Monday, June 16, 2008

When “Wimpy” Makes Your List Of Power Words

By George Dodge You may not think of “wimpy” as a potential entry on your list of power words. Think again. The fact is, there are literally hundreds (thousands) of words that can pack a punch – and that’s an important step in your attempt to gain and hold the attention of potential customers. Consider what makes a power word, and how to use them. Have you ever seen a child fall asleep in the high chair, face in the plate? That’s a power nap. If you describe how tired that child was, the word “sleepy” simply won’t suffice. You may be tempted to go first to that good old stand-by – “very.” But “very sleepy” also doesn’t get the message across. “Exhausted” becomes a power word in this case, because most readers will be able to visualize that “exhausted” child who is now peacefully snoring in her spaghetti. Drop those words like “very” and find some words with real punch. “Incredible,” “humongous” and “tremendous” become your best friends. While your copy needs power words that vividly describe, you also have to pay attention not to overuse those words. With too many of these descriptive power words, your reader may lose interest and simply move on. Power words are not all about description. You may find that some power words are not descriptive at all. “Now” is a power word that’s often under utilized. One of the reliable techniques used in selling is to appeal to the reader’s sense of urgency. You can do that by using words that bring that urgency to the forefront of the reader’s mind – words like “quick,” “fast” and “urgent.” But what if you’re selling a product that’s only going to pay off over the long term? Weight loss products are a good example. Everyone knows that purchasing the latest weight loss aid – whether it’s exercise equipment or diet supplements – isn’t going to result in pounds that fall off even as you’re standing up from your computer. But your copywriting should urge the reader to start “now.” Remind him that the product can’t help unless he takes that first step – and that he should take that step “now.” There are lots of other power words that simply jump off the page to bring the reader in. Words like “free,” “special offer,” “sale,” and “discount” immediately conjure imagines of saving money. “Profitable,” “informative” and “valuable” make you certain that this is a purchase that will be beneficial. One of the most important power words available has only three letters and its value is often overlooked. It’s y-o-u. When the word “you” appears in text, the message becomes personal, the potential more real. One common mistake in the use of power words is the use of words that aren’t commonly known and understood. Instead of looking for an incredible new word, try stringing together common words to effectively present the idea to your reader. Sprinkle your copywriting with power words and watch your sales skyrocket! Don’t be a wimp! Use powerful descriptive “picture words” in your copy. Wimpy headlines and sales copy will result in wimpy sales! George Dodge is owner of http://www.CompellingWebCopy.com where you will discover 757 explosive persuasive copywriting techniques guaranteed to skyrocket your sales and put more cash in your pocket, even if you havent written a thing since high school! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=George_Dodge http://EzineArticles.com/?When-Wimpy-Makes-Your-List-Of-Power-Words&id=123941 larger pay day loans no credit check houses for rent north king county how to look better on loan papers with bad credit home equity loan with bad credit
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Thursday, June 12, 2008

How to export to China and enter the China market

By Alina Hoon It may be a good time to enter the China market now but it is not an easy task. Many have failed entry into the China market as they do not fully understand the seriousness of the complications of the Chinese business culture in the China market. China is growing as such a fast rate that many foreign companies are attracted to it. However, foreign investors need to understand China itself as a country economically and culturally. China market is a good investment but also a big problem to many foreign companies. Due to language and culture barriers, many foreign companies do not have the ability to communicate in the China market and many ideas and opportunities are interpreted the wrong way. Hence, foreign companies would need to fully understand the Chinese culture and language before entering the China market. The China market also works in a way that networking is an important tool among the locals. The Chinese feel that relationship (guan xi) is the method to work around the China market. Having a good relationship with others will aid in paperwork and procedures and minimize any problems or issues. For example, if a new local company wants to register itself with the government, having guan xi with some government officials will allow the company to know how to go about registration and what to look out for. Foreign companies would also need to do up a detailed China market research as the China market is considered to be relatively new compared to that of the US and Europe. Thus, foreign companies would need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the China market. In addition, a up-to-date consumer research would also need to be done. The local consumers play a big role in the China market and with more of them getting more affluent, their needs and wants are changing over the years. Thus, an updated consumer research is important to the marketing strategy and product development of foreign investors. However, conducting a market research may not be the same as carrying a research overseas. The Chinese tend to be overly-concerned about face. The Chinese have the mindset that they need to present their ought self in front of others all the time. Thus, it may not be easy getting the true response and feelings of the Chinese consumers as they tend to give the politically and safe response. The Chinese have their own style of expression which may tend to frustrate a lot of foreign companies. Many foreign investors are unable to communicate effectively with the locals as they do not understand the different responses and expressions of the Chinese. Thus, foreign companies really need to understand the China culture before entering the China market as the China market may create a lot of frustrations to the foreign companies. The best way to understand the China culture is to engage a local party to guide you as they are more familiar with the local touch. Furthermore, the possess the language skills and tactics to interact not only with the locals but they also understand the needs and wants of that of the foreign companies. Furthermore, they would be in a better position to negotiate in business meetings as not only would clients prefer to talk to someone familiar, they know how to read expressions of that of the Chinese clients. Alina Hoon is a consultant of Starmass International. Starmass provides professional consulting services to assist foreign companies to enter the China market, from China market research, competitor study and China market analysis till export to China. Visit more business resources at: http://www.starmass.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alina_Hoon http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-export-to-China-and-enter-the-China-market&id=476716 personal loan calculators real lenders for bad credit business credit card with no credit check online payday lenders
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Sunday, June 8, 2008

The Christian Sabbath

By Debra Lohrere God sanctified the seventh day Sabbath as a day in remembrance that He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. The Bible says, Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work. So if God ordained Sunset Friday to Sunset Saturday, the seventh day as the Sabbath, why do most Christians go to Church on Sunday? Who changed the day to Sunday, and when? Did Jesus? Is it spoken of in the scriptures? Was there a new commandment written to amend the fourth commandment after Jesus died? Do we keep Sunday in honor of his resurrection? It has been firmly established by numerous historians and theologians that the books of Matthew and Luke were written between 60 and 80 AD. This means that if the Sabbath had changed to Sunday after Jesus death, then it should have been recorded by these Bible writers. Instead though we see that rather than inform us of any change to the day, Luke instead he states in Luke 23:56, And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. Jesus Himself in His prophecy about the destruction of the temple, which occurred in about 70 AD, when He was talking to His Disciples said Matthew 24:20, And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. This shows conclusively that Jesus knew that the Sabbath would still be in existence many years after the cross. Historians also confirm that the seventh day Sabbath was kept by both Jews and Gentiles, until around 120 AD. At this time the persecution of the Jews became so great that many Christians in some areas decided to start keeping Sunday, so as to try to differentiate themselves from the Jews, who were still faithfully keeping the Sabbath of the Lord. Some Christians began to use the excuse that it was in honor of the resurrection, as there was no scriptural basis for this change. At that time Christians in areas outside the Roman empire continued to keep the true seventh day Sabbath of God. In 321 A.D. Constantine, who was a pagan, became Caesar in Rome. As he began to see the balance of power shift from paganism to the Church he passed the first law enforcing Sunday worship in 321 AD. Sunday of course was the day that the pagans kept holy in their worship of the Sun god. Two years after passing this law Constantine joined the Roman Catholic Church and began mingling paganism with Christianity. The pagans were very involved with idolatry, so he took many of the statues of their gods and gave them Christian names, like St Peter and Mary. It was well after 400 AD before Sunday eventually took on the name of the Lords Day. In many documents, papers and books written by the Roman Catholic Church, they openly take credit for moving the sanctity of the Seventh day Sabbath to Sunday, by their own authority, which they believe is above that of the scriptures. Here are some examples. “Protestants…accept Sunday rather than Saturday as the day for public worship after the Catholic Church made the change…But the Protestant mind does not seem to realize that…In observing the Sunday, they are accepting the authority of the spokesman for the church, the Pope.” Our Sunday Visitor , February 15, 1950. “From this we may understand how great is the authority of the church in interpreting or explaining to us the commandments of God – an authority which is acknowledged by the universal practice of the whole Christian world, even of those sects which profess to take the holy Scriptures as their sole rule of faith, since they observe as the day of rest not the seventh day of the week demanded by the Bible, but the first day. Which we know is to be kept holy, only from the tradition and teaching of the Catholic church.” Henry Gibson, Catechism Made Easy, # 2, 9th edition, vol. 1, p. 341-342. “It was the Catholic church which…has transferred this rest to Sunday in remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord. Therefore the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the (Catholic) church.” Monsignor Louis Segur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today, p. 213. “Sunday is our mark or authority…the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact.” Catholic Record of London , Ontario, September 1, 1923. The authority of the church could therefore not be bound to the authority of the Scriptures, because the Church had changed…the Sabbath into Sunday, not by command of Christ, but by its own authority. Canon and Tradition, p. 263. So it seems that if Christians keep the Sabbath on the seventh day, we are following the commandment of God, but if we keep Sunday, we are following the traditions of man. Does that really matter? The Bible says in Mark 7:6-9 Jesus answered them, How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you! You are hypocrites, just as he wrote: These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me. It is no use for them to worship me, because they teach human rules as though they were my laws! You put aside God’s command and obey human teachings. And Jesus continued, You have a clever way of rejecting God’s law in order to uphold your own teaching. It seems clear that Jesus wanted us to stand firm on the teachings of the scriptures, and not on any religious traditions instituted by man. All Bible references are from the King James Version. For more information on this subject please visit http://www.GodsBibleTruth.com Debra Lohrere is the author of several books on property investment, creating financial security, goal setting and the power of compounding. Please visit her homepage http://www.debra.lohrere.com/home.shtml or storefront at http://www.lulu.com/DebraLohrere Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Debra_Lohrere http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Christian-Sabbath&id=206883 personal or business loan information about project pay day jacksonville car loan bad credit history hard money loans bankruptcy ok
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Wednesday, June 4, 2008

How Do I Find Out If Someone Is Married?

By Steve Gee How can you find out if your boyfriend is married? When your in love and thinking seriously about making a commitment and even marriage, the thought of delving into your mans skeleton cupboard to find out if he’s everything you’ve hoped for is probably the last thing on your mind. But how do you know whether he’s already married or not? He might even have a criminal record and not told you about it. You owe it to yourself to do a little background check on him before it’s too late. If you have mutual friends then talk to them. No one knows a person better than their closest friends so if you happen to know the same people or you know someone who does then go and talk to them. Buy them a few drinks and grill them about your new lover. Most people will be happy to talk to you about their friends but if they appear to be reluctant to answer your questions then this could mean that they have something they don’t want you to hear. If this is the case then start to get suspicious. Talk to your new boyfriend Your new boyfriend has the answers to all your questions so you should ask them, all of them. People love to talk about themselves and will be happy to give you the answers. Unless they have something to hide of course in which case they might seem evasive or inconsistent. If this happens then you should start to worry. You should always talk to your partner of course but if you don’t have any mutual friends to talk to then it’s so much more important that you do talk to him directly. It’s so simple and yet many people get blinded by romance and forget to do it. Is he being consistent Finding out if someone is lying to you can be easier than you think. The trick is that you don’t have to detect every lie that they tell you. You only have to find one lie to throw doubt on everything else that they say. For instance if they tell you that they are 35 years old but you know that they have a 25 year old daughter then they could be lying. If he tells you that he’s an airline pilot but seems to lack knowledge of some airports then this could also be a clue. If your lover can lie to you about one thing then he can lie to you about anything so beware. At the very least you should do a background check on them before you go any further. Get a background check For more information about how to find out if someone is married and do a background check on them take a look at the article How do I find out if someone is married Getting background checks done on people has never been easier or cheaper so it makes a lot of sense to do it. Do background checks and find out practically anything about anyone. Simple, easy and cheap How do I find out if someone is married http://this-info.com/gov-records/howdoifindoutifsomeoneismarried.php Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Gee http://EzineArticles.com/?How-Do-I-Find-Out-If-Someone-Is-Married?&id=501423 unsacured personal large loans hard money development loans federal pay day calendar online commercial loan database
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Friday, May 30, 2008

Wedding Favors – What’s On The Menu

By Jesse Miller We’ve all left weddings with them: a small picture frame; a chocolate bar with the bride & grooms married name on the wrapper; even a monogrammed match box. Where do these tokens of thanks end up? Under the car seat, in the junk drawer or, yes, in the garbage (are you supposed to keep the wrapper once you’ve eaten the chocolate?). This article seeks to give you a solid knowledge base regarding the subject matter at hand, no matter what your previous experience on the topic. although they have become a orthodox of a traditional wedding, the wedding errand has truly adrift its sidle over the living. Of course you could dribble a few further bucks per being on something more impressive, but is it profit it? A wedding errand doesn’t poverty to be gaudy or luxurious. In this suit, the sentiment its the thought that counts, truly means something. You can say thanks to the family and contacts who help you celebrate your big day with a small gift that gives eternally: a recipe. First, you have to accept the right recipe. Here are some suggestions: We have just reached the tip of the iceberg, as the remainder of this article will help to further your understanding of this complex subject. Go with something regional or recurring: Does your family put its own twist on a errandite regional dish? Is it melt, comforting soup spell, or summer interview spell? Think of something your guests will want to make the night after your wedding. wish something from your wedding menu: utter to the caterer about with a recipe from one of your menu stuff. Or, present the recipe for a exclusive wedding blend served. Get sentimental: Is there a exclusive dish between you and your spouse-to-be? Celebrate family tradition: Is there a traditional food associated with the wedding celebration in your family? Family recipes are best, but don’t be fearful to consult a cookbook: If you cant find a improve family recipe, break the annals or the Internet and find a recipe for one of your errandite dishes. You don’t have to sojourn at one recipe: If you cant choose between two or three, use them all. Then, guests wont all get the same thing. Once you’ve special the recipe or recipes, its time to think packaging. Here are some dreams: represent the recipe on the elevation of a custom food box; diet truth can be fun truth about you and your group. Write the recipe on a wrilist desert plate. Once the goodies are deceased, the recipe carcass. flock non-perishable stuff or food into a take-out box, comprise recipe on box. Make your own written gift bags with your monogram; put your errandite food and the recipe in elevation (cookies would be my excellent!). Fold the bag over; cuff two holes and slide a ribbon through. Use a bend-elevation picture frame; recipe on one elevation, exclusive picture on the other elevation. sketch recipe cards that match your wedding decor; issue the recipe on one elevation and use the other for list assignments. nail the recipe to a non-perishable ingredient like vanilla further or other pizza. Recipes make wonderful shower errands as well. If youre forecast a shower for a bride-to-be, ask all guests to comprise their errandite recipes in their gifts. Or, ask them to comprise them with their RSVP and put together a custom cookbook for the bride. consider, wedding errands aren’t a must-have, but they are a finicky contact, exclusively when they are meaningful. wish a recipe that has some sentimental profit and add a beingal contact in the packaging, and guests will evoke (and cook) your errand for living to come. The next time you have questions regarding this subject, you can refer back to this article as a handy guide. You can find more ideals that will help you with relieving stress from your wedding day Go to Wedding Favors or she could go to Wedding Gifts To get some great ideals for your wedding like a flagon for the spruce or a Money clip with his name impressed on the front. If you ought ideals for your rare Groomsmen Gifts go to My marriage It is little things, such as this, that may aid you in your search. So, sit down and decide which avenue would be best for you to take. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jesse_Miller http://EzineArticles.com/?Wedding-Favors—Whats-On-The-Menu&id=506835 personal garentte loan fast cash online picture of paycheck poor credit refinance loan
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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Online Dating – How To Avoid Faked Photos

By Ian Mansfield One of the great things about online dating is the ability to read the profiles of hundreds of people in the peace and quiet of your own home. You can scan for key interests and age groups in perfect anonymity without expressing your preferences in public. However, you are often relying on the honesty of the other person to make your search a worthwhile one. Obviously, when out in pubs and bars, this is still an issue, and lets be honest, who hasnt embellished their jobs and social life story at least a tiny bit to impress that prospective date. So, online dating can solve that problem but it does sometimes bring up another issue the less than honest profile photos. Unlike in a real world bar or pub, you are relying on the honesty of the photo that the other person has uploaded to their web site. A lot of people will try to take the most flattering photo possible and who can blame them for that! However, there are those who will pull out a computer graphics program and deliberately lie about their appearance by making subtle modifications to their appearance. Even worse, are those people who steal other peoples photos and use them not only is this fraud, we would be rightly concerned about meeting people who would consider doing that. So, how do we avoid these pitfalls with online dating. One great way that is now starting to take off is webcam chatting via dating web sites. It is practically impossible to modify your appearance via an online live webcam chat service and it really does offer a fantastic way of meeting people for a few minutes in the safety of your own home before you decide to meet up in the scary “real world”. By using dating web sites to manage your webcam chat you also gain the added level of privacy in that that website should hide your IP address and physical location something which would not be possible if you chatted directly with the person. This can be important if you are just dipping your toe in the world of online dating and want to protect your privacy while still letting people see who you are and what interests you have. In summary, webcams offer an exciting and safe new way of online dating that offers security and honesty in both parties. Ian Mansfield is a staff writer at http://www.mand8.com a large gay dating site that offers secure and anonymous webcam chatting services. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Mansfield http://EzineArticles.com/?Online-Dating—How-To-Avoid-Faked-Photos&id=52062 how to pay off payday loans no employment verification payday loans cash advance racine wisconsin sba loan
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Saturday, May 24, 2008

Your Name: What Does it Tell About You

By Cristopher Fowers Our name is a big part of our identity. It is what other people know us by and something that distinguishes us from everyone else. Whats In a Last Name? The use of last names, or surnames, became much more prevalent in 1066, after the Norman Conquest. Since this time, surnames have become the norm in societywith a few exceptions, Maddona, Prince and Cher. The origin of your last name largely depends on the ethnic background of your ancestors. For example, Spanish people commonly use Catholic Saints names, Orthodox Jews are required by religious law to name one of their babies after a deceased relative and the Chinese usually have three names, a family name, a generation name and an individual name. English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish last names are typically grouped into one of four categories: occupations, localities, nicknames or first names. Many people acquired their last name due to their trade or occupation. These names are self-explanatory: Farmer, Baker, Mason and so on. Some people were named after where they were from, localities, or after geological characteristics of the land. Marsh, Hill and Sydney are examples of surnames of this type. People were often named after nicknames; these are some of the most interesting last names. Kennedy, for example, is Gaelic for ugly head, Gotobed, stemmed from someone who was lazy. Last names based on first names were very common in the history of Britain and Ireland. Often a suffix or prefix was added to indicate the relationship of the individual with the person after whom the individual was named. For example, the suffixes son, means son of and kin, is a diminutive. The prefixes Fitz, often indicated illegitimacy, O means grandson and Mac and Mc mean son of. These suffixes and prefixes combined with the first name of the father created names like Johnson, Stevenson, Perkin, Fitzgerald, OBrien and MacDonald. Does Your First Name Have Significance? Your first name is one of the most important gifts your parents gave you. Most first names have a meaning and you can easily find the meaning of your first name on the Internet through sites like behindthename.com. The most popular boys name in 2004 in the United States was Jacob, which in Hebrew means holder of the heel. It comes from the biblical Jacob who was born holding his twin brother Esaus heel. The most popular girls name in 2004 in the United States was Emily, the medieval feminine form of Aemilius. Aemilius, derived from Latin aemulus meaning rival. As you can see, first names come from many different roots. Our names are much more than a word that identifies us. So take some time and investigate your heritage and your nameyou might be surprised. References Benes, Clarence H, & Steinbrink, John E, Social Studies: Living up to your name (1996) Kennedy, John. Brittish Surnames: First-names, Localities, Occupaitons, Nicknames. [2005] 23 Sept. 2005 Powell, Kimberly. Glossary of Last Name Meanings and Origins [2003] 23 Sept 2005 genealogy.about.com/library/surnames/bl_meaning.htm Cristopher Fowers Cristopher Fowers is a Writer/Reviewer for TopTenREVIEWS.com. TopTenREVIEWS features expert reviews for technology and entertainment products and services. For more information and an in-depth review on genealogy search websites, see the TopTenREVIEWS Genealogy Search Review Site. We do the research so you dont have to. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cristopher_Fowers http://EzineArticles.com/?Your-Name:-What-Does-it-Tell-About-You&id=342398 500 fast cash help paying money loans instant payday loans hard money lenders
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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Getting Cash for Annuity Payments Offers Quick Access to Funds

By David Springer Annuities, undoubtedly, are an excellent vehicle for providing steady, long-term income for retirement or other purposes. Unfortunately, they lock you into an inflexible payment schedule that may not fit your immediate financial needs. Getting a lump-sum of cash for some or all of your annuity payments, however, can provide an ideal solution to your cash flow problems. There are many reasons why you might need to obtain cash for your annuity payments. Perhaps a recent divorce or death in the family has put a strain on your finances. Or maybe you’re facing a large expense such as a home purchase, wedding or college tuition. Whatever the reason, getting cash for your annuity payments can give you instant access to money that is rightfully yours. It can also provide a hedge against inflation, since the value of these periodic payments will be worth much less in the future. You can cash in annuities established for a variety of purposes, such as insurance, structured settlements from personal injury agreements, lottery/contest winnings, royalty payments and trust funds. When you opt to get cash for annuity payments, you essentially sell the rights to receive these periodic payouts to a third party. Generally, companies will allow you to obtain cash for annuity payments if the payments are guaranteed to be made whether or not you are alive. As another stipulation, the annuity must allow for assignment of the payments and/or a change in the ownership of the annuity. Many people are under the impression that it is illegal to receive cash for annuity payments without court authorization. However, payments not associated with a settlement do not require such approval to be purchased by a third party. That means you have an unrestricted right to transfer your annuity payout to another individual or company. Understanding How Annuities Work Derived from the Latin word for “year”, an annuity is simply a sum of money payable annually or at other regular intervals. In the context of life insurance, an annuity is a contract between you and an insurance company under which the insurance company pays you money for a stipulated period-often for life. Here’s how they work: The purchaser agrees to pay premiums to the insurance company, in exchange for which the company agrees to make payments at a later time for a specified period. The time during which the premiums are paid is called the “accumulation period”. The premium can be paid in one lump sum or in installments over the course of many years. The person receiving the benefit payments, the annuitant, is usually (though not always) the owner of the annuity. After the accumulation period ends, the company begins distributing funds either in one lump sum or installments paid out usually on a monthly basis. A common payout option involves a life annuity making payments of regular income for as long as the annuitant lives. Annuities fall into two main categories: fixed and variable. With traditional fixed annuities, the insurance company invests the premium in its general account. Whatever payout option is selected, the interest gains and payment amounts are guaranteed by the insurance company, which assumes the risk of investing the general account. With variable annuities, however, the premiums buy units in your choice of separate accounts, which then invest in stocks, bonds, and money market funds. The payout will depend on the performance of the underlying securities in the separate accounts in which the premium is invested. Unlike fixed annuities, the value of the account is not guaranteedannuitants assume the risk involved in investing their premiums in exchange for potentially higher returns. Fixed and variable annuities are staple items in the investment portfolios of many pension holders. In fact, under government rules, individuals with a personal pension can take up to 25 percent of the value of their funds as a tax-free lump sum when they retire. The remaining 75 percent must be used to provide an income for life through a capital investment such as an annuity. What to Consider When Getting Cash for Annuity Payments Regardless of the type of annuity you own, there are a variety of brokers and investment firms willing to give you quick cash for your annuity payments. To make your annuity payments attractive to purchasers, they must be sold at a lower price than the total amount owed to you. Generally, you must give at least an interest discount equivalent to bank rates. And many companies require even higher discounts to cover their total risk, costs and profit margin. Before you elect to obtain cash for your annuity payments, carefully weigh your future return and risks against your immediate financial needs. Better yet, consult with a reputable financial expert such as a financial asset manager or planner about your specific situation. Your financial advisor can conduct a professional evaluation of your obligations, income, assets and risk threshold, and then provide you with the best options to meet your needs. Receiving cash for your annuity payments can be a practical solution to meeting your immediate cash flow needs. Sovereign Funding Group is an experienced, reputable company that offers convenient, no-risk services to help you with the selling of your deferred payments and business financing, including getting cash for an annuity payment. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Springer http://EzineArticles.com/?Getting-Cash-for-Annuity-Payments-Offers-Quick-Access-to-Funds&id=161962 payday loan in georgia international privart loan lenders for personal loans personal paycheck calculator no credit personal loans
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Monday, May 19, 2008

Aromatherapy Blue Tansy for Fast Pain, Allergy and Burn Relief

By KG Stiles Blue Tansy’s high azulene content gives it a vivid, deep blue color. It can stain so take care! Blue Tansy’s delightful scent is warmly herbaceous with a complex sweetness that to me is reminiscent of apples with a hint of spice. Everyone invariably loves the friendly and inviting scent of Blue Tansy! Its rapid anti-inflammatory action immediately calms the nervous system and associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. Blue Tansy’s natural anti-inflammatory action makes it an exceptionally good relaxant. Use Blue Tansy for relieving muscular aches and pains, sprains and strains, arthritis, rheumatism and sciatica. Soothes nervous tension and relieves stress! Blue Tansy is a natural antihistamine with anti-allergic properties. Research shows Blue Tansy to be especially effective for allergy relief! Useful in blends for asthma and emphysema due to its bronchio-dilating effect, blending with Lemongrass will enhance this effect. Strong analgesic properties help reduce any swelling or itching associated with allergies. Calms dermatitis! Blue Tansy is excellent first aid remedy for radiation burns from cancer treatment, as well as for inflamed or sun damaged skin. In Ayurvedic Medicine, an ancient system of healing practiced in India, the sweetly cooling and spicy aroma of Blue Tansy is ideal to regulate and pacify ALL the Doshas or bodymind types. Vata, Pitta and Kapha imbalances respond well to Blue Tansy’s regulating influence. Symptoms of Vata imbalance are premenstrual syndrome, constipation, insomnia, restlessness, nervousness, anxiety and worry. Symptoms of Pitta imbalance are high blood pressure, anger, frustration and emotional upsets. Symptoms of Kapha imbalance are high cholesterol, low metabolic forces, slow to lose weight, fluid retention, stagnation and blockage, lethargy and depression. BLEND WITH: Lemongrass, Rosemary, Helichrysum, Cypress, Chamomile PLEASE NOTE: There are many cheap, synthetic copies of aromatic oils, but these are not recommended for therapeutic use. For best results purchase the highest quality oils you can possibly find. Use certified organic essential oils, or oils that have been tested and are pesticide free. Aromatherapy is a gentle and noninvasive complementary health care system used for balancing and synchronizing your body, mind, spirit and emotions to enhance your health. Properly administered essential oils are a natural, safe and effective way to enhance your health and well-being and can produce satisfying results where other methods have failed. Please consult with your physician regarding serious health concerns and do not attempt to self diagnose. KG Stiles is a certified aromatherapist practicing in Ashland, OR USA. PurePlant Essentials is her line of pure organic essential oils. Remedies with Blue Tansy KG recommends: Click to learn about & order ALLERGY RELIEF Click to learn about & order ESSENTIAL OILS COMPLETE GIFT SET – INCLUDES BLUE TANSY Click to order BLUE TANSY More Info? Contact: KG Stiles at Springhill Wellness Center, 2520 Springhill Drive Ashland, OR USA (541) 941-7315 Mahalo! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=KG_Stiles http://EzineArticles.com/?Aromatherapy-Blue-Tansy-for-Fast-Pain,-Allergy-and-Burn-Relief-&id=349254 payday advance loan payday loans nampa idaho paycheck advances what debts be qualified in debt consolidation payday loan qualify
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Thursday, May 15, 2008

Behavioural Finance: Focus on Intrinsic Value

By Amarendra Bhushan Dhiraj INTRODUCTION The volume of research in the field of Behavioural Finance has grown over the recent years. The field merges the concepts of finance, economics and psychology to understand the human behaviour in the financial markets, to form winning investment strategies. THE CONCEPT OF BEHAVIOURAL FINANCE Behavioural finance is the study of the influence of psychology on the behaviour of financial practitioners and the subsequent effect on markets. Principal objective of an investment is to make money. We usually assume that investors always act in a manner that maximizes their return rationally. The Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH), the central proposition of finance for the last thirty five years rests on assumption of rationality. But it has been proved that people are ruled as much by emotion as by cold logic and selfishness. While the emotions such as fear and greed often play an important role in poor decisions, there are other causes like cognitive biases, heuristics (shortcuts) that take investors to incorrectly analyse new information about a stock or currency and thus overreact or under react. Behavioural Finance is the study of how these mental errors and emotions can cause stocks or currency to be overvalued or undervalued, and to create investment strategies that gives a winning edge over the others investors. I would like to bring out the behaviour pattern of a rational investor. This rational investor is assumed to act rationally in following ways: o Makes decisions to maximize the expected utility. o Fully informed with unbiased information. o Absence of any distortion of judgement based on emotions. It is to be kept in mind that risk resides not only in the price movements of dollars, gold, oil, commodities, companies and bonds. It also lurks inside us in the way we misinterpret information, fool ourselves into thinking we know more than we do, and overreact to market swings. Information is useless if we misinterpret it or let emotions sway our judgement. Human beings are irrational about investing. Correct behaviour patterns are absolutely essential to successful investing – so to be financially successful one has to overcome these tendencies. if we can recognise these destructive urges, we can avoid them. Behavioural Finance combines the disciplines of economics and psychology specifically to study this phenomenon. THE CONCEPT OF BUBBLES IN STOCK MARKET A speculative bubble occurs when actions by market participants’ results in stock prices to deviate from their fundamental valuation over a prolonged period of time. Speculative bubbles are difficult to explain by rational trading behaviour, and theories have been put forward to explain market psychology through behavioural finance1. They propose that when significant proportion of trading activity in the market is characterized by positive feedback behaviour, it may result in asset prices to shift away from their fundamental valuation. This price deviation encourages rational investors to trade in the same direction. Speculative trades are based upon investors’ private information held today, and are designed to provide investors with higher returns in the next period when that private information is fully revealed to the market. This implies a positive correlation in returns as market incorporate the information into prices. Trades due to portfolio rebalancing, or hedging, is not information based, and occurs when a trader may increase (or decrease) his stock holding by buying (or selling) a portion of his stock holding. This will be accomplished by increasing (or decreasing) the stock price to induce the opposite side of the trade. FOCUS ON INTRINSIC VALUE What are the implications for corporate managers? It is believed that such market deviations make it even more important for the executives of a company to understand the intrinsic value of its shares. This knowledge allows it to exploit any deviations, if and when they occur, to time the implementation of strategic decisions more successfully. Here are some examples of how corporate managers can take advantage of market deviations: o Issuing additional share capital when the stock market attaches too high a value to the company’s shares relative to their intrinsic value. o Repurchasing shares when the market under-prices them relative to their intrinsic value. o Paying for acquisitions with shares instead of cash when the market overprices them relative to their intrinsic value. Two things must be kept in mind as regards this aspect of market deviations. Firstly, these decisions must be grounded in a strong business strategy driven by the goal of creating shareholder value. Secondly, managers should be cautious of analyses claiming to highlight market deviations. Furthermore, the deviations should be significant in both size and duration. Provided that a company’s share price eventually returns to its intrinsic value in the long run, managers would benefit from using a discounted-cash-flow approach for strategic decisions. It can thus be summarized that for strategic business decisions, the evidence strongly suggests that the market reflects intrinsic value. INVESTING IRRATIONALITIES Often turbulence in the market isn’t linked to any perceivable event but to investor psychology. A fair amount of portfolio losses can be traced back to investor choices and reasons for making them. I would like to point out some of the ways by which investors unthinkingly inflict problems on themselves : Herding This is a cardinal sin in investing and this tendency to follow the crowd and depend on the direction of others is exactly how problems in the stock market arise. There are two actions that are caused by herd mentality: o Panic buying o Panic selling Holding Out for a rare treat Some investors, praying for a reversal for their stocks, hold onto them, other investors, settling for limited profit, sell stock that has great long-term potential. One of the big ironies of the investing world is that most investors are risk averse when chasing gains but become risk lovers when trying to avoid a loss. If we are shifting our non-risk capital into high-risk investments, we are contradicting every rule of prudence to which the stock market ascribes and asking for further problems. ISSUES One of the most important issues in Behavioural Finance is whether the assumptions of investor rationality are realistic or not. The concept can be explained with the help of an example. Let’s assume that Mr. X invests and manages his portfolio in an efficient market. Here only seconds are available for a response to the news. There are a great number of factors that affect the decision of Mr. X. Further, these factors can affect each other. How can Mr. X draw the right judgements when the information is updated very frequently? Probably Mr. X works on a computer, through out the day, on which a utility function program is installed for his work. Every decision Mr. X is based on the calculation given by his computer. As soon as the portfolio is rebalanced, the computers utility function program analyses new alternatives. This process goes on and on over the course of the day. Obviously, Mr X does not show any joy, when he wins and no panic when he looses. Can a human brain behave like this? We know that a human brain can master only seven pieces of information at any one time. So, how could one possibly absorb all the relevant information and process it correctly? People use simplifying heuristics (shortcuts) in order to control the complexity of information received. Psychological research has shown that the human brain often uses shortcuts to solve complex problems. These heuristics are rules or strategies for information processing, which help to find a quick, but not necessary optimal, solution. Once the information is simplified to manageable level, people use judgement heuristics. These shortcuts are needed to resolve the decision making as quickly as possible. Heuristics are also used to arrive at a quick judgement, they can, however, also systematically distort judgement in certain situations. SIMPLIFICATION BIAS The first step in reducing complexity is to simplify the decision. However it also adds the risk of arriving at a non-rational conclusion, unless one is careful. MENTAL ACCOUNTING People focus on one account (say purchase of share x) in particular when weighing things, relationship with other commitments or accounts (say purchase of share y) are usually ignored. I would like to explain this with the help of an illustration. For instance, Company A produces bathing costumes, and company B produces raincoats. Both companies are new, extremely efficient and innovating, so that purchasing shares in these companies would be a profitable proposition. A financial gain, however depends to a large extent on the whether in both cases, Company A will produce huge profits if the weather is fine, while Company B will make a loss, even though this is kept to a minimum, thanks to its efficient management. The situation is reversed in the case of bad weather. With mental accounting, either investment is risky when seen in isolation. But if we take into account the mutual effect of the uncertainty factor, i.e. the weather, then a combination of both shares become a lucrative, and at the same time secure investment. AVAILABILITY CONSTRAINT Not everybody has same degree of information. Some people prefer to see business news on CNBC TV 18, NDTV PROFIT. But others may like to see the serials on STAR PLUS. Obviously the first one may have more information, as compared to second. REPRESENTATIVENESS This is one of the mental shortcuts that make it hard for investors to correctly analyse new information. It helps the brain organise and quickly process large stock of data, but can cause investors to overreact to old information. For example, if a company is repeatedly giving losses, investors will become disillusioned with this past data, and thus may overreact to past information by ignoring valid signs of recovery. Thus, the stock of the company is undervalued because of this bias. CHLALLENGES Under the paradigm of traditional financial economics, decision makers are considered to be rational and utility maximizing. The assumption of rational expectations is simply an assumption – an assumption that could turn out not to be true. Behavioural Finance has the potential to be a valuable supplement to the traditional financial theories in making investment decisions. The following fundamentals of behavioural finance give us a glimpse of the pitfalls to be avoided. These are the challenges which need to be overcome and addressed. 1. Hubris hypothesis: it is the tendency to be over optimistic. It results from psychological biases. The investor gets swayed by the momentum generated in the markets in recent past. 2. Sheep theory: it is a phenomenon where all the investors are running in the same direction. They follow the herd not voluntarily, but to avoid being trampled. 3. Loss aversion: it says that investors take more risk when threatened with a loss. Thus mental penalty associated with a given loss is greater than the mental reward from a gain of the same size. 4. Anchoring: this causes investors to under react to new information. This can lead to investors to expect a company’s earning to be in line with historical trends, leading to possible under reaction to trend changes. 5. Framing: this states that the way people behave depends on their way decision problems are framed. Even the same problem framed in different ways can cause people to make different choices. 6. Overconfidence: this is what leads people to think that they know more than they do. It leads investors to overestimate their predictive skills and believe they can time the market. RELEVANCE TO INDIAN STOCK MARKETS Behavioural finance holds definite clues and appears apt in the current IPO craze as regards Indian markets are concerned. The herd mentality is evident in the scramble for shares. As the positive information of excess subscriptions comes, more investors enter the bandwagon. When Prices of the stocks start soaring, everyone one is thinking of the same thing: I am going to sell on listing and book the profits. Can money making be so simple? Is life and the financial markets so predictable? One will see investors selling the stocks as soon as they get the allotments. Herd mentality will be at work with people trying to sell faster than the neighbour, thus eroding stock values at a faster rate. Greed thus becomes the graveyard. One needs to understand that there are no shortcuts to earning money. One has to work hard and have patience. It is believed that perfect application of Behavioural finance can make an Indian investor successful, making fewer mistakes. Even if we learn to identify some common psychological and cognitive errors that plague even the wisest investment professional, it may be enough. To put it in Simple words, economic theory starts with a flawed basic premise that the investor is a rational being who will always act to maximise his financial gain. Yet, we are not rational beings, we are human beings. In stock markets, behavioural finance can help explain situations such as why we hold on to stocks that are crashing, foolishly sell stocks that are rising, ridiculously overvalue stocks, jump in late and never find our right price to buy and sell stocks. Let’s take the example of the recent discovery of gas by Reliance industries. The stock starts spurting as everyone starts buying on this news. Newspapers start flashing stories as to the size of such a discovery. But let us analyse the situation without becoming a prey to mental heuristics. Gas has been discovered but the same needs to be drilled which takes a lot of time and money. What is the quality of the gas? How many wells would be needed for drilling? How much time will it take? How much money would be required and what are the plans to finance the same? How easy it is going to be to extract the same? These are all important and pertinent questions. In this time lag there are so many uncertainties the company will have to go through, before the profits are reaped. However, analysts have started predicting the future profitability of Reliance and on such hopes investors start buying the stock at rising prices. This is how mental heuristics work when the brain takes a shortcut in processing information and does not process the full information and its implications. Thus behavioural finance has a pivotal role to play in Indian Capital market. CONCLUSION Knowing the heuristics shall help the investors to which they are susceptible and this will help them in neutralizing to some extent the distortions in the perception and assimilation of information. This will in turn, help the investor to take a rational decision and get a cutting edge over the other not-so-rational investors. More research on behavioural finance should take place not only in asset pricing but also in areas like project appraisal & investment decisions and other areas of corporate finance, so that managers can avoid the decision traps. Psychology and irrational behaviour matter on financial markets. Behavioural finance is relevant in many ways. It educates investors about how to avoid biases, designing long and short term strategies to exploit biases; and being aware that decision-makers in financial markets are human beings with biases. We also need to realize that an implicit assumption of behavioural finance is that their findings at individual level are scaleable to market level. About the Author Mr. Amarendra B. Dhiraj is a frequent speaker at internationally renowned global events, CEO/CTO/CIO Roundtables, Technology Conferences and Symposiums. He hosted and organized the Executive Technology Leadership Forum. He specializes in strategy, innovation, and leadership for change. His strategic and practical insights have guided leaders of large and small organizations worldwide. Amarendra Bhushan has been named to lists of the European Management Guru and is named as Europe’s youngest management Guru and one of the Top most influential business thinkers in the world. http://www.theerce.com, http://www.indogreek.org The Economic Times, CNBC, moneycontrol Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amarendra_Bhushan_Dhiraj http://EzineArticles.com/?Behavioural-Finance:-Focus-on-Intrinsic-Value&id=265198 canadian payday loans none payment of cash advance i want a real payday loan site overpaid paycheck
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