Getting Your Feet Wet with Online Trading

The emergence of the World Wide Web more than decades ago has brought about many changes in the way that we conduct our lives and our personal business. Without having to go to the malls, we can purchase a pair of sneakers or a nice work briefcase. Without having to wait for our turn at the banks, we can do transactions in a matter of minutes. Without having to stand in a long queue, we can pay our electricity and water bills with only a few clicks. It has become so convenient to the point that we can even search for Mr. Right or Ms. Soulmate online!

These days, we can also buy and sell stocks over the Internet. Contrary to the conventional use of the telephone, brokers have the facility to take the number of stocks clients want to buy online. Due to the fast-paced life nowadays, traders may not always available to answer phone calls and reply short-messages promptly, so they appreciate having the ability to look at their accounts whenever they want to with real-time market data. While trading time is usually from morning until afternoon, traders can access their accounts 24/7 and if they choose to perform any transactions, they can do so without a professional broker’s help. This certainly gives them control and flexibility in monitoring their investment portfolio. Online trading comes with another great news – fees and commissions are often lower than offline trading. However, there are some drawbacks that you need to know first.

If the world of investment is something that is of novelty to you, having the ability to actually speak with a certified broker can be extremely beneficial in taking steps for better trading decisions. Online trading may be a dangerous thing for you if you are not familiar with the stock market. Besides that, beginners more often than not make expensive mistakes simply because they are not fully well-versed on how the brokerage software with advanced trading tools works. If this is the case, make sure you read as many books and ask as many experienced people as possible to learn as much as you can about exchanging stocks before you start pouring real, hard-earned money to trade online.

It is also a good idea to go with an online brokerage house that has been around for a while. You won’t find one that has been in business for fifty years, of course, but you can find a reputable company that has been in business that long and now provides the service of online trading. As part of adding value to their clients, these online brokerages offer advice by live brokers and sometimes trades are assisted by these brokers.

Again, online trading is a beautiful thing – but it is not for everyone. It takes someone with real determination and dedication to learn about the ins and outs, coupled with the never-give-up attitude. Think carefully before you decide to do your trading online, and make sure that you really know what you are doing. When you are equipped with the knowledge, there are high probabilities for you to earn good money through the trades. The more you learn, the more you earn!

 

Picture courtesy of: canadafinance

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Put Not Your Trust in Money, but Put Your Money in Trust

 

As cliché as it sounds, a smart investor has a diversified portfolio of investment. One should never put all eggs in one basket. In this article, I am going to share with you about the benefits of investing in unit trusts or mutual funds as a vehicle to drive you faster towards your financial destination.

 

Professional Fund Management

When you start investing in unit trusts, you can be assured that you funds are managed by a myriad of approved professionals with extensive work experience in the finance and economics background. InMalaysia, the regulatory body for these professionals is the Federation of Investment Managers Malaysia. The fund managers’ exceptional expertise in buying securities of several companies, coupled with their monitoring, more often than not provides good returns for investors in the long run.

 

Diversification

For novice investors, putting money in mutual funds offers more advantages than investing in the share market due to the diversification factor. Relatively, unit trusts carry lower risks and you can still have a good sleep at night. However, in the diversified family of unit trusts comprises a wide variety of equity stocks and bonds from different organizations, industries, and even countries. Each one of these has a varying degree of risks involved. The beauty of asset allocation in investing in unit trusts is that you can balance it all out according to how much risk you are willing to take.

 

Investment Exposure

Most people are comfortable in mutual funds because of the investment exposure. For instance, the fund manager of a particular equity fund purchases stocks from blue-chip companies of assorted sectors (such as communications, energy, and utilities) and also allocates some fund in money market instruments and fixed income securities. This provides as a great opportunity for an investor to expose his investment in wide-ranging asset classes under one fund with a minimal amount of money.

 

Affordability

Only a small amount of capital is needed to start accumulating your wealth to financial freedom. In terms of cash, investors have two options: lump sum and regular savings (or direct debit instruction). Regular savings can go as low as RM100 per month. When it comes to retirement planning, investing in mutual funds is so affordable that you are able to invest without having to fork out cash when the government introduced the EPF Members Investment Scheme – where you are allowed to withdraw a certain amount from your Account 1 based on calculation that includes the balance and your age. This withdrawal is authorized every three months to make your money work harder for you in preparing for those golden retirement years.

 

Liquidity

The investor may redeem his investment should he feel satisfied with the returns and when the investment has achieved its financial goal. The ready-buyer is the unit trust management company that manages the funds itself, be it whole or partial of the units, on any business day. The regulatory body that regulates the unit trust management companies inMalaysia, the Securities Commission, is there to ensure that you get your money back within two weeks.

 

Adding unit trusts in your portfolio of investment is similar to adding more eggs in another different basket. You are reducing the risks of your overall investment, so that should one of your baskets fall down, you will not be losing all eggs (or as many as you cannot bear).

 

 

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Relaxing Yet Energizing – Traditional Thai Massage, That Is!

We have all been through it. You know, there are days when you do not feel like working out but you don’t want to skip a day – especially when you have made that New Year resolution to exercise at least three times a week or when you have become so motivated after watching the reruns of The Biggest Loser Asia. You desperately need something that is relaxing after a long day, but at the same time, something that is energizing for you to keep on moving for more. Why not try traditional Thai massage?

 

What is traditional Thai massage?

Despite the fact that this form of massage gives you the idea that it is fromThailand, in actuality the roots can be traced back in the ancientIndiamore than 2,500 years ago. This ancient massage bodywork is brought to theLandofSmilesby a northern Indian doctor named Shivaka Kumar Baccha who taught herbal medicine and massage, arriving together with the first Buddhist monks and Brahmins.

 

In present days, this healing art is widely known for its integration between the Ayurvedic techniques and principles and traditional Chinese and Japanese therapeutic methods.

 

How does it work?

Traditional Thai massage may look more physical than any massage that you have tried before, but it emphasizes more on the inside of your body and brings out more energy of a person. Akin to the Chinese acupressure, the thumbs are pressed to certain nerves and ligaments. Somehow, thumbs are not the only body organs that masseurs will be applying during the session. Be prepared to experience a whole-body treatment from your masseur – and by that I mean elbows, hands, feet, and knees!

 

Taking about one-two hours’ time, depending on your preference, the process is done on a mat or a firm mattress. Some parlours conduct it on a table, though many argue about its effectiveness by limiting the use of space. Typically no oils or creams are applied onto the body as to prevent slipperiness. Customers need not have to bring spare clothes, since loose pyjamas are provided. This implicitly owes to the cultural connotation that Thai people are very modest and polite. Contrary to other massages, customers are fully clothed with comfortable clothes for the passive stretches that will help to put the functions of the body in balance.

 

What are its benefits?

Nuad Thai (as it is known in Thai language) may give goose bumps to those who have not experienced it, but there are more reasons than one to give it a try. You will be surprised to find yourself getting addicted to it, just as many others have! In leading the fast pace of life, we have to juggle so many things in a day; family and work taking most of our time, finding a time for a workout can be very difficult. Even if you have the time, you might not have the energy to do simple exercises. Think of giving this massage a treat to yourself as having the best of both worlds; you get to loosen those tensed muscles and feel vigorous at the same time! As mentioned earlier, traditional Thai massage deals more with the wellbeing of the body within. Apart from the obvious reason that it improves blood circulation, this ancient healing process also boosts the immune system, helps elimination of toxins and revitalizes the nervous system – just to name a few.

 

 

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Reignite Your Senses with DIY Spa Experience at Home

Spas offer a number of benefits that most of us are well aware of. You do insist that after spending the whole week with prolonged meetings and dealing with difficult clients, you must have that time to pamper yourself on the weekend. Your body is already too exhausted, your mind is already too uninspired, and your soul is almost lifeless. It is time to get your senses reawakened, and you want to do that in a way that will not have you part with your money. Well, at least, not that much. And the best part is, it is a spa experience at the comfort of your home!

 

Reignite Your Sight

Lighting plays a very significant role in creating the spa ambience; as a matter of fact, it is the first thing that is noticeable when one steps into a spa centre and the way a room is illuminated alters the dimension three-hundred and sixty degree. Make use of candles, as well as dim lights, in bringing out the atmosphere that resembles your favourite spa outlet. Dimmed lighting can create a wonderful shift of moods, perfect for that precious time you need to let your hair down and concentrate on no one else but yourself.

 

Reignite Your Hearing

Inducing relaxation, enhancing memory, managing stress – to name a few of the advantages of using music in experiencing your home spa moment, and just as important is the types of sound that goes to your ears. Soothing audio tremendously helps, such as nature sounds or music. Different kinds of music evoke different feelings and emotions, so classical and jazz are better options above the rest.

 

Reignite Your Touch

Being the central part of your spa experience, it depends on how you intend to spend the me-time. A body massage can be attained by using an electrical hand-held machine. Did you know that a golf ball wrapped with a piece of cloth could also be a tool of self-massage? Should you decide to have this indulging moment with your partner or your best friend, you might want to plan beforehand. The other person might perform a full-scale facial treatment on you. In return, you might give both manicure and pedicure to that person.

 

Reignite Your Smell

Aromatherapy has long been known to produce pleasant psychological and physical effects.  In spite the fact that some tend to confuse aromatherapy with fragrance oils, they are indeed not the same. The latter may produce nice sense of smell to our nose and thus offering one calming after-effect, but it is rather synthetic in nature. Meanwhile, the former is derived from the pure essence of plants and flowers – which is why it is called essential oils. The use of essential oils in aromatherapy able to generate, as the term denotes, therapeutic benefits, such as reducing depression (psychological) and alleviating congestion (physical).

 

Reignite Your Taste

By sipping a hot cup of jasmine tea, not only will you get to soothe yourself in the aroma of the antioxidant drink, but you will also get to destroy the growth of bad bacteria and promote the growth of good ones. If jasmine tea is not your thing, how about a glass of fruit smoothie? Good for empowering your immune system, excellent choice of natural fiber, and great alternative to multivitamins. And I don’t need to tell you that it tastes great too, do I?

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