Forkids Business Guidelines

Understanding how online banking works efficiently is easy. It is in part a question of time management. Traditionally people have struggled through traffic and other city hazards to queue during office hours. The time actually spent transaction business might be less that a minute or a few minutes but getting to the consultant sitting behind a desk could take hours.

By contrast the page of one’s computer or smart phone can be accessed in the course of a few seconds and the necessary transaction completed in the time that would be taken to walk into a building and join a queue. Time during the working day does not have to be set aside for traveling and standing because transaction can be done at any time of the day or night, when convenient.

Firms have different corporate approaches to their customers. Some treat clients as nuisances and others do their best to offer professional services. Similarly, some sites are very much more friendly and helpful than others. It is wise to investigate before registering.

It is necessary to create a profile with a particular firm before commencing. This can be a sticking point for those who do not belong to the generation of people used to transacting exclusively with computer systems and no human interaction so some time might be invested in a consultant behind a desk or at a telephone number. The profile can include several accounts of different types and almost all business on these accounts may be economically accomplished without setting a foot inside a building.

Credit card accounts are usually run through specialist companies but banks act as agents for these companies. Credit card accounts can be included on the profile of customers who run their accounts through the bank that acts as an agent to the particular card company. There may be some restriction on how funds are withdrawn but usually it is possible to transfer funds into them instantaneously.

The prevalence of online banking has streamlined business for both debtors and creditors. Accounts may be paid directly into relevant accounts and funds may also be received economically and quickly into accounts. In some cases banks offer special services such as accepting international payments through money transfer companies and even paying traffic fines online. It is possible to pay recurring monthly accounts by means of scheduled payments on particular dates.

Many people who are reluctant to move away from traditional banking are motivated by fear. They are afraid that their personal information may somehow be available to others and that there could easily be fraudulent activity of which they are unaware. The need to be assured that the same accounting and banking practices operate as they have done traditionally. The difference is that particular clients have access to their personal information just as bank officials always have had.

To know how online banking works is to know that the same banking practices apply to accounts as has traditionally been the case. The difference is that clients now have access to their personal information and can complete personal transactions. The fact that this information can be checked frequently and for no cost means that a greater degree of personal vigilance is possible, making banking even safer than it was before.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

There are two types of income to fully understand if you want to start your way to becoming financially healthy. No matter what your job is, whether you are a bookkeeper or a company director, everybody gets at least one of the two types of income so it is equally important to understand them.

Active Income

Active income is the reward from participating in an endeavor that used your time, skills and effort. Usually seen in a form of paychecks, incentives, and commissions, it means actively involving oneself to be able to earn money. An example is a person selling pancakes. If he sells today, he gets paid. If he doesn’t, it means there would be no income for him.

Residual Income

Residual Income is the reward one gets from passively participating in an endeavor. It is the income from capitals and assets or money-generating activities. It is also called passive income. A person with this type of income still receives money even while he is asleep. A good example is an online marketer that has a 24/7 website where he gets clients from all over the world to sign up for his services. He gets paid for being passively involved in the process of earning money.

Why do we need to have residual income?

If you will ask people if they want more money, most of the time the answer is a big “Yes”. One of the motivations nowadays is wealth. We want more cash. To be wealthy, we have to know what the word means. Is being wealthy having a million-dollar bank account, owning the hottest cars and travelling around the globe? In fact, wealth is simpler that what we think: Wealth is simply being able to pay for your chosen lifestyle without the need to ever earn an active income again.

Wealth is absolutely not about the dollars in the bank. If a person has a million dollars, travels the world endlessly, buys expensive cars without enough residual income to sustain his lifestyle, his millionaire life can be gone too soon.

So why do we need to focus on our a passive income source instead of just having more cash? It’s because passive income can take care of our needs and wants for a long period of time under our chosen lifestyle. If you want to live a life like the filthy rich, then you have to find residual income streams that will give you dividends and cash rewards which are enough for your new-found luxuries. Keeping a good cash flow of passive income is the key to wealth.

In short, the first thing to do is to be clear in what kind of lifestyle you would like to achieve. This is actually what most financial advisors would ask a client during the first sessions of working with them. What kind of lifestyle would suit you? What exactly are you aiming for?

Once that question is clearly answered, the next step it to search for opportunities to be able to get that lifestyle and sustain it. Look for information around you about tried-and-tested residual income sources that you can use to get you where you want to go, which is true wealth.

With the proper marketing system in place you can create Residual Income.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Fixed income unit trust is touted as the safest asset class in unit trust investment. But is it as safe as fixed deposit? The answer is NO. Fixed deposit is a risk-free investment vehicle which guarantees you the return. Fixed income fund does not. So what is the financial workings behind a fixed income unit trust?

Fixed income fund invests in bonds. In this article, the terms fixed income fund and bond fund will used interchangeably.

Bond

Bond is a fixed income securities. If issued by private sector, it is known as corporate bond. It is considered a debt instruments to raise capital to finance expenditure or working capital, without diluting the ownership rights (unlike shares).

From investor perspective, they will lend an amount of money to the bond issuer, and in return they will get a predetermined rate of return (coupon payment, usually within 5 to 10 percent) from their capital annually/semi-annually/quarterly. In addition to this, the capital will be repaid to the investor when the bond ‘matures’, normally within 1 year for short-term bond (aka Treasury Bills) and 10 years for long-term bond. The initial committed principal may be less or more than the final capital repayment, the former known as discount bond and the latter as premium bond. In short, investor is guaranteed to be compensated in periodical coupon payment in addition to the value of discount of the bond ‘price’.

Systematic risk

Systematic risk refers to the investment risk associated with the local and global economic conditions. This, more often than not, is the primary risk for government bonds.

The net asset value (NAV) of a bond fund which largely consists of a portfolio of government bonds fluctuates according to the economy. This type of risk is something no one can control, but perhaps more predictable. You will know an economic recession is looming in the horizon by keeping up to date with a lot of economic indicators such as interest rate, purchasing manager index and business condition index.

Government bonds are almost similar to risk free investment, unless you are living in nation like Greece where government could default on its nation’s debt. United States, for example, has a sterling bond rating of triple As until it is downgraded this year.

Unsystematic risk

The more unpredictable risk inherent in a bond fund is unsystematic risk. This type of risk relates to an organization or corporation which issues the bond. It is more likely for a company regardless of its size, if the company is being mismanaged. The analogy of it is this. I accumulate a sum of money from my family members and purchases bond from you. You are the corporation which issues me the bond and I am the mutual fund itself, while my family members are the bond unit holders (investors). You take the money to gamble, and in the end losing all of it. As a consequence, you can neither repay me the principle nor the periodic coupon payment. The fund goes down the drain along with the investors’ money when the bond issuer defaults on its financial obligations.

How to mitigate the risk

Whichever bond fund you choose to invest in, take time to read their financial reports twice a year. One is annual report, issued after the end of the fund’s fiscal year, and another one is interim report. This may sound tedious if you are not a finance guy; but trust me, this is something you can do in 30 minutes. You probably spend more time planning for your vacation, what is the rationale of not spending a fraction of that time flipping through the annual reports when your money is at stake here?

Focus on the bond holdings of the fund. See if the objectives and mandates of the fund has changed. The mandate can mean the lowest grade bond category a fund manager can hold or buy for the fund. Any bond has its own rating which reflects the credit worthiness of the bond issuer. In layman terms, the higher the rating, the least likely bond issue is to default. The rating is evaluated independently by agency such as Standard & Poor’s. Ensure that all bonds held in the fund are of investment grade (BBB and above). Any bond holdings below this grade are considered junk bonds and should be a red flag. Redeem your cash and look for some other funds instead. It is not worth to risk your money in junk bonds which may promise higher yield.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!