When you first start to trade or invest in any market, there is going to be a bit of a learning curve involved. While some of that learning curve will be specific to the market itself, a lot of it is more general and involves learning what you should be doing so that you can make successful trades. Of course at the same time it is also important to learn what you should avoid too.

Avoid making emotional decisions

As a rule of thumb this should be at the top of your list. Emotional decisions are a huge problem for all traders and as much as you may be tempted to go with your gut – don’t.

In particular, when your trades aren’t working out any have depreciated in price it is important that you don’t hang on hoping that they will appreciate once again. Instead, stick to your initial analysis of the trade (and presumably the stop-loss order that you’d placed), bite the bullet, and get out of it.

Do not make impulsive trades without proper research

Did you just hear that gold was hot right now and feel compelled to immediately jump on board the bandwagon? Trading impulsively is a bad idea, and if you jump every time you hear something is hot – you’re going to be jumping a lot.

If you really feel that something you hear may be true – do the research. Find out more about the current market conditions, potential factors that could influence its price, and make an informed trade that is backed by proper research.

Stay away from get rich quick schemes

The only thing worse than impulsive or emotional trades are get rich quick schemes. Unfortunately these are all too common and often involve over the top claims that promise you will be a millionaire – practically overnight because of a ‘foolproof’ trading strategy, stock tip (which would be illegal, if true), and so on.

Assuming something sounds too good to be true – it probably is. Stick to that and you’ll probably be able to dodge all the get rich quick schemes that come your way and can focus on real methods of successfully trading.

Never stop learning

Sometimes after you’ve had a bit of success trading you may feel that you’ve learned enough and can simply rely on what you know. That isn’t the case however, and the most successful traders are the ones who keep learning – constantly.

While you may have found a way to be successful at trading in the current market climate – that will change. To be successful on a consistent basis you need to be staying ahead of the curve and the only way to do that is to never stop learning.

By making sure you avoid these four things, you’ll be a much better trader overall. All you need to do is head over to etxcapital.co.uk and decide on a market that you’d like to start to trade on. Considering you have so many options open to you – odds are you’ll be able to find one that you feel looks interesting.

Financial emergencies happen when we least expect it. There is no rhyme nor reason why these happen. The best that any person can do is to pay it and have it done and over with. For some people, they may have an emergency fund, or a slush fund for those times when money is needed. For others, they may have to depend on same day cash loans. Below are five ways to deal with financial emergency:

Credit Card Cash Advance

If you have a good financial standing with your credit card company, and you are sure that you can repay this immediately, then a cash advance is in order. Otherwise, this may turn out to be the most expensive option there is.

Sell or Pawn valuables

If you have some valuables like jewelry or some other rare expensive item you might want to consider selling them or pawning them. If you don't think that you will ever need the item, sell them and try to get the best offer, even if it might take longer for the transaction to occur. Otherwise, if you need immediate cash, you can pawn your valuables and redeem them when you are able to.

Immediate Loan

There are institutions which give same day cash loans or immediate loans. The terms and conditions might be different for each service or funds provider but the important part is that you get a loan processed quickly. You have to remember to pay back the loan immediately as well, as the interest rates can be costly when the loan takes too long to repay. When you search for reputable loan agencies, these services can also come under pay day loans.

Personal Loan from a bank

If you have a good standing with a bank, or you have an account with a bank, you can file for a loan with the deposit as collateral. This may take some time, however, but it only needs you to drop by the bank and give the manager a visit. Businesses usually make loans against their deposits on a regular basis.

Loan against your insurance

Life insurance builds up value over the years, and as part of the service, you can make a loan against the paid-up value of your life insurance. There may be no set date for payment, however, the unpaid amount will be deducted from the insurance payout when the time comes.

The above are just some of the ways to raise ready cash. Of course, these are dependent on your financial standing and your credit rating. If you are good are repaying loans, the better your chances at getting loans.

Personal loans are useful when you need cash to fund your wedding or your travel with the whole family. It is easy to find loan companies that will let you borrow money but to look for the one that will guarantee approval is not – unless you know the tricks. The tips below will help you improve your chances of getting approved.  

Know which among the types of personal loans is more interesting to you?

You must identify which loan you do find attractive or which one can help you with your needs. In this way, you can readily check your eligibility for the said loan. Likewise, remember that personal loans have two types: secured loans (like car title loans) and unsecured loans (like payday loans). Are you more comfortable with a lender asking for a collateral or with a loan firm charging higher interest rates? More often than not, unsecured loans present higher interest rates because the lenders that offer these types of loans allow you to borrow money without guarantee.

Look for the right financial institution for you.

Shop around for possible lenders in Vista, California. There are many loan companies existing in the area but you should find the one that is just right for you. Aside from knowing if you are qualified to apply for one of the loans, you should also study the payment terms, interest rates, and other conditions covered by the loans you are eyeing. Make comparison then choose the best for you.

Check your credit score for any inaccuracies.

Get your free annual credit reports from the reputable credit reporting companies and review each report for possible inaccuracies. If you find none and your credit score is high, then proceed with your because your chances of loan approval is high. Otherwise, make the necessary corrections the soonest possible time as these can be the reasons you have low credit score. Likewise, you must also take vital steps to improve your credit score like paying your bills on time and keeping low credit card balances.

Provide the loan company with factual data.

The application process for personal loans in Vista, California covers the verification of information given to them so expect them to make a few phone calls. Should they find discrepancy or inaccuracy in your data, including your employment, mortgages, and assets, they will immediately reject your application or delay the approval of your loan.

It’s important that everyone knows how to stay in control of their personal finances. However, there are certain things that can cause us a lot of trouble. To find out more, have a read of my piece on the main things that cause financial problems: 

Poor Investments

Anyone with a financial brain will tell you that investing is a positive thing to do. It’s a good idea to invest your money, instead of spending it on pointless things. With a good investment, you can end up earning more and more money. However, not every investment is good. Sometimes, we make poor investments and end up feeling the consequences. There are a few investments that make sense to make. For example, owning a few shares is a good idea. You don’t have to spend much money, and you may earn cash over time. Or, invest in gold, something that will always have value. Bad investments are ones that have a high element of risk involved. And, ones that require you to spend lots of money. A lot of people get put in tough financial situations because they invest in real estate. And, while property investments can be good, they’re not always guaranteed to work. Especially when you don’t know a lot about the market, and have very limited funds.

The problem with a bad investment is that it can cause you to lose a lot of money. You can go from being reasonably wealthy to having very little, and struggling to get by. And, when you’re struggling for money, it can be hard to recover from a poor investment. Personally, I think everyone should stick to simple and risk-free investments. Put your money in something that will slowly increase over time. There are plenty of stocks that are like this; they’re perfect for the average person. Don’t get persuaded to start buying and selling things like crazy to try and earn big money; you’re probably going to fail. If I had to give you one piece of advice, it would be to hire a financial advisor of sorts. Go to your bank and speak to someone about investing. They’ll help you make the right choices, and stop you from having personal finance problems.

Tax Issues

Tax is one of those things that we all hate, but almost everyone has to pay. When you start earning money, you automatically pay tax. If you’re working for a company, your wage will be taxed before it’s paid to you. So, already, you’re earning less than you would without tax. If you’re self-employed, then you have to file an income tax return. When you buy a car, you need to pay road tax. Buying a house means you might have to pay tax on it too. As you can see, there are so many things in our life that are taxed and cause us to pay extra money. The problem with this is that it can cause a huge strain on our personal finances. If you’re running low on money, an upcoming tax payment is the last thing that you need. 

And, to make matters worse, late tax repayments are penalized even more. If you miss a payment, you get charged extra, and this charge increases the longer you leave it. So, if you’re struggling for money, and can’t pay tax, you could end up in even deeper trouble. The main issue is with income tax for self-employed people. If you fail to file your tax return on time, then there will be serious issues. Plus, some people forget to save up money to pay for everything. When the payment date rolls around, you might not have enough in your bank to cover the costs. So, what do you do? You end up applying for a loan to help you pay on time. Or, you don’t pay and incur further charges. If you have to file an income tax return, then you should look for a tax service to help you get things organized. This will ensure you pay on time, and don’t get further issues. The bottom line is, tax issues can cause serious personal finance problems for everyone. You’ve got to stay on top of your payments, or things will go wrong.

Unemployment

Unemployment is arguably the biggest thing that can cause financial problems. Naturally, if you don’t have a job, then you’ve got no source of income. You can get income support from the government, but that won’t be a suitable way of living your life. Especially if you have a family, with bills to pay and mouths to feed. And, this is possibly even worse if you had a job but were made redundant. When you have a job, you’re used to getting your regular income. It shapes the way you live your life and dictates how much money you spend all the time. Take away that regular income, and you could be in trouble. You might find it hard to afford all the bills or keep living the way you were living. You’ll be put under a great deal of financial stress until you get yourself back into full-time employment. 

Obviously, the solution to unemployment is finding a job. But, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Most unemployed people want a job; they just can’t find one. If you were working but got made redundant, then I have some tips to help you while you look for work. My first piece of advice is to consider looking for part-time or freelance work. Just a little something to help you get regular income while you look for a proper job. My other piece of advice is to set up a savings account the moment you get a job. Deposit funds into this account, and you’ll have some financial security should you ever become unemployed. Also, I fully recommend you apply for income support from the government. Yes, it might not be much, but it will help you get by until you find a new job. If the support is there, you may as well take it. At the very least you should enquire about it. If you aren’t eligible, then there’s nothing you can do. As you can see, there are ways to help you deal with sudden unemployment. Follow those tips and your finances will be a lot more secure. There’s no doubting that being out of work is a top cause of financial problems. The sooner you find a new job, the better.

Lots Of Debt

When you’re talking about what causes financial stress, then debt is right up there. It’s shocking how many people are living their lives with lots of financial debt. The fact is, life is extremely expensive. So much so that we’re required to take out huge loans just to buy a house for our family to live in. That’s right; a mortgage loan is the biggest cause of debt in the country today. The second biggest is credit card debt. When you owe lots of money to someone, it becomes a huge burden on your life. You can’t go out and buy what you need to buy because you have this debt lingering in the back of your mind. And, it’s easy to start owing more money to different companies and institutions too. Think about college tuition fees; these have to be repaid too! 

The best advice I can give you is to make debt repayments your top financial priority. You want to pay everything back as soon as you can. Then, you lift that financial burden and can start living a more comfortable life. I also suggest you avoid getting into this tricky situation to begin with. Obviously, if you get a mortgage, then debt is unavoidable. However, you can avoid credit card debt and any other forms, by being shrewd with your money. For example, don’t overspend, and you won’t go over your credit limit.

Various Addictions

Yes, addiction can be the cause of many financial problems. If you’re addicted to something, you end up spending lots of money on it. We could be talking about drugs, alcohol, cigarettes; you name it. Everything costs money, and repeat purchases will soon add up. It’s no secret that addiction is a leading cause of bankruptcy. 

Furthermore, there is one addiction that I think is more costly than the rest. I’m talking, of course, about a gambling addiction. If you gamble, then you’re always at risk of losing lots of money. Even if you place one bet, you could lose a lot. Now, imagine taking that risk every day. You will lose a fortune. Gambling addicts end up with no money, no home, no car, and no family. If you feel like you have any of the addictions I’ve mentioned, then I beg you to seek help. Cure your addiction, and then find someone to help with your finances. 

I implore you to be wary of all the things mentioned in this piece. Any of these five issues can cause you financial distress. If you fall victim to one, follow my advice to get yourself back on track.

One of the best ways to diversify your investment portfolio is to deal with silver bullions. By buying and selling them, not only are you investing in a currency that is next best to gold, you are also preserving your wealth. 

This is if you invest in them correctly. In this article, we won’t go on about the specifics yet as dealing with silver warrants several guides. Instead, we will only talk about selling silver and the things that you should and shouldn’t do in the process.

So why is selling silver an investment? If you buy silver at a time that it is cheap and sell it during economic turmoil, you get more than what you paid for since its value tends to go up during these times.

To help you out is a guide on the do’s and don’ts of buying silver:

1. DO: Know the different forms of silver bars

Silver bars don’t only come as a bar, but they come at different forms and you can choose one depending on how popular and storage-friendly they are. One of the most common bars traded in the market is the bullion whose value can be determined based on the bar’s silver content.

It’s also available in different forms such round and triangle, but a wise investor will go for shapes that are easy to handle and store. If your silver bar is a bullion, then yours is likely to be sold easily. If not, you can always search for other willing dealers who will buy. Remember that whatever shape or form it is, your silver still has value, so don’t give up in finding the right dealer just yet.

2. DON’T: Sell your art silver bar for the standard price

Silver bars with fancy images and historical marks are called art bars and they often have more value than your standard silver bar. It can be considered a collectible due to its beauty and appeal. So you may want to approach dealers that are also into accepting collector items.

3. DO: Learn the different silver bar sizes

The value of a silver bar depends on its size. Smaller bars often have a higher premium placed on them as a result of fabrication costs. So if your bar is a smaller one, know that the value output you get per troy ounce is going to be a little higher.

Dealers like GoldBuyersMelbourne.com.au accepts all size and shapes of silver and gold. If you end up with a dealer as established as they are, you shouldn’t have any problem with selling your silver bullion no matter what size it is.

4. DON’T: Forget to know the difference between a generic and a branded silver bar

Silver bars will have a consistent purity in them which gives them the same value per ounce but its value could change depending on which brand it was made by. This means that the difference in a company’s reputation and manner of manufacturing can affect the value of your silver. 

Take the time to research each brand before you sell your silver bullion to Melbourne’s best buyers. If it’s from a highly reputable one, then there’s a chance your silver has more value beyond its ounce cost. 

Keep these dos and don’ts in mind and you should be able make a better decision when dealing with silver. 

Do you have tips you want to share with our readers? Let us know in the comments.