If you are contemplating the possibility of taking a more active role in your personal investments, then one of the most important steps you can immediately take is not trying to decide where to place your capital, what stocks to buy, or what currencies to short; instead, the most important step to immediately take is to sit down and write out a business plan.

How to Choose Your Investments Wisely

If you are like most people, you are confused as to how to invest your money, and which vehicles are best. Tax-Free savings accounts? Mutual funds? Stocks?  Bonds? Index Funds? Commodities? The list seems endless, and the risks are different for each one.  Sometimes getting an adviser is counter-productive, as they have their own interests in mind, and will recommend only the companies they get a commission from.

A cease fire has been declared in the most recent budget battle. At least until September when the damn thing is liable to explode like a neutron bomb all over again. In the meantime, as a last minute effort to prevent complete shut down of the federal government which would have put more than 800,000 people out of work and denied paychecks to millions more, including active duty service people currently fighting wars on two fronts, Congress somehow managed to approve a stop gap measure meant to fund the government for another five months.

The Kluge winery in Virginia was once valued at $70 million. Since the farm is in foreclosure, there was an auction in Charlottesville Virginia, where people were happily buying the winery's well-known Kluge Albemarle Red for the amazing price of $45 a case. The most surprising development of the day was definitely Donald Trump's successful bid for the whole vineyard for the bargain price of $6.2 million dollars.

If you're in business, you'll know that communication is key to everything you do. For many businesses, conference calling is a vital part of their communication strategy. It allows businesses to communicate with others quickly, easily and efficiently. While these benefits might seem obvious, it's not enough just to think that because you've decided to use conference calling services, you'll automatically make the most of them without any thought. Here are some of the things that can help your business make the most of its conference calls.

The recession is going to be a very difficult period for everyone but most especially dentists. No matter how small one’s practice is, it is expected that dentists will be hit during these tough economic times. There is a lot to learn about recessions with history’s point of view in mind. When Japan went through a recession, their spending habits were dramatically changed. They consumed and bought less as compared to before their economy endured a recession. According to most economists, the recession which we are experiencing right now is predicted to last for five to six years. In that span of time, American’s spending habits will be dramatically changed. However, how will this change in spending patterns affect dentists and their practice?

Everybody has an opinion about money. Most people express their feelings about money with pithy clichés: “money makes the world go round”; “a penny saved is penny earned”; “money is the root of all evil.” However, for the truly talented it’s not enough to spout off a few lines about money – they have to go and write a whole book about it. Here are three great novels about money, that delve into exactly what people will do in order to get it.

As the Congress turns its attention to the US budget and the nation's fiscal situation, the debates over the debt ceiling that have been seething underneath the surface could boil in the near future. The US Treasury is of the opinion that the nation will reach its debt limit within April, 15, 2011 and the Administration officials are ringing the caution bells and warning the US debtors of the dire financial consequences if the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling is not raised. But the Republicans say that they won't commit themselves to such a financial move unless the President Barack Obama takes some solid steps to weigh down the country's pocketbook. Raising the debt ceiling will not mean an opportunity to spend more. Rather there has to be effective cuts on the spending floor to get better results.

Buying commercial property can be an excellent investment.  Not only can you benefit from good capital growth but you can also take a good income from the rental payments your property generates.  However, as with any investment, there are advantages and disadvantages of commercial property.  Our guide looks at three things you should always bear in mind when buying.

Is Mis Selling Financial Products A Thing Of The Past

The FSA, a government watchdog tasked with regulating the mortgage market has taken decisive action against mis-selling, ensuring that borrowers are compensated if they are misled.

DB Mortgages, a mortgage provider for the Deutsche Bank was hit was fines nearing £1 million last week for irresponsible lending practices and unfair treatment of customers in arrears. Whilst the government was penalizing the company, it also managed to force DB to repay £1.5 million in unfair fines and charges.