First rule – make sure that whatever you buy is up to date. There are still some classic currency trading books that were written in the days when you either had to work for a bank, or have many thousands of dollars in capital in order to get into the forex world. Such books may still have something of interest for the professional trader, but they are probably not the best option for a beginner.

Thanks to the internet, online forex trading is now par for the course, and there are hundreds of thousands of retail traders who work from home, often in their spare time – although for some it is now a full-time income earner. If you are going to join that team, or have already done so, your education needs are different to those of the professional who traded a decade or two ago.

So choose something written recently, and also make sure it is pitched at the right level for you and is relevant to your circumstances; if you are a beginner your requirements are different to those of someone who is more experienced and who may be looking for new systems or additional tips.

Next check out the author. Not all forex books are written by experienced and successful traders. Sometimes the authors are professional writers who have been commissioned to write about forex trading but don’t have much practical experience. Alternatively, the author could be on the fringes of the forex world, perhaps involved as a broker. You might be better off finding a genuine trader, preferably one who has evolved from the same situation that you are in, and who is therefore more likely to provide the sort of tips you really need – even if he or she is not necessarily a polished author.

Whichever route you go, make sure the book deals with the all-important issue of risk management, and does so without pulling any punches. Sometimes authors are a little wary of tackling this subject head on, possibly because they don’t want to discourage their readers. But risk management is extremely important, and handling it properly can make the difference between boom and bust for your bank balance.

It might be worth considering a forex ebook rather than a printed book. The ebooks tend to be shorter, without any padding, and to be very practical. In the world of forex books bigger is not necessarily better; you might think you are getting better value when you get more pages for your buck, but the reverse is often true.

Take a quick look at the introductory material, and see what you are already familiar with. Step by step practical information in an ebook of 100 pages may well be of much more use to you than a 400-page tome that you have to wade through to try and find the genuine gold nuggets of information.

Darrell writes for pleasure and builds websites when the markets close. If you need to organize and label a DVD or CD collection, visit his newest site at http://www.dvdlabelprinter.org to find the easiest way to use a DVD label printer to turn a messy heap of discs into a beautiful and organized collection.

Nevertheless, in a handful of specific areas, one can find some minor yet important faults with the financial planning advice that Ramsey gives–and in particular with the financial calculations Dave shares in, for example, his books.

Overly Optimistic Rate of Return Assumption

One of the first problems that appear to certified public accountants and chartered financial analysts looking at Ramsey’s materials concerns the commonly quoted “12%” rate of return used in examples.

That’s way too optimistic an assumption. Yes, some years investments do generate 12%. And some specialty categories of investments (like small company stocks) may return roughly 12% over lengthy periods of time. But a traditional portfolio of diversified stocks and bonds will probably over long financial planning horizons deliver average annual returns of more like 7%-9%.

You will not, sadly, find it possible to consistently earn 12% on a well-diversified, moderate-risk investment portfolio. No way.

Inflation Ignored Only Leads to Future Disappointments

Inflation represents another issue that an accountant or good financial planner will want to include in financial plans but an issue that isn’t always thoroughly discussed by Dave. Inflation can be tricky to incorporate. But inflation will probably eat away at the value of the savings you accumulate.

If you’re earning 9% on your investments, for example, but inflation runs 3%, you’re not really making 9%. You’re making 6%. You can more implicitly recognize inflation in your financial planning calculations, by the way, by using the net-of-inflation return in your financial calculations. To adjust for inflation when you expect a 9% return and 3% inflation, make the computations with a 6% return.

Expense Ratios Matter

One final investment issue (for some investors) needs to be highlighted. While investment expense ratios often don’t matter much for people just starting to save money–probably this is Ramsey’s typical reader in fairness–by the time one accumulates a more size-able investment nest egg, investment costs matter. And they matter a whole lot.

In fact, if an investment pays a 2% expense ratio–and that sort of expense might be pretty normal once all the investment costs are tallied–that amount doesn’t sound so bad. But it’s pretty outrageous in most circumstances.

Consider the situation, for example, where you’ve got a 9% rate of return from an investment but suffer from a 3% inflation rate. In actuality, you’re really only earning 6% on your money. (The inflation that’s baked into the return is not really profit to you.)

If out of your net 6% investment return, you pay 2% in investment fees–in other words, if you pay out 2/6ths of your profit for investment expenses–that’s equivalent to a 33% income tax. Ouch.

In the end–just to play this sad song to the very end–while you start with 9%, after you subtract 3% inflation and 2% in investment fees–you’re left with only 4%. And note that value is a pre-tax return. So if you pay income taxes on your investment profits (and you probably will eventually), you’ll actually end up with something less than 4%. Double ouch.

Putting These Financial Planning Insights Together

The nit-picking shared in the preceding paragraphs may seem a little unfair. But to illustrate how significant the mistakes become when combined, ponder the following scenarios:

If you and your spouse save $5,000 a year into a retirement fund for 30 years and say you’ll earn 12% annually, the calculated future value equals roughly $1,200,000.

Note: If you know Microsoft Excel, you can copy this formula into a workbook to double-check the statement: =FV(0.12,30,-5000)

In comparison, if you and your spouse save the same $5,000 a year in an IRA or 401(k) plan for 30 years but admit (sheepishly) that you’ll really only earn 4% once you adjust for inflation and that friendly financial advisor, the calculated future value equals roughly $280,000.

Note: Again, if you have access to a personal computer and Microsoft Excel, you can copy this formula into a spreadsheet cell to test my math: =FV(0.04,30,-5000)

Seattle accountant and best-selling writer Stephen L. Nelson is the author of numerous books about using computers for accounting and the publisher of the Limited Liability Company web site. Nelson also provides financial planning services for small business owners

The UK government needs to raise billions of pounds over the next few years due to the problems of the financial crisis created by the banks and mortgage providers in 2007/2008. Massive bailouts of financial institutions cost many billions of pounds, and it will be a while before those institutions are in any position to repay those loans.

That being the case the UK government is looking to sell off around £16bn of assets to help reduce the deficit. As expected, opposition parties claim that the sale of assets will do little to solve the long-term problems. Added to that, the timing of the sale is crucial to get as much money as possible. The problem is the stock markets around the world are flat. Prices in general are low, so any assets are likely to be undervalued.

Among those assets it plans to privatize are the Channel tunnel rail link, and the Dartford crossing over the Thames. Opposition has also come from the unions. The RMT union accusing Prime Minister Brown of “sheer desperation” and motoring organizations expressing concern about drivers using the Dartford crossing being penalized.

Although the crossing was paid for by 2002, the government introduced new legislation which enabled the fee to become a charge rather than a toll. Although the crossing has already been paid for travel organizations are angry that tolls will continue, thus hitting the motorists having to use the crossing.

The student loan book and the betting company Tote are also earmarked for selling off, though attempts in the past have proved unsuccessful. Put up for sale will also include a proportion of local government real estate.

But, any sales are short term solutions. Once they are gone they are gone. The government also needs to have some long term answers, such as cutting spending and borrowing. Whatever happens it is going to be painful, but it is one of those messes no one could have fully predicted. Although it seems all the political parties would go along with the need to sell assets, the big obstacle is that it will be difficult to get the perfect timing. After all, if the stock market was all that healthy then that would be a good sign in itself that the economy is healthy. And if that was the case there would probably not even be a need for any sell-offs. Catch 22 indeed.

More Investing info can be found at the Investment Forum and also at the Lockerz Invite section of MMG.

So how much information do you need as a forex trader, and can you even get this type of forex learning from a book?



The principal item to look out for when you are choosing from the selection of foreign exchange books is that you want a book that is up to date. There are some forex trading classics that were written back in the days when you had to have several thousands of dollars or to be working in a bank in order to trade foreign exchange.

Those may still hold some interest for the professional trader, but they are not necessarily the best choice for a beginner. 

The web has transformed online foreign exchange trading and has produced a vast number of small time retail traders operating from home, often in their spare leisure time.

If you are one of that type, you will have different wants and needs in terms of trading and forex learning than the experienced professional fx trader of ten or twenty years ago. 

So that is the first point, look for something written recently, and something that addresses your own situation, according to whether you are a beginner or an experienced trader looking for new systems or more tips to enhance your forex learning experience.



Next you should think about the author. You would assume that all would be written by experienced and successful traders, but that is not necessarily the case. The authors might be professional writers commissioned to write about forex trading but without much practical experience of it, or they might be involved as a broker or in some other way on the fringes of the currency trading world.

However, you are likely to get better tips from a genuine trader who has been in your situation and made a success of it, so look for something practical, even if the author might not be the best writer.



Whichever you choose, ensure that it covers the essential subject of risk management head on. This is something that many forex traders neglect, but it can make the difference between boom and bust for our funds.

You may wish to think about buying a forex ebook rather than a traditional printed book. These tend to be shorter, without the fluff, and much more practical. It is human nature to assume that bigger means better and to want more pages for your buck, but in fact, the opposite is often true.

So that is the main thing, look for something written relatively recently, and something that will address your own circumstances, according to whether you are a new starter or an experienced fx trader looking for new trading systems or more tips to benefit your forex education.

An ebook of 50 to 100 pages, full of step by step practical trading information, may be much more use to you than a whole library of 400 page printed forex books.

Get Free Forex eBook – James Roshwood writes about Forex and welcomes new visitors to his excellent Forex Blog – GreatForexWorld.com by giving them a cool free forex gift. To get your free tips regarding forex trading and to visit the blog at Great Forex World just click on this link ==> Get My Free Forex eBook

Your business credit – Dun & Bradstreet

Dun & Bradstreet provides commercial credit reporting services on businesses worldwide. Many business lenders and suppliers will base your ability to “re-pay” on your Dun & Bradstreet rating. If your business is not listed with Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) or if D&B reports you as a high credit risk, securing financing or a new supply line can be difficult.

How can I borrow to cover payables?

If you’re in poor standing with current creditors/suppliers and either not listed with D&B or listed as a high risk, a principle of your company may need to personally guarantee any borrowing. This could still be worth it, even to cover accounts payable, if it means preserving your business credit.

If cash is tight for any reason, often specialized firms can obtain financing for you. You can relieve cash flow pressure without the typical “loan problems” – no collateral, no personal guarantees, no credit qualifications.

The lender arranges the financing directly with the creditor. There is no need to gain approval from a third party to provide the financing.

Here are two possible programs:

1) 100% financing of past due payables, in which the total balance owed the creditor is financed over a term acceptable to you. Typically the fee is a small percentage of the amount financed, based on the amount and length of term.

2) Payables reduction financing, in which a third party negotiates a reduction in the amount owed due to your poor business situation. Often the fee is a percentage of the reduction in amount owed.

There are no upfront fees for either program. The fees are due and paid immediately upon your approval of the financing.

This unique approach to obtaining financing has worked for years, providing many hundreds of financing for small businesses. There is no upfront fee. Typically the fee is based on successfully completing the financing.

About the author; Jim Frey is a former VP of a $100 billion bank and currently a commercial loan broker, public speaker, author, and coach. Jim provides alternatives and choices for entrepreneurs looking to finance their projects. He really enjoys helping people make it happen. There are still lots of ways to move ahead in business even if the banks aren’t helping much. You can download his free ebook at http://www.doughforthedream.com

You can also visit his blog at doughforthedreamblog.com

What I have discovered over the last few years is that it actually is possible to save a considerable amount of money when buying books if you know what you are doing. So in this article I’d like to discuss a few ideas that I hope should save you a lot of money over the next few years.

Firstly, as I’m sure you can guess, spending time going to junk stores, car book sales and yard sales can all enable you to buy books for just a tony percentage of what they would normally cost. The downside of this is that many of the books available here are very old and battered and you’re unlikely to be able to get recent books. Worse, you never totally know what you’re going to find so you may spend hours looking in junk shops and not find anything you like.

Luckily there are other solutions. Firstly, there are a range of companies who specialize in buying up job lots of books. This means they buy books that haven’t sold elsewhere, maybe that have minor damage to them and so on and you can often buy reasonably new books from these companies for half price or less than they would cost in a normal book store. A quick search online should reveal a number of these companies who supply your local area.

However lastly try checking out Amazon. They actually have a service whereby people can sell their old books on the Amazon site. So when you find a book you like, try looking under the “Add To Cart” button and you should see a link to people who are selling it second-hand – often for way less than other retailers are selling it and the quality is normally excellent.

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