Investing has come a long way since the stock market was created so that average Americans could invest in companies to grow their wealth. Wall Street has had its ups and downs but overall it has been a tried and true way to invest for the average person. Of course the top investors also invest there, as well as giant conglomerates.

Fast forward to today and there are countless ways to invest your money and countless companies that will do it for you. We’ll talk about the different places you can learn how to invest, places you can invest, and different investments you can make.

Let’s start with investments you can make.

Stocks or Bonds

Investing in stocks is one of the most popular ways to invest your money. The way you do this is by either using a stock broker, or using a company which is now a website or app that allows you to make trades yourself. Now be careful with this way of investing because you’ll be betting on one company per investment and if it loses, then you’re not diversified.

Now we’ll talk about diversification because that’s one of the pillars to being a smart investor

ETFS

ETFS are exchange traded funds that you allow you to invest in multiple stocks at once. These ETFs are listed on the stock exchanges NASDAQ and the New York Stock exchange just like single stocks.

This is a way to diversify an investment by investing in multiple stocks at once.

Real Estate

There are many ways to invest in real estate. There are stocks you can buy which are real estate companies. There are real estate ETFS. You can buy a home or multi-unit building and flip it or rent it out. You can invest in real estate funds that allow you to invest with real estate investors without having to do the work.

Crypto

Crypto is relatively new and is higher risk than any other investment because of its volatility. You can invest in coins and trade them like Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc. And these coins are all listed on exchanges like Crypto.com, Binance, and Kucoin just to name a few.

You can stake your coins and earn interest on them, and you can borrow against them. You can use bot softwares like Bitsgap which allow you to make trades automatically for you.

Index Funds

Index funds also known as mutual funds are funds with multiple stocks, sort of like an ETF. With an index, there are parameters set for the stocks invested in, so they change per quarter.

Popular index funds are the S&P 500, Vanguard, and Schwab. The S&P 500 is a collection of the top 500 stocks. This is the way that Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger recommend investing as its the best way to compound growth.

Throw it into a calculator to see how much 10% of your income would end up being at retirement.

Precious Metals

Precious Metals are metal that have utility to them like gold, silver, platinum, and palladium just to name a few. Gold has been used as a bartering tool for centuries and it has utility to it. Its been used in jewelry for fashion. You can buy physical coins like bullion of each precious metal.

You can buy gold mining stocks, silver mining stocks, and precious metal exploration company stock. Many people don’t know that you can invest in gold for your retirement. There is something called a precious metals IRA or gold IRA which allows you to purchase gold and hold it in a retirement account.

You can rollover funds from a 401k or any other retirement account you may have with a company like American Hartford Gold Review.

Diversification

Now that we’ve covered the popular ways to invest, let’s discuss diversification. The best investors diversify their portfolios meaning they don’t invest all of their money into one type of investment. Certainly not one single investment. What they do is they decide how much they’re going to invest and then they deploy that moneys strategically.

An example would be 25% stocks, 15% bonds, 20% real estate, 10% cash, 5% precious metals and 25% in index funds. Now that’s not the best diversified portfolio, but just illustrating the point.

Educational Resources to Learn Investing

If you do a search online for any type of investing we just covered, you’ll find websites that explain what they are, and then also recommend which companies to go with.

A very popular resource is Investopedia. They cover everything in terms of investing and will teach you how to invest, and recommend the best companies per investment.

Then there are more niche websites which cover only one type of investing. For example, Coral Gold is a website that only talk about investing in gold. So they have more expertise in that because it’s their sole focus.

Not only are the niches of investments, but also for types of investors. There are sites like retirementinvestments.com that cover only investing for retirement.

The best resources are Investopedia, Nerd Wallet, and Fool.com. There are many Youtube channels dedicated to this and the best are Graham Stephan, and Larry Cheung CFA…

What are the best states in which to start your own business? As you can imagine, if you look at the rankings, there are different metrics used. The industry and specific location you choose also matters. Let’s take a look at what the rankings have to say. Here are the best, and worst, states to start your own business.

I was curious to see where my home state was on the list. It’s not in the top 10, but it’s not in the bottom 10 either. My home state is South Carolina. So I took a look at the list of the top 10 states, and the first three are Texas, Utah, and Georgia. When I first looked at this topic and got ready to write an article, for some reason Montana popped up in my head. I figure that is a great place for small businesses, and it actually comes in at #4 on the list.

To round out the top 5, you would be looking at the state of Oklahoma. Florida comes in at #6, and you can imagine it’s a great place to start a small business with every city being so close to the water and a tourist destination. South Florida specifically is a great small business haven because it is a growing part of the state. We asked Whole Life Dentistry by Dr. Vallejo why he moved his business from North to South Florida and he told us simply because of the demand coupled with the lifestyle. South Florida is laid back but still has high demand for common services like dentists, doctors, chiropractors etc. Then you have North Dakota, California, Arizona, and Colorado rounding out the top 10 list.

What about the bottom 10? Well, it starts with Hawaii. I figured Hawaii would actually be a great place for small local businesses. But you have to remember that there are different metrics used for various rankings of the states. In some cases, Hawaii might be great for small business, and other instances, not so much. Depending on the city and island in Hawaii you live has a lot of influence on your success in your small business venture. Companies with services in high demand with have an easier time with this, like mold removal companies, and other services relevant to the atmosphere.

New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont are next on the list, and that surprised me, all three picks. Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New Jersey didn’t surprise me as much, but it could have been any other state in my head that I thought could have been there as well. The last two are Maryland and Alabama. Alabama is, according to some accounts, evidently the worst state for starting a small business in the US.…

It’s smart to show some caution if you’re going to be working with a new business. You should never assume that a business is legitimate. It’s always best to figure out whether or not a business is worth trusting, especially if the business is on the smaller side. These are some of the things you’ll want to look for.

Does The Business Have A History?

If you can’t find any information on a business, you should see that as a red flag. You shouldn’t work with a business unless you can confirm that they’re completely legitimate. When you’re researching a business, you should find out how long they’ve been in business. Learn as much as you can about the company and its past.

Can The Business Provide References?

Any legitimate business should be able to provide you with the contact information of some of their past clients. Once you have this information, you’ll want to follow up on these references and see what they have to say.

If a business has plenty of positive references, you can assume that many of their clients hold them in high esteem. You may also want to look for reviews online. Try to get a better picture of what it would be like to work with this business.

What Does Your Contract Say?

If you’re entering into a contract with a business, you’ll want to look over the contract carefully and see what it says. Don’t sign a contract unless you’re comfortable with its contents.

You shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not you can trust the business that you’re working with. Instead, you should stick to these tips so that you can find local businesses that are completely reliable. Once you know what to look for, you’ll be able to find great options with ease.…

If you are someone that shops often in your community, you are likely already helping small local businesses. If you aren’t already, there are plenty of ways you can start better supporting them. In this article, we will discuss some tips for supporting local small businesses.

Tips For Supporting Local Small Businesses:

1. Look For Local Businesses.

One of the best ways to begin to support local businesses is by looking for local business alternatives. You should be able to find local options for whatever it is that you are looking for whether it be a restaurant or something else. You can generally find local companies easily by completing a search online.

2. Choose Local Services.

Another good thing that you are going to want to do is opt for local service based companies rather than choosing franchise counterparts. By opting for local businesses on the services front, you will be able to not only support local options, but you are also likely going to be able to save money in the process.

3. Use A Local Incentive.

Another good option to find some of the best local businesses in your area would be to use a local incentive program. Some areas have their own local incentive program which will allow you to earn rewards and/or use discounts for shopping locally. This is going to incentivize more people to shop at their local stores and it can end up resulting in a good amount of savings for your business.

Overall, there are a lot of things that you are going to want to do when it comes to shopping locally. It is one of the best ways for you to support your local economy and to really keep money flowing throughout your community. Supporting local business is key to improving your immediate area and the quality of life for everyone in your community.…