| What is an Investment Club? The definition of an investment club is simple: a group of people who share an interest in the stock market pooling their resources into one large investment. Defining how an investment club works is more complicated. The majority of the time the investment decisions will be made after some research has been done regarding the stock that is under consideration. This will be discussed at length further in this book. An important feature of an investment club is that the members are there to have fun as they invest their money and learn about the stock market. Making a profit isn’t the only goal of the club and members are encouraged to have fun as they invest their money. by: Alice You Don't Have To Be An Expert Stock Broker To Get Started Today! http://www.getwhatever.com/pvinc/ |
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Do you want to generate extra dollars and new friends in the stock market?
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Using SWOT Analysis To Improve Your Business
Analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of a business
is a well-established tool that is widely used by academics, consultants, and advisors.
Although it is a simple concept, business owners often struggle when trying to use it
because it is so broad. It is difficult to determine where to start, what questions
to ask, and where to focus. The obvious problems get attention while many other
important issues get overlooked. SWOT analysis is a great tool, but its effective
use requires additional structure.
Strengths and weaknesses relate to internal factors, while opportunities and threats
cover external ones. The internal factors can be divided into five categories:
management, workforce, sales and marketing, operations, and financial.
The external factors are also divided into five categories: threat of new entrants,
bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of customers, threat of rivalry from
competitors, and threat of substitution.
To approach the analysis in a structured way, prepare a checklist using the categories
mentioned above. Identify factors within each category that are important to your business. Under management for example, a major weakness for virtually every small business is relying too heavily on the owner. What would happen to the business if something happened to the owner? In the workforce category a factor could be employee turnover and the availability of new hires. The threat of new entrants might include the possibility of a big box retailer opening near your business. The bargaining power of suppliers and customers categories should consider the possibility of losing a major supplier or customer. Come up with several factors for each category to complete the checklist. It is important that you do not try to rate or solve each issue as you identify them. If you do, you will get bogged down on each factor and never complete the analysis.
Once the checklist is complete, you should rate each factor based on its importance
to your business. Use an alphabetical scale from A to E, where A = very important,
B = important, C = some importance, D = little importance, and E = not important.
Next rate each factor based on proficiency (internal) or vulnerability (external).
Use a numerical scale from 1 to 5, where 1 = very proficient or not vulnerable, 2 =
proficient or little vulnerability, 3 = average proficiency or some vulnerability, 4 =
poor proficiency or vulnerable, and 5 = deficient or very vulnerable.
The factors with the lowest letter and highest number (A5) are the biggest weaknesses
or threats. The ones with the lowest letter and lowest number (A1) are the biggest
strengths or opportunities.
Using this structured approach makes a SWOT analysis possible and practical for any
small business. To make this process worthwhile you must use this information to take
action. Work to fix the worst problems first, prepare for the biggest risks, take
advantage of the best opportunities, and build your secondary strengths.
by: David E Coffman CPA/ABV, CVA
About the author:
David E. Coffman CPA/ABV, CVA has 30 years of experience working with and operating small businesses. His “Scorecard for Small Business” provides an easy to use framework to do an in-depth analysis of any small business. Information about the “Scorecard” is available at http://small-biz-scorecard.com
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is a well-established tool that is widely used by academics, consultants, and advisors.
Although it is a simple concept, business owners often struggle when trying to use it
because it is so broad. It is difficult to determine where to start, what questions
to ask, and where to focus. The obvious problems get attention while many other
important issues get overlooked. SWOT analysis is a great tool, but its effective
use requires additional structure.
Strengths and weaknesses relate to internal factors, while opportunities and threats
cover external ones. The internal factors can be divided into five categories:
management, workforce, sales and marketing, operations, and financial.
The external factors are also divided into five categories: threat of new entrants,
bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of customers, threat of rivalry from
competitors, and threat of substitution.
To approach the analysis in a structured way, prepare a checklist using the categories
mentioned above. Identify factors within each category that are important to your business. Under management for example, a major weakness for virtually every small business is relying too heavily on the owner. What would happen to the business if something happened to the owner? In the workforce category a factor could be employee turnover and the availability of new hires. The threat of new entrants might include the possibility of a big box retailer opening near your business. The bargaining power of suppliers and customers categories should consider the possibility of losing a major supplier or customer. Come up with several factors for each category to complete the checklist. It is important that you do not try to rate or solve each issue as you identify them. If you do, you will get bogged down on each factor and never complete the analysis.
Once the checklist is complete, you should rate each factor based on its importance
to your business. Use an alphabetical scale from A to E, where A = very important,
B = important, C = some importance, D = little importance, and E = not important.
Next rate each factor based on proficiency (internal) or vulnerability (external).
Use a numerical scale from 1 to 5, where 1 = very proficient or not vulnerable, 2 =
proficient or little vulnerability, 3 = average proficiency or some vulnerability, 4 =
poor proficiency or vulnerable, and 5 = deficient or very vulnerable.
The factors with the lowest letter and highest number (A5) are the biggest weaknesses
or threats. The ones with the lowest letter and lowest number (A1) are the biggest
strengths or opportunities.
Using this structured approach makes a SWOT analysis possible and practical for any
small business. To make this process worthwhile you must use this information to take
action. Work to fix the worst problems first, prepare for the biggest risks, take
advantage of the best opportunities, and build your secondary strengths.
by: David E Coffman CPA/ABV, CVA
About the author:
David E. Coffman CPA/ABV, CVA has 30 years of experience working with and operating small businesses. His “Scorecard for Small Business” provides an easy to use framework to do an in-depth analysis of any small business. Information about the “Scorecard” is available at http://small-biz-scorecard.com
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Rental Property Investment - Finding The Properties
Rental property investment starts with finding the best deals.
To do this, you can increase your odds by finding more deals.
Who's more likely to get a cheap apartment building, an investor that
looks through the MLS listings and calls it a day, or the one that uses
ten resources? Here are those ten:
1. Look in old papers to find "For Rent" ads. Call if they are a few weeks old. The landlord
may be ready to sell, especially if he hasn't yet rented the units out.
2. Look up old FSBO ads. Call on two-month-old "For sale By Owner" ads, and if they
haven't sold, they may be ready to deal. Owners often give up the effort, but still
would love to sell. Help them out!
3. Drive around looking for "For Sale By Owner" signs. Owners often don't want to pay
to keep the ad in the paper every week, so you won't see all properties there.
4. Find abandoned properties. That's a pretty clear sign that the owner doesn't want to
deal with the property. He might sell cheap.
5. Talk. Let people know you are looking and sometimes the properties will
come to you. There are a lot of owners out there who want to sell, but haven't yet listed
their property.
6. Talk to bankers. You might get a foreclosed rental property cheaper if
you buy it before they list it with a real estate agent.
7. Offer someone a finder's fee. There are people that always seem to hear
about the good deals. Have such people coming to you.
8. Eviction notices. If your local papers publish eviction notices, or if
you can get the information at the courthouse, it can be useful. A landlord
who just went through the procees of evicting tenants is a likely seller.
9. Use the internet. Go to a search engine and enter the type of real estate
you are looking for, along with the city you want to invest in. You never know
what you might find.
10. Put an ad in the paper. "Looking for rental properties to buy," might be
sufficient to generate a few calls.
There is a lot more to learn to do it right, but finding good properties is a good
place to start for rental property investment.
by: Steve Gillman
About The Author
Steve Gillman has invested in real estate for years. To get a free real estate
investing course, and see a photo of a beautiful house he and his wife bought
for $17,500, visit http://www.HousesUnderFiftyThousand.com.
To do this, you can increase your odds by finding more deals.
Who's more likely to get a cheap apartment building, an investor that
looks through the MLS listings and calls it a day, or the one that uses
ten resources? Here are those ten:
1. Look in old papers to find "For Rent" ads. Call if they are a few weeks old. The landlord
may be ready to sell, especially if he hasn't yet rented the units out.
2. Look up old FSBO ads. Call on two-month-old "For sale By Owner" ads, and if they
haven't sold, they may be ready to deal. Owners often give up the effort, but still
would love to sell. Help them out!
3. Drive around looking for "For Sale By Owner" signs. Owners often don't want to pay
to keep the ad in the paper every week, so you won't see all properties there.
4. Find abandoned properties. That's a pretty clear sign that the owner doesn't want to
deal with the property. He might sell cheap.
5. Talk. Let people know you are looking and sometimes the properties will
come to you. There are a lot of owners out there who want to sell, but haven't yet listed
their property.
6. Talk to bankers. You might get a foreclosed rental property cheaper if
you buy it before they list it with a real estate agent.
7. Offer someone a finder's fee. There are people that always seem to hear
about the good deals. Have such people coming to you.
8. Eviction notices. If your local papers publish eviction notices, or if
you can get the information at the courthouse, it can be useful. A landlord
who just went through the procees of evicting tenants is a likely seller.
9. Use the internet. Go to a search engine and enter the type of real estate
you are looking for, along with the city you want to invest in. You never know
what you might find.
10. Put an ad in the paper. "Looking for rental properties to buy," might be
sufficient to generate a few calls.
There is a lot more to learn to do it right, but finding good properties is a good
place to start for rental property investment.
by: Steve Gillman
About The Author
Steve Gillman has invested in real estate for years. To get a free real estate
investing course, and see a photo of a beautiful house he and his wife bought
for $17,500, visit http://www.HousesUnderFiftyThousand.com.
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