Crosby Finance

I believe that there are two very powerful reasons for buying gold bullion:

1. To protect your money from financial catastrophe.

2. To protect your money from the debasement of the dollar.

Let’s take a look at reason number one:

1. Buying gold bullion as a way to protect your money from some sort of terrible financial catastrophe, such as a bank failures, wars, acts of terrorism, etc.

They seem to be everywhere these days, don’t they? I’m refering to those doomsayers who like to promote buying gold bullion as an insurance policy against the collapse of the global financial system. A few years ago, they were dismissed as extremists, crazy, and even delusional.

Yet after the gut-wrenching turmoil we’ve seen in the financial and credit markets over the past few months, their doom and gloom scenarios don’t seem so unrealistic any more, do they? In fact, an investor who was wise enough to allocate ten percent of his portfolio in gold bullion is probably sleeping pretty well these days.

Okay, now let’s look at reason number two:

2. Buying gold bullion as a protection against the debasement of the dollar.

Right now, the government is cranking their printing presses into high gear, churning out an ever greater quantity of paper dollars. In the Federal Reserve’s book, deflation must be avoided at all costs and no debt is too great to be monetized in order to keep the faltering financial system going.

A central bank simply can’t participate in unrestrained money printing like this without the dollar losing value. If you own dollar-denominated assets instead of gold bullion, your value of your wealth is going to slowly diminish.

I don’t know what the eventual outcome from the current credit crisis is going to be. If could be total financial catastrophe. It could be complete devaluation of the dollar. Or it could turn out to be both.

Going forward, the investor who owns gold bullion will be able to overcome both.

You’ve seen why your local business simply must have a website to stay competitive in today’s digital, online world. And now you also know that simply putting up a website isn’t enough; your company’s website has got to show up very high in Google’s search results, or you’re just spinning your wheels and throwing money down the drain. So how do you get a website that’s going to rank high in Google?

Well, there are countless people you could contact in your town to build you a website. You can even go on the INTERNET and find thousands more all over America who would gladly perform web design services for you. Some will charge you several hundred dollars, at a minimum, while many will want several thousand to create and put up your site. But, and this is the important part, not one out of a hundred of them will know anything about building you a website that gets you into Google’s top rankings.

See, web designers, especially the ones who aren’t working for huge companies, have learned (or taught themselves) to make websites that look good. And many of them are very good at it, and they can build you an awesome looking website with all the latest bells and whistles. You’ll be impressed, and when you show it to your friends, they’ll be even more impressed. No doubt about it, you’ll have one really, really cool website.

And you won’t get any customers because you won’t place high in Google’s search results. And that’s all there is to it. I’m simply telling you how it is. Why? Because Google doesn’t rank sites by how snazzy they are. Google doesn’t care which site has the coolest rotating jpegs, the most innovative use of audio files, the most creative use of Flash software, or the prettiest pictures.

One reason local business website developers can get away with charging so much is that they add all of this unnescesary crapolla and then charge extra for it. Much of this junk actually makes it harder to get a first page let alone first spot ranking. You really don’t want to go after today’s customers with that kind of website.

What is google looking for then? Google just wants to find busines websites that are relevant to what the searcher is looking for. If you type in “Oakland barber shop” google wants to find you sites that are most useful. They will simply send you to sites that google thinks will satisfy you as best matches for “Oakland barber shop.”

Fortunately there is a method to building business websites that googles’ little robot spiders just love. When I build websites for clients I always optimize both the hidden code for google and also the actual website content so as to get high search positions. This means more clicks the higher up the site goes. And the more people click the higher it goes so it stays up high.

Here’s some more good news. You don’t have to pay thousands of dollars for a website that makes your business a good amount of money. For less than a thousand dollars the right web designer can get you a great looking site that ranks very high in google and pulls in loads of customers and leads for your business. Do Not waste money on fancy bells and whistles, that’s not what your customers are looking for.

If you are interested in oil and gas investing there are three primary ways you can go about starting your investment. These ways include investing in companies, mutual funds, and commodities. You can make a lot of money in this industry if you are smart about your investments.

Investors consider gas investments to be safe. This is because there are so many ways that someone can invest their money in the industry. You are not limited to only buying stock in a business but there are so many other ways to invest too. It is easy to diversify your portfolio of investments with only oil and gas in the many different ways you can invest.

The primary way to take advantage of oil investments is through company stock. If you find a drilling company that you want to invest in because you believe they will strike oil some time soon you can purchase their stocks. There are tons of companies out there who drill for oil. There are independent companies and medium-sized businesses and more. It is important to know that stock with gas investments does not always provide the largest return on investment.

Mutual funds that have a primary focus on energy is another way you can look at oil and gas investing. A mutual fund in this field may focus on the oil and gas but have stock in many companies in the field. This fund may include large companies and independent companies too. One type of a mutual fund is a drilling fund. This is broken down into two fields; exploratory and developmental drilling. Exploratory drilling is as the name suggests, exploring to find oil and gas. Developmental drilling uses wells that already exist. It monitors the development and production limits.

Gas investments can also include commodities. This includes things like royalty funds, leas acquisition funds, and even combination funds. There are many ways commodities are offered for investments in the oil and gas industry.

There are many ways you can invest in the oil and gas industry. If you are interested in oil and gas investments you should consider looking into the different methods. You can invest your money in company stock, mutual funds, and even commodities. Some investors make a huge amount of profit and some don’t. Any type of investing is risky so you should do plenty of research before you do anything with your investment.

Austrian Philharmonic Gold coins are one of the most beautiful and well crafted in the world. A gold bullion coin, these historic coins were minted in Vienna Austria, and like other coins minted in Austria’s impressive coin minting history of over 800 years, have become famous around the world as one of the most sought after and coveted of all gold bullion coins.

These 24 carat gold 99.99% pure coins are not only gorgeous in their beauty and design, but are sought after for such benefits as their reputation for being:

* The best-selling coins in the world * Struck in 99.99% fewer 24 carat gold * Perfect in mint quality * Exceptionally beautiful design of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra on one side and Vienna’s Golden Hall on the other * Able to offer immediate resale gold market value

According to the World Gold Council, this coin was the best selling gold bullion coin for most of the 1990s, exceptional for a coin first struck in 1989. Vienna Philharmonic Austrian gold coins contain no alloyed metals. Minted in Austria by the Austrian mint, established in 1194, this coin contains both ancient beauty as well as a potential contemporary investment well into the 21st century.

The key factors of the popularity of these Austrian gold coins are:

* Minted in one half, one quarter, and 1/10 ounce sizes * 37 mm diameter * Face value of 100 or 2000 shillings

Exceptional detail in design and construction continues to make Austrian Philharmonic gold coins one of the most popular and sought after bullion coins in the 21st century. From the exquisite craftsmanship on the obverse and reverse sides of the coin to its continued value and reputation, this Austrian gold coin will continue to be a favorite among both investors and collectors for some time to come.

A very wise man once said: “A man is but a product of his thoughts - what he thinks, he becomes” (Ghandi). What he was getting at is that if you surround yourself with positive thoughts, then good things will happen to you. If you’ve ever met a successful business owner you will know this is true. They rarely dwell on the negatives, as they know that this is part of the game. Rather, they relish in the positives and enjoy their successes, especially since they took so much work to come by.

If you dress for success and think for success, you will be successful - at least this is my credo at the time. It was this thinking, more than anything else, the got in my way when I tried to start a profitable small business.

Above all though, you need to be realistic. A business is not going to be successful if it’s principles are not based on realistic goals. A great idea is one thing, but if it isn’t followed up by facts and research supporting the profitability of the idea, then no amount of positive thinking is going to keep it from going under, and dragging you down with it.

There is no such thing as easy money, no matter what anyone tries to tell you. If you hear of any fool-proof get rich scheme that takes no effort, you should walk away. The thing is that it is them who have the fool-proof get rich scheme, which is to talk you into giving them your money. You are not in all likelihood going to become a millionaire anytime soon, and whatever money you do make is going to require time and effort. So be realistic and prepare yourself. By knowing what you are getting into you will not be discouraged when things get tough.

If you do have a truly visionary idea, however, what you need is to be pragmatic. Rarely are the most profitable businesses started without sound financial backing. Start up businesses can struggle for years, not because they do not have good ideas or good leadership, but simply because there are bigger fish in the sea. If you are absolutely driven to make money, you probably will make it one way or another, but it requires a lot of hard work.

It’s a good bet that, throughout your life, you have received nuggets of financial wisdom from a variety of individuals in positions of authority– your parents, teachers, et cetera. But think back, and consider how many of these people who taught you how to handle your money were actually rich. The truth is that if you’re going to be rich, you should take advice from someone who’s already struck it rich.

That’s right. Robert Kiyosaki, author of the Rich Dad book series, said it exactly like this: “It doesn’t take money to make money. I often hear people say it takes money to make money. I disagree. We had no money when we started and we were also in debt. It also doesn’t take a formal education.”

He then mentioned Bill Gates as someone who never completed a college education. Which would you rather have, a collection of doctorates or Bill Gates’ money?

Robert Kiyosaki says that the only true prerequisites to being rich are that one must be determined and a quick study. Beyond that, it’s all about what you know. One of the first things you need to know about becoming rich is where you fall on the Cash Flow Quadrant.

The diagram entitled the Cash Flow Quadrant represents one of the most important lessons that Robert Kiyosaki learned from his Rich Dad. It comprises a square split into quarters, which represent the four ways in which individuals can relate to money: as n Employee, a Self-Employed individual, a Businessperson, or an Investor. The diagram serves to demonstrate that a person’s behavior with money is intertwined with his or her upbringing, innate personality, and perspective on the world at large.

What Robert Kiyosaki means when he says that in order to build wealth, you need to be a quick learner, is that you must learn the ropes of investing. Following in the steps of “Rich Dad,” Kiyosaki himself invested in real estate– a great choice for anyone considering investing, as so much depends on it. In his “Rich Dad,” book, he points out how many of Hawaii’s businesses were located on land owned by Rich Dad.

But don’t worry– learning about real estate doesn’t mean that you have to learn every minute detail that goes into the buying and selling of property; in reality, there are plenty of people willing to take on the technical aspects of investing for you. You just need to think like a businessperson in choosing the individuals with whom you surround yourself.

Now, this is quite different from being in the ‘S’ or self-employed section of the Cash Flow quadrant, because, a self-employed person doesn’t own a business; he or she simply owns a job. Those who own businesses, says Kiyosaki, can leave for a year and return to find your organization still intact and profitable– being a businessperson means that you are able to delegate authority to the right people, and not take on an excessive amount of responsibility yourself.

However you decide to do it, learning the nuts and bolts of real estate investing yourself or by hiring a qualified person to advise you, it is definitely time for you to move to the I quadrant; that is, if being rich is something you’d like to consider.

You may not be at all familiar with property market terminology so in layman’s terms “Buy to Let” means just that. You only have to buy a property, complete and then let it out. There is just one special rule to take into consideration and that it that your estimated rental income fully covers your mortgage costs.

In the UK for example you would get a steady monthly income that just covers the mortgage payment, but if you apply it to a holiday home then you have to look at staggered income as the season months will be more profitable. If we had to look for Europe’s longest holiday season it would be in Northern Cyprus as here you can enjoy a full seven months. That all being so you will get 300 sunny days in Northern Cyprus each year so you will attract holiday makers virtually all year round.

To make things totally clear I am going to give you a real working example from start to beginning in order to explain just how you can reap the benefits from a “Buy to Let” property investment in Northern Cyprus. A rental villa in Northern Cyprus will cost about 250.000 Euro, so in order to start the reservation possess you will need to pay 3000 Euro. After that you will still have to pay 25% of the total amount, so including the initial holding fee, you will then have to pay a second amount of 72.000 and the rest on signing the property deeds.

The remaining balance will need to be well financed with a mortgage that will give the lowest monthly payments. That means choosing an “interest only” mortgage which offers just that and so with the current Euro bank rate of 5%, your monthly mortgage payments would work out at around 800 Euro, totaling 9.600 Euro per annum.

There are figures available in Northern Cyprus that show that a rental villa has an average rental activity for 10 months of the year. For a 250.000 Euro villa in Northern Cyprus you can expect an average of 2.600 Euro per month in the high season and about 1.500 Euro in the low season.

To best thing to do now is get out you calculator and start to work out just how much rental income can be generated from a villa in Northern Cyprus. With an average 6 month high season and 4 month low season rental income you would total up a staggering 21.600 Euro annual gross profit. To see what is exactly left in your pocket, you just deduct the 9.600 Euro mortgage payments and about 1.000 Euro fees in property management. My calculator now shows 11.000 Euro of net profit in rental income for a “Buy to Let” villa in Northern Cyprus. Sounds interesting?

Trustees of Self-Managed Funds beware - the tax office is increasingly scrutinising your activities. That is the message from Brett Marks, CEO of the Noah Group.

Fortunately though the Noah Group and its licensed professionals can help clients set up their own SMSF and use it to leverage into property, while adhering to the recently-imposed new rules in the SMSF industry. For anyone disheartened by their under-performing super funds (and have approximately $120,000 in super), the Noah Group can assist you in entering the property market through your own property trust by leveraging your super. As a result of the September 2007 revisions to the SIS Act, the process of leveraging your super into property has been formally allowed in Australia and with it, the potential to yield great returns.

A long list of legal contraventions by trustees and funds are to be reported by fund auditors to the tax office as of the 1st of July, 2008, says the Noah Group.

These contraventions include breaching the sole purpose test (that requires for funds to be maintained for the core purpose of providing retirement and death benefits for members), and providing financial assistance to members or their relatives.

Other contraventions by new funds that are automatically reportable to the ATO include borrowing from a SMSF (certain exceptions exist for short-term loans), failing to purchase assets on an arm’s length basis, and exceeding the in-house asset ratio. (With exceptions, funds are not permitted to invest more than 5% of their assets (the in-house asset ratio) with related parties. This restriction includes the leasing of most fund assets to related parties).

New trustees may feel the pressure as the tax office is creating the opportunity to stamp out bad habits early as they are becoming better equipped at concentrating their efforts on those who do not comply with superannuation laws.

When recently surveyed by the tax office, and as highlighted by both the Noah Group and Smart Investing, only 30% of new trustees could explain the sole-purpose test (the most fundamental of all SMSF rules) and a quarter of respondents were unaware of restrictions on the type of assets their funds could acquire.

Understandably these findings have been a rude shock to Minister for Superannuation, Nick Sherry, as well as many senior tax officials.

Signing an official declaration that asserts that they fully understand their obligations and responsibilities, as Brett Marks would like to point out, has been a legal requirement since July 2007.
Under the current taxation acts, it could be detrimental not having your financial planner and accountant involved in your investment structure, the Noah Group says, as you may fall into the trap of not fulfilling your obligations and responsibilities when using a SMSF.

If you are interested in oil and gas investing there are many things to consider. Here are six things you might want to consider before you get started.

1. Dry hole drilling. When it comes to drilling oil, it is all about location. It has happened before for oil investments when the drilling site comes up dry the investor loses all of their oil investments. You can lose the entire investment and this is a risk you have to take. It is important to remember that you can write off the entire amount of the investment if the endeavor fails though.

2. Scams. There are many people out there who want to take advantage of others who are trying to make an honest investment. Be sure you do your due diligence and know you are working with an actual company.

3. Price volatility. Oil and gas investing has many factors but the profit relies on the market prices of the oil and gas. It is common for prices to be volatile. When this occurs it can have a major impact about the profitability.

4. Company Management. When you invest in gas investments it is important to look at the company. One of the biggest success factors is about the people who are managing the company. Learn about the management and if you think they are capable you might have chosen a good investment.

5. Contracts. Before you sign any contract it is extremely important to read it thoroughly. Read all of the fine print and be sure you like what it says. Don’t sign anything that you don’t agree with. The best thing you can do is have your attorney review any contractual agreement about your investments before you sign them. An attorney will find any holes or problems with a contract and may be able to help work out any details that need to be changed.

6. Research. The most important thing you can do when you choose oil investments is to do plenty of research. Know everything about your investment before you make your decision. Research everything you can about the location of the drill site, the company doing the drilling, and more. The more you know about the gas investments, the more comfortable you will be with your decision.

Oil and gas investments can be considered a risky endeavor. However, you can make a lot of money if you invest with the right company. Always do your due diligences before you make a decision on where you want to invest your money.

Oil and gas investing is a promising investment. There are many benefits when you file taxes with this type of an investment. The benefits include tax deductions. These tax deductions mean for a bigger return or that you will owe less money when you file your taxes.

Intangible drilling costs are allowable deductions. Drilling is expensive and can cost a lot of money. The only requirement is that this deduction can only be claimed during the same year the well is drilled. If you miss this expense you will not be able to claim it again. This means that the labor costs of the drilling contractor or any professional services you will report to your investor.

Your tangible drilling costs are allowed to be expensed over a seven year period. This is one of the big reasons oil investing is such a good investment. This is because gas investments are deductible for individuals. Drilling for oil is an attempt to produce an asset. You are also allowed 15% annual depletion. The IRS also considers the leasehold costs to depreciate over the lifetime of the well. The Accelerated Cost Recovery System is used to depreciate tangible drilling costs. These tangible items include things like piping, storage tanks, and other equipment that can be capitalized or depreciated.

As an individual who is practicing oil and gas investing you will benefit. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 takes the tax burden from you as a personal investor and places it on the companies. You as a taxpayer now have the ability to shelter your income.

Depletion is a tax benefit of oil investments also. Independent producers may have a depletion. This depletion of gas investments is considered to be a tax write off also. However, the write off allows for a larger deduction of cost depletion and percentage of oil depletion.

If your gas investments turn out to be a nonproducing well or a dry hole you are allowed to write off 100% of all of the money you spent. This write off is against your normal day to day income in the first year of this particular hole.

Oil and gas investing has many tax benefits. There are not many investments you can put your money into that will give you benefits back every year such as these. You can write off many more deductions with this type of an investment than you can with your own home.