5 People You Should Never Get Investment Advice From

by MIRANDA MARQUIT on MARCH 13, 2013 of excessreturn
www.sanjosefinancials.com

These days, it seems as though almost everyone has an idea of how you can get ahead as an investor. However, no matter how good the investment advice sounds, you need to do a gut-check. Can you trust this person? And why is he or she sharing such a great tip with you?

While you can listen to the investment ideas put forth by just about anyone, it’s another thing to whole-heartedly trust someone else with your money. Before you take the plunge, carefully examine the situation and the fundamentals, and then reconsider. Here are 5 people you should be wary of when they are giving you investment advice:

1. Family ( Related Topic: What is the best investment for you? )

It’s tempting to get in on that “hot” tip that your brother-in-law is offering, or get in on the bottom floor on that “investment opportunity” Your cousin is involved with. Unfortunately, too often, your family members don’t really understand investing. Like many others, they are following the herd, and that “hot” stock may be in bubble mode.

Even worse is the possibility that your family member has been taken in by an investment scam. Going in can mean that you are caught in the trap, too. Before taking the advice of a family member, review his or her track record with finances, as well as remind yourself that your family member probably doesn’t have the know-how or credentials to be giving investing tips.

2. Strangers ( Related Topic: how to reduce debt? )

Why would a stranger go out of the way to give you great investment advice? In this category are those emails you receive about penny stocks and other “opportunities.” Also, be wary of taking advice from strangers you meet in social settings. He or she might be bragging about his or her investing prowess, but you don’t really have any proof that there is a real performance capability there.

3. Co-Workers ( Related Topic: Legal Forex Scams) 

Unless you work in the investment industry, and your co-workers are all analyzing the merits of a particular investment, your co-workers probably aren’t the best people to turn to for financial advice. Instead, your co-workers are likely just behind the curve, buying when everyone else is, and selling in panic when things go south.

On top of that, co-workers are often sources of investment scams. They get taken in by scams, and then ask you to participate. They may be in earnest about the “opportunity”, but that doesn’t make you feel better after you’ve both been duped.

4. Media Talking Heads ( Related Topic: How to reduce your debt? )

It may be fun to watch Jim Cramer’s antics, but it’s important not to take your advice from media talking heads. Financial media don’t exist to inform investors. The primary goal of the financial media is to make money; any education or useful information provided to investors is merely a side product.

One of the best ways to make money is to sensationalize things. Media talking heads try to draw you in by convincing you that something is practically full-proof, or by whipping up fear about the imminent disaster. Making investment decisions based on these extremes presented by the media can lead to big losses to your portfolio.

Take the news with a grain of salt. Instead, you are better off following your own investing plan designed for the long haul, and ignoring the noise from the TV screen.

5. Brokers and Other Wall Street Types 
( Related Topic: Risking your life with brokers and advocates)

Going to a stockbroker for advice seems like a slam dunk. After all, these folks know all about investing. Unfortunately, Wall Street types probably don’t have your best financial interests at heart. Brokers are, on a basic level, salespeople. This means that they are trying to get you to buy products that will earn them a better commission.

Whether it’s someone at your local bank, or a broker with an official firm, the reality is that these advice-givers only have to recommend something that is “suitable.” And suitably isn’t the same things as “best”.

If you want solid advice from a professional, consider using a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) or a fee-based financial planner. The RIA has a fiduciary responsibility under the law to look to your interests ahead of the commission, and a good financial planner that isn’t paid by commissions can offer mostly unbiased advice. 

Here are a few tips to know more about independent Wealth Management

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Top 10 starting up your finances properly

Launching your own business is tough and the line between success and failure can be fine; smallbusiness.co.uk's Top Ten Starting Up Tips help you make the right decisions from the outset. 

1. Involve your family
If you have a husband or wife or children, involving them in the decision to go it alone is important. Your home atmosphere should be very supportive, particularly in the early stages. Your family could also be useful as a sounding board, helping out with the odd task or providing feedback or finance.

Related Blog: *Attending Free Wealth Seminar

2. Analyze your personality
You need to ask yourself if you are the right person to start a business. Compile a checklist with the help of the following questions: Can you work long hours? Can you take criticism? Will you be able to cope with financial insecurity? If your business struggled in the early stages, would you continue? Write down the reasons why you are starting a business

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* Knowing your Goals                            *PH one of the top havens for retirement

3. Make sure your product is a must-have not a nice-have Once you've got an idea you need to know that people will need it enough to want to buy it. Many people opt to begin a business by using a skill that they have acquired in their spare time as a hobby, such as jewelry-making. 

4. Your idea doesn't have to be new
Trying to sell a product that is new can be an uphill struggle. Being first is not always best, as you have to educate a market and convince them of the need for your product. So don’t be put off if your idea has been done before – think about how you can do it differently, by including an additional feature or benefit.

5. Know your market better than your competitors
Carry out as much market research as possible. Find out about your marketplace,

Concentrating on areas such as the demand, your competitors and the size of the market. Talk to potential customers, suppliers, competitors, distributors and ex-employees of competitors. 

6. Toe-dip
Everyone has different motivations for starting a business, and toe-dipping means you can test your idea out without risking everything. You can carry on earning money from your job while you are starting up. Use your spare time to carry out your market research.

7. Be honest about your weaknesses
Identify what you do well and what you do badly, dividing it into areas such as financial, marketing, operational and general management. Be honest with yourself, but also be realistic. Try and get someone else to evaluate your answers – another person’s perspective can be very valuable. Identifying your weakness will help you to recognize what you are good at, and which areas you will need to find someone who can do a better job than you.

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8. Get a good mentor on board
Remember – two heads are better than one. Seek out the advice of a family friend who has the experience of being in business, or someone who is recommended to you, or someone you are close to. Consider giving them a share of the profits or equity in your company in return for advice.

9. Justify every assumption in your business plan But remember that whatever you write down is not set in stone. Your business plan should have long-term objectives, estimates and forecasts – try to make as many of your goals as possible measurable. The two most important reasons for having a plan are to show to outsiders if you need to raise money, and to help you keep your business on a planned course, so you can spot when things are not going to plan. 

Related blog: Investment Management in the Philippines

10. Keep it in your business plan succinct an ideal format for your plan, if you intend it to be for outside use, is to have between three and ten pages of text that draw out the important points, plus a series of financial figures. Excessive detail should be confined to appendices.

Credit,written and published by www.smallbusiness.co.uk all rights reserved. Copyright 2013

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