Learning Personal Finance With Investment Clubs

If you are someone who would like to know more about investing, joining or starting an investment club can be a rewarding and educational experience. Many people feel more comfortable about learning about investing with other average folks when compared with talking to an "expert".

Is it a good fit for you?

If you have been putting off learning about investing and setting any money aside, the discipline of a club could be ideal. Many people join a club to have a group that they can talk to about investing and apply what they learn to their own portfolios. If you have $20-$50 a month to set aside and invest through a club, you might find membership is for you.

Even experienced investors use a club to gain information about stocks that they do not have the time to research. Many hands make light work. All members benefit from the work of other members. Work? Yes you need to contribute more that cash. Don't think that you can take a free ride. The pooled account may not be significant when compared to your 401(k) but everyone has a stake and needs to commit.

How Do These Things Start?

Groups of friends, neighbors or co-workers start talking about investing and find that a starting an investment club is the next step. Setting up a club takes some work but the National Association of Investors Corporation (NAIC) has all the information you need to get started.

How Do They Work

Successful investment clubs focus on learning as well as investing. Guest speakers, like a local broker or investment analyst, may be invited from time to time. Most people join a club to explore new ideas and discuss investing issues. In the early sessions of a club's life, education might be very introductory, covering how to read a balance sheet, an earnings report and the club's financials. Soon the club might be learning new ways to value stocks or discussing a book about Warren Buffett.

Clubs Are Work: Why Not Try a Money-Free Club?

Many clubs have fallen by the wayside when members realize that the time involved is significant. Often the treasurer feels this first. Because of this, groups that want to get started but are a bit intimidated at the paperwork, try a "money-free" club.

Some money-free clubs will focus on education only. Others will set up fantasy portfolios on a web site and buy and sell and do all the work, but with no real money in.

Advantages

• No monthly contributions.
• No need for a treasurer.
• No accounts to keep and taxes to pay.
• Great for people who are hesitant to commit to a regular club.

Disadvantages

• People often lose their discipline if they're not bound together by pooled money.
• Often people take a money-free club less seriously.
• It's less fun and exciting for some people, if there's no real money involved.

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Business Finance and Commercial Real Estate Investment Loans

A complicated business finance process can occur when an investor previously familiar only with residential property begins investing in commercial real estate investment property and business opportunity situations. Before a borrower attempts to buy a business, it is important to develop a business loan and commercial mortgage strategy.

There are many key differences between financing for commercial property investing and residential real estate investments. Because more residential property investors are exploring commercial property and business finance opportunities, this business opportunity financing and business loan report is designed to help educate new commercial investors about key commercial mortgage and commercial loan issues.

Rather than specifically focusing on issues that differentiate business financing from residential financing (which we have thoroughly analyzed in separate reports), this report will offer a few key observations regarding business finance elements that are often overlooked in new business investment considerations. These factors include credit card processing, business cash advance options and working capital management.

Coordinating Credit Card Processing and Business Cash Advance Programs -

Many business investments will involve the use of credit card processing decisions. These business activities should be analyzed simultaneously with business cash advance programs for several reasons. If done properly, a business should reduce their costs and improve their cash flow.

Reducing Processor Costs in Business Investing -

One of the biggest benefits of coordinating processing with a business cash advance program is the real potential that overall costs can be reduced. This is due to the fact that the most advanced merchant cash advance services will be linked with the lowest cost processors. Many of the best processing providers will not be available for businesses other than through a high-quality receivables factoring arrangement.

Improve Cash Flow for Business Investments -

Factoring strategies can produce a business cash advance up to several hundred thousand dollars. For most businesses, this level of financing is not routinely available via other business finance programs. The decision to secure a merchant cash advance is an increasingly practical business financing response to business lenders eliminating line of credit programs.

Business cash advance programs do come with some potential problems and limitations. It also seems that many business owners are confused by this kind of business finance strategy, and in many cases new business owners rule out the use of a merchant cash advance before they have thoroughly analyzed the pros and cons. Even though credit card financing is usually thought of as short-term business financing, it can be effectively used on a longer-term basis when done properly.

Working Capital Management Strategies -

Obtaining a working capital loan is usually more effective when arranged in conjunction with buying a business. However many lenders do not adequately address this issue in the early business finance stages. Before completing a purchase offer to buy a business, all business loan issues should be discussed in order to fully understand overall commercial financing choices and limitations.

After acquiring a business, it is more likely that business or personal collateral will be a necessity in getting working capital financing. One major exception to this common collateral requirement will be the use of a business cash advance and credit card financing as mentioned above.

Additional Key Investment Business Finance and Real Estate Mortgage Issues -

As previously noted, commercial mortgage and commercial loan requirements are very different from residential financing requirements in the United States. Additional business finance reports include a discussion of many other significant financing factors. Separate report topics include SBA loan refinancing, business opportunity financing, stated income business loans and commercial appraisals.

Most of the additional articles will provide further detail about topics discussed in this report as well as offering business financing solutions for numerous other complex business loan situations. For example, some SBA loan processes can include working capital as part of the total initial financing. For those interested in learning more about both potential advantages and problems associated with coordinating credit card processing and business cash advance services, there are several additional resources which will facilitate a better understanding of these complex business finance issues.

Stephen Bush and AEX Commercial Financing Group provide business opportunity finance - SBA loan - business finance advice and publish AEX Business Loan - Commercial Mortgage Reports.

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