24 Financial Tips for Women

As women, we must plan for the expected and have a contingency plan. We must identify possible scenarios that could occur and develop solutions on how to deal with them. 

More than 80% of women will at some point in their lives have sole responsibility for their finances. 

Every woman can and should know how to manage her own finances. 

We need to become empowered with financial knowledge which will help us make the best financial decisions throughout our life. 

Here are 24 ways for us women to manage our finances:

Spending/Budgeting 

1. Create a budget or spending plan to control spending. Make your plan flexible to accommodate for unexpected expenses and include savings goals. Include monthly expenses and debt plus your monthly income

2. Create an emergency fund to cover monthly expenses for at least 3 months

3. Balance your monthly income and outgoings and document every transaction, including credit/afterpay transactions and trips to the ATM 

4. Reduce spending by 30-50%. Spread spending for large purchases over several months to ease the burden. Buy more needs vs. wants and reduce your credit card debt

5. Set both short-term and long-term goals such as paying off a bill and saving for a property

Debt 

1. Pay down debt and get current on late accounts. Keep debt (excluding rent/mortgage) at 15% or less of your net monthly income. 

2. Keep credit card balances at 20% or less of the credit limit. 

3. Pay more than the minimum monthly payment. 

4. Pay back loans. Consider using student loan forgiveness programs if applicable

Banking 

1. Pay bills online

2. Use direct debits where possible

3. Open an account with overdraft protection 

4. Save, save some more and save some more

Estate Planning 

1. Create a will to being setting up estate planning when you have long term partner, moreso when you have children

 2. Create a medical directive to identify your medical wishes

Investing 

1. Max out your tax advantaged retirement plans. Commit to saving a set percentage of your income, so when your income increases, your contributions will also increase 

2. Control your risks through diversifying and investing in various index funds that are a combination or low, medium and high risk to limit your losses

3. Focus on long term growth. Leave your money untouched for the next 5 to 10 years to see the benefits of your money growing

4. Invest as much as you can in tax-deferred retirement plans. Your money will grow faster and you can afford to invest more now because you won't have to pay taxes on the money until you retire 

5. Once you have decided how much to invest in each type of asset, rebalance often to your original percentages, particularly after a large market shift, upward or downward

6. Plan for the future and always have a plan A, B and C

Support and Emotions 

1. Develop a support network (friends, family, church members, join support groups and a financial network etc.) to get advice, support and encouragement

2. Think rationally and without emotion. Calm down and think logically about how to deal with your finances

3. Don't blame others for your financial mistakes. Take accountability and responsibility for your actions

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Harrine_Freeman/52122

Learn From Your Investment Mistakes

Every one makes investment mistakes. From the time we were born, we learned from the mistakes we made. As investors, we need to learn from our investment mistakes by recognising when we make them and make the appropriate adjustments to our investing discipline. When we make a losing investment, do we recognise our investing mistake and learn from it, or do we attribute it to some outside factor, like bad luck or the market? To make money from your investments and beat the market, we must recognise our investing mistakes and then learn from them. Unfortunately, learning from these investing mistakes is much harder than it seems. 

Some of you may have heard of this experiment. It is an example of a failure to learn from investing mistakes during a simple game devised by Antoine Bechara. Each player received $20. They had to make a decision on each round of the game: invest $1 or not invest. If the decision was not to invest, the task advanced to the next round. If the decision was to invest, players would hand over one dollar to the experimenter. The experimenter would then toss a coin in view of the players. If the outcome was heads, the player lost the dollar. If the outcome landed tails up then $2.50 was added to the player's account. The task would then move to the next round. Overall, 20 rounds were played. 

In this study there was no evidence of learning as the game went on. As the game progressed, the number of players who elected to play another round fell to just over 50%. If players learned over time, they would have realised that it was optimal to invest in all rounds. However, as the game went on, fewer and fewer players made decisions to invest. They were actually becoming worse with each round. When they lost, they assumed they made an investing mistake and decided to not play the next time. 

So how do we learn from our investing mistakes? What techniques can we use to overcome our "bad" behavior and become better investors? The major reason we don't learn from our mistakes (or the mistakes of others) is that we simply don't recognise them as such. We have a gamut of mental devices set up to protect us from the terrible truth that we regularly make mistakes. We also become afraid to invest, when we have a losing experience, as in the experiment above. Let's look at several of the investing mistake behaviors we need to overcome.

 I Knew That 

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Looking back, we can always say we would have made the right decision. Looking again at the experiment mentioned above, it is easy to say, "I knew that, so I would have invested on each flip of the dice". So why didn't everyone do just that? In my opinion, they let their emotions rule over logical decision-making. Maybe their last several trades were losers, so they decided it was an investing mistake and they become afraid to experience another losing trade. 

The advantage of hindsight is we can employ logic as we evaluate the decision we should have made. This allows us to avoid the emotion that gets in our way. Emotion is one of the most common investing mistake and it is the worst enemy of any good investor. To help overcome this emotion, I recommend that every investor write down the reason you are making the decision to invest. Documenting the logic used to make an investment decision goes a long way to remove the emotion that leads to investment mistakes. To me the idea is to get into the position where you can say "I know that" rather than I knew that. By removing the emotion from your decision, you are using the logic you typically use in hindsight to your advantage. 

Self Congratulations 

Whenever we make a winning investment, we congratulate ourselves for making such a good decision based on our investing prowess. However, if the investment goes bad, then we often blame it on bad luck. According to psychologists, this is a natural mechanism that we, as humans possess. As investors, it is a bad trait to have as it leads to additional investing mistakes. 

To combat this unfortunate human trait, I have found that I must document each of my trades, especially the reason I am making the decision. I can then assess my decisions based on the outcome. Was I right for the right reason? If so, then I can claim some skill, it could still be luck, but at least I can claim skill. Was I right for some spurious reason? In which case I will keep the result because it makes me a profit, but I shouldn't fool myself into thinking that I really knew what I was doing. I need to analyse what I missed. 

Was I wrong for the wrong reason? I made an investing mistake, I need to learn from it, or was I wrong for the right reason? After all, bad luck does occur. Only by analysing my investment decisions and the reasons for those decisions, can I hope to learn from my investing mistakes. This is an important step toward building genuine investment skill. 

Luck Becomes Insight 

The market is comprised of a series of cause and effect actions, which are not always transparent. This cause and effect has created some interesting behaviors by some very successful people. I am sure you have heard of many "superstitions" that people hold to be true to help them perform well. 

As humans we tend to think that luck is insight. We fail to analyse effectively the situation and the real reason for our success or failure. In investing this behavior will lead to ruin. To help overcome our natural tendency, we must document our investing decisions and then assess the results. This assessment process helps us learn from our success and from our failures and is critical for each of us if we hope to become successful investors. 

Learn from Investment Mistakes 

To help avoid investing mistakes, what should you document before you make an trade? I like to look at three categories regarding a stock I am considering. 

First, I look at a series of fundamental information such as earnings yield, return on capital, revenue growth, insider holdings, sector, and free cash flow. The fundamental information helps me identify if this is a good company with growing earnings, good management and has potential. 

After reviewing the appropriate financial information including SEC documents, I identify the risks inherent in the company. These risks might include competition, market share, insider transactions, and any litigation that the company is experiencing. You need to try to identify every possible risk and assess them critically. 

Finally, I look at the chart of the stock, seeking to identify support and resistance zones. This gives me potential entry points, exit targets, and the trailing stop loss. I complete these sections with a written trading strategy describing how I expect to make my trades. All these investment factors should be documented before making a trade. Once the trade is complete, I review them to see what I can learn so I can avoid any investing mistakes in the future.

To learn from our investing mistakes, we need to document our actions before we make the decision. We also need to be honest with ourselves when assessing our results. As we have seen, it is quite easy for each of us to put on rose-colored glasses and think we are better investors than we really are. We need to assess critically our investing abilities without distorting the feedback we receive from our decisions. Those of us who are able to learn this valuable skill will benefit greatly. Those of us who are unable to apply this learning will be destined to mediocrity at best and likely lose much of their capital before they quite investing.

 Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Hans_Wagner/33314 

Understanding The Most Important Investment Concepts

It's always good to have at least a basic foundation of fundamental investment knowledge whether you're a beginner to investing or working with a professional financial advisor. The reason is simple: You are likely to be more comfortable in investing your money if you understand the lingo and basic principles of investing. Combining the basics with what you want to get out of your investment strategy, you will be empowered to make financial decisions yourself more confidently and also be more engaged and interactive with your financial advisor. 

Below are a few basic principles that you should be able to understand and apply when you are looking to potentially invest your money or evaluate an investment opportunity. You'll find that the most important points pertaining to investing are quite logical and require just good common sense. The first step is to make the decision to start investing. If you've never invested your money, you're probably not comfortable with make any investment decisions or moves in the market because you have little or no experience. It's always difficult to find somewhere to begin. Even if you find a trusted financial advisor, it is still worth your time to educate yourself, so you can participate in the process of investing your money and so that you may be able to ask good questions. The more you understand the reasons behind the advice you're getting, the more comfortable you will be with the direction you've chosen. 

Don't Be Intimidated by the Financial Lingo 

If you turn on the TV to some financial network, don't worry that you can't understand the financial professionals right away. A lot of what they say can actually boil down to simple financial concepts. Make sure you ask your financial advisor the questions that concern you so you become more comfortable when investing or alternatively teach yourself as there is plenty of resources on the Internet such as Tick Tok, Youtube, Facebook groups and Instagram. Your can also follow podcasts, listen to Audio books or pick up a hardcopy.

ISA's, IRA's and Superfunds Are Containers to Hold Investments-They Aren't Investments Themselves 

The first area of confusions that most new investors get confused about is around their retirement vehicles and plans that they may have. If an investor has an individual retirement accounts, a retirements plan at work, you should understand the differences between all the accounts you have and the actual investments you have within those accounts. Your ISA, IRA, Superfund or 401(k) is just a container that houses your investments that brings with it some tax-advantages. 

Understand Stocks and Bonds 

Almost every portfolio contains these kinds of asset classes. If you buy a stock in a company, you are buying a share of the company's earnings. You become a shareholder and an owner at the same time of the company. This simply means that you have equity in the company and the company's future - ready to go up and down with the company's ups and downs. If the company is doing well, then your shares will be doing well and increase in value. If the company is not doing well or fails, then you can lose value in your investment. 

If you buy bonds, you become a creditor of the company. You are simply lending money to the company. So you don't become a shareholder or owner of the company/bond-issuer. If the company fails, then you will lose the amount of your loan to the company. However, the risk of losing your investment to bondholder is less then the risk to owners/shareholders. The reasoning behind this is that to stay in business and have access to funds to finance future expansion or growth, the company must have a good credit rating. Furthermore, the laws protects a company's bondholders over its shareholders if the company goes bankrupt. 

Stocks are considered to be equity investments, because they give the investor an equity stake in the company, while bonds are referred to as fixed-income investments or debt instruments. A mutual fund, for instance, can invest in any number or combination of stocks and bonds. 

Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket 

An important investment principle of all is not to invest all or most of your money into one investment. 

Include multiple and varying types of investments in your portfolio. There are many asset classes such as stocks, bonds, precious metals, commodities, art, real estate, and so on. Cash, in fact, is also an asset class. It includes currency, cash alternatives, and money-market instruments. Individual asset classes are also broken down into more precise investments such as small company stocks, large company stocks, or government issued bonds. 

The various asset classes go up and down at different times and at different speeds. The purpose of a diversified portfolio is to mitigate the ups and downs by smoothing out the volatility in a portfolio. If some investments are losing value at some particular period, others will be increasing in value at the same time. So the overarching objective is to make sure that the gainers offset the losers, which may minimize the impact of overall losses in your portfolio from any single investment. The goal that you will either have with your financial advisor and/or robo advisor to help find the right balance between the asset classes in your portfolio given your investment objectives, risk tolerance, and investment time horizon. Unless you choose to undertake your own research and create your own portfolio. This process is commonly referred to as asset allocation. 

As mentioned earlier, each asset class can be internally diversified further with investment options within that class. For example, if you decide to invest in a financial company, but are worried that you may lose your money by putting everything into one single company, consider making investments into other companies ( Company A, Company B, and Company C) rather than putting all your eggs in one basket. Even though diversification alone doesn't guarantee that you will make a profit or ensure that you won't lose value in your portfolio, it can still help you manage the amount of risk you are taking or are willing to take. 

Recognise the Tradeoff Between an Investment's Risk and Return 

Risk is generally looked at as the possibility of losing money from your investments. Return is looked at as the reward you receive for making the investment. Returns can be found by measuring the increase in value of your investment from your original investment principal. 

There is a relationship between risk and reward in finance. If you have a low risk-tolerance, then you will take on less risk when investing, which will result in a lower possible return at any given time, relatively. The highest risk investment will offer the chance to make high returns. 

Between taking on the highest risk and the lowest risk, most investors seek to find the right balance of risk and returns that he/she feels comfortable with. So, if someone advises you to get in on an investment that has a high return and it is risk-free, then it may be too good to be true. 

Understand the Difference Between Investing for Growth and Investing for Income 

Once you make the decision to invest, you may want to consider whether the objective of your portfolio is have it increase in value by growing overtime, or is it to produce a fixed income stream for you to supplement your current income, or is it maybe a combination of the two? 

Based on your decision, you will either target growth oriented investments or income oriented ones. U.S. Treasury bills, for instance, provide a regular income stream for investors through regular interest payments, and the value of your initial principal tends to be more stable and secure as opposed to a bond issued by a new software company. Likewise, an equity investment in a larger company such as Apple is generally less risky than a new company. Furthermore, Apple may provide dividends every quarter to their investors which can be used as an income stream as well. Typically, newer companies reinvest any income back into the business to make it grow. However, if a new company becomes successful, then the value of your equities in that company may grow at a much higher rate than an established company. This increase is typically referred to as capital appreciation. 

Whether you are looking for growth, income, or both, your decision will fully depend on your individual financial and investment objectives and needs. And, each type may play its own part in your portfolio. 

Understand the Power of Compounding on Your Investment Returns 

Compounding is an important investment principle. When you reinvest any dividends or other investment returns, you begin to earn returns on your past returns. 

Consider a simple example of a plain bank certificate of deposit (CD) that is rolled over to a new CD including its past returns each time it matures. Interest that is earned over the lifetime of the CD becomes part of the next period's sum on which interest is assessed on. At the beginning, when you initially invest your money compounding may seem like only a little snowball; however, as time goes by, that little snowball gets larger because of interest compounding upon interest. This helps your portfolio grow much faster. 

You Don't Have to Go at It Alone 

A Financial Advisor or Robo Advisor can give you the investment guidance that you need so that you don't have to stop yourself from investing in the market because you feel like you don't know enough yet. Knowing the basic financial principles, having good common sense, and seeking guidance along the way can help you start evaluating investment opportunities for your portfolio and help get you closer toward achieving your financial goals. 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Yulian_Isakov/836688

Take Action If You Want Your Personal Finances to Improve

We all have our dreams. Everybody wants to succeed, at least in our minds but not everybody will. Below is a list of 25 actions you should take if you want to improve your personal finance situation. 

1. Review your financial position: 

Take a pen and paper, sit down and review your financial activities; from your income earnings to spending. Break everything down into small segments. It could be that your total expenditure outweighs your income. Simple Guide: Create a credit and debit list. Every part of your income, no matter how little, should come to the credit side while expenditures (outgoings) come to the debit. Sum each side up. If your debit is over 30% of your credit, do you still wonder why that financial dream of yours was out of reach? 

2. Create a financial checklist: 

The best way to create this checklist is to break each financial matter down into months (includes insurances, mortgage, rent etc) Many people have this false belief that they have everything sorted out in their heads. The more reason they fail because human beings are susceptible to memory loss. Sort them out in black and white instead, and a new level of motivation will come on you each time you look at the checklist. Alternatively, tools such as PocketGuard and Spendee can help you do this. 

3. Set specific financial goals: 

After creating the checklist, the next step is to set your financial goals complete with specific dates. That is only when your wishes become goals since the dates act as deadlines thereby putting you on delightful pressure to beat them. Any goal without a specific date of achievement is not a goal. You are merely wishing. Sadly, this is what many people do. By specific, for example- I will make $60k by 24 November 2021.Then it becomes a goal that you can wake up every morning and chase around. 

4. Have a savings plan (budget): 

The failing of many people is that they are never faithful with the plan. This shows indiscipline. Learn to set and work within your plan. That way, you can meet most of your financial obligations. Otherwise, will only put you in bad debt and make you miserable. If you cannot plan in black and white, there are wonderful digital tools and apps such as YNAB and Mint. One thing you must never do is to simply budget in your head. 

5. Spend what is left after you have saved: 

Learn to live by this rule today. For every dime you earn, save at least 10% of it. Now, this is the difficult part: many people aren't disciplined enough to do this. More so for Entrepreneurs as the key to achieving this is to separate your business income from your personal finance

 6. Leverage on good debts and avoid bad debts: 

Everybody should like debt. This is a principle of the wealthiest people in the world. Good debt brings you more cash flow and if well managed, sets you towards financial freedom. Bad debt on the other hand, brings you unneeded luxuries, put serious pressure on you and can make you miserable. Good debts are incurred towards fulfilling rewarding financial obligations like the purchase of businesses, investment and stocks or real estate; these are things that will compound your financial interests over time and make you independent. Bad debts are taken out to buy non-essential luxuries such as cars, holiday trips and expensive dinners. These luxuries don't compound wealth. Rather, they take what you already have. Decide which one you want. 

7. Pay off your smaller debts first: 

By now, you must be saying 'but I am in debt already. My debtors are breathing down my neck'. All well and good. Make it a point of focus to liquidate your bad debts. Start by making a list of your bad debts in order of their sizes. Then settle the smaller debts first. Any debt that is fully settled should be cancelled out before moving to the next. The logic behind this is simple. The smaller the debt, the easier it is to pay off. With each debt cancelled out, the more confident you will become of liquidating the bigger ones. This confidence brings with it desire not to keep going through the show of cancelling out debts every year. In other words, you'll become a better manager of your finances. 

8. Live your means: 

This must be a strange one. I have heard many people advocating that people should live below their means in order to have reasonable savings. Well, I actually believe people should live their means. If you can afford to conveniently buy out a business, why not? The key to living your means is convenience. In measuring your convenience level at taking on situations, you must be truthful to yourself about your financial situation. You might be on $10k per month salary and feel you can live in a two bedroom apartment in the city. You should calculated the other supervening expenses like monthly food, clothing, bills and transportation to know how much you are left with to contribute towards the means you want to live. 

9. Avoid having entitlement mentality: 

Nobody owes you anything in life. So quit that lazy mindset. You are solely responsible for the decisions you make; for your successes and failures. Once this is firmly ingrained in your mind, the zeal not to fail will become a greater motivation that pushes you towards making smart financial choices. You will learn the act of taking responsibility. The most successful entrepreneurs don't sit down and wait for goodwill from some family members or friends. They struggle their ways through web of failure until the elusive success is captured. Then they work harder to keep the success. You should also have that mindset. 

10. Avoid the lottery: 

This might not go down well with some lottery lovers but if you don't have firm control of your personal finance, then stay off the lottery. You spend money time and time again in the hope of becoming lucky and hitting the jackpot. But what if you don't? Let us even assume you win. Have you taken stock of how much you have contributed to the lottery over the months and years and if what you won is it up to your contribution? A few will be lucky to hit it big. However, a vast majority of people won't. 

11. Operate 3 designated bank accounts: 

I am advocating this because most times we tend to draw from a single bank account to solve our personal financial challenges. The danger in this is that such practice is an enemy of financial planning and often runs people dry. If you are serious about securing your financial future, then have 3 bank accounts where you save at different times. The first should be for savings and this could be your salary account. The second is for emergency while the third is for philanthropy. Since you're working on a budget, you know which account to go to on each occasion and discipline will stop you from touching the other accounts when you have no need to. Finance experts like Robert Kiyosaki advocate this strategy. I recommend it also. 

12. Track your net worth always: 

Do you really know how much you are worth? The problem is many people have a false sense of security. They believe selves to be worth more than they actually are. People who take control of their personal finances make it a habit to track their net worth always. Quit blushing over your assets. Try removing your liabilities from those assets to get an idea of how much you are really worth. Whatever remains after you have subtracted your liabilities from your assets is what you are truly worth. 

13. Diversify your investment holdings: 

Diversifying will help you to minimise your investment risks. Smart working entails you have your risks spread in different sectors. If your investments in a sector fail, your investments in other areas will help to mitigate the effect of your loss. There are many reasons why you should diversify: loss of business, inflation, taxation, government policies and political instability are a few of the reasons why you should never remain in a single sector as an investor

14. Create passive income: 

This is a key to financial freedom. To build passive wealth, you must be involved in activities or buying assets that generate you more income. To boost your personal finance this year, start engaging in activities that will generate you income even when you are not seriously working. Leverage on technology and get involved in online businesses, invest in viable businesses and watch your income compound

15. Learn the rules of investing: 

That you want to diversify and create passive income does not mean you should not follow the rules of investing. The first rule of investing is that you should never invest in what you don't understand. Get adequate knowledge before plunging your hard-earned money. The second rule is that you should never invest money you cannot afford to lose. Investment can be a risky venture, so have liquid cash you can fall back to if the investment fails. There are other rules you should learn such as the principle of compound interest, legal framework of what you are investing in, and so on. 

16. Engage in your passion and have fun: 

Some people are miserable because they are not doing what they love. Some are stuck in jobs they hate just for the salary. To do great things in life, you must be passionate and enthusiastic about what you do. I love providing business and financial solutions to people who need them. It gives me joy. Learn to be passionate about what you do. That is when you can have fun and enjoy life to the fullest. Not loving what you do can drive you to make poor financial choices. If you hate what you are presently doing, here is a tip: give yourself sufficient time to properly invest in what you are passionate about. Then move on. 

17. Exercise to keep both your body and mind in shape: 

Engaging in physical exercise keeps your mind at alert and your body in great shape to take on any physical activities. 

18. Take your health seriously: 

All your goals in life will go as far as your health permits. Your health is your number one wealth; therefore you shouldn't be careless with your health. 

19. Be flexible and always adjust: 

We all want to appear to be in charge, that we have planned ahead and are ready to take hold of our financial situations. However changes will occur along the way, some of them beyond our control. The people who take biggest control of their personal finances are people who adjust to favorable evolving trends. They are spontaneous in their approach towards life. The danger of being rigid is that you are not open to new ideas and opportunities. You are stuck with your viewpoint, with your personal understanding of doing things which may be what is limiting you. Surround yourself with intelligent people who support you as well as who can challenge your thinking.

20. Work smart: 

Have you noticed that while you are stuck in your 9-5 job for a few thousands every month, another person works few hours and earns far higher than you? The rule of the 21st century is working smart. While I loathe laziness and cannot encourage it, yet your hard work should be embedded in working smart. Think of disruptive ways you can engage the public that will generate you more income. Do you have large following on social media? You should leverage on that and promote your passion. Create reasonable awareness. The more awareness you create, the more people that need your services will seek you out. You don't have to wait for the big bucks to come to you so you can rent the best office space. Take advantage of technology and start with what you have. Today, you just need a mobile and a social media account.

21. Leverage on technology and automate savings:

This is the age of technology and everything is going digital. You cannot afford to keep living an analogue lifestyle. Get accustomed with the various available technologies that can help boost your personal finance this year. You can automate your savings and spending so that you don't exceed your savings plan

22. Get involved in Philanthropy: 

I believe that giving is an effective way of receiving. There is fulfillment that comes with helping people around you to be better than they were. It is about doing the little things to improve the circumstances of those around you. You can engage in serving your community. If you have enjoyed some excellent services from a startup, you can help that business survive by a little words of mouth marketing. Doing such little things go a long way to impact on your personal finance as you will be seen as a trustworthy person whose recommendation is genuine, and this is amazing for you mentally and your business if you have one 

23. Have a retirement plan in place: 

Some people think retirement is working for decades and retiring to a life of pension. Retirement is planning for a life of less stress at work, not that you stop work altogether (unless you want to). Even if you own a company, you should give way at some point for younger, more dynamic leadership while you take on the overseer's role. So what are your retirement plans? Do you have insurance in place? How about retirement savings account? Have you buried your finances in different investment portfolios that will generate you income in years to come? Do you have any shares or stock holding, and more especially, do you have any real estate investment? Have you taken time to study about some government policies in your country and even study some government introduced financial incentives to know if it's a risk worth taking? I have seen some people go broke after retirement because of lack of adequate planning.

24. Have a mentor: 

I believe so much in the power of imagery. You can only conceive an idea after you have built images in your mind. That is what mentorship does to you. Whatever financial race you are in today has been won in the past by another. So make a mentor out of that person. Use their struggles and triumphs as a guide so that you can arrive faster at your destination than they did. There is no point making some mistakes if they can be avoided.

 25. Start today, it's never too late: 

Finally, it is never too late to start planning towards your financial independence. You can start putting in the hard work now and realise the benefits later. The danger is in not starting at all. 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Isioma_Isichei/2515969

Top Quality Forex Education Is Essential to Success

The Foreign Exchange Market or Forex offers traders a unique opportunity as the most expansive financial market across the world. There is no need for a centralised location because trades are executed electronically, allowing the entire world to participate.

Forex trading has to do with making money by trading in different currencies. As with most investments, the idea is to buy low and sell high, which is easier said than done. Most traders wouldn't describe Forex as complicated. But there are some important things to know before you can expect to make profitable trades in this highly liquid financial market. 

The reality is that currency trading offers an opportunity to make huge profits. People trading in the currency exchange market have literally made millions before they even realised it. However, whenever there is huge earning potential, as there is with Forex, there are huge risks as well. In fact, many people have lost substantial amounts of money trading in foreign exchange market. 

Investment experts always advise people to get a good Forex education before going down this path. To do well, you need to be fully educated and this cannot be achieved with a crash course or by reading a few articles you find online.

Most colleges and universities with a good business school will offer courses that teach the ins and outs of trading in financial markets, including Forex. These courses provide students with the knowledge and training needed to be successful. Rather than going in blindly and risk losses it's important to be fully prepared with the right Forex education from a highly rated business school.

Ideally, your Forex education should teach you how to most effectively read charts so that you can spot the trends. Once you become skilled at reading currency exchange market charts you'll see where certain currencies are going. Learning this will be critical in helping you decide which ones to buy and sell and when. This is why it is so important that you know how to accurately read these charts before getting into the foreign exchange market. Honing this particular skill will definitely help you increase your odds of making money. Without knowing how to accurately read the charts, your risk of losing money is greatly increased. That's the reality. 

In looking for the right school, you will want to choose one that offers you real-time trading experience, which is typically done with dummy as well as real accounts. We all learn best through experience, so the best schools offering Forex education will require students to set up dummy investment accounts to practice with. They will also expect you to set up real funded accounts for actual currency trading. But since you're just learning, these real accounts should be quite small so that you're not at risk of losing a lot of money. 

The only way you'll gain the experience you need to feel confident as you enter the foreign exchange market is by doing practice trades in dummy and real accounts. Then, when you actually start trading in currencies, you'll have a good idea of how it all works. A top-quality business school will be equipped to teach you how to use various Forex trading systems. This will give you a chance to determine which one is easiest for you. All of this practice gives you first-hand knowledge on how these systems work, so you can avoid mistakes once you're doing this for real. 

Since currency trading is available to practically anyone with a computer connected up to the Internet, people are often under the impression that few skills are required. This is far from the truth because do well you do need skills, plus a considerable amount of money. This is not for amateurs because there is no guarantee that your investment(s) will be profitable. Forex is risky, which is why you need the skills to accurately read the charts before investing in the foreign exchange market. A good Forex education is essential if you want the best chance of success. 

It is extremely important that you understand the risks involved in currency trading. You need to realize that many investors have had severe financial losses because they entered the foreign exchange market without the knowledge and skills needed to succeed. The key to making money in the Forex market is to learn the fundamentals and get the necessary practice ahead of time. 

When you're equipped with a good Forex education, you greatly increase your chances of making good money trading currencies. Without that, you could put yourself at huge financial risk. 

There are a number of excellent business schools available with courses that teach the fundamentals of the foreign exchange market. When deciding which school to attend, make sure they offer you real-time experience in Forex trading with dummy and real accounts. The practice you get doing these trades will undoubtedly help you succeed at this in the real world. 

There is a FREE Forex course attached to this blog for anyone who is new to Forex trading. This course will help you understand the basics and practice in a demo environment to gain experience. We are not affiliated with this company. Paying it forwards!!

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Frank_Breinling/604596

Why Personal Finance Software Is Important

Why personal finance software is important 

These days, technology has really revolutionised people's way of life, including their financial life. Back in the day, most people used a pen and paper to document their earnings, spending, and finances. 

What is personal finance software? 

Home finance software refers to a financial tool that enables you to prepare a budget, track your expenses, and check your overall finances. These days, there is no valid reason why you should be disorganised and mired in debt because there are many good personal finance programs that you can use to keep track of your money, plan your future, and completely control your finances. If you have a PC, mobile or laptop, you are lucky because you can easily find good home finance software at little cost or free. Application programmers have now catered for the high demand for these applications as they now come with all sorts of functions and capabilities that can save your money, time and effort. 

Analysis 

You can now analyse your finances unaided. Finance software will analyse your important financial details. Details such as your monthly expenses will stick out. Many personal finance applications also allow personalisation. If there is one particular aspect you want to know about your finances, you can simply create a specialised analysis. Many personal finance programs can also give you a monthly analysis-an excellent way to see how you actually spend your money over this timeframe. 

Budget creation 

We all know the importance of a personal budget. But creating a real budget that you'll stick to is easier said than done. You can find a personal finance application that creates a realistic budget for you. Simply enter your basic information into the software and quickly create a simple budget. 

Checkbook balances and bill payments 

Sometimes you'll fail to pay bills on time. When it happens, interest rates are more than likely to shoot up. Fortunately, you can avoid this mistake once and for all. Look for a personal finance application that'll remind you when to pay your bills. Likewise, you can create a Direct Debit with your bank just by ticking a box. Sum up any amounts withdrawn from your account and check carefully anything that seems suspicious. Once you have everything on record, it becomes much easier to know how your finances are faring. 

Trust yourself and no one else 

When it comes to finances, it is best to keep track of all you have carefully. You may trust your finances with your financial adviser, however, it is still important to know where every cent is at, always. With a personal finance application, your money will never be far away from you. Whether you are paying bills, balancing your checkbook, tracking your paycheck, or creating a personal budget, you should not live without personal finance software. 

Whatever your financial lifestyle needs are, any financial software will help you budget properly and plan for your future.

Check out the FREE personal debt calculator Undebt.IT software (Link at the top of this page) as well as our Instagram and Facebook pages as to which other apps/tools we recommend. 

Please also get in touch for FREE Support if you need a bit of extra help.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/John_C_Watson/1346542

Six Finance Tips to Money, Wealth, Financial Security and Personal Finances

 Today everyone wants their money to be safe and secure. However, the financial world is growing more unstable and our needs are changing at a rapid pace. The necessity for individuals and families to save and manage their money has never been greater, harder and it is not getting any easier. Managing a budget, saving and investing your money wisely is the immense subject on everyone's mind. Saving money has become extremely hard today. You should save for retirement, save for your kids' college education, save in case you get laid off and save just to create a sense of comfort. 

Have you looked at your finances lately? The process of saving money, create wealth and achieving all of your financial goals start with the awareness what personal finance is. Personal finances are not about cashing your payroll check, paying your bills and meeting all of your monthly obligations. It is about having enough money saved in order to meet all of your financial goals in life. 

Money is a medium of exchange, but the lack of money adds to great emotional stress in our lives. Take control of your finances immediately by reviewing the following tips provided.

Today is an excellent time to start reviewing your finances and put together a good financial program with goals that fits your financial needs. After you review your finances, take immediate action and make some positive adjustments. Do not try to take care of it by yourself. Make sure all of your family members know about your plans and they can assist you in meeting all of your financial goals. An important issue is to measure your results and make all possible changes needed. When you and your family achieve all of the goals, reward yourselves. Rewards are always great motivators. Start Today.

Six Personal Finance 

Tips 1. It is not what you earn, it is what you save. Save at least 10% or more of your net earning from every paycheck. The important issue is to spend less than what you earn. Do not go beyond your means. 

2. To maintain a good savings account take control of your spending. A good spending plan, not a budget, will let you know where you are spending. Decide on what you want to spend your money on in advance and keep track of all of your monthly transactions. From there you will know what your spending habits are. 

3. Is your Bank meeting your needs? Possibly you might need to look at another bank that offers a much greater savings and or investment program. Today, Online Banks offer great investment programs.

 4. Apply and use credit cards that offer 0% for 12 months or more. Every monthly payment that you make will go directly to the balance and not to the high interest. When the 0% intro program is about to expire review what the interest rate will be. If the rate after that period is 10% or more, apply for another 0% credit card and transfer the remaining balance. Keep this process and you will never make an interest payment. 

5. Buy a home. Your best investment is your home but only if you get a low interest rate mortgage. If the current interest rate is 2% lower than your present rate, refinance and lower your monthly payment.

 6. The only possible way to build wealth is to determine a percentage of your income that you are willing to invest every year. 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Alfredo_Valenzuela/795153

Growing Your Business - Why Separating Business and Personal Finances is Good

 This article is not all about finances. Well, it's partially about finances. More importantly, it's about how to grow your business. Growing your business doesn't just happen by magic. There's no business growth fairy that takes away a balance sheet and leaves a bigger business under your pillow. It takes a consistent, carefully managed investment to create your own success.

 And that investment starts with something that you might not have considered: Separating your business and personal finances. Surprised? 

Here are the reasons. First, you'll want to separate your business and personal finances for tax purposes. If you keep them combined, you might not be eligible for certain deductions, but if you separate them, you may be entitled to deduct expenses for your home office and mileage allowance. Likewise, you may be responsible for paying certain taxes on your business that do not apply to your personal income. Separating your finances is the only way to ensure that you properly follow all tax laws and receive all advantages to which you are entitled by law. That can grow your business by clarifying your paperwork and possibly making more money available (because of more deductions) which you can reinvest in your business. 

Another important reason for separating your finances is to get a loan or a grant so you can invest in your business. Separating your finances helps to establish a paper trail and helps you to create financial reports that demonstrate the business' performance. If your finances are separated it will be much easier to determine which income and expenses belong to the business itself. 

Third, separating your finances can help you decide how best to grow and develop the business as well. You will be able to see the areas in which the business excels as well as those areas in which it needs some extra help. You can generate targeted, accurate reports and financial statements that show at a glance how the business performs in various areas. 

 How Can I Separate My Business and Personal Finances? 

The easiest way to separate your business and personal finances is to open a business bank account. If you use credit to make business-related purchases, apply for a card in the name of the business. Have all payments made to the business account, and use only those funds and the business credit card to make purchases. 

How Do I Get Paid? 

You have multiple options for paying yourself. Some business owners find it best to write themselves a set paycheck every week. If you are confident that the business will retain enough funds to pay your salary each time, this will streamline the process and make it easier to accurately pay your personal income taxes.

 However, if your business is new or unstable, you may find it better to pass funds through the business account to your personal account. You might decide to retain just enough money in the business account to pay for expenses, and transfer everything that is left into your personal account. This is an ideal solution for those who have many personal expenses but few business expenses and earn wildly different sums on each contract. 

Setting Up and Maintaining Bookkeeping and Accounting 

Many business owners find themselves confused and overwhelmed by the paperwork that is involved in maintaining separate accounts. 

Check out Invoice Ninja, the leading free open-source online invoicing app for freelancers and businesses.

Also consider hiring outside help. A Virtual Assistant company can set up and maintain your bookkeeping and accounting. Your VA can even handle payroll, writing your paycheck each week. You can maintain as much or as little control over the process as you desire. You can hire the VA for a set number of hours per week or per month, or simply retain his or her services on a per-project basis.

My post last week recommended "Successful Female Entrepreneurs" as a source, alternatively, you can also find VA's from websites such as Fiverr and Upwork.

Ultimately, separating your business and personal finances can seem like a complicated task in the short term but in the long term it is an effective way to grow your business. 

 Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Heather_Villa/388875

Get Out of Debt: 5 Tips for Taking Charge of your Finances

Getting out of debt and creating a stable financial future may seem like an impossible feat. You could be wondering, “How did I get here?” or “How can I get out of debt when my income is the same as it was before, and I owe even more money?” 

In order to gain a positive and realistic view of your finances, you should instead ask yourself, “What can I change to insure that I have savings, not debt, when I retire?” or “What is my attitude towards money, and how has it affected my financial situation?” By doing this, you can get to the root of the problem and begin tackling your debt in a practical manner. (Remember it may take a little time to get back on track). Here are five methods that can help you take charge of your finances: 

1) Live within your means 

This seems easy enough, but how many people have racked up hundreds or even thousands of dollars in credit card debt? If you have to rely on your credit cards, then you are clearly not living within your means. The most obvious and suitable way to get out of debt is by resisting the temptation to buy stuff you don’t need. Depriving yourself of things you want can be the most difficult thing to do. However, buying whatever you want can also the most damaging to your financial success. Maybe you did get a great deal on those shoes, but is it worth that extra $50 to $100 interest that your credit card may eventually accrue? When you have the desire to buy something, think it through. 

You can also make lists before you go to the store to prevent impulse buying. Even if you are just going to get groceries, you should bring a list and stick to it. Otherwise, you may end up spending $50 more than you thought you would on unnecessary purchases. 

Another change you can make to get out of debt is to start shopping for the holidays and/or birthdays well ahead of time. Many people put off shopping until the last minute and end up charging it all to their high interest credit cards. Why not start early this year and pay for all of your gifts in cash? Try buying one gift a week. By paying with money that you actually have, you will be saving yourself a lot of money in credit card charges. You will also be less stressed when the holidays or birthdays come around because you will already have your shopping finished.

2) Create a budget of all of your necessary expenses and stick with it 

Notice how “stick with it” was added onto that sentence? That’s because almost anyone can sit down and write out a budget. The real challenge is tracking and maintaining it. If having a program on your computer or app on your mobile helps, go for it. Just be sure to save all of your receipts throughout the day and then input them into your app/program. It is important to give each of your expense categories, such as rent/mortgage, food, and utilities, a realistic limit. 

If you only buy according to your budget, you will probably find yourself with extra money each month. With this extra money you can take charge of your finances, get out of debt, and start saving for the future. It will also help you to figure out which items are draining money from your budget. For example, if you buy lunch at work everyday for $8.00, you would be better off making your meals at home and then bringing lunch to work. Just remember that it takes many small steps to resolve your finances and take charge. 

3) Set Realistic Expectations for Your Future 

 Yes. The average person’s salary increase averages between 1.5% and 3.5% per year. And you may be beginning to expect that yearly raise or anticipating that big promotion because then you will be able to pay off your debt. Many people have the attitude that their debt is fine because they will have more money next year to compensate for their spending. It’s the adage, “Why do today what you can put it off until tomorrow?” They spend beyond their means because they are banking on the fact that they will be making more money later. And when they receive a raise, instead of paying off debt, they increase their spending because they think they have more money to spend. The reality is that living this way can extinguish any future financial stability. Also, what if the raise never comes? The promotion never happens, or something worse occurs, such as getting fired or laid off? Then you will be left with all this debt, out of control spending habits, and no money in the bank. 

So, when you receive a bonus or small raise, take that money and pay off your debt or put it towards your savings. Even if you think that you have great job security, be prepared for the unexpected. If you expect that you will be making more money, you will spend it; however, if you acknowledge that your prosperity could end at any time, you will save it. 

4) Pay your unsecured debt off—ASAP 

I know this can be a very daunting task, especially when you have several credit cards with large balances on them. You may think that you will never get out of debt. Your best bet is to begin with the credit card with the smallest balance; pay as much as you can on it each month (try to make it at least double or triple your minimum balance) while maintaining the minimum balances on your other cards until the card is paid off. This will help you to work towards your goals and will help motivate you to pay off your other cards. 

Remember, if you just pay the minimum balances, you are probably barely covering the interest. You could potentially end up paying double or triple for an item you bought a year or two ago.

5) Plan for the long term 

It’s important to plan for your retirement now, so you can enjoy it later. Look into an IRA, 401(k) program, Superannuation fund, CPP or Pension (dependent upon your geographical location). Usually your employer’s program will simply deduct money from your paycheck each month. That is one of the easiest ways to do it because you’re saving money each month without really missing it. Some employers even have a matching program if you contribute enough to your fund each year. 

Also, in order to plan for the future, you need to calculate how much money you will need if you live for another twenty years after you retire. Be sure to take into account the cost of living in your area or the area where you plan to retire. You may be living well right now, but planning and saving so that you can retire comfortably is crucial. 

Follow us on Social Media and our weekly blogs to discover how to get out of debt, save and invest your money wisely

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/John_H._Tran/61724 

Going Through a Divorce - Everything You Need to Know to Protect Yourself and Your Children

 Going through a divorce is never an incredibly happy time, but there are ways to make it as stress-free as possible - and protect yourself and your interests while you're at it. Even if your divorce is a relatively amicable one, you still want to get the best deal you can, and hopefully protect yourself and your assets now and in future. 

Top Ways to Protect Your Finances 

Don't forget to change your will. Many couples forget to do this after the divorce. Don't. When an imminent divorce is inevitable, there are simple ways to protect yourself from the financial fracas that will ensue. 

Get your finances in order and you'll be on your way to surviving the battle without any deep monetary scars... 

* Open an individual checking account. Do this as soon as possible. Not only will it help your credit rating, but will also help you sort out who has what. 

* Establish as much credit as possible. Credit is vital when it comes to borrowing money, and credit scores can affect future properties you may rent and even the type of job you get. Make sure you don't suffer any fall-out from your spouse's lousy credit rating, and do as much as possible to establish a solid credit rating of your own. If you've never had a credit card of your own before - and many women haven't, believe it or not - get on the horse as soon as possible. 

* Track down credit cards. Make sure your spouse isn't charging things to your name, or on a joint credit card, which could affect your rating. Track down and cancel any joint accounts. This can be difficult if they are not being sent to your home address. You can freeze accounts by telling the credit card companies that you are going through a divorce.

* Take care of the mortgage and other loans. If you will continue living in the house it's important that only your name is on the mortgage, and vice versa. The divorce proceedings will sort out who is paying for what. Transfer the car to one name as well through the Department of Motor Vehicles, and sort out who is paying for what loans. 

* Keep track of all investments etc. Go through all you and your spouse own with a fine-toothed comb, and make copies of every single financial document you unearth. This can include mortgage and life insurance documents, pension/super statements, tax returns, bank statements, money market accounts etc. Also, make sure your name is on every legal document, especially the title or deed of property the two of you bought together. 

* See if you qualify for alimony, support and/or maintenance. Support isn't based solely on gender - both men and women can get it. Similarly, you don't need to have kids to receive it. Don't make assumptions, get the facts. Speak to a divorce lawyer as soon as you can. 

* Save money. You never know when you will need it, so now is not the time to be a spendthrift. Squirrel away what you can in your individual bank account - it might soon come in handy!

 * Consider mediation as opposed to litigation. A lot less time-consuming - and costly. If it works, this is usually the best - and more financially viable way - to come to an agreement for everyone concerned.

* Don't forget to change your will. Many couples forget to do this after the divorce. 

* Hire a financial planner with a specialty in divorce. They can advise you what to do next as far as asset division is concerned based on your current situation. Top Ways to Protect Your Children Your children should be top priority when it comes to a divorce, so don't make things worse by acting badly. Children do best when both parents stay involved in their lives, so keep this in mind next time you feel like telling your ex to jump off a tall building or move to the North Pole. Here are other ways to make your kids deal better with your divorce... 

* Explain that it's not their fault. Don't let your kids grow up thinking they could have done something to prevent Mommy and Daddy from splitting up. Tell them it has nothing to do with them, and that both of you still love them more than anything. 

* Answer their questions as honestly as possible. That doesn't mean telling them that Daddy had 12 affairs and is in love with a woman half his age, and that he enjoys dressing up in high heels and a pink feather boa when they're asleep. What it does mean, however, is being as honest as possible, while not involving them in things they don't really need to know. 

* Keep things as amicable as possible in front of them. Airing petty grievances in front of the children and arguing constantly will only backfire in the long run.

 * Aim for shared custody arrangements, if possible. Children benefit from being with both parents. Make sure they have two happy, harmonious home environments and try to have both parents as involved in their lives at school as possible. Encourage your child to maintain a close relationship with the other parent, and encourage each other to be as active as possible in your children's lives, without canceling appointments and trying always to be on time. 

* Avoid the temptation to quiz your children about what is going on in the other parent's life, and don't use them to carry messages back and forth between you. They don't need the added responsibility, and it's not fair on them to feel they have to take sides or be in control of your relationship with your ex. Also, resist the urge to say bad things about the other parent in front of the kids. Top Ways to Protect Yourself Personally When all is said and done, you still have a life to live - on your own. Flying solo can be a liberating experience, once you've got over the shock of the divorce. Make it easier on yourself by following these simple tips... 

* Make sure you are employable. If you haven't worked for years, don't panic. Speak to a career counselor or life coach about re-doing your resume. Maybe all you need is to take a few courses or have an internship to get back on top of things. Maybe not: your life experience will count for more than you think! 

* Have lots of friends and family around you. Don't suffer things on your own. Seeing a film or visiting an art gallery can take your mind off your problems, if only for a few hours. Ask for support if you need it and try to enjoy the little things in life. 

* Seek new friends. Many married couples rely on other married couples for companionship, and often are left high and dry when they venture out on their own. Starting a new hobby can help you develop new interests and meet new people while you're at it. 

* Resist the rebound. While having new relationships can be fantastic, don't jump into a full-time romance immediately. Take the time to look around and enjoy yourself. Don't let friends set you up on a date, at least for a while. Being on your own is important - for now. Going through a divorce is never easy, but there are ways to minimize both the pain and the hassle. If you play your cards right you can make the whole process run as smoothly as possible - and make sure your future is financially secure as well. Take your time and get the help you need, and keep up a positive, optimistic outlook. Good luck!  

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/S_Matthews/489059

Investment and its Importance

Investment is important from many points of view. Before doing investment, it is essential to understand what is investment and its importance? 

"Investment is an act of investing money to earn the profit. It is the first step towards the future security of your money."

Need of Investment

The investment can help you in the future if invested wisely and properly. As per human nature, we plan for a few days or think to plan for investment, but do not put the plan into action. Every individual must plan for investment and keep aside some amount of money for the future. No doubt, the future is uncertain and it is required to invest smartly with some certain plan of actions that can avoid financial crisis at point of time. It can help you to bring a bright and secure future. It not only gives you secure future, but also controls your spending pattern. 

Important Factors of Investments 

Planning for Financial investment - Planning plays a pivotal role in all fields. For the financial investment, one must have a pertinent plan by taking all rise and fall situations of the market. You should have a good knowledge of investment before planning for financial investment. Keen observation and focused approach are the basic needs for successful financial investment. 

Invest according to your Needs and Capability- The purpose behind the investment should be clear by which you can fulfill your needs from the investment. In investment, financial ability is also a component that can bring you satisfaction and whatever results you want. You can start investment from a small amount as per your capability. You should care about your income and stability to choose the best plan for you. 

Explore the market for available investment options - The investment market is full of opportunities, you can explore the market by applying proper approach. You can take help from financial planners, managers who have thorough knowledge about investment in the market. Explore the possibility of investment markets and touch the sublime height of success by the sensible investment decisions. 

By taking help from an experienced, proficient financial planner and traders can also give you confidence to do well in the field of investment. Now the question strikes the mind that what are the types of investments?

Types of Investments 

Mutual Funds- Basically the mutual fund is a managed investment fund in which money is pulled from the investors to buy the securities. Commodity Market is a popular place of traders to invest their money. In Multi Commodity Exchange market, you can invest in crude oil, precious metals as gold, silver and base metals as copper, aluminium, nickel, zinc and many more. While in National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange market, you can invest in all agricultural commodities as soya bean, cotton, sugar cane and many more. 

Stock Market- It is the place where various people trade globally and earn the maximum return on investment. However, it is essential to know the bull and bear of the stock market for investing in it. The Stock market for investment also includes the equity market and nifty market. You can invest in equities and nifty market and get good amount profit by focused approach and keen analysis of market trend. 

Bonds - It is the best ways to gain interest on your principal amount. The interest and period of time depends on the agreement. In this, a holder lends a particular amount to the issuer (borrower) for a fixed period of time. At this time, you will get the interest from the borrower and after completing that fixed period of time borrower will return back your money. A long term tool for financial investment. 

Fixed Deposits - The Fixed Deposit (FD) service is provided by various banks that offers investors a higher rate of interest on their deposits as compared to a regular savings account. Fixed deposits have the maturity date to gain the return on investment. 

Real Estate- One can also invest in the real estate and deal with the residential and commercial property. This is also a trending way to earn a good return on investment. 

There are various financial planners, financial managers, trading tips provider who can give you numerous options for investment in the market. But it is essential to choose the options wisely. 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Eugene_C._/1291199