals. Also a way of informing them, "Hey, we are still available to serve you".

4. Trade Shows - Helpful in showcasing your latest products and services.

5. Banner Stand - Can be used outside your offline store and during trade shows. These banner stands are light weight and easy to transport.

6. Cards - Send your customers a handwritten birthday card. An opportunity to make them feel that you care.

7. Word of mouth - Good service to your clients can earb you more client.

These are just a few of the business strategies that can help you attract more customers. Come back again for updates of the list.

i will never buy PLDT stocks!

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I am fuming mad right now...this very minute! I am very annoyed and I am trying to calm down because I don't want wrinkles. Who wants wrinkles, right? But who wants to get robbed and not be able to fight back or at the very least have the robbers return what they robbed from me. Yes people, I am getting robbed!

By who? Smart Communications! They are robbing a few pesos from me every single day. Just a few pesos, you say? A few pesos everyday will add up to thousands in a few days. I am not the only person using a Smart Bro wireless connection plug-in, I am 100% sure of it. A few pesos from thousands of users will add up to thousands and thousands of pesos directly to Smart's ever growing bank account.

I bought a Smart Bro prepaid internet plug-in months ago. I use it to go online while waiting for my son finish swim training. Most of the time, there is no signal. Can you believe 0.00 kbps! But they still deduct 10pesos from my account whether I connect for 1 minute or 30 minutes. As soon as the timer hits 31minutes, another 10 pesos is deducted. Whether I like it or not!

Why still keep using it? Because they are the best already compared with others. Most of the BEST in this country sucks! Consumers in this country, like me, can complain all we want. Nothing is protecting us from the claws of these big corporations who are taking advantage of the lack of government protection to consumers.

I will never, ever buy PLDT stocks! Or maybe I should. Smart Communications is owned by PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company). And...PLDT is even listed in NYSE. Hmmm. If the stocks went up, I can then get back some of the money that they robbed from me. Should I or shouldn't I? Decisions, decisions...