I would have to say that I am not the most observant person when it comes to details.  Sure, I do notice things, but there are many things that I consider insignificant.

But today, I did notice something that I had not seen before - differences in showers in homes.  You see, I was out with a client looking at potential investment properties and for whatever reason, he was most concerned with the bathrooms.

Specifically, he was looking for homes with shower cubicles.  I asked him why that is what he was looking for, and he told me that he was buying properties that were going to be specifically rented to college students, and according to his experiences, they didn’t really use bathtubs enough to merit having them.

The last duplex of the day that I showed him, he fell in love with it immediately.  There were electric showers on both sides, and he knew that it would be a good selling point for students that like to have long, hot showers.  He placed an offer on it, and we’ll see if he gets it.

Who knew that one of the criteria for buying investment properties could be the bathroom?

When I first started to trade on the stock market, I had no idea what I was doing.  As a result, I lost most of what I had invested.  This woke me up to the notion that I might not know everything, but I did have room to learn.

So, I decided that I would learn the same secrets that the masters use to trade stocks.  I figured that by following a proven system that works, I would be able to get better returns (specifically positive ones) on my portfolio than I have been getting.

I picked up the book, Stock Split Secrets by Darlene Nelson, which is one of the best investing books on the market today.  Reading through the first few chapters made me realize that I have been doing it all wrong, but by reading this book, I should be able to set things straight, and profit from the same secrets that the masters use.

With the lackluster returns that my investment portfolio has been receiving lately, I have been looking to other investment vehicles where I can put my money.  Though I have many different options, I am leaning towards investment real estate.

I figure that real estate is something that everyone needs, whether it be for lodging or for business, and statistically, it has done very well over the years.  Couple that with the limited supply of land (they aren’t making any more, are they?), it is definitely an appealing investment.

I also like the fact that I have more control over a real estate investment compared to a stock.  It can be improved, demolished, or changed with almost complete freedom.

So, I am going to take the steps toward becoming a landlord that I need to do - I think that it is the best use for my money that I can find.

A number of years ago, I was floundering financially.  I thought that we were going to go under, but it was at that point that something amazing happened.  You see, a friend of mine introduced me to Joe - a successful land investment guru.

Now, he didn’t give me money or anything like that, but he did give me advice.  I learned how to manage my money better than I have in years, and now I am better at budgeting and living within my means.

But the advice didn’t stop there.  He taught me how to look at the land for sale section in the paper and pick out some winning investments.  In fact, I successfully bought some UK land and it has made me some good money.

I guess, what I have to say is that I have to thank Joe for his advice - without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

I can testify to the fact that a trader absolutely needs to find a reliable, skilled and compatible commodities broker, if she wants to be successful in the futures business. Commodities are not for the faint of heart and the concept can be difficult for some to master. There’s a whole new vocabulary to learn, including “puts” and “calls.” (I’d love to know who came up with those…)

A point of particular caution should be sounded for technical traders when choosing a broker. Don’t choose someone who thinks they know more than your charts do. That’s all you must base your transactions. The fundamentals don’t enter into your buying and selling decisions. Naturally they play their part in the overall market dynamic, but the real analysis comes from your historical data and the patterns emerging on the charts. Whether you make your own by hand or utilize an online service, a technical trader can’t do without charts. Like the famous spaghetti sauce slogan, “It’s in there!”

In my life I thrive on routine.  Every morning after I eat breakfast I call my dad and ask them what the stock pick of the day is.  He is very knowledgeable and I trust everything he tells me.  He has not failed me yet and I don’t see it happening in the near future.

One of the reasons for this is that since he retired he likes to research stock and deduce which ones would be a good investment and which ones would be better left on the table.  He helps me out and I have made a lot of money invested in what he tells me would be a good choice.

I like to go over what I can as he teaches me how to do stock research. I hope that I can one day be able to do my own picks without help from him.  I am really glad that I have him in my life and that he taught me about money and investing from a young age.  He is my hero.

Sure, I have stored some of my stuff at a self storage facility, but now that I am older, an interesting investment opportunity has come to my attention.  You see, the self storage facility in town is for sale at a great price, and I am considering buying it.  Problem is, I have never run one of them before.

So, I thought that I would go online to see if I could find a website that had some information about running a storage facility and to see if it would be a good investment or not.

I found a good website that had a self storage owner podcast available for download.  This way, I was able to listen to it to and from work on a daily basis.  From the podcasts, I learned a lot of the ins and outs when it comes to owning and operating a self storage facility.

It sounds like it should be easy enough to run a self storage facility.  I have to crunch a couple more numbers and then I think that I will put an offer in on the one that is for sale.

I am a firm believer that your money matters, no matter how much money you have. It may sound cliché when people are asking for donations and say that every cent counts, but I really believe that it does. A few cents from thousands of people adds up to hundreds of dollars.

Where this really comes into play for me is saving for retirement. I hear so many people say that they just can’t afford to do this and I think that you really can’t afford not to. Michael Dinich is somewhat of an expert on this and he admits that a very small amount of money now can build up to a very large amount in the future.

I kind of got a passion for this sort of thing when my mother hit retirement age and had not saved anything for her future. She is now seventy-three years old and she is still working because she can’t afford not to. I started writing a daily article on my blog, urging people to put away even a few dollars a day. It is as simple as giving up your daily coffee and it will be worth it in the long run.

I have been trading currencies on the Forex for a number of years now.  Sure, I can make some good gains, but for me, one of the biggest challenges is finding the time to do it.  With a busy work schedule, sometimes I find myself too tired to keep up with the market and I miss out on a lot of opportunities.

So, what I have been doing is looking for some system that would allow me to do automated Forex trading.  I started to look online to see if I could find some sort of software that would let me trade automatically, and really make some money while I was sleeping.

After looking for "forex automatic" on the search engines, I have been able to find a couple of software products that will do what I need them to do.  But before I buy, I am going to read as many reviews as possible about the offerings and make my decision from there.  I just want to make sure that I buy something that will make me money - not lose it.

I think of the number of hours I had to work at a job to get the nest egg that I have now.  Sure it is not the biggest pile of money anyone has seen, but it is the most money that I have ever had. 

I think that the biggest reason that I have the amount of money that I have is because of my investment choices.  I chose not to go with the pack, but instead go a different route. 

My pathway to success began with my discovery of high yield investment programs (HYIP).  Now, these are not for the faint hearted, as they carry a little more risk.  But the reward is worth the risk - and I only used a small portion of my portfolio - I didn’t want to lose everything I had.

When you get the kind of return that I have earned (I have averaged 20% per month), it has shaved many years off the amount of time I will have to work.  That means that I can do what I want, when I want it sooner than someone using traditional investment programs.  At the rate this is going I figure it will take five more years for me to be at the point I want to be financially.  But I will not change my investment style - as good of an investment as HYIPs may be, I am not willing to risk all my money by jumping in with two feet - that would be a bad choice.