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Hi, María Here. Today I am sharing some tips to eliminate your credit card debt, NEW YEAR, NEW Resolutions, hope it will help you.

Did you know?

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Credit Card Debt

Credit card debt is a major problem in this country. While not everyone has a credit card, those that do typically carry a balance. The interest rate on a credit card balance is usually between 10-30% APR. These high interest rates make it difficult for people to pay down their debt -- especially if only making the minimum payment. In fact, just making minimum payments can make even the smallest balance over a decade to pay off and thousands of dollars in finance charges. It’s no wonder getting out of debt seems so hard.

Fortunately, you can get out of debt. If you follow a few basic steps and put a plan in place, you can work to pay off your debt sooner, with less interest, and improve your credit score in the process.

1.First, list each of your credit cards. You’ll want to include the outstanding balance, interest rate, and minimum payment. This information can easily be found on your last monthly statement.

2.Order the cards on the list so that the credit card with the highest interest rate is at the top, and the lowest is at the bottom.

3.Total the minimum payments.

4.The total monthly minimum is your absolute lowest monthly payment, but remember, we want to pay more than the minimum in order to repay the debt quickly. So, take a look at your budget and see how much extra you can come up with each month in addition to the minimum. Whether it’s an extra $20 a month or $100, every little bit helps.

5.As your payments come due, pay the minimum on each card except for the one at the top of your list. Remember, that one has the highest interest rate and it costing you the most money by maintaining a balance. So whatever additional money you budgeted in the previous step, apply that to that card.

6.Continue this process until the first card is paid off. When that card is paid off, continue with the minimum payments on the other cards, but now take the amount you were paying on the first card in addition to the minimum payment and apply it to the second card on your list.

7.Repeat this process until all cards are paid off.

Why This Works

To understand why a relatively simple process works it’s important to understand how minimum payments work. Minimum payments are calculated as a percentage of the outstanding balance. That means as your card balance slowly decreases, so does your minimum payment. This is why it can take ten years or more to pay off even a small balance if you only make the minimum payment each month.

With this system, your monthly payment is remaining constant regardless of your balance. So each month your required minimum payment may go down, but you’re ignoring that and by doing so you apply more and more money to your principal as time goes on, thus accelerating your debt repayment.

Starting with the highest interest rate ensures you’re targeting the most costly credit up front to minimize the total amount of interest you pay.

A Few More Tips

While this payment strategy will help you get out of debt, you can potentially make things go even faster with a few other tips. First, call your credit card company and ask about getting your rate lowered. This won’t always work, but if you have been on time with your payments and a decent credit score, they may be willing to work with you. It doesn’t hurt to try and it doesn’t cost anything. The worst they can do is say no.

Don’t forget about balance transfers. Again, it isn’t always easy to get credit and the balance transfer deal may not be the best, but if you can find a way to transfer the balance from a card with a 25% APR to a card with an 18% APR, that’s still something. There may be some special 0% offers as well, but they are harder to come by these days and the hidden fees may outweigh the benefit.

Finally, keep in mind that this process still takes time. There is no magic method of paying off debt, so realize that it will still take months or even a few years to become completely debt-free. But what we're doing is putting a process in place to make sure that you can get out of debt as soon as possible. You can speed up the process if you continue to pay even more money towards your debt as your budget allows.

Have a great day!

María

www.fx-megaforex.com

Smart solutions for your professional trading.

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Hi I found this great article in Bloomberg and I hope you like it as much as I did.

..Billionaire Prokhorov Touts Gold as Trump Embraces Foreclosures

By Matthew G. Miller and Peter Newcomb | Bloomberg – 6 hours ago

Stock markets are down. Europe is gyrating. Cash generates minuscule returns. Commodities, especially gold, can soar or tumble in an instant. In these perplexing times, Bloomberg Markets magazine in its January issue asked 10 billionaires 14 questions covering their views on the global economy, where they see opportunities and who gave them the best advice.

We found much agreement: The billionaires say traditional indicators have little influence on their investment decisions. In fact, hair-care mogul John Paul DeJoria says beauty salons are better barometers of economic health. The 10 largely agree that the euro will depreciate further and that keeping one's portfolio in U.S. dollars is smart.

Lawyer Joe Jamail, with the bulk of his fortune in bonds and cash, expresses in colorful language a common tenet: Hedge funds are dangerous.

"I'd buy cocaine rather than buy that s---," he says.

We also found diverging opinions. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index may wind up anywhere from 1,200 (according to Jamail) to 1,400 (according to Rubens Menin Teixeira de Souza) at the end of 2012. It was at 1,195.19 on Nov. 29. Gold is an opportunity, an enigma and a bubble, they say.

Art collector Eli Broad says buying a prime Picasso is the safest investment. Pharmaceutical baron Patrick Soon-Shiong says he'd go with season tickets to the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team.

Russian metals mogul Mikhail Prokhorov offers advice that's hard to beat: What to do with $1 million in cash? Spend it with pleasure, he says.

Following are profiles of the 10 billionaires and their answers to selected questions.

Mikhail Prokhorov

Primary Asset: 36 percent stake in Polyus Gold (PLZL) International Ltd. Residence: Moscow Industry: Commodities

The mining mogul sold his 25 percent stake in OAO GMK Norilsk Nickel, the world's biggest producer of the metal, to fellow Russian titan Oleg Deripaska. The 2008 deal brought him more than $5 billion in cash and 17 percent of aluminum producer United Co. Rusal. Today, his flashiest assets include Polyus Gold, with about $2 billion in annual sales, and an 80 percent cut of pro basketball's New Jersey Nets.

Prokhorov, 46, told Bloomberg Markets in 2010 that the term "oligarch" doesn't apply to him because he's just a businessman. This year, he jumped into politics, taking control of a pro-business party called Right Cause. After airing his aspirations to become prime minister, Prokhorov cut his ambitions short following a clash with the Kremlin over how Right Cause should be run.

* * *

What three economic indicators most influence your investing?

German IFO data on business expectations are best on global manufacturing. U.S. Conference Board data are the top measure of American consumer confidence. Chinese PMI manufacturing data are good for China's growth and exports. In emerging markets, inflation, budget deficit, production growth index and retail sales are key.

What is the best investing advice you ever received?

"Keep your back straight and don't fidget" -- a piece of Russian folk wisdom.

What have been your best and worst investments?

My best was Norilsk Nickel. (GMKN) My team and I took a company in serious decay that hadn't paid salaries for six months and turned it into the world's biggest producer of nickel and other metals. It was like running a small government, with 300,000 people dependent on that company for their livelihoods. I hope my worst investment is yet to come.

What currency do you believe will depreciate the most in the next two years? What currency would you prefer to hold your portfolio in?

Hopefully, the euro. This would give the euro zone the chance to export its way out of slow growth. I keep my cash in U.S. dollars, and I keep shares of Polyus Gold as collateral. For the long term, my preference would be to keep my portfolio in currencies that offer high interest rates or high growth -- a basket of emerging-markets currencies from Brazil to China to Russia.

Where are the best opportunities in global fixed income?

I see little value in 2 percent on U.S. Treasuries. Among developed markets, Canada, Norway or Finland have better debt levels and are less inclined to inflate away debt problems. A combination of Russian corporate bonds, some Brazilian or Turkish local-currency debt, with a sprinkling of less obvious African options would be an interesting combination.

What's the safest investment: a bar of gold, a pile of U.S. Treasuries or a top-tier Picasso?

As a large chunk of my wealth is in Polyus Gold, a bar of gold, of course!

Is there a money manager you would trust with your entire portfolio?

Yes. His name is Mikhail. I sign every check myself.

Donald Trump

Primary Assets: Commercial and residential property, golf courses Residence: New York Industry: Real estate

Trump's television shows and flirtations with politics generate the buzz; real estate brings in the bucks. Some two dozen buildings across the U.S. have the Trump name on their facades, as do a handful of luxury hotels and casinos. While the Donald churns out one self-help tome after the next, golf is his passion. Trump, 65, who claims a three handicap, agreed to buy the legendary Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami for $170 million in October.

* * *

Best investing advice?

My father, Fred C. Trump, told me to know everything you can about what you're doing. He believed in being thorough and was wary of blind spots.

Where to park $1 million in cash?

Equities, corporate bonds and, if you know what you're doing, purchasing foreclosed houses from banks and demanding long-term financing at favorable interest rates.

Should wealthy investors buy shares of privately held tech darlings on secondary markets before IPOs?

Yes, but a very, very small percentage of the overall portfolio.

Margin?

Much of my portfolio is in cash. I don't believe in margining one's portfolio.

Best and worst investments?

Best: buying 40 Wall Street for $1 million. Worst: A yacht.

Eli Broad

Primary Assets: Investments, art Residence: Los Angeles Industries: Banking, real estate

The one-time accountant made his fortune building houses with Donald Kaufman, founding what became KB Home in 1957. Broad bought Sun Life Insurance Co. of America in 1971. He created insurance giant SunAmerica Inc., which he sold to American International Group Inc. for $18 billion in 1999. A voracious modern-art collector, Broad, 78, owns pieces by Damien Hirst, Jasper Johns, Jeff Koons, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. The Broad Foundations, with assets of $2.1 billion, are big givers to education and medical research. A fixture of Los Angeles society, Broad is spearheading revitalization of the city's downtown.

* * *

Influential indicators?

Consumer confidence, unemployment and political gridlock.

Best investing advice?

"Don't bet the farm."

Dividend income or capital growth?

Growth and price appreciation.

Best and worst investments?

Best: SunAmerica and gold. Worst: Financial services stocks.

Currency?

The euro will be the worst. The U.S. dollar is what I hold most of my portfolio in.

Margin in portfolio?

Not in this uncertain world.

Where to park $1 million in cash?

High-quality multinational consumer companies such as Procter & Gamble Co., Coca-Cola Co., Kraft Foods Inc. and Johnson & Johnson. (JNJ)

Best fixed-income opportunities?

Quality high-yield bonds.

Hedge-fund investing?

Individual funds and managers with the best long-term track record, such as Seth Klarman at Baupost Group LLC.

Gold, U.S. Treasuries or a Picasso?

The Picasso.

Alisher Usmanov

Primary Asset: 45 percent stake in Metalloinvest, Russia's largest iron ore producer Residence: Moscow Industries: Metals, mining, telecom, technology

One of Russia's richest citizens, Usmanov runs Gazprominvestholding, the investment arm of the state gas monopoly. The bulk of his wealth comes from Russian metals, mining, telecom and tech companies. The top shareholder in Metalloinvest, Usmanov also owns 25.3 percent of Mail.ru Group Ltd. (MAIL), Russia's largest Internet company, and 31 percent of No. 3 mobile-phone operator OAO MegaFon.

Usmanov, 58, who has invested in Facebook Inc. and Groupon Inc., seeded his fortune as Russia sold off government-owned metals companies in the 1990s. He's often in London watching the English Premier League's Arsenal, a soccer team in which he and a partner own a 29 percent stake.

* * *

Fixed-income opportunities?

U.S. government bonds and government bonds of strong European countries (primarily Germany, France) and those of China have better prospects.

Currencies?

If EU leaders don't make a clear decision on how to exit the crisis, then it's likely we will see bankruptcies by some member states. The euro will suffer the most. This in itself wouldn't be all bad for the European economy, as pillars such as Germany will get support for exports.

What do you look for in buying stocks?

I first of all trust my own instinct, experience that I gained over years and feeling when the moment is right for buying shares. That is what one calls intuition.

Patrick Soon-Shiong

Primary Asset: Proceeds from combined $6.6 billion sales of American Pharmaceutical Partners and Abraxis BioScience Inc. Residence: Los Angeles Industry: Pharmaceuticals

South African-born Soon-Shiong, 59, left the UCLA Medical School faculty in 1991 after performing the first transplant of a whole pancreas in school history. That year, he co-founded VivoRX Pharmaceuticals Inc. and worked on a diabetes treatment. A year later, he co-created Abraxane, a breast cancer treatment, which he went on to co-own through American Pharmaceutical Partners. Today, Soon-Shiong says he has stakes in more than 30 companies. He bought a minority share of the Los Angeles Lakers pro basketball team from Earvin "Magic" Johnson in 2010 and rates Lakers season tickets a safer investment than gold, U.S. Treasuries or a prime Picasso.

* * *

Gold: opportunity, bubble or enigma?

Gold is both a bubble and an enigma. It's no longer an opportunity.

Where to park $1 million in cash?

The most important thing is not to lose money right now.

Fixed-income investments?

The time for bonds has passed. I thought munis were an incredible opportunity for a while. But those days are gone.

Hedge-fund investing?

Hedge funds are dangerous. I don't know anyone who can predict volatility, buy across industries, hedge and invest internationally. Assets are too interrelated.

Best advice?

Invest in yourself and the people you believe in.

John Paul DeJoria

Primary Assets: Stakes in John Paul Mitchell Systems and Patron Spirits Co. Residence: Los Angeles Industry: Retail

Raised near Los Angeles's hardscrabble Echo Park neighborhood, DeJoria, 67, tapped into the entrepreneurial vein early. He went door-to-door selling Christmas cards at age 9 and then expanded to encyclopedias. In 1980, he invested $700 in his friend's hair-care company, the eponymously named Paul Mitchell. The company now generates some $1 billion in annual revenue. DeJoria invested his profits from the beauty business into booze, co-founding tequila maker Patron.

* * *

Influential indicators?

Beauty salons. Typically, customers will visit every six weeks; in downturns, that drops to every eight weeks. When the frequency starts to go up again, it indicates the economy is improving.

Best investing advice?

How to buy a put, told to me by a woman named Rebecca.

Where to park $1 million in cash?

Twenty-five percent in gold, 25 percent in silver, 25 percent in NYSE blue-chip stocks that pay a dividend and 25 percent between Asian and European blue chips that pay a dividend.

Currencies?

The euro will depreciate most. I recommend having most of a portfolio in U.S. dollars and Swiss francs.

Joe Jamail

Primary Asset: More than $1 billion in cash, stocks and bonds Residence: Houston Industry: Law

The so-called King of Torts made his mark in 1985 representing Pennzoil Co. in its lawsuit against Texaco Inc., earning the trial lawyer a then-record $335 million contingency fee. Jamail, 86, has since litigated personal injury and corporate malfeasance cases, securing more than $13 billion in verdicts and settlements. Renowned for his blue language, Jamail, who earned a law degree from the University of Texas in 1953, was once admonished by the Delaware Supreme Court as being "rude, uncivil and vulgar."

* * *

What do you look for when buying stocks?

I usually don't invest much in the market directly. I always look for price returns rather than income, because I make enough f------ money out of this sue shop--my law office. Most of my stuff is in bonds.

Best investing advice?

My dad told me, "Don't buy any g------ stocks, OK?" He had a chain of grocery stores. He liked that cash coming in.

Fixed-income investments?

Tax-free municipal bonds, guaranteed by a public school fund.

Is gold an opportunity, a bubble or an enigma?

I own some gold. I have a bunch of gold bars, and we give them as Christmas presents to the grandchildren -- an ounce for each. They don't get to keep it. The parents put it away for them.

Is there a money manager you would trust with your entire portfolio?

No. But if I had to trust somebody, it would be Fayez Sarofim.

Best and worst investments?

Best: A law degree, no question about it. Worst: Airline stocks.

Where to park $1 million in cash?

In my mattress.

Peter Hargreaves

Primary Asset: 32.2 percent of Hargreaves Lansdown Plc, the U.K.'s biggest retail broker Residence: Bristol, England Industry: Financial services

The former accountant co-founded Hargreaves Lansdown in 1981. Today, it operates a fund supermarket with pension, annuity, discount brokerage and wealth management services for 388,000 clients. Shares soared 185 percent from the May 2007 IPO to Nov. 29; assets under management rose 12 percent to 22.3 billion pounds ($35.7 billion) in the 12 months through September. Hargreaves, 65, an avid gardener, earned 74 million pounds from dividends before taxes from the start of 2008 through mid-November, according to Bloomberg data.

* * *

What do you look for when buying stocks?

Capital growth.

Fixed-income investments?

German bonds for the currency play when the euro implodes Where to put $1 million in cash? $500,000 in Singapore dollars and $500,000 in Norwegian krone.

Is there a money manager you would trust with your entire portfolio?

Me.

Randal J. Kirk

Primary Asset: Investments via Third Security LLC Residence: Radford, Virginia Industry: Pharmaceuticals

Kirk's Third Security has scored some of the past decade's biggest biotech hits. His greatest: the $2.6 billion sale of New River Pharmaceuticals Inc. to Shire Plc in 2007. He personally netted $1.2 billion. Looking for another big payday the next year, he invested $200 million in synthetic-DNA researcher Intrexon Corp. He followed with the $1.2 billion sale of Clinical Data Inc. to Forest Laboratories Inc. (FRX) in February 2011, personally reaping more than $600 million. Kirk, 57, splits time among homes in California, Connecticut, Florida and Virginia, where he lays down electronic music tracks in his recording studio.

* * *

Dividend income or price returns?

Both are relevant, and we hold stocks that pay dividends and those that do not. We have only a small percentage of our portfolio in public stocks.

Best advice?

"Good deals are like bus stops; there is one on every corner." Told to me by Red Robertson of Grundy, Virginia, who invested in my first deal. The advice illustrated he was not so interested in the deal as in my dedication to it. One invests in the guy behind the deal, above all else.

Margin in portfolio?

No. Mr. Market thinks things are going to be worth less in the future and therefore borrowing to own more earnings-based or asset-value-based things would be foolish. We invest in technology and expect returns substantially greater than borrowing costs in almost any economy.

Should wealthy investors buy privately held tech darlings on secondary markets?

Only if they would participate as a judge in a Keynesian beauty contest. I am not one of those people.

Rubens Menin Teixeira de Souza

Primary Asset: 32 percent of MRV Engenharia & Participacoes SA, Brazil's fifth-largest homebuilder by revenue Residence: Belo Horizonte, Brazil Industry: Real estate

Menin, 55, became a billionaire building homes for Brazil's lowest earners. He founded MRV in 1979, riding out more than a decade of hyperinflation by keeping costs down. An adviser to the government's flagship low-income-housing initiative, he says his work is essential to the growth of Brazil's middle class. MRV has sponsored the Mineiro Athletic Club, one of Minas Gerais state's two main soccer clubs, as well as a local women's volleyball team.

* * *

Hedge-fund investing?

Individual funds, with recognized portfolio managers.

Influential economic indicators?

S&P 500, U.S. dollar versus real exchange rate and Bovespa index.

Best investing advice?

Buying Brazilian C bonds when they were trading at 40 cents on the dollar. The securities, issued in the 1990s, traded at par in 2005 when the government bought back the last of them.

Where to park $1 million in cash?

Brazilian investment-grade bonds.

To contact the reporters on this story: Matthew G. Miller in New York at mmiller144@bloomberg.net; Peter Newcomb in New York at pnewcomb2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Serrill at mserrill@bloomberg.net

Hope you like it and I wish everyone a success 2012!

My best regards,

María

www.fx-megaforex.com

Smart solutions for your professional trading.

Hi Today I will like to share with you this great article I found at yahoo Finance, is something I do, and I think is great advice, hope it will help you.

provided by Money Talk News

There's a lot of great advice out there to saving money. But if it overwhelms you, start with just these two simple rules and you'll be on your way to financial independence.

When it comes to the way we think about money, I've noticed there are two kinds of people: those who think $1,000 is a lot of money, and those who think $10 is a lot of money.

I fall into the second category. But I'm not especially frugal. I have a fairly nice car, I take a vacation every year, and it isn't too hard to convince me to drop a few hundred dollars on a great pair of shoes now and then. I've never even clipped a coupon. But I've also maxed out my retirement savings, bought a house, and live without debt — all on an average salary for where I live.

What I've done isn't extraordinary, but it does seem somewhat rare. That said, I think most people can accomplish this fairly easily. All you have to do is live and die by two simple rules...

1. Pay Yourself First: The Best Kind of Cliché

"Pay yourself first" is a very common piece of financial advice. It's simple enough to follow, but that doesn't make it easy.

If you can save $200 per month at a 6-percent interest rate, you'll have more than $200,000 in 30 years. At the very least, you'll have a great savings fund at the ready for whatever life may bring. But how can you come up with that cash when you barely have any money left between paychecks?

The answer is to take that money off the top. And yes, it'll sting a bit at first.

I've made a habit of taking contributions to my retirement and savings account right off the top of each paycheck on the very day it hits my bank account. I try to cut pretty deep too, leaving myself just a little more than I need to pay for expenses.

This works on two levels: It forces me to really budget to meet my basic expenses while keeping extra cash out of easy reach. I can still retrieve the money from my savings account if I happen to need it, but because I have to make a decision to transfer funds, they usually stay put. I allow myself to spend whatever I don't need for expenses on whatever I like — if I don't spend it by the time my next paycheck comes, I roll that into savings too.

I also save any additional money I get. I think a raise, tax return, or bonus can go two ways. It can raise your standard of living, or it can raise your standards. Rather than creating more expenses to suck up these extra dollars, I live the same way day to day and tuck the extra money away for something better.

2. Practice Mindful Spending

Having some leeway in your paycheck isn't a given, but I think many people have more wiggle room than they realize.

This is what I mean when I say that I think $10 is a lot of money. When I decide to buy something, it's a decision, not an impulse buy. I want to spend my money on things that really have value for me, not just things that are convenient or appealing at the moment. So while I can buy something nice once in a while — without guilt — I have a hard time going out for lunch or buying (you guessed it) a latte.

Less expensive purchases are an easy mental hurdle to get over because they're so small it seems that they could hardly amount to anything. The truth is, these seemingly insignificant purchases can easily amount to, or exceed, that $200 you may be aiming to save.

If you spend $4 every morning on a latte, and $12 each work day for lunch, this adds up to $80 per week — for a grand total of $4,160 per year. If you earn $50,000 per year, that's a full month of your salary. Do you really want all that money to amount to a bunch of coffee and Subway sandwiches?

This isn't to say that no one should ever buy a latte. But if I spend this kind of money every week, I don't have anything to devote to my savings. That's a sign that these seemingly small indulgences just aren't affordable, at least for me.

This is why I've also decided not to opt for cable TV or an extensive cell phone plan. I don't feel that I live like a pauper. After all, I have money saved that I can turn to not only in an emergency, but also to pay for things that I feel really add enjoyment to my life, rather than just distracting me for a few hours or days — and steadily subtracting dollars from my bank account.

What Are Your Rules?

Over time, I've learned to save money as diligently as I pay my bills. I also try to spend what's left as mindfully as I can. I can't say I always succeed, that I never overspend or that I'm not often tempted to break my rules.

Nevertheless, I'm sticking to the strategy that has kept me out of debt, and helped me save enough to meet some key financial goals — and still have some fun. I know of other people who've done even better by employing these rules much more stringently than I do. As for me, I'll keep saving up for my next big purchase by keeping all the little ones in check.

Hope you like it,

María

www.fx-megaforex.com

Smart solutions for your professional trading.

Hi María here, I found this article at yahoo, and I want to share it with you hope it will help you understand things better.

Until now, many Americans have largely tuned out Europe's debt crisis. Its causes are complicated, it's happening somewhere else, and we've got enough of our own economic problems to worry about, thank you very much.

But Americans may not be able to disregard the crisis much longer. Europe's leaders met in Washington over the weekend, trying to devise a plan to finally address the growing financial emergency. And U.S. government officials are using increasingly urgent language in their appeals to their European counterparts to come up with a viable plan before the crisis spirals out of control, plunging the global economy back into recession.

So it's time to start getting familiar with Europe's debt crisis. Here's the crucial background you need to know:

How and when did the crisis originate?

Let's start back in 2001, when 17 European countries scrapped their national currencies and replaced them with the euro. The new "eurozone" bloc permitted some of its economically weaker members to borrow money more cheaply than they 'd been able to do previously, because they benefited from the higher credit ratings of the region's stronger economies.

As a result, many European countries, including Greece and Ireland, began to take on debt. (In Greece's case, by the way, this effort was aided by Goldman Sachs, which, for a fee, came up with a clever way to allow Greece to disguise the extent of its borrowing). By early 2010, investors began to worry that those two countries, and also Portugal, might not be able to repay their obligations.

Details of the financial meltdowns have varied from country to country. In Greece, the problem was a culture of tax evasion, combined with excessive public spending. (As Michael Lewis of Vanity Fair wrote recently, to get around pay restraints in the calendar year, "the Greek government simply paid employees a 13th and even 14th monthly salary--months that didn't exist.")

Things got worse, of course, with the global economic downturn, which reduced revenues further. In Ireland, the debt was largely a result of the government guaranteeing the nation's largest banks, which were threatening to collapse after financing a housing bubble--a familiar scenario to any jaundiced observer of Washington's lavish bailouts of U.S. investment banks. Portugal's public debt was in fact far lower, but investors lost confidence anyway, in part because of relatively high levels of government spending and intervention in the economy.

The markets' fears created a vicious cycle. Once investors decided that those countries might not be able to repay their debt, it became much more expensive for those governments to finance new borrowing. And the credit squeeze in turn made it less likely that the cash-strapped governments would ever be able to repay the original debt, raising the prospect of a default.

Sounds scary. What have European leaders done in response?

Greece last year won a $154 billion bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. The rescue package required the Greek government to undertake a series of harsh budget-slashing austerity measures. Those cutbacks have prompted widespread protests in Athens that at times have turned violent. Ireland and Portugal received their own bailouts, worth $115 billion and $105 billion respectively.

But especially in Greece's case, the bailout and belt-tightening haven't been enough to convince investors to loan money at more reasonable rates or to ease fears of a default. So in July, European leaders committed an additional $600 billion to create the European Financial Stability Facility--essentially, a bailout fund for whichever European countries need it. The idea was to remedy the worst of Europe's financial woes by creating a "fence" around its most troubled economies.

But even that plan, which has yet to win approval from Europe's member states, so far hasn't succeeded in calming financial markets. And thanks to a lack of political consensus combined with Europe's unwieldy decision-making process, any new plan likely won't go into effect for several weeks or more. And that might be too long for Greece to hold out.

So if Greece is the only economy at risk, what's the big deal?

It's not. The fear is that the Mediterranean country's troubles could spread to other eurozone members, by reducing investor confidence more broadly. Based on the market's behavior, it's not just Ireland and Portugal either: Italy and Spain--the third and fourth largest economies, respectively, in the eurozone--also now appear to be in the firing line.

Italy's public debt to GDP ratio is 120 percent, one of the highest in the world, and the country is plagued by anemic growth and a chronically dysfunctional political system. (Its prime minister is currently being investigated in connection with alleged encounters with a 17-year old prostitute.) Spain had the world's biggest real estate bubble--it had as many as 1.1 million unsold homes at the start of the year. And both countries, like Greece, have been forced to adopt strict and unpopular austerity measures.

One analyst recently likened the situation to the 2008 failure of Lehman Brothers, which sparked the near-collapse of the entire financial system. "You were concerned if Lehman went, how many other banks would go," Hans Lorenzen, a credit strategist at Citigroup, told the Washington Post. "If Greece defaults, what's the probability of Portugal and Ireland and then Italy and Spain?"

Even relatively healthy economies aren't thought to be safe. European banks--led by those in Germany and France--hold a total of 54 billion euros of Greek debt. Earlier this month, credit ratings agency Moody's downgraded the ratings of two large French banks, citing concerns over their exposure to Greek debt.

Have a great day!

María

www.fx-megaforex.com

Smart solutions for your professional trading.

.

Hi I found this great article in Yahoo and want to share it with you hope you like it and most of all help you get the life you deserve.

Warren Buffett is worth $45 billion. That wealth isn't only a factor of savvy investing and good business — the "Oracle of Omaha" is also known as a penny pincher. Buffett still lives in the same Omaha, Neb., home he bought in 1958 for $31,500.

Follow his frugal formula, and you too may wind up with a lot more money than you ever dreamed.

This week Financially Fit covers five tips to build wealth and success.

1. Live Below Your Means.

Being wealthy isn't just a product of your salary or investment prowess; it's learning how to save.

"We can make a lot of money, you can make a little bit of money, but the second you spend all the money is when people get into trouble. Saving is the key to preserving your wealth," says Ed Butowsky, managing partner of Chapwood Capital Investment Management, a firm that manages money for wealthy individuals.

As many Americans realized during the booming real estate market, just because you think you can afford something doesn't mean you should buy it. Keeping an eye on your bottom line will pay dividends over the long term.

2. Bounce Back From Defeat

With nearly 15 million workers unemployed right now in the U.S., it's easy to get discouraged. Don't! Most successful and wealthy people have overcome obstacles and failure along the way. Steve Jobs was ousted from Apple when he was 30. Today, he's a billionaire and a legend. Plus, after getting fired, he created another billion-dollar media company, Pixar.

"Bouncing back from defeat is something all great achievers have. They have this undying belief good things will happen and will continue to happen," says Butowsky.

Take Michael Jordan. "His airness" was cut from his high school basketball team. Motivated by the rejection, Jordan became a star the next season. The rest is history.

3. Self-Promote

Regardless of the profession, the rich and successful tend to have a strong sense of self-worth — key to skillfully navigating an upward career path. Mark Hurd, who was ousted as CEO of Hewlett-Packard in August, couldn't be kept down for long. Using his business skills and connections, in September, Hurd was named president of Oracle. (Hurd and Oracle founder Larry Ellison are known to be close friends.)

4. Have Street Smarts

Bernie Madoff lived the high life for decades, scamming unsuspecting clients, with a money-making formula that proved too good to be true. Only afterward did we learn that with a little due diligence, most clients could have easily uncovered the fraud.

But it's not only the swindlers and the con men you have to watch out for. Many times, friends and family take advantage of the rich. Whether it's a handout or an investment idea, Butowsky advises his high net worth clients that in most cases, it's wisest to just say "no." The best way to do that: have someone else do it for you.

"You need to really set up a wall between you and your family," he advises. "If you don't want to give them (family or friends) money ... saying no is probably a good idea."

5. Buy Cheap

The rich can afford to splurge, but that doesn't mean they do.

John Paulson, a billionaire hedge fund manager, bought his Hamptons "dream house at a bargain basement price," according to Greg Zuckerman, author of the Paulson-based book, "The Greatest Trade Ever." The story has it that Paulson eyed the home while it was in foreclosure. Finally, on a rain-soaked day, he purchased the home on the Southampton town hall steps. He was the only bidder.

On New York City's Upper East Side, Michael's— The Consignment Shop for Women— has been a bargain-hunting destination for more than 60 years. "We have a good percentage of women who can afford to shop on Madison Avenue but really like the idea of saving that money," says proprietor Tammy Gates.

From Chanel to Gucci and Louis Vuitton, the store specializes in high-end designer merchandise for a reasonable price. Speaking of her clientele, Gates says, "they're wealthy for a reason. They recognize that bargains keep people wealthy. Paying top dollar when you don't have to doesn't make sense."

Hi I am glad today I want to share with you this article hope it will help you reach your financial goals in 2011.

With an economy still on the mend and unemployment stubbornly high, it's important to make the best investing decisions for you and your family. The best strategy blends managing risk while investing to get the most bang for your buck.

Take these baby steps and follow the rest of Bankrate.com's 100 tips for 2011 and you can improve your financial life in the coming year.

Tip 1: Define or refine your life goals

What do you want out of life?

The trend in financial planning is to work with people to help them determine what they want out of life, and then establish financial objectives that will facilitate the client's ability to achieve those life goals. Money becomes the catalyst instead of the goal.

Don't get drawn into the vague generalities of a comfortable retirement, an education for your children or travel abroad. When you know what you're working toward, you'll be more committed to investing for those goals.

Tip 2: Get the big picture of your financial plan

Financial planning is a lot more than just managing your investments. A comprehensive financial plan looks at the big picture. It includes a review of your insurance, employee benefits, income taxes, investments, retirement and estate planning, as well as personal financial statements, your attitudes toward risk, and your goals.

A good planner is the captain of your financial ship. The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. has a wealth of consumer-friendly information, including the publication "How to choose a financial planner."

Tip 3: Create an investment policy statement

Whether you do it yourself or work with a financial planner, you should have an investment policy statement that serves as a guide on how you want to invest.

This guide should include the investor's philosophy toward investing, investment objectives, the investor's attitude toward risk, a target asset allocation, guidelines for monitoring portfolio performance and an approach to portfolio rebalancing.

Other items should cover tax considerations, estate planning goals, fees and expenses, and trading costs. It should spell out an approved list of investments, and whether the investor allows trading on margin, short selling and investing in derivative securities. And it should also spell out whether the investor's account allows discretionary trading by the account manager.

Tip 4: Know your risk tolerance

Know how you feel about risk in investing.

The "Investment Risk Tolerance Quiz" offered by Rutgers University's New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, can give you a quick read on your risk tolerance. If you find yourself tossing and turning at night and it's not your mattress but rather the markets keeping you awake, then it's time to dial down the risk in your portfolio.

Knowing your risk tolerance will help you decide how to invest your money. Conservative investors may not be comfortable with investing much money in the stock market because of its volatility. Lower volatility means lower potential returns, so a conservative investor will have to save a higher percentage of his income to be on track to meet his financial goals.

Investors have to manage their investments considering twin risks: the risk that their investments lose principal and the risk that their investments lose purchasing power. Conservative investors can protect principal by investing in certificates of deposit insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., but the FDIC doesn't protect the purchasing power of those deposits. Keep an eye on your purchasing power, too.

Tip 5: Review and rebalance your portfolio

Calendar rebalancing is one approach to adjusting how you've invested. Others include target rebalancing and tactical rebalancing. Calendar rebalancing has you adjust your portfolio on a regular basis. Target rebalancing waits until an asset allocation is above (or below) the maximum (or minimum) target asset allocation. Tactical asset allocation has you reducing or increasing the allocation to an asset class based on your outlook for that asset class.

An active management portfolio strategy that rebalances the percentage of assets held in various categories in order to take advantage of market pricing anomalies or strong market sectors.

Investment allocations in financial securities are typically split between stocks, bonds and cash. The investment allocation that's right for you will depend on your risk tolerance, investment goals and market outlook. You may decide that an allocation of 50 percent stocks, 30 percent bonds and 20 percent cash is right for you. If this year's stock performance brought your stock allocation up to 60 percent, then rebalancing the portfolio will get you back to your target allocation.

Tax and other considerations like estate planning can influence your desire and ability to rebalance your portfolio.

Tip 6: Establish an emergency fund

Establishing an emergency fund is where most consumers should start investing.

Starting out, it's best for the money to be invested in liquid and safe investments like a money market account or a money market mutual fund.

Financial planners typically suggest the fund hold three to six months' worth in living expenses. The more risk you face in the workplace, the more you should have available.

Counting on cash advances from your credit cards or loans from your 401(k) plan are not viable financial backstops because the credit card companies can raise the interest rates to obscene percentages and a plan loan won't help you if your financial emergency is getting laid off from your job since a 401(k) loan comes due when you leave an employer.

Tip 7: Review your approved list

Your "approved list" is the stocks and bonds you're willing to invest in and the cash you plan to hold. Even within those basic categories you can invest in individual securities, mutual funds or exchange-traded funds, or ETFs.

If your portfolio doesn't have an international component, looking beyond domestic investments can make sense, and not just for stocks.

Expanding the list to include commodities, precious metals and real estate can give your portfolio diversification. Learning how to hedge portfolio risk with options and futures contracts is best left to a discussion between you and your investment professional.

Tip 8: Roth IRA conversions and more

The Internal Revenue Service removed the income limitations for Roth IRA conversions, starting in the 2010 tax year. Unfortunately, there are still income limitations on who can contribute to a Roth IRA. That forces taxpayers with incomes above the contribution limits who want to hold retirement assets in a Roth IRA to perform the intermediate step of contributing to a traditional IRA and then making a converting contribution to a Roth IRA.

If investment returns don't pan out, taxpayers have the ability to recharacterize their Roth IRA contribution as a contribution to a traditional IRA. The taxpayer has this option up until Oct. 15 of the tax year following the conversion year. Converting in January 2011 gives you the flexibility to recharacterize over 21 months. Investors should have a better read on the recovery and tax code changes over that time span.

Work with your tax professional to determine if converting your traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs makes sense.

Tip 9: Estimate your retirement nest egg needs

You need a sense of how big your investment portfolio should be at retirement. The Employee Benefit Research Institute's 2010 Retirement Confidence Survey concluded that only 46 percent of workers or their spouses have attempted to estimate their retirement nest egg needs.

If you construct a household spending plan (or budget), you can use the total annual expenses as a guide to what you might need in retirement.

Financial planner recommendations typically range from 75 percent to 100 percent of your annual expenses while working, but exclude money budgeted for retirement savings. You'll be taking distributions from these accounts, not funding them.

Bankrate's retirement calculators can help you right-size your nest egg by estimating your income needs in retirement, considering how much you have already put aside and deciding on your pre-retirement savings goals.

Tip 10: Capture the match in your retirement plan

If your company's 401(k) or 403(b) plan has your employer matching contributions, then you should contribute up to the limits of the company match. A typical 401(k) matching program has the employer contributing 50 cents for every dollar you contribute up to a limit of 3 percent of salary. You contribute 6 percent, the company contributes 3 percent, and you just made a 50 percent return on your money.

Here are the Richest Men in America by Forbes

It has been a year of reclamation for America's richest. The total worth of the Forbes 400 was up 8% to $1.37 trillion, well out-earning the 1% rise in the S&P over the same period of time. More than half (217) are richer than they were a year ago.

The headline number tells a partial story. Just over one-third of the 400 failed to add to their fortunes or lost ground. Still far above us is the record of $1.57 trillion in total net worth set in 2008.

But the very top of the list gained, as good friends Bill Gates and Warren Buffett were up $4 billion and $5 billion, respectively. They, too, are short of their personal highs. Gates, who in March lost his title of world's richest person to Mexico's Carlos Slim, is still America's richest person — for the 17th year in a row.

Las Vegas gaming tycoon Sheldon Adelson was the kid, or "comeback adolescent," as he calls himself. "I'm too old to be a kid," he told Forbes. The largest shareholder of Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS - News) is the year's biggest dollar gainer. His casino's shares are up 1,500% since their 2009 low. Adelson is now the 13th richest American, worth $14.7 billion, up $5.7 billion from last year — though nowhere close to his $28 billion net worth in 2007, when he ranked third among Americans.

The biggest gainer in percentage terms is Mark Zuckerberg, who more than tripled his fortune to $6.9 billion. The more conservative private valuation of Facebook is now around $23 billion; illiquid shares in the secondary markets point to an even richer valuation. Two of his cofounders are in the ranks for the first time: Eduardo Saverin and Dustin Moskovitz, both classmates of Zuckerberg's at Harvard.

The price of admission to the 400 is back up to the $1 billion mark. Last year it was $950 million, the first time since 2005 it had fallen below 10 figures. The most notable of the 18 returnees is Ford Motor (NYSE: F - News) scion William Ford Sr., who made the cut after a four-year absence as the automobile company's stock hit five-year highs.

Thirty-four people fell from the ranks, a number of whom just barely missed the cut. At least two saw their fortunes unravel. Tamir Sapir, a former taxi driver who built a real estate fortune, owes at least $340 million for nonpayment of loans, his creditors say. He may be suffering from deteriorating mental condition. Hedge fund chief Raj Rajaratnam faces insider trading charges.

Nine of the drop-offs fell off the list permanently. John Kluge passed away this summer. He was America's richest man from 1989 to 1991, before losing the title to Bill Gates. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner died in July just after his 80th birthday.

Our estimates of public fortunes are a snapshot of wealth on Aug. 25, 2010, the date we locked in net worths and rankings. We have not included dispersed fortunes (as in those of the Du Ponts) when individual net worths are below our minimum. But we do include wealth belonging to a member's immediate relatives if the wealth can ultimately be traced to one living individual; in that case, "& family" indicates that the number shown includes money belonging to more than one person.

1. Bill Gates

Net Worth: $54 billion

Source: Microsoft

Residence: Medina, Wash.

Age: 54

The software king is not the world's richest man but that's because he is the most generous person on the planet: To date he has cut checks totaling $28 billion. (Even so, Gates is still America's richest person, topping The Forbes 400 for the 17th straight year.) Most of his donations have passed through his Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which now has a $33 billion endowment, including contributions from his buddy and bridge partner Warren Buffett.

2. Warren Buffett

Net Worth: $45 billion

Source: Berkshire Hathaway

Residence: Omaha, Neb.

Age: 80

Along with bridge partner Bill Gates, the Oracle of Omaha is coaxing America's richest to pledge half their fortunes to charity. "You keep making the list, I'll keep milking it." Buffett plans to give away 99% of his wealth to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Buffett children, and it all has to be spent 10 years after he's gone. "Too often a vast collection of possessions ends up possessing its owner. The asset I most value, aside from health, is interesting, diverse and long-standing friends." Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway continues its capital stewardship excellence, beating the S&P by 15 percentage points over the past 12 months. Secret to success: emotional stability.

3. Larry Ellison

Net Worth: $27 billion

Source: Oracle

Residence: Woodside, Calif.

Age: 66

More at Forbes.com:

America's Wealthiest

Youngest American Billionaires

Billionaires In The Making

The Oracle chief brazenly chastised Hewlett-Packard for ousting its former head Mark Hurd over his relationship with a marketing contractor. Then he turned around and hired Hurd weeks later to replace Oracle's co-president, Charles Phillips, who resigned at the same time. HP sued Hurd, prompting Ellison to say that HP was making it "virtually impossible" for the 2 companies to do business together.

4. Christy Walton & Family

Net Worth: $24 billion

Source: Wal-Mart

Residence: Jackson, Wy.

Age: 55

The widow of John Walton inherited her wealth after the former Green Beret and Vietnam war medic died in an airplane accident near his home in Wyoming 2005. She got an extra bump in her fortune because of her late husband's early investment in First Solar; shares up more than 400% since 2006 initial public offering.

Leí este artículo de Xabier Serbia y me pareció muy interesante espero lo disfruten y les ayude como me ha ayudado a mi.

Por Xavier Serbia / www.xavierserbia.com

1.¿Uso las tarjetas para salir de aprieto?

Sólo hazte esta pregunta: ¿acaso el plástico te está ayudando a avanzar a lograr tus metas financieras o te está prohibiendo el avance?

Aprendí que si se tiene un objetivo y existen obstáculos que te estorban el camino, tienes que esquivarlos si hay opciones, controlarlos si son parte del viaje o deshacerte si te prohíbe avanzar. ¿Acaso no queremos llegar a la paz financiera? Bueno, pregúntate que función está cumpliendo el plástico.

Para muchos entre nosotros es un obstáculo que nos prohíbe avanzar.¿Nos conviene financiar a tan alto interés? ¿Comprar cosas que no generan valor? Además, cuando uno compra con plástico no "sientes" que se te va el dinero. Te hace insensible. Pero, intenta comprar con dinero. ¡Se siente un dolor! Es un escalofrío que te cala hasta en los huesos cuando ves como tus horas de trabajo se escapan de tus manos.

2.¿Cuánto dinero debemos tener en ahorros?

Eso va a depender del ingreso, de cuánto gastas o cuánto quieres tener en el futuro.

Vamos a necesitar una reserva de emergencia de tres a un año de tus gastos mensuales por si nos vemos ante un despido, enfermedad o accidente.

Vamos a necesitar ahorrar para comprar una propiedad.

Vamos a necesitar dinero para cuando decidamos retirarnos y no trabajar más. Aunque estimar cuánto necesitamos ahorrar es difícil, ahorrar al menos un 15% de tu ingreso es una opción.

Vamos a necesitar ahorrar para enviar los hijos a la universidad, para darnos gustos y aumentar la riqueza.

3. ¿Cancelo el seguro médico de mi familia para tener ahorros?

Salvo que el pago está quitándote comida de la mesa, no se debería cancelar. ¿Acaso tenemos la bola de cristal para saber cuándo tendremos un accidente, una enfermedad catastrófica o que uno de nuestros hijos enfrente una enfermedad que requiere atención médica continua? Al menos que seas supermillonario o que tengas un ingreso tan bajo que califiques para los programas de salud del estado, es muy difícil que puedas cubrir los costos de salud por ti mismo.

Créeme nadie, repito nadie, está exento de las sorpresas que te da Dios cuando juega a los dados. Curar un catarro no es problema. Pero cuando tienes que pagar un doctor, estudios de laboratorio, hospital, hacer exámenes como MRI o Rayos X, pagar por una cirugía médica o recibir tratamiento de recuperación, ¿Quién lo paga y cómo lo pagas? Una de las causas principales de una bancarrota personal en los Estados Unidos son las facturas como consecuencia de cuidados médicos.

Es aquí que entran los seguros de salud. ¿Todos los seguros médicos son iguales? No. ¿Todas las pólizas cubren todo tipo de cuidado médico? No.

Pero, cancelar el seguro de salud, es un riesgo financiero muy alto que debemos evitar.

4. Si no tengo cómo pagar las cuentas, ¿las ignoro?

Ignorar las deudas no resuelve el problema ni las desaparece.

¿Por qué no se puede pagar las cuentas? ¿Se cayó el ingreso, se está gastando más de lo que se ingresa y/o aumentaron los gastos como el costo de financiamiento o eventos no esperados? Dependiendo del nivel de endeudamiento que exista, el tipo de deudas que se tengan, el tiempo que llevará conseguir ingreso y lo que tengas acumulado de valor puede que la solución sea fácil o difícil. Pero, en ninguna de las opciones que puedan existir, ignorar las deudas es la solución.

Mucha gente puede salir de los problemas de deudas sin tener que entrar en más deudas o dejando de pagar. Hay que sacrificar y trabajar duramente hasta salir del hoyo. Si es exceso de gastos que pueden ser modificados, pues a pasar tijera. Si es problema de ingreso hay que buscar dinero sea trabajando y/o vendiendo cosas que tienen valor para otros.

Si las deudas son no aseguradas como las tarjetas de crédito es más fácil de negociar que una deuda asegurada. Si el auto no se puede pagar considera venderlo.

Si tu problema es por falta de efectivo a corto plazo, en el caso de la hipoteca habla con el prestamista explicando la situación para ver si puedes hacer un "forbearance" donde te permitan suspender los pagos por algunos meses hasta que vuelvas a tu vida financiera normal. Ahora si la deuda es muy alta, no descartes vender y adaptarte a un estilo de vida más acorde a tu realidad económica. Lo mismo aplica si estás rentando.

Si tienes un préstamo estudiantil habla con el prestamista e intenta conseguir una interrupción ("foreberance") o un aplazamiento ("deferement") temporal del pago.

Tampoco ignoremos nuestros derechos. El tener deudas y no poder pagarlas momentáneamente no quieres decir que tengamos que aceptar acoso por parte de los cobradores. Ellos tienen el derecho de cobrar, pero tú tienes también derechos a que se cobre con respeto.

A mi me quito muchas dudas y espero que a ustedes les ayude!

Hola hoy encontré este artículo sobre el Dinero y la Felicidad y quiero compartirlo con ustedes. Espero les guste y les ayude. Hasta la próxima.

Puede el Dinero Comprar la Felicidad?

Por Enrique Garabetyan) ¿Puede el dinero comprar la felicidad? O, al menos, ¿ayudar a conseguirla? Esta cuestión es, sin dudas, una de las discusiones más antiguas que tienen las personas de todo el mundo. Y para contestarla, la encuestadora Gallup realizó una encuesta global que contestaron más de 136.000 personas de 132 países.

Además, los responsables de realizarla también publicaron los resultados en el número de julio de la revista científica especializada Journal of Personality and Social Psychology . Y la encuesta se concretó con preguntas telefónicas como con entrevistas personalizadas, en zonas urbanas y rurales.

Según el doctor Ed Diener, Profesor Emérito en psicología de la Universidad de Illinois, y máximo responsable de ciencia en la empresa Gallup, "esta pregunta es algo sobre lo que el público siempre se interroga. Y es la primera vez que logramos acercarnos a una respuesta global".

Y agregó: "lo que pudimos obtener como gran conclusión de este trabajo es que la respuesta a la gran pregunta depende estrechamente de cómo cada persona defina el concepto "felicidad".

DETALLES

Ocurre que si se piensa a la felicidad como satisfacción vital y en cómo se evalúa la vida en forma completa, es posible encontrar una buena correlación entre los ingresos económicos de una persona y su grado de felicidad.

"Pero, por otra parte", agrega, "también encontramos que hay una correlación mínima entre ciertos sentimientos positivos, y el disfrutar intensamente de pequeñas cosas y hechos y la cantidad de dinero disponible que tiene una persona".

Vale destacar que la encuesta refleja la opinión de aproximadamente el 96% del total de la población del planeta y también fue realizada cuidando seguir los diferentes aspectos culturales y económicos y realidades políticas de los países de todo el mundo.

Para los autores estar es, realmente, una las primeras muestras representativas de lo que piensa la totalidad de los seres humanos.

Entre las principales conclusiones del estudio se comprobó, de manera muy general y precisa, que la satisfacción vital de cada persona aumenta junto con los ingresos personales de cada individuo y, también, con la riqueza disponible de la nación y región en la que habita.

Sin embargo también queda claro que los sentimientos positivos que disfruta una persona están también asociados a otros factores, además del dinero y se destacó entre estos tres puntos que "hacen" a la felicidad:

* el tener autonomía,

* tener soporte de la sociedad y también

* el poder trabajar en un puesto o tener una actividad cotidiana satisfactoria.

Diener concluyó que: "en pocas palabras, comprobamos que si bien es cierto que tener más dinero nos hace estar más satisfechos con nuestra vida; lo cierto es que la mayor -o menor- fortuna no parece tener un gran impacto sobre cómo disfrutamos de la vida".

Hola amigos, tenía mucho tiempo de no escribir y en esta ocasión quiero compartir con ustedes un artículo muy bueno por Xabier Serbia sobre 5 lecciones Financieras que nos dio la Copa del Mundo Sudafrica 2010. Espero les guste ya que es una manera excelente para aprender con algo que le apasiona a todo el mundo.

La Copa del Mundo y cinco lecciones financieras

Por Xavier Serbia

¿Te has sentado a observar el mundial de la FIFA Sudáfrica 2010 para encontrar posibles reglas que se pudieran aplicar a las finanzas personales?...Salvo aquel que se gastó parte de su riqueza para ir a apoyar una selección en pérdida y terminó ganando una factura, no creo que la mayoría de nosotros se dedicó a eso.

Hemos disfrutado los partidos, jugadas, controversias - siempre y cuando no le toque a tu equipo de preferencia-. Desde la organización física y mediática hasta el espíritu participativo del público es un ejemplo más de la capacidad y ejecución humana por crear buenas cosas.

Pero, ¿se pueden sacar reglas aplicables a las finanzas? Sí. Puede que existan más, pero rescaté cinco:

#1: Organización es clave y lleva tiempo

Es muy difícil realizar un evento de tal magnitud si no hay organización (poner todos los recursos a trabajar para un mismo fin). Piensa que son cerca de 373,000 visitantes a un promedio de 18 días por estadía y visitando cinco juegos. Para eso necesitas infraestructura, transportación pública, construcción de algunos estadios y remodelación de otros, hotelería, seguridad, mano de obra, etc. Esto sin sumar los 32 equipos y los millones que lo vemos a través de la pantalla chica. Esto implica tecnología, personal, ventas y tantas otras variables que muestran cuán importante es la planificación y organización. ¿Crees que todo se hace en un día? No. Lleva años organizarlo.

¿Crees que las finanzas personales no necesitan de la misma técnica? Manejo de efectivo, crédito, seguros, casa, planificación de retiro, portafolio de inversiones, herencia y tantas otras cosas que entran dentro de las finanzas nos obliga a tener organización y planificación a través del tiempo.

#2: Trabajo en equipo

¿Crees que tal evento se puede lograr por un sólo individuo? ¿Crees que la selección de Argentina podía ganar porque tenía a Lionel Messi, Portugal a Cristiano Ronaldo y Brazil a Kaká? No. Es un conjunto de personas y organizaciones trabajando para un mismo fin.

Las finanzas personales es un trabajo en equipo. La familia tira a un mismo fin. Las parejas igualmente. Nos rodeamos de un equipo de asesores y capital intelectual que nos aportan conocimiento y beneficios para lograr la meta. Cuando los miembros empiezan con las exigencias de estrella, anulan la oportunidad de lograr el éxito.

#3 Diversificación es la clave

¿Puede un equipo de fútbol ganar sólo con atacantes? ¿El mejor medio campo? o ¿teniendo la mejor defensa? No. Un equipo mundialista necesita tener buena defensa, medio campo, laterales y frente de ataque. Cada uno tiene una función y contrabalancea al otro. Tiene que existir diversificación de funciones y conexión entre las partes para que la pelota termine en la portería del contrario y no en la de uno.

Lo mismo en las finanzas personales. Si queremos llegar a tener independencia financiera no podemos estar consumiendo pensando en tiempo presente anulando el futuro y viceversa. El gasto y el ahorro van de la mano. No podemos desligar el crédito del ingreso presente y futuro. No podemos poner todo el dinero en bienes raíces sin contrabalancearlos con activos financieros. No debemos concentrar nuestros activos financieros en acciones sin contrabalancear con bonos y efectivo. No podemos pensar sólo en buscar más dinero olvidándonos de la reserva de emergencia. O pensar en mayor rendimiento olvidándonos del riesgo.

#4 Los árbitros se equivocan en aplicar el reglamento

Hemos visto buenas decisiones arbitrales que se han aplicado en los juegos. Pero, si crees que los árbitros siempre tomarán buenas decisiones puedes llevarte una sorpresa. El error más claro fue el gol anulado a Inglaterra.

Está claro que necesitamos árbitros y reglas porque si no los jugadores se estarían aniquilando a patadas, haciendo "fuera de lugar" o cuanto penal que te puedas imaginar. Pero, también necesitamos árbitros que no quieran ser protagonistas o que se equivoquen menos.

El mismo principio se aplica a los reguladores. Es importante que existan leyes, pero ellos no pueden regular todo o a veces regulan en exceso. ¿Qué me dices de Bernard Maddoff, Lehman, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac y tantos otros casos que muestran que ellos se equivocan?

De la misma forma un jugador no puedes estar esperando que el árbitro las vea todas, nosotros no podemos confiar que el regulador nos va a evitar siempre de un fraude, un abuso o violación de ley.

Tenemos que estar avivados.

#5 No apuestes sólo al optimismo

"¿Mi país va a ganar porque es el momento?", "Tenemos a Maradona", "Ganaremos porque tenemos jugadores jugando en Europa" son algunas de las razones esperanzadoras para determinar que la selección del país ganaría. Así algunos apostaban. Otros se compraban grandes enseres porque era el momento. Otros hasta peleaban. La realidad es que en el fútbol el optimismo no es la receta principal para llegar a las mejores posiciones. Se necesita un sistema de organización en el país, nivel de jugadores, dirección técnica y tantas otras razones como para simplificar el resultado a un simple optimismo.

¿Acaso nosotros no invertimos basados en el optimismo de que este sea el mercado "bull" o "bear"? ¿Acaso no compramos casas exageradas porque tenemos la esperanza que el ingreso o el valor de la propiedad aumentarán en el futuro?

Es muy riesgoso tomar decisiones financieras de peso basadas en la euforia. Es una proposición muy costosa.

Al final tú decides.

Como siempre espero les guste y les sirva para tomar mejores decisiones. Hasta la próxima!