1 money wise

There are many tidbits of advice out there about how to choose a company to invest in.  You will hear a range of things about how to choose the best stock, but in the end it is your risk to take when you invest so you have to seek out the best advice that will allow you to make the best investment choices.

The following are some great things to keep in mind when choosing stocks:

- Look for a stable company.  You want to invest in a company that is on good financial ground and that has a good future forecast.

- Look for a company that can grow and prosper.  You want to invest in a company that will be around for a while and that will continue to improve their profits and success.

- Look for a company that has good management and corporate structure.  You need to know that the right people are leading the company in the right direction.

Any investment you make is risky.  You should understand that no matter what you are putting your money into there is a risk that you will lose that money.  With that in mind, though, you should also know the different types of risk so that you can choose to invest your money in the best way with the least risk.

Inflation – The risk of inflation is when the money you invest decreases in value over time due to inflation.

Declining Value – Just as with inflation, there is a risk that your investment will decline in value and you will end up having to sell at a lower price than what you purchased it for.

Default Risk – There is always a chance that the other party in the investment will not live up to your expectations or their obligations and you will lose your money all together.

Liquidity – There is a chance that you may not be able to sell what you have invested in when you need to get the cash for it.

If you are considering investing in stocks then there are some basic terms that you should familiarize yourself with.  The following outlines some terms you should know before you get into the stock market.

Share – A share of stock is a unit of ownership in a company.  Besides profiting from your share you also get some say so in the running of the company.  You have the right to vote on board members and some other matters.

Limited Liability – When you buy a share of stock you do not take on all the company’s liability.  You are not liable under lawsuits or other actions.

Common Stock – The majority of sticks purchased offers the most rights.

Preferred Stock – Has fewer rights than common stock, but offers dividends.

There are many different terms that you will hear when you start working with stocks, but these are the basics that it helps to know before you start putting your money down.

The biggest thing about using coupons is making it into a habit.  Once you get into the habit of using them you will find it becomes second nature and is very easy.

To help you make it a habit you should get organized.  You should have some type of organization system so that you can keep your coupons in a usable system.  You will want to group like coupons together and organize them according to their expiration dates so you can be sure to use them before they expire.

You need to also make it a habit of getting your coupons out every week when you get the new sales flyers.  Sit down to make your grocery list and compare your coupons.  Put your coupons and shopping list together so you do not forget to take them along.

Using coupons will not only help you to save some money but will also help you to cut down trips to the grocery store because you will be more organized with your shopping.  This added bonus is just another way coupons save you money.

Once you have gathered coupons it is easy to feel overwhelmed and even easier to forget them at home when you go to the store.  To get the best use out of your coupons you need to learn how to maximize them.

To begin you need to gather your coupons and your local grocery fliers.  You should try to match up your coupons to the weekly sales.  It is smart to use coupons on something that is already on sale so you can save the most money.

You also want to look for chances to get double coupons – which is where the store doubles the value of the coupon.  This gives you more bang for your buck because instead of 50 cents off you get $1 off.

You should plan out using your coupons.  This will help you to ensure that you use your coupons regularly and get into the habit of using them.  You should watch for sales that match your coupons and look for special deals that will help you save the most.

It is common knowledge among thrifty spenders that coupons will help you to save big at the grocery store.  However, it is often easier said than done.  Many people attempt to start using coupons but often quite because they feel it is too much of a hassle and not worth it.

The good news is that you can use coupons to save money without it being a hassle.  You just have to learn how to do it.  In this three part series you will learn everything you need to know to start saving big with coupons.

We will start with how to get coupons.  There are actually various places where you can get coupons.  You will maximize your ability to save with coupons if you can find a few different places to get coupons.  This will help you to keep up your supply of coupons.  Here are some suggestions on where to find coupons:

- Sunday paper.  This is the traditional place to get coupons and usually will offer you a good selection of usable coupons.
- Trading.  There are groups online that get together and trade or giveaway coupons.  People give what they do not need and seek out coupons they may want.
- Internet.  You have to be careful with coupons you print off the internet because many stores will not take them.  You can find many company websites, though, that will send you coupons in the mail for free.

When it comes to buying off name brands many people avoid it.  That is because there is a he misunderstanding about bargain brands.

The truth is that for many items the brand name on the package has little effect on the taste.  Additionally, many bargain brands taste amazing and offer you a whole new selection of foods.  Just because something is cheaper does not mean it is inferior.

You should try out the test where you buy the bargain brand and taste test it to the name brand.  You will surprise yourself at just how good bargain brands can be.  You may even find some new favorite foods.

Here is a short list of items that usually have no taste difference between bargain and name brands that you may want to taste test:

Ketchup
Bread
Sugar
Mustard
Seasonings
Helper meals
Muffin mixes
Brownie mixes
Oil
Cheese
Tube biscuits

In this part of the two part series on how to save money on your regular bills we will talk about another big expense – electric.  Some people may be using electric for heat as well, so the tips from part one will help you to cut your electric bill a little and this section will give you even more tips.

One of the biggest energy wasters are electronics.  You probably are not even aware that they are slowly using electricity day in and day out even if they are turned off.  Your computer, for example, uses energy whenever you do not have it completely shut down.  A screen saver or even an energy saver mode still uses electric.  If you simply shut down your computer when not in use you will see the savings add up.

Another great waster of energy is all those gadgets you have that display the time.  A DVD player, coffee maker and anything else that displays the time or has anything on it that is lit even when it is turned off is using energy.  You can save money by unplugging these items.  You probably do not even use the clock on them so why waste the money to keep it lit up?

Doing little things can really help you to cut your costs.  Just simple steps here and there will add up to some big savings.

If you are the type of person who simply just shops without ever picking up an ad or looking for the best deal then you are wasting a lot of money.  Shopping should not be seen as something you just do.  It should actually be planned and you should always strive to get the best deals.

On occasion an emergency may pop up and you may need to grab something in a hurry, but the majority of the time you are able to plan out your shopping trips before heading to the store.

You need to start looking in ad papers, hunting for coupons and shopping around.  Compare prices at different stores and try to always shop where you can get the best.  You may need to run to a couple different stores to complete your shopping list, but that is fine because the little savings add up over time.

Once you start implementing this type of shopping you will see that you start to save quite a bit of money.

Many people do not give one thought to life insurance until it is too late. Life insurance is not just for older people. This is a common myth that can often lead to serious effects when a person dies without having left a life insurance policy.

Life insurance is there to help your loved ones when you pass away. Most people know that, but what most people do not consider is that the time of their life when this extra money would come in the handiest is not when they are senior citizen but when they are young.

A good rule about life insurance is that if you are married or have children you should have life insurance. The strain of losing a loved one is hard enough, but trying to tackle the financial hardship of losing someone who contributed to the monthly income can cause even more trouble. This is a much needed safety net should anything happen and your family will be much better off if you have planned ahead and bought a good life insurance policy.