FAP Turbo

Make Over 90% Winning Trades Now!

Saturday, December 5, 2009

DIY Superannuation - How Much Control Do You Want?

By Gnifrus Urquart

The superannuation system is great for all of us. Our employer puts money away for our retirement, money which we never really see anyway so it does not impact our lifestyles. Then, when we retire, we have a massive pool of saved funds which we can enjoy.

One of the pitfalls of superannuation for me though is the way you lose control of your money. It is your money, yet often someone (such as your employer and usually due to your own inaction) decides where your money is invested. For this reason, I set up my own Self Managed Superannuation Fund (SMSF).

Without making this article too complex, all an SMSF is, is a structure which enables you to manage your own superannuation money. There are a number of responsibilities which come with running your own super fund, you can manage these yourself or outsource them as you see fit. Most of these responsibilities follow:

1. Your Trustee Responsibilities. Someone needs to legally own the assets of the fund. This is the trustee. The trustee is also responsible for the running of the fund, so if anything goes wrong, it is the trustee who is legally liable.

Secondly, there is the administration and accounting responsibilities. This is a time intensive role, keeping the books up to date and preparing the annual accounts, lodging tax returns and preparing reports for members.

3. Audit - The auditor looks over all the accounts prepared by the administrator to ensure they comply with the existing superannuation and tax law. A successful audit will mean you maintain your status as a complying superannuation fund, so you can continue to receive the superannuation tax benefits.

d) Investing the money. Superannuation is retirements savings. Someone needs to make all the investment decisions within the superannuation regulations, in a way which maximises the future retirement benefits of its members.

Personally, I was just interested in managing my investments. All the rest was outsourced. I just wanted to be able to ensure the investment decisions I made were mine so I could feel responsible for any losses or gains that I made. There is nothing worse than when your retirement investments decrease over a year and you have no control whatsoever in the decisions made. I wanted to avoid this. Also, getting control of this meant that I could make investment decisions giving my whole portfolio consideration and not treat my retirement investment as if it were an island, completely separate of other investments I have. It is all part of my estate after all.

Time is always an issue though, which is why I outsourced all the other duties. Getting rid of all those responsibilities left me with much more time to research and make appropriate investment decisions. - 23208

About the Author:

401k Advice

By Michael Swanson

If you have been dealing with some type of financial issue and you have a 401k than it is probably crossed your mind to use it as a solution. It would be simple since you can quickly and easily take a loan out against it. You should evaluate this choice before taking action however. Keep reading to find some useful 401k advice to help you make a decision.

If there is any way at all that you can completely avoid taking a loan out against your retirement money, do so. After all, this is your financial future and when the time comes you are going to need all of it. Remember your compound interest. The more money you have in the fund and the longer it is there, the more you are going to have in the future when you really need it.

You can also skip the loan process altogether and just go for straight out withdrawing the money. The problem with this is that the there is always a high tax penalty that comes with this option.

If you choose to take a loan out instead, you won't be imposed with a tax penalty. However, limits and restrictions on these kinds of loans are in place. Restrictions will be different depending on your plan. For most, though, there are a few standard reasons that are acceptable.

Some of these reasons would be things like paying for college, paying a mortgage if you are at risk of losing your home and paying a significant amount of medical expenses.

Some of the restrictions you will probably encounter during this process include things like a minimum loan amount, a set length of outset, a maximum amount allowable to borrow and loan fees.

If you are still considering the 401k loan as an option, look for any other option you may have first before doing so. If in your case you have poor credit and just absolutely have to have the money quickly, look in to a short term personal loan as an alternative. - 23208

About the Author:

Getting Into Rental Properties

By Billy Chen

Singapore rental is nothing but renting a property in Singapore.Lease is a real estate contract or an agreement that is made when you (renter) and the landlord decide to sign the contract for mutual benefits.In order to form a lease or a real estate contract, the landlord and you have to agree on many issues.

The most important factor to consider when it comes to renting property, such as Singapore, Singapore, the agents found a few in the country and it is very important that you to an agent who will address a reliable, honest and efficient.

If you want to find properties in certain locations or neighborhoods in Singapore then make sure that you mention the neighborhoods to your agent so that he will try and find rental properties for you in the areas that you like. While choosing the neighborhoods, it is advised that you look for Singapore Properties in safe neighborhoods so that you do not have to worry about anything regarding safety.

When you are going to check out the rental properties, make sure that you examine all the things in the property carefully before you agree to rent the Singapore Property. See properly to find out whether there are any flaws or defects in the property.

When negotiations on the Singapore property price, make sure you are aware of the approximate market rent properties similar to the ones you want to rent. Try to negotiate a price or cost of the lease with the landlord and then to agree on a price that you and the landlord.

When you have decided that you wish to rent a Singapore Property, you will have to sign the rental contract or agreement (tenancy agreement).Make sure that you read each and every detail carefully before you sign the document.

Make sure that you agree with the tenancy period as mentioned in the tenancy agreement. If the tenancy period is very short and you wish to rent the property for a longer period of time then try to talk about it with the landlord.

Your Singapore Real Estate agent will know that is best for you so make sure that you ask for his or her advice when you are looking for rental properties in Singapore. - 23208

About the Author:

Use Twitter In Selling Real Estate

By Jerome Pennix

At every real estate conventions, boot camps, or seminars the topic of marketing comes up. Someone will mention Facebook (that's a whole different story) which is always closely followed by a comment about Twitter. So... let's evaluate is Twitter worth it? If it IS worth it, how can you best use it for great results? First, lets look at just what Twitter is and what it can do for your marketing efforts.

Twitter.com is a website where anyone can create a profile and become a "micro-blogger" Twitter is like a regular blog (aka web-log) in that it lets you say anything you desire to say to anyone and everyone who will see it - with one exception. Twitter only allows you to express yourself--0 characters at a time. So it's a little like using you cell phone to send the world a text message. When you find a profile of someone whose--0 character Twitter posts (called "tweets") you can "follow" them - whenever they post something new, it will appear on your Twitter home screen. If someone finds YOUR profile and follows YOU, then you will be notified that someone is "following" you. Now that you know the basics, let's talk about making this a useful and PROFITABLE tool for you.

Because the old adage "Out of sight, out of mind" is usually true, you'll need to stay active with your "tweeting" you should be posting at least once a day. Find something to say specific to real estate - something that other people will find useful. If you just start blasting info about properties you have for sale, it probably won't get you as far as you hope. After all - when was the last time you opened and read an email from someone trying to sell you something?

If you give your followers information they can use or information they find interesting (even if it ISN'T about real estate) then you'll have an opportunity to keep their attention. When you gain their trust, they'll be more willing to consider what you have to say when you do offer them a property you have listed.

Twitter, like other social networking sites, is a great way to connect with people - just keep in mind that they're people and want to be treated like people. They aren't dollar signs. So connect! when someone follows you, send them a short personal message letting them know you appreciate it.

Remember that being upfront and transparent with people and giving thoughtful data is what Twitter is all about - the money will come if you treat people like people and post often so that your Twitter marketing is consistently on the radar! The more you do that, the larger your following will be - and the larger your following, the greater your chances of communicating with someone who needs to make a deal - which, of course, means a better chance for you to profit! - 23208

About the Author:

Are Private Housing Prices Still Affordable In Singapore Property ?

By Billy Chen

With the economy back on track to ensure a slow, but returned as property players push into the red hot real estate market is Singapore. This bull market is flushed with setting the mood and developers rush to their prices in the daily ad. You can't help, eighth, but it only came to the conclusion that prices are behind you.

Are the current real estate prices reasonable? Is there really enough to support it fool buyers, this price level? Or were you, and you will reduce the accumulation of wealth and income has failed to keep pace with property prices?

For a better sense of what the real estate market, we have's start by controlling how property news Rates transferred to you. If you are not vital and active real estate players, the chances that you will need to be on secondary sources, such as the media upgrade for your property depends. Media such as newspapers, radio and television, all unwittingly playing a role in our design your beliefs.

We are not suggesting that our media has been responsible for inaccurate reporting. Rather we are aware of the fact media exists to disseminate 'newsworthy' and interesting reports. A grand and mega project that runs into hundreds of millions in development cost would easily snatch the headlines from the more decent real estate development. The fact remains that, in all reality, for one super-scale mega project, there are probably a number of more modest launches that do not make headlines materials.

Viewing pay developers are charming reason that a similar fashion. This super-luxury housing advertisements in the Marina and Sentosa in enclaves, for example, based on the very wealthy foreigners and locals. It is understandable that a price premium and is usually not designed for the average Singapore.

Of course, resale prices for privately owner-occupied properties are obviously lower than those advertised at the new launches.But few people are aware of them as the lack of 'newsworthiness' elements.For the average guys among us, the new launch prices are what making news within our circles.

One of the reasons that help others, this belief is formed that in 2007 real estate boom is still fresh 'spirit in Singapore \. With the integrated resort as a backdrop, many developers have their complaints and went to the opening number of super-super-luxurious and exclusive projects with great success in a massive training of a record number of foreign investors. Here too, these features are not available to the average Singapore .

In all reality, the private real estate market is not going to stay static as inflation is a natural element in any economy. But, still, there a number of modestly priced private properties around Singapore. The suburb properties, just for comparison, have only registered a single digit increase in price in the past ten years. It is only up to you to tweak your aspiration and look out for them. - 23208

About the Author: