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401K, Checking & Savings, Financial, Financial Services, Investment, IRA, Loans, Money, Personal Finance, Retirement, Trading

Top Self Directed IRA Firm And Leading Precious Metals Broker Pair Up To Provide Investors With Alternatives

The New Mexico based self directed IRA firm Sunwest Trust (www.SunwestTrust.com) announced today that they have reached an arrangement with Republic Monetary Exchange (www.RepublicMonetary.com), a leading precious metals broker based in Phoenix, Arizona. Under their arrangement, Sunwest Trust will provide exclusive self directed IRA custodian services for Republic’s client investment accounts, described by Jim Clark, CEO of Republic Monetary Exchange as a “win-win situation for our clients”.

For Sunwest, this partnership represents an extension of the firm’s IRA custodial and escrow services to the precious metals market, a move likely to be adopted by an increasing number of firms in the financial services sector.

“Consumers are becoming interested in investment vehicles which are less vulnerable to the ups and downs of the stock market. We’re seeing a lot of new IRA accounts at Sunwest from clients who want to purchase gold and other precious metals inside their IRA portfolios. Until 2007 it was primarily real estate, but now we’re starting to see an increase in the number of gold or precious metal backed accounts,” said Terry White, CEO of Sunwest Trust.

With a growing concern among the public about the possibility of inflationary pressures driving down the value of their IRA accounts and other investments, the number of consumers choosing to invest in gold, silver and other precious metals has been steadily increasing over the past few years, with brokers like Republic Monetary Exchange gaining market share in the financial services sector rapidly.

The relative stability of gold and other precious metals makes them an especially popular investment in a sluggish economy, especially when compared to traditional stock and securities investments. Given the uncertain economic outlook for at least the next few quarters, Sunwest Trust Inc. and Republic’s new relationship looks to be one, which is certain to attract investors looking for stable retirement investment vehicles such as the self directed IRA or a gold-backed IRA account.

Via EPR Network
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Checking & Savings, Financial, Financial Information, Financial Management, Financial Services, Insurance, Investment, Money, Personal Finance

The Children’s Mutual Reports Kids Unaffected By Recession This Christmas

According to research by a leading Child Trust Fund (CTF) provider, The Children’s Mutual, children in the UK are set for a bumper Christmas this year, receiving £5 billion of presents. With generous friends and family set to spend 20% more than last year on youngsters, it seems the recession is not impacting kids’ stockings just yet.

The average UK child will receive £380 worth of presents this year, compared to £316 in 2008. In total, UK kids will have over £4 billion worth of toys and other presents underneath their trees, along with £960 million in cash, with each child receiving an average of £73. More than a quarter of lucky UK children will get £100 or more.

The Children’s Mutual is urging parents to take advantage of the generosity of friends and family this Christmas by asking them to invest in a present that could last a lifetime.

David White, Chief Executive of The Children’s Mutual, said: “It’s great news that the recession is not affecting kids’ stockings this Christmas. However we are urging parents to think about their children’s futures and ask friends and family to invest a portion of this money for the long-term.”

The Children’s Mutual also found that a lot of money is spent on presents that often don’t last for more than a couple of months.

David White continued: “Around £200 is spent on presents that won’t make it past Easter, but if this money was invested in a Child Trust Fund each year, it could be worth £6,100* by the time it matures when the child turns 18. This way friends and family can give a gift that could last well beyond the child’s 18th birthday and providing them with a nest egg for the future.”

According to figures from The Children’s Mutual, top ups into Child Trust Funds get a timely boost at Christmas with an average increase in ad hoc payments of just under 25% during the festive period.

Child Trust Funds are designed to provide a tax efficient, long term savings vehicle for all eligible children (born on or after 1 September 2002). Each newborn child receives a £250 Child Trust Fund voucher (£500 for low income families) from the Government when their parents register for Child Benefit. The Government will make a second contribution of £250 (£500 for low income families) when the child reaches seven and is considering a third in the child’s teenage years. Parents, family and friends can all then add to this account up to a maximum value of £1,200 each year.

Via EPR Network
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Checking & Savings, Financial, Financial Information, Financial Management, Financial Services, Insurance, Investment, Money, Personal Finance

The Children’s Mutual Launches What I Want To Be Webmercial

The Children’s Mutual, a leading Child Trust Fund provider, has captured the career aspirations of kids in the UK in its new webmercial and microsite.

Dressed to reflect the most popular career choices, babies from seven to 11 months are seen acting out different job roles in the 50 second web ad.

The What I Want To Be webmercial was prompted by research from The Children’s Mutual into the dream jobs of the nation’s children entitled What I Want To Be. Every year the research tracks the career aspirations of children as they grow up, to explore how social and economic factors might affect their ultimate career choices.

The brains behind the ad, Head of Online at The Children’s Mutual and dad of one, Nathan King said: “We wanted to engage with a new generation of parents who enjoy and respond to online media. We understand families and their desire to help their children fulfil their ambitions. So while the ad and microsite are a lot of fun our products support parents in helping their children to reach their goals.”

The project isn’t the first time The Children’s Mutual has broken new ground as a CTF provider. The family finance specialist also created the first branded CTF TV advert encouraging parents to save for their children as well as a recently launched animated guide to the Child Trust Fund. The webmercial and CTF microsite now form part of the company’s evolving social media engagement strategy.

According to King: “Personal finance is very few people’s favourite subject but it is a crucial part of daily life. As a family finance specialist we want to try everything we can to help make saving and planning for the future as engaging and straightforward as it can be.”

Child Trust Funds are designed to provide a tax efficient, long term savings vehicle for all eligible children. Each eligible newborn child (born on or after 1 September 2002) receives a£250 Child Trust Fund voucher (£500 for low income families) from the Government when their parents register for Child Benefit. The Government will make a second contribution of £250 (£500 for low income families) when the child reaches seven and is considering a third in the child’s teenage years. Parents, family and friends can all then add to this account up to a maximum value of £1,200 each year.

Via EPR Network
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401K, Assets, Financial, Financial Information, Financial Law, Financial Services, Investment, IRA, Money, Personal Finance, Retirement, Taxes

Savvy Self-Employed Seek Little-Known Tax Benefits Provided By The Solo 401k

The Solo 401k is designed for the self-employed and offers powerful features not found in traditional 401k or IRA retirement plans. The Solo 401k offers unique tax benefits to those who open an account before the New Year.

The clock is ticking for taxpayers to secure their end-of-the year tax breaks and many Americans who qualify for a tax shelter are not utilizing it.

“That’s because many people are completely unaware of a special retirement vehicle that offers the self-employed a way to make significant contributions,” said financial expert, Jeff Nabers, CEO of Nabers Group.

The Solo 401k account offers powerful features that are not available to those who invest in traditional IRA or 401k accounts.

“One special feature of the Solo 401k is that it can be run by the accountholder. You don’t have to open it up at a Wall Street-focused firm. That means that you’re not stuck to ordering your investments off of a menu that offers only stocks, bonds, and mutual funds,” explains Nabers.

The volatile stock market and significant losses that many investors suffered have caused them to look for alternative options. Nabers says that’s where the Solo 401k can really be helpful. “Using the Solo 401k, people can invest in real estate, gold, foreign annuities, foreign currency, small businesses, and much more,” said Nabers. Even better, the Solo 401k allows accountholders to make large retirement contributions totaling more than $50,000.

About the Jeff Nabers, CEO
Jeff Nabers is the Chief Executive Officer of the Nabers Group and is a renowned consultant, speaker, and educator. Nabers is an expert in the fields of Self Directed wealth management and personal finance. Nabers teaches seminars on understanding money, free market capitalism, inflation, Austrian economic theory, real estate investing, direct possession of gold and silver, income-producing assets, small business startup funding, and Self Directed IRA and Solo 401k investing. Additionally, Nabers is the chairman of the IRA Association of America and authored the book 5 Steps To Freedom.

Via EPR Network
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NS&I Reveal Findings Of Families, Finance And The Future Report

NS&I’s ‘Families, Finance and the Future’ report has shown that before having children, Britons believe you should have an income of at least £25,000 per annum to ensure financial security, while 20% of those surveyed said that they would seriously consider not having children because the cost of having them nowadays is so high.

The NS&I report, Families, Finance and the Future, was written by the Future Foundation and commissioned by NS&I. The report was produced by a combination of desk research and original survey work. Figures taken from a nationally representative sample of 1,049 adults aged 16+. Other sources the report used include the British Household Panel Survey, the ONS, Eurobarometer, the Department for Communities and Local Government, and previous surveys conducted by the Future Foundation.

Almost two-thirds (64%) said people should be financially secure before starting a family, while 78% agreed that the standard of living was an influencing factor when deciding on how many children to have. Just 26% of Britons believe that money shouldn’t be a consideration when deciding to start a family.

Tim Mack, NS&I Savings Spokesman, said: “Starting a family is always going to be much more than a purely economic decision, though for some the financial requirement is clearly an income of £25,000 per year. Britons are also considering their financial future when deciding on the number of children they will have.”

More than one in ten respondents (12%) thought that those thinking of starting a family should be earning between £40,000 and £70,000 before having children, while a similar number (13%) believed that they didn’t need anything as they would always be able to get by. Men were more likely to suggest a bigger financial cushion than women – £27,000 per year, compared to just £23,000 for women – while people without children gave much higher estimates, saying people should be earning at least£30,000.

As well as looking at the situation for individuals, the report also argues that finances and families are linked on a larger, macroeconomic, level.

Barry Clark, Account Director at the Future Foundation, said: “Baby booms tend to follow economic booms and the reverse is true too. Our data suggests that over the past 60 years, GDP growth and the change in birth rates in the UK have been closely linked, so we expect that the coming years will show more than ever that finances and families are related on both a personal and national economic scale.”

The primary consideration influences on the number of children people decide to have appeared to be common:

78% – standard of living they can give their children
73% – meeting the cost of raising their children
51% – size of the house they can afford to raise their family in
39% – education they can make sure their children receive

It is evident that perceived affluence has an effect on the birth rate. In fact, Future Foundation research and the British Household Panel Survey both have shown that in European countries where more people have an income that is either in line with or above their financial expectations, families bear more children.

Barry Clark added: “The highest earners would seem less likely to have larger families owing to the demands of, and devotion to, their careers, or a sharper awareness of just how much children cost to raise.”

Via EPR Network
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Hargreaves Lansdown Named Best Online SIPP Provider of the Year

Hargreaves Lansdown has been named the Best Online SIPP Provider of the year at the Technology Administration and Service (TAS) Awards, 2009.

The awards programme, which is organised by the Pensions and Investment Group of the Financial Times, aims to recognise achievement by providers of products and services to UK advisers.

It is the second award that that Hargreaves Lansdown’s SIPP has received this year, following their award for Best SIPP provider from What Investment, an accolade which the company has received three years in a row.

Following the awards, which were held at the Park Lane Hilton, Alex Davies, Director of Pensions at Hargreaves Lansdown, said “We never get complacent about these things but hope these awards demonstrate our commitment to providing clients with the best information and the best tools to manage their own investments.”

If you are interested in considering a SIPP, visit the Hargreaves Lansdown website, were more information, along with a downloadable, free guide to Self Invested Personal Pensions is available.

Via EPR Network
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Animated Guide To Child Trust Funds

Leading Child Trust Fund provider The Children’s Mutual is pleased to announce the launch of a new cartoon guide to Child Trust Funds – the first of its kind in the marketplace.

The cartoon guide is a five minute animation in a graphic style reminiscent of perennial children’s favourite, Fuzzy Felt. During the film, busy new mum, Mel, (and baby Emily) explain what the Child Trust Fund is, the different sorts of funds that are available, their individual features, how to find a provider and how to go about applying for a fund.

The Child Trust Fund guide has additional link-back buttons at the end that allow viewers to go directly back to sections of particular interest and watch them again. It also gives clear direction to alternative information sources including HMRC.

Marketing Director, Tony Anderson, said: “We appreciate that new parents have very little free time and when they do get a chance to sit down they aren’t necessarily in the mood to wade through financial paperwork or regulatory terminology. But they still want to be sure that they are making the right choices for their children. This is where our animated guide provides a completely new approach to helping customers – through carefully chosen language and functionality. It provides all the salient information about CTFs in easy to understand language and simple to access bite size sections.”

The cartoon guide can be viewed at The Children’s Mutual’s own website and is also available for publications and sites to host themselves to help their own audiences to more easily understand the Child Trust Fund.

Tony concluded: “Opening a Child Trust Fund account can seem like a daunting task, but with our new guide it needn’t be. All we ask is that parents give us just five minutes of their time to help them make an informed decision.”

Child Trust Funds are designed to provide a tax efficient, long term savings vehicle for all eligible children. Each eligible newborn child (born on or after 1 September 2002) receives £250 (£500 for low income families) from the government when their parents register for Child Benefit. The Government will make a second contribution of £250 (£500 for low income families) when the child reaches seven and is considering a third in the child’s teenage years. Parents, family and friends can all then add to this account up to a maximum value of £1,200 each year.

Via EPR Network
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Workers Beyond Retirement Age To Double In 10 Years

Prudential has revealed that UK businesses are bracing themselves for a surge in staff looking to delay retirement with around 1.8 million people expected to be working beyond traditional retirement ages in just 10 years.

The findings from new research commissioned by Prudential among finance directors at UK businesses found 24% of companies expect staff to work beyond retirement age in the next 10 years, with the proportion of people in the workforce who are past traditional retirement ages expected to more than double to 1.8 million people.

Larger companies expect to see an even greater proportion of their workforce working beyond retirement, with 39% of finance directors at larger firms expecting to have to accommodate requests from staff to work longer.

UK companies anticipate this will mean around 6.3% of their workforce (equivalent to 1.8 million people across the UK working population) will be made up of people working beyond statutory retirement ages in 10 years, more than double the current proportion of 2.6% of company workers (equivalent to around 752,700 people***) who currently work past retirement.

The study also found that in the past 12 months alone, 7% of finance directors have reported an increase in the number of employees asking to work past traditional retirement ages.

Martyn Bogira, Prudential’s Director of Defined Contribution Solutions, said: “As health and longevity continue to improve and people look to fund a longer life in retirement, it is inevitable that compromises have to be made.

“The statutory retirement age for men and women is due to rise to 68 by 2046, so working longer will be a fact of life for those entering the workforce today but these findings suggest that increasing numbers of pensioners will be forced to work later far sooner than this. Employers have told us that their staff costs could rise as their employees work for longer.

“Workers face the stark choice of either having to save more for their pension from an earlier age or having to work longer if they are to avoid taking a significant drop in their standard of living in retirement. Early pension saving is critical and we strongly encourage people not to delay starting a pension.”

The research also identified a clear North/South divide. Companies in the north of the country expect an average of 16.2% of their staff to work past the statutory retirement age compared with an average of 2.4% in Greater London and the South East.

Via EPR Network
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New Tax Law for Roth IRA May Be a Bad Deal for Taxpayers

In 2010 millions of Americans will be able to do something they have never done before—convert their IRA into a Roth IRA account. Current 2009 limitations do not allow anyone who makes more than $100,000 per year to convert their traditional retirement funds into a Roth IRA.

However, beginning in 2010, the Roth IRA conversion restrictions are being lifted. But is this really a good thing for taxpayers?

“Roth IRAs are a bad idea for taxpayers because they are paying taxes now in order to avoid paying taxes on distributions that are taken later,” said Jeff Nabers, CEO of Nabers Group. The problem is partly the economic crisis that we are in. “It makes sense if we were in a commodity-based monetary system, but we’re not. We have a fiat currency system that creates an inflationary environment in which Roth conversion is a good deal for the government and a bad deal for the taxpayer.”

Additionally, the Roth IRA conversion can be costly for the taxpayers. If they opt to convert their traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs, the IRS will view this as a taxable event. Accountholders will be taxed based on the entire conversion amount for their current tax bracket. The income taxes due on the 2010 conversion can be spread over two years. However, future conversions must be included in income reports to the IRS and will be taxed during the tax year in which the conversion is completed.

Nabers cautions his clients to carefully look at all their options when considering the Roth IRA conversion. He suggests, “Instead they should continue using their non-Roth Retirement accounts for the maximum tax benefit.”

Nabers, the author of Five Steps To Freedom: How to Cut Your Dependence on Institutions and Escape Financial Slavery, points out that the most important thing that taxpayers can do in these economic times is to find alternative investment solutions. “We’re likely heading into an era of significant inflation. I recommend that people seek alternatives to volatile Wall Street Securities and dollar-denominated assets in general.”

“The action that I recommend is to get more educated on the matter and look at both sides of the story before making a decision,” said Nabers. He says deciding to convert to a Roth IRA could cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. “Before paying taxes using half of your savings, wealth, or retirement account, consult experts about all of your options. What you don’t know could hurt you—so seek knowledge and information so that you can make an informed decision that you won’t regret.”

Via EPR Network
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Jeff Nabers, CEO Of Nabers Group, Cautions Against The Use Of 401(k), IRA Rollovers As A Financing Strategy For A Business Start-up

One unforeseen consequence of the current recession has been the increasing number of Americans who have stumbled into entrepreneurship after losing their jobs to round after round of layoffs. Many of these people have taken one look at a job market where the unemployment rate is nearly 20% in some regions and decided to start their own businesses. It’s a bold move and certainly there is something very admirable about the idea, but also a risky one, with about half failing in the first few years; making financing a small business start-up something, which should be done with great care.

There are a lot of people who think of using 401(k) or IRA rollovers as a source of financing the start-up costs of a new business or to cover the purchase of an existing one. While you may see a lot of praise for these plans (called ROBS for Roll Over Business Start-up by the IRS), especially online where their proponents try to sell would-be entrepreneurs on the merits of this form of financing, many financial industry experts strongly recommend thinking again about using your IRA or 401(k) to fund your small business.

One of these financial experts is Jeff Nabers, CEO of the Denver financial planning company Nabers Group. Nabers has written about how ROBS work and their risks on his blog, where he warns against using these financing vehicles.

“It’s entirely understandable that people are tempted by ROBS; the recession hasn’t made small business financing easy to come by and there are more Americans than ever trying to start their own businesses. However, there are a lot of risks associated with using IRA and 401(k) rollovers. Beyond the old diversification maxim of ‘don’t put all your eggs in one basket’ the legality of the ROBS strategy has been on shaky ground. There’s a basic rule that prohibits “self dealing” for any retirement account participant, but ROBS promoters have attempted to skirt this by creating a loophole that claims a special exemption. Unfortunately, a government ruling from 2006 closed that loophole. ROBS structures could face a stiff penalty, which amounts to approximately 115% of your retirement funds,” says Nabers.

“It’s a subject that is somewhat controversial in the financial services industry, but as I have been informed by government officials and my legal counsel, the 2006 ruling means ROBS no longer occupies a legal gray area even. I can’t recommend these to my clients in good conscience. I don’t see a bright future for this strategy of funding, to put it mildly,” added Nabers.

Jeff Nabers isn’t alone in sounding the alarm about ROBS and other rollover schemes – there has been a lot of concern expressed by financial experts in the last year. Previously, ROBS was considered high risk, but as Nabers’ put it, “My recent DOL meeting was the nail in the coffin of the ROBS loophole.”

Nabers unabashedly encourages entrepreneurship in spite of the government’s unfavorable stance on ROBS. His message to would-be ROBS users is: “Start and fund your venture anyway [without ROBS]. You can still raise money from others, including from their IRA and 401(k) accounts. Frankly, that is actually a surer path to success because raising money from others will cause you to be more thorough in your business planning.”

Via EPR Network
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The Children’s Mutual Launches CTF Cashback Site

The Children’s Mutual, leading Child Trust Fund provider, has revealed that expectant parents can earn over £200 by using its new shopping portal CTFCashback.co.uk to kit out their babies’ nurseries.

Research shows that on average, British parents spend £3,383 decorating and furnishing a nursery with a further £605 spent on prams, buggies and car seats. If parents did this shopping through CTF Cashback, they could be earning financial rewards of up to £215.

Free to use, the site enables online shoppers to build up cash in £10 increments which can be placed directly into a bank account or a Child Trust Fund with The Children’s Mutual.

The site, which offers members up to 20% cash back and lists over 1,000 retailers – many with additional voucher codes – can help parents and the wider family continue to save as the baby grows up too. By using CTFCashback.co.uk to purchase ongoing essentials such as nappies and baby wear right through to buying presents and even holidays.

Tony Anderson, Marketing Director at The Children’s Mutual, said: “All parents quickly realise that buying everything they need and want for their child can be an expensive business. We created our CTF Cashback site to assist parents in getting great value for money on all their purchases, whilst being able to save towards their child’s future”.

Over 1,000 major retailers have already signed up to the scheme including leading brand favourites such as Mothercare, John Lewis, Kiddicare.com and Marks & Spencer. Collectively, retailers are offering www.CTFCashback.co.uk members average returns of over 5% through the site, with some offering up to 20% or lump sums of up to £85.

Tony Anderson continued, “When questioning expectant and new parents through our monthly poll, nearly 90 per cent* suggested that they would like to receive ‘money back’ for their nursery shopping. We have taken this one step further so, whether it’s buying baby grows and nappies or school uniforms and family holidays we wanted cash-strapped parents to be earning money every time they spend online. With so many pulls on household budgets, www.CTFCashback.co.uk offers a practical way of helping families to be savvy with their money and encourage them to save towards their children’s futures.”

Via EPR Network
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Saxo Bank Acquires A 40% Stake In Initto

Saxo Bank, the online specialist in trading and investment, has announced the acquisition of a 40% stake in Initto, the Danish owned software and IT services provider. Initto has around 200 employees based mainly in India and Ukraine and the acquisition of Initto will enable Saxo Bank to continue to support and speed up the development of its trading systems.

Saxo Bank Acquires A 40% Stake In Initto

Designed to meet the varying needs and demands of financial investors and traders, Saxo Bank has developed four specialised and integrated trading platforms; the downloadable SaxoTrader, browser-based SaxoWebTrader, compact SaxoMiniTrader and phone-based SaxoMobileTrader.

Mikael Munck, CEO of Initto, commented: “Initto provides a wide range of customized IT services and software engineering solutions to clients. We have been very successful in offering and integrating our services into the organisation of our clients. We offer access to a wide range of international specialists that focus entirely on delivering high quality solutions to our clients’ allowing them to focus on core competencies, freeing up time for innovation and value creation. This is the secret of our success which we are certain Saxo Bank also will benefit from”.

Since its establishment in 2003, Initto has grown by an average of 50% per year and expects to enhance its service offerings with the support of Saxo Bank as a strong financial partner. Initto is headquartered in Ballerup near Copenhagen with a representative office in Oslo. Initto will continue to develop software and provide services to its existing client base.

In a joint statement, Kim Fournais and Lars Seier Christensen, Co-CEOs and co-founders of Saxo Bank, said: “We are thrilled to have acquired this stake in Initto, which has great synergies with Saxo Bank and fit perfectly with our business model. The acquisition is in line with our ambition to acquire fully developed businesses and utilize their expertise to develop and strengthen Saxo Bank’s products and services. Over the next few years, we will be working with Initto to further increase the value we offer our own clients. Initto’s current and future client base will also benefit from our commitment as client and shareholder. We want to remain a first class service provider and we believe Initto can help us achieve this goal.”

Via EPR Network
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Is An Investing Book Worth $799?

The author is not even dead . . . yet! Better to gain ‘know-how’ than gold. But is a book worth $799? An immodest ‘yes’. Sushi Zen Restaurant, Times Square - A statuesque, charming Senior Analyst for an Chicago-based investment journal magazine, showed me a remarkable sight on her laptop.

Incredible! But there it was. Imagine my astonishment when I saw used copies of my previous book The Profit-Taker Breakthrough; selling on www.amazon.com for the price of $799.00.

Is it a joke? Is it clever merchandising? You tell me. Certainly I confess to a twinge of pride. I was flattered.

The ‘Breakthrough’ . . . the proven, rapid, money-maker in good and bad markets . . . is the detailed ‘good news’ text and workbook for Profit-Taker Strategies.

The two entrepreneurs book sellers are highly regarded five star dealers – Motor City Books of Michigan and The David Bean Books of California. Good luck to them!

I was enheartened as a writer when The Chicago Tribune headlined their review to my book with the “PROFIT- TAKER: SOLID ADVICE ON THE STOCK MARKET”, but this is special. Selling my book at $799!

Although I’m 78 years old, I’m still committed to living. They forgot I’m still breathing.

In fact, on my SCOREBOARD on www.profittaker.info which is totally free and transparent, the annualized profits are registering up to 382%.

Like most authors, no doubt, I had a few new copies of my book lying around my study. So I added a current 2009 revision. Subsequently I placed them on www.Ebay.ca at the original price for the world to see.

Professor Don Abrams

Author and Inventor of the The Profit-Taker
www.profittaker.info
profsmarba@aol.com

Prof. Don Abrams is the author of a number of published financial books, including the international bestseller…The Profit-Taker: the Proven Rapid Money-Maker in Good and Bad Markets.

P.S. Notification of The Profit-Taker Breakthrough selling on the internet at $799.00 is located at:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0969821603/ref=dp_olp

The $22.95 Version is located at:
http://books.shop.ebay.ca/?_from=R40&_npmv=3&_trksid=p3910.m38.l1313&

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NS&I Has Announced Changes To The Way Customers Can Invest In Its Fixed Rate Bonds

From the end of October, the products will only be available directly from NS&I (by freephone, online or by post) and no longer available through the Post Office.

NS&I and the Post Office have jointly agreed to this change, which is in part a reflection of the development of the Post Office’s own brand of savings products. These include Post Office Growth Bonds – a very similar range of fixed rate savings bonds to the two NS&I products. The decision also reflects NS&I’s desire to develop its direct sales channels.

The Post Office will continue to offer a wide range of other NS&I savings products – including Premium Bonds and Savings Certificates – which can be purchased over the counter.

Existing NS&I Guaranteed Growth Bond and Guaranteed Income Bond customers will not notice any change as all post-sale servicing and support is already carried out directly through NS&I.

Peter Cornish, Director of Customer Offer, NS&I, said: “We are committed to making our products as straightforward as possible and ensuring that customers understand where they are investing their money. The changes we have jointly agreed with the Post Office will do just that. Our Guaranteed Income Bonds and Guaranteed Growth Bonds will continue to offer customers a simple and straightforward saving opportunity.”

“The Post Office is our key distribution partner and we recognise it is a familiar option for many savers looking to invest with NS&I. Therefore, a wide range of our savings products will continue to be available over the counter in Post Office branches.”

Gary Hockey-Morley, Post Office Limited marketing director, said: “NS&I savings products will continue to be a key part of the ever expanding range of value for money financial services available at Post Office branches. We look forward to continuing our long standing partnership with NS&I well into the future, through providing easy access to a wide range of their savings products through our 12,000 branches which lie at the heart of communities across the UK.”

Customers can invest between £500 and £1 million in total in an NS&I fixed term bond, with guaranteed rates of interest. NS&I’s Guaranteed Income Bond offers customers the opportunity to receive their interest as a monthly income, whilst the interest earned on NS&I’s Guaranteed Growth Bonds is credited to the Bond annually.

NS&I’s fixed rate bonds are available in terms of one, two, three and five years. The two-year term was launched in July 2009 and is only available directly from NS&I.

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The Rise Of Stay At Home Dads

According to new research by leading Child Trust Fund (CTF) provider, The Children’s Mutual, contrary to concerns of an allegedly worsening work/life balance in the UK, many fathers are electing to be at home either full or part-time, looking after their little ones and taking care of the house. Figures refer to The Children’s Mutual Working and Stay at Home Dads research, undertaken by 72 Point. 2,187 dads interviewed in June 2009.

Following the birth of their children, 26% of dads decided to work part-time and nearly as many (24%) started working flexibly. 14% of dads chose to stop working outside the home altogether.

43% of these dads are responding to the current recession by spending even more time helping around the house, with only 27% feeling that they now need to become more focused on earning money.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, stay-at-home dads spend the greatest amount of their time each week looking after the children (4hrs 22mins) and cooking (3hrs 50mins), as well as arranging the family finances (3hrs 45mins). And even though they have more time to be with their children than full-time working dads, stay-at-home dads wished they could spend a further hour a day with their children.

David White, Chief Executive of The Children’s Mutual, said: “The changing role of dads within families is a positive step towards the greater recognition of what dads can and do contribute to family life. Dads play a vital role within their children’s lives and their homes, so it’s great to see these changing family dynamics.

“One of the most important roles for every dad is being a provider for his children, whether that’s as the main breadwinner or as the lead carer. Dads want to provide for their children now and will want to continue to do so as they grow up. One way dads can really help provide for their children is planning for the future and saving regularly over the long term. Contributing towards a Child Trust Fund is one of the ways dads can save for their children’s futures. By opening a Child Trust Fund early and saving regularly and encouraging friends and family to contribute too, dads can help to give their children a financial springboard into adulthood.”

Child Trust Funds are designed to provide a tax efficient, long term savings vehicle for all eligible children. Each eligible newborn child (born on or after 1 September 2002) receives a £250 Child Trust Fund voucher (£500 for low income families) from the Government when their parents register for Child Benefit. The Government will make a second contribution of £250 (£500 for low income families) when the child reaches seven and is considering a third in the child’s teenage years. Parents, family and friends can all then add to this account up to a maximum value of £1,200 each year.

Via EPR Network
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New Forex Strategy To Strengthen Portfolios And Reduce Volatility

Trading Floor has unveiled a new Forex Portfolio Model created by Saxo Bank’s strategy team. The Portfolio model offers a way to reduce total portfolio volatility in the wake of the stock market rally that saw many investors turn away from Forex trading.

“Many investors are staying out of the Forex market – either because they lost money and have given up, or because they simply don’t know where to put their money,” said David Karsbøl, Chief Economist at Saxo Bank and Trading Floor commentator. “The Saxo Bank Forex Portfolio Model is a way of re-activating this idle money by applying them in a low-cost and relatively low risk fashion.”

The portfolio model is based on the Saxo Bank Fundamental Indices that measure the underlying economic strength (contraction or expansion) of 10 currencies: NZD, AUD, CAD, JPY, EUR, GBP, USD, CHF, SEK, and NOK. This should give a theoretical 45 possible currency crosses, but the model subtracts the12 most illiquid and expensive to trade and looks at 33.

The allocation signals are generated by the spreads in the fundamental indices and the idea is to always allocate more capital to the currencies with a relatively strong economic activity (and positive rate outlook) and fund the positions by going short on the currencies with weak economic activity (weak rate outlook).

The model allocates capital after changes in the spreads between the fundamental indices. For example, if the Eurozone Fundamental Index suddenly drops relative to the US Fundamental Index, the model (everything else being equal) would reduce exposure to EURUSD. Additionally, positions are scaled up or down according to the volatility of the currency crosses in question so that the expected risk-adjusted return for positions in EURCHF is the same as for positions in EURCAD.

“The model is always well diversified and is always in the market,” said David Karsbøl. “It is therefore not exposed to timing issues.”

The model doesn’t use stops, since the overall volatility of returns tends to be low (especially on single leverage). One particularly interesting feature is that returns tend to be almost completely uncorrelated to returns in stock markets (correlation = 0.1) and other risky asset classes (correlation to the CRB Index is 0.11).

In back testing since 1991, the model has produced annual returns of 5.34% using single leverage, 10.58% using double leverage and 15.67% with triple leverage.

“Therefore, if the back-testing is indicative of future returns, it would make a lot of sense to use part of one’s portfolio to allocate to the FX Model and thereby decreasing overall portfolio volatility without lowering returns too much or at all, depending on the leverage used.”

Via EPR Network
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Saxo Banque Wins Banking Innovation Award 2009

Saxo Banque, the French division of the online trading and investment specialist Saxo Bank, has been awarded the “Prix de l’Innovation 2009” (Banking Innovation Award), by the Investment Forum for its TradeMaker service. The innovative and free-of-charge service enables the bank’s customers to translate an idea into an order, to be kept informed of opportunities, and to compare results from trading ideas proposed by analysts.

The Award ceremony took place on 10th October at the Palais des Congrès, in Paris. Each year, a panel composed of financial journalists and editors from publications including La Tribune, Le Revenu and Investir are convened by the Forum’s organizers to present the innovation award. In the category of ‘Informed Investors’, the panel awarded the 2009 prize to Saxo Bank’s new TradeMaker facility.

TradeMaker was developed in response to two of the obstacles facing both futures traders and more general investors. Firstly, TradeMaker addresses the feelings of confusion that often arise from an overwhelming abundance of information. Secondly, TradeMaker facilitates the application of this information, allowing the investor to employ the resultant data in their trading.

TradeMaker publishes the results of proposed trading ideas. Customers can subsequently choose the issuer with the best performance for a given product. TradeMaker then uses text and graphics to explain trading ideas before pre-completing order forms which include such considerations as Stops and Limits. Relevant trade data, which is not always easy to assimilate, is translated into an order by the issuer. The customer need simply choose the value of his or her investment before validating the order with a click of the mouse. Advice, Trading Assistance and Transparency are the three major advantages of the TradeMaker tool.

Pierre-Antoine Dusoulier, CEO of Saxo Banque, declared: “It is a real honour for Saxo Banque to win an award such as this. It is reward in particular for our engineers who work hard all year on the development of new services to grow the platform and deliver increasingly innovative solutions to our customers. Saxo Banque is an independent bank, we create our own products by way of a dedicated technology research unit.”

Via EPR Network
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NS&I Unveils The First Live Vegetable Plot At BBC Good Food Shows

NS&I (National Savings and Investments), one of the UK’s largest savings organisations, is delighted to be working with Matthew Biggs to encourage ‘growing your own’ at this year’s BBC Good Food Show events.

Visitors to this year’s events in Glasgow (SECC, 30 October – 1 November), London (Olympia, 13 – 15 November) and Birmingham (NEC, 25 – 29 November) are encouraged to stop by the ‘Grow Your Own Food with NS&I’ vegetable plot. The plot will be tended to by Gardeners’ Question Time expert Matthew Biggs, who will be on hand to offer visitors helpful hints and tips on growing fruit and vegetables.

Matthew Biggs commented: “I am delighted to be working on the ‘Grow Your Own Food with NS&I’ feature. I’m looking forward to speaking to visitors at this year’s events, offering advice on how they can make the most of growing their own fruit and veg.”

He added: “Growing your own is the perfect way to cut down your shopping bill, as a bumper crop of ingredients such as tomatoes or rocket, can be grown easily for the small cost of a packet of seeds. It’s also fun for the family and a great way to enjoy fresh food with the finest flavour long after you’ve planted the first seed.”

About NS&I
NS&I is one of the UK’s largest savings accounts providers with almost 27 million customers and over £96 billion invested. It is best known for premium bonds, but also offers a Direct ISA, guaranteed growth bonds, guaranteed equity bonds and Children’s Bonus Bonds in its range. All products offer 100% security, because NS&I is backed by HM Treasury.

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Video Content From Saxo Bank’s Team Of Experts Added to Trading Floor Blog

Trading Floor, the forex, equity and commodities blog written and run by Saxo Bank’s strategy team, is now adding regular video comments throughout the European trading session.

The comments on macroeconomic indicators, financial issues and earnings releases will complement the Daily Trading Stance video released every morning and the weekly forex options and equity update released every Friday.

Videos are recorded in the studio on the Saxo Bank trading floor, minutes after the news is released. Saxo Bank’s chief economist, David Karsbol, said: “The advantage of video is that it fills in the gap between reporting the headlines and the more detailed research notes we publish.

He added: “We comment on macroeconomic indicators or earnings or central bank decisions in a way that is fast, but also allows us to give more detail in a way that allows our blog visitors to get to know us a little better.”

Trading Floor has been running since May 2009 and features expert commentary starting every morning with The Daily Trading Stance that Saxo Bank’s strategists distribute to clients giving a rundown of the main themes of the day in FX, equities, FX options and commodities.

The commentary is prepared by David Karsbøl, Equity Strategist Christian Tegllund Blaabjerg and forex expert John Hardy. Commodities expertise is provided by Ole S Hansen and Alan Plaughmann. Also commenting are Market Strategist Mads Koefoed and Research Analyst Robin Bagger-Sjöbäck.

The Daily Trading Stance, daily commentaries and Weekly Forex and Equities Update are available on the Trading Floor web site and on Trading Floor’s dedicated YouTube channel.

About Trading Floor:
Trading Floor is run by Saxo Bank – a global investment bank specialising in online trading and investment across the international financial markets. Trading Floor provides up to date forex news and market place analysis.

Via EPR Network
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National Savings And Investments Is Increasing The ISA Allowance On Both Its Direct ISA And Cash ISA For Its Over 50s Customers

The revised allowance will come into effect from 6 October 2009. This change will enable existing Direct ISA and Cash ISA customers who will be 50 years or over on the 5 April 2010 to deposit up to £5100 into their ISA in the current tax year. From 6 April 2010 more than 400,000 of NS&I’s Direct ISA and more than 231,000 Cash ISA savers will be eligible for the higher allowance.

These changes reflect the Chancellor’s announcement in his 2009 Budget which stated that cash ISA customers aged 50 years or over should have an increase to their tax-free ISA allowance, increasing the maximum investment from £3600 to £5100 from 6 October.

The interest rate paid on NS&I’s Direct ISA is currently 2.50%, and 0.5% per annum on its Cash ISA.  John Prout, Director of Customer Sales and Retention at NS&I, said: “We have contacted the 365,000 of our ISA customers who will be 50 years or over on the 5 April 2010 to let them know that they can make use of their higher allowance from 6 October. They can do this by calling NS&I on our new freephone number, 0500 007 007.

At NS&I we pride ourselves on being straightforward in both our communications and our savings bond range. We urge all of our eligible ISA customers to take full advantage of the increased allowance available to them.”

NS&I has changed its general enquiries number. Customers will now need to call the freephone number 0500 007 007 to contact NS&I directly. The former chargeable enquiries number, 0845 964 5000, will continue to operate but customers may incur a charge from their provider. NS&I’s sales line will continue to operate through 0500 500 000.

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