6 Things Dating Teaches Us About Investing

Bad date last night?Don't despair.It's not as bad as you may think.Here's some good news: you may not know it, but when it comes to your money, that bad date can teach you an awful lot about successful investing.

Think I'm joking?Think again.Although I was a far cry from being the King of Dating, I did have a few albeit rare lucky streaks in me.And looking back over those rare few times, my moderate success on the dating circuit did teach me quite a few things about prudent investing.

Here's a few quick examples:

1) DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER

Dating: The guy was over a half-hour late, his outdated shirt barely matched his Taco Bell stained pants, the rain gave him a lethal dose of bed-head and back then the busboy was making more than he was.

If that wasn't bad enough, his humor was a bit stale and the car he drove had a weird putter that attracted nothing but aliens from the evil Planet X.While at first the girl thought it was going to be a dinner date from fiery hell, little did she realize that guy was I, and I'd soon wind up being the one she'd marry.

Investing: The receptionist was sure nice, but the carpets were dull and the musty furniture reminded you of grandma's place in Brooklyn.You were ready to take your money to that Private Wealth Management Firm --- the one with the white marble staircase and baby grand --- but when the well-mannered financial advisor appeared, you figured you'd be courteous and give him a few minutes of time.A little into his pitch, you were most pleasantly surprised when he touted low cost, tax efficient investments that perfectly matched your goals.It was then you realized there's a reason the furniture in his place is a bit out-dated, mainly, because the guy isn't touting the high fee investments.

Lesson Learned: First impressions can easily get the best of us.Whether it's a date or your money, taking a step back to peek behind the curtain will typically put both your money and heart in a much better place.

2) COSTS COUNT

Dating: She liked Dylan Thomas, idolized Ginsberg, despised the conformists and was clinically depressed that she missed last year's Monterey Pop Music Festival.

The perfect 10 from down in the Village strummed an acoustic, wrote poetry and even donated your favorite Levis to a homeless guy on the street.While at first lust got the best of you, months after helping her pay the rent, her organic meals and for all those Warhol movies you pretended to like, you were finally worn out, leading you to realize that when it comes to dating, costs most definitely do count.

Investing: The mutual fund was barely moving.Five years into it, you just couldn't quite figure out why you weren't making much money.Then, one fine day, you wisely took the time to research the fees you were paying, only to realize the fund was charging you way too much per year in annual costs and causing you all sorts of taxes.

Lesson Learned: When it comes to investing and dating, costs most definitely do count.Taking the time to evaluate how much you're paying for your dates and funds is an essential part of anyone's success.

3) DIVERSIFICATION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS

Dating: Adam looked like Alan, Alan acted like Arnold, Arnold smelled like Arnie and Arnie reminded you of Alex.

And just when you thought you found the Perfect-A, Aden stood you up just like Albert and Abe once did (or was that Alfonse?).It was then, in one fleeting moment of revelation, you finally realized the problem had nothing to you, but everything to do with guys whose names start with the letter "A."

Investing: Dot-coms, late 90s.

Financials, 2008 Need I say more?

Lesson Learned: Diversifying your investments is a critical key to investment success.Load up in one sector or stock and it's not a question of if disaster will strike, it's usually a question of when.Spread the risk, diversify your investments into the prudent, timeless fundamental asset classes and of far more importance, consider dating guys whose names start with the letter A.

About the Author

Nationally recognized personal finance expert and bestselling author.

His unique strategies have helped people across the nation significantly reduce their investment risk, taxes and fees.For More Info: www.haftreport.com

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Why Buying in a Down Market is the Way to Go

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If theres any doubt in your mind that Chicken Little is alive and well all you need to do is pick up a newspaper or turn on a newscast.Reporters nationwide are reporting the collapse of real estate prices and most are promoting the idea that real estate is the worst possible investment on the planet right now.Novice real estate investors take note: Reporters are usually behind the curve and if you get your investment advice from reporters youll get stuck behind the eight ball.Heres the truth about todays real estate market-and why now is the best time to buy.

A fundamental fact about real estate investing is that youre in it to make money.Ideally, you want to make money at three stages of a transaction:

- When you buy
- When you hold
- When you sell

In order to make money you need to buy real estate as inexpensively as you can.





The law of supply and demand says that when supply is up, demand falls-and so do prices.Thats where were at right now.You couldnt lose money unless you were trying for quite awhile because prices were on a non-stop trip to the stratosphere.However, a perfect storm was brewing and when the real estate bubble popped it was felt all over the world.Investors and speculators who waited too long to get out of real estate were bombarded by the pieces as prices tumbled back down to Earth.
By investing as heavily as you can in residential real estate when prices are at or near the bottom you stand to turn a massive profit when it heads back up again.

The reason is because youll have a jump start on people who wait too long to get into the game.While theyre plotting and planning whether prices are going up, theyre losing profits.Its nearly impossible to get in at exactly the right time.The best you can hope for is to be close.

Low prices give you an opportunity to buy more property than you could if it was more expensive.Some real estate investors are afraid to pull the trigger on a purchase because theyre afraid it might lose value before it appreciates.If youre smart and you have a good cash flow analysis done before you decide to buy, it wont matter if you lose money in the short term.

If you have positive cash flow, your property will be paying for itself on a month-to-month basis.What that means is that you have more coming in than you have going out.Thats a profit.So when your investment property turns around and begins appreciating again, you can ride the wave of appreciation as it builds equity and you become wealthier, while you continue to earn money each month off the income it produces.

Then, when you sell, you get the benefit of the price increase over what you paid for it.This is a true win-win-win situation for you as an investor.The key is having the wisdom to sell at the right time and remembering that real estate is cyclical.Making money is as simple as buying low and selling high.
Buying in a down market is the best possible time to buy.You get to be a three way winner if you follow good real estate investing sense by buying low, enjoying positive cash flow, and turning yet another profit when you sell.

Remember, by the time the news media catches wind of a trend, the trend is over.The news is for reporting what has already happened.They cant see into the future and theyre only marginally qualified to report the past.

So buy low, invest well, and secure your future today
About the Author

Peter Vekselman has been successfully investing in real
estate since 1996.

He has completed over 1000 real estate deals, owned a
construction company, been a private lender, and owned a property management
company.

To learn more about Peter please visit

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