7 Simple Steps to Weather Any Economic Storm

When the US economy gets bad, we all feel the pinch. However, some parts of our population feel the pinch harder than others. For example, many senior citizens live on a fixed income consisting of Social Security, small pensions and investment income. For these people, even small changes in costs of food or medicines can take a huge toll on their financial fitness. Listed below are 7 simple steps that everyone can take to improve their financial condition and put themselves in a better position to weather upcoming economic storms.

1) Save more money. I know, this sounds simple and common sense tells us to always have some savings for a "rainy day". However, most people make the mistake of not saving enough. As a general rule of thumb, you should have no less than two months worth of expenses saved in cash (savings account, CD, checking, etc.). For some people, the amount of savings will need to be higher. Putting money into your savings should be a routine part of your financial habits. Make it a point to put a standard amount away every month. For example, have your bank automatically transfer $100 to your savings account each month. Do not take from this account unless you have an emergency!

2) Spend less. This tends to be the hardest change that people have to make. Spending money makes us feel good and we all like that. However, when spending gets out of control we can find ourselves in a hopelessly deep hole that may take some serious cuts to get out of. It is much easier to make small spending "adjustments" along the way. For example, instead of spending $3 each day for that gourmet coffee, simply make a small pot at home for about $0.70. There are many small coffee brewers available that make excellent coffee and buying in bulk saves a lot of money! Another way to spend less is to look for loyalty clubs that pass along savings to the members. I am a member of one such club at my local grocer. Each week there are two or more pages of special purchases only available to members of the loyalty club--and it costs nothing to join! I save tons of money with that.

3) Diversify investments. I have written entire articles on this in the past but it bears repeating here. If you are a senior citizen, you most likely should not be invested 100% in the stock market. Most seniors that I work with need to produce income from their portfolio to supplement their other retirement income sources. In order to give their investment portfolio the best chance of surviving an economic downturn, we use various combinations of stocks, bonds, cash, annuities and alternative investments. Unfortunately, this is an area where many people just do not have the expertise (or courage) necessary to properly identify investment choices that are right for them. You may need to seek the advice of a qualified professional. A fee-only advisor does not accept commissions and therefore has no financial incentive to place you in one investment over another. Go a bit further and seek a fee-only advisor with a credential like the CFP mark. (http://www.cfp.net) A good advisor can pay for themselves many times over and this is money well spent!

4) Negotiate. Practically everything is negotiable these days. Everyone knows that big ticket items are negotiable like cars and homes. But I have personally found success in negotiating the cost of everyday items like trash pickup, newspaper delivery, satellite TV and phone service. You might be surprised that you can reduce the costs of some of these items by as much as 50% or more with a simple phone call. You may have to threaten to cancel your service (which you should do if you can get the service cheaper somewhere else) in order to get the lower price. After all, the service provider had rather be making some money from your account than to lose your business all together. Trust me on this one and make some calls today!

5) Be more efficient. There are some clear ways to be more efficient like running all of your errands early in the morning rather than spacing them out throughout the day and keeping your car tires properly inflated. You should also have a programmable thermostat installed in your home. These devices can save you hundreds of dollars each year by carefully controlling the climate in your home for optimal comfort and savings. Additionally, only run other appliances like the dishwasher or washing machine/dryer when you have a full load. Also try not to run any household appliances during the summer peak energy consumption hours of 11AM to 3PM. My local municipality charges over 30% more for electric power during these hours. Be sure to have your windows and doors checked for leaks at least one per year. A $3 tube of latex caulk is a solid investment for making your home more efficient.

6) Pay off debt. Credit card debt is especially burdensome during rough economic times. Your interest rate can go up, your credit line can be cut or both. This goal has to be balanced with saving but it can be done. Adding another $25 to your monthly credit card payment can significantly speed up the payback period. When it is all paid off, don't close or cancel the account because that may hurt your credit rating. Instead, remove the card from your wallet and leave it in a safe place in your home so that you will not be tempted to use it for impulse purchases.

7) Volunteer. Many studies have shown that people spend more money when they are unhappy or unfulfilled. Likewise, the same studies show that people who feel happy and content spend less money on impulse items. Volunteering in your community is a great (and free) way to boost your morale and feel better about yourself. Doing something for others pays dividends to the community in big ways. Your local animal shelter, homeless center or church can always use additional volunteers. This opportunity also provides you with time to interact with other people who have similar interests as yours. You might even pick up some tips on how to save money!

There are many more ways to prepare for the next financial crisis. If you feel like you are unable to do these things, seek professional help. Referrals from friends or relatives is a good place to start but always be sure to check up on any advice giver especially if they charge a fee or earn a commission from their activity.

Todd Fields, CFP is an expert in the fields of financial planning and investment management. He is founder and President of Trusted Wealth Management, Inc. serving senior citizens and retirees in the Atlanta, GA area. He can be reached via his website at [http://www.trustedwealthmanagement.com] or via e-mail at todd@trustedwealthmanagement.com.

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Why Trading As a Home Business Is the Best Option

At one point or another, we all dreamed of leaving our 9-5 job to have our own business. I had 2 very successful business in my lifetime. One as a college student selling handbags and women's accessories, which led me to leave college because I was making more doing that business than I would graduating from college. The second business was owning and distributing coin-operated video games. I started that business after a very successful US Federal Government career that took me all the way to Washington DC. Even with all the success that I had as a Budget Director at the Secretary's level, I still believe that nothing compares to running your own business.

Both my businesses relied on customer acquisition. Without customers, there was no business. That is true with any business that relies on selling services or products.

Online businesses are no different. Whether you run a blog or have a Shopify account or sell through Amazon or eBay, you will need customers. You may read about SEO rankings, Pay Per Cick ads, or Google AdSense among others. You may also want to try to acquire customers through YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or any other of the many social media outlets available today. Whichever way you decide to promote your business, you will need customers not only to "follow" you, but, more importantly, to buy your product(s).

Hence, enter trading as a home business. With trading, all you need is to do is learn and master a set of skills. You don't need to rely on social media or Pay Per Clicks to make your money. All you need to do is rely on your ability to make money trading by following some simple rules.

Trading has never been easier than it is today. Computers have taken some of the mystique of trading away. There are many automated solutions available today that can make even the most inexperienced trader a successful trader if they follow the simple rules outlined by the software. There are even fully automated software aka robots aka Expert Advisors that will execute your trades for you making trading a totally hands-free business.

Forex has the biggest number of automated solutions in the market today. For that reason, these solutions are available at much lower prices ($200-$600) than their counterparts in the stock, e-minis, and commodity markets. When you consider the cost of just setting up a website for your business versus the cost of an Expert Advisor in Forex, to me the choice was not only obvious, but easy. The added benefit is that after acquiring your Expert Advisor(s), you don't have to worry about acquiring customers to start making profits, but rather immediately start making profits instead.

As a business owner, I can say that trading is, without a doubt, a more appealing option to me. I now work/trade to live instead of live to work. I love spending time with my family and being able to trade/do my business from anywhere in the world. Through trading, me and my family are living the life we dreamed off a few years back. You can live that life too.

I wish you success in any endeavor you choose to embark.

Next... My life long passion is to educate investors like you on how to have a successful career trading. Sign up now to my blog and instantly get your copy of the Understanding The Myths Of Market Trends And Patterns E-Book.! It is absolutely free to join here http://click.forextraders.blog/ebook

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Several Reasons Why You Are Always Broke

There are several reasons why people are broke. Here is my short list of reasons why people are broke and will continuously be broke. Your attitude towards money began when you were a child. You had great instructors and in most cases, they were your parents. Remember the axiom "from the root to the fruit?" Usually the fruit does not fall far from the tree, meaning that you are usually a product of your parents thinking. Sound Familiar?

Instead of waiting for your fate to magically change. You may want to take a serious look at all the things you are doing that may be contributing to your financial despondencies. That's right. Everything may actually be your own doing. Here are several known motives why people find themselves broke. You may recognize a few of them. If you follow some of the advice I am about to share with you, in time you will be able to dig yourself out of the hole you dug for yourself.

Many people have crutches that hold them back in life. Some people smoke, drink, eat tons of fast food and don't run unless they are being chased by a rabid dog. So maybe your health is not so great, but at least you are having a great time. Chances are, your finances aren't in good shape either. In most cases, bad habits are a big financial drain on your pocket book and there is nothing great about that at all. As a matter of fact, most people that I have come in contact with have many crutches they are depended upon. No one wants to admit they are suffering from multiple addictions. One thing that I am cognizant of is that if people can give up their personal crutches and extinguish their bad habits they can amass large amounts of money in short periods of time.

Just think about it for a second, a pack of cigarettes costs $8.00 on average and that comes out close to $2,900 a year on a pack-a-day smoking habit. Now, as for alcohol, even restrained drinking can add up. Just think of it, two glasses of wine a day can run you over $1,500 a year, and that calculation is based on consuming the cheap stuff at home. If you are a bar drinker and you prefer Bordeaux, you are paying a whole lot more. Wow! And you complain that you don't have money to go anywhere. I wonder why.

Another reason why people go broke would be that they try so desperately to keep up with the Joneses and don't realize in most cases that the Joneses are living a lie. Just because someone is driving a new car or is wearing an expensive gold watch doesn't mean that they are high rollers. Many people are living off credit cards. 70% of the people in the United States are living well over their head. The IRS states that only 5% of the American people are financially independent. That means that 95% of the American people are faking it. You should never try to live a lifestyle you cannot afford.

Instead of purchasing a new vehicle you might want to check out other options like purchasing a used vehicle in excellent condition. No one will know if it is a new vehicle or not, unless you tell them. The raw reality of it all would be that no one truly cares about you anyway. Lets' put my theory to the test. I want you to go outside every day for a month and ask everyone that you know or passes by to help you pay off your mortgage and vehicle loan. At the end of the month I want you to count the small change you have collected. You will find out what I already know. You will be no closer to paying of your home or vehicle or anything else for that matter. You may have enough to purchase a couple cheese burgers at the golden arches. Now, if you are trying to purchase a home, you may want to put down 20% and keep your monthly payment below 30% of your gross income. The golden rule when purchasing a home would be to own the home and not allow the home to own you. Don't become a prisoner of your home due to trying to keep up with the Joneses.

Do you have more month at the end of your paycheck? Are you taking care of an entourage that is not taking care of you? It is time for you to take a good look at the people you surround yourself with. Are you hanging around the wrong crowd? Didn't your mother use to tell you about hanging around the wrong crowd? I know my mother did. She use to tell me repeatedly "birds of a feather flock together" and she was right. I learned the hard way by hanging with the wrong people and yes, it did lead to trouble. The funny thing about what my mother told me back then still applies to me today. You have to be very careful of the people you surround yourself with. Everyone does not wish you well. You have gold-diggers, leeches, and other parasites out there that will latch on to you and strip your wallet or purse clean without leaving prints. They will come around empty handed and help you drink up, eat up, and spend up your money until it is all gone and once everything is gone, you will find no trace of them until the next time they sense you have something they want or need. They never seem to come around when they have money. Anytime you seen them, they have a tall tale to tell.

You have to make a list and check it twice, for you have to find out who's been naughty or nice. You must shun the parasites in your life. There comes a time in everyone's life to where they have to become cognizant of where they stand. They must take out the trash and know that they will be better off for doing so. You must become disciplined if you stand any chance of negating any bad habits you formed while surrounding yourself by the wrong crowd. Let me be the first to tell you. It will not be an easy road to follow, but it is surely probable.

I know that many people dread hearing about watching TV too much, but if you are watching TV too much you may want to pay close attention to this segment of this article. I get it, there is nothing like coming home from work and kicking off your shoes, getting comfortable on the couch, and cutting on the TV. But if you are falling behind on your financial obligations you may want to re-evaluate your comfort commitments with your TV set and make some major changes to your life-style obligations. Research found that 77% of those struggling financially spent more than an hour watching TV and 74% spent more than an hour surfing the internet for fun. Conversely, the majority of wealthy individuals spend their time engaging in self-development activities, getting involved in alterative income producing endeavors, and/or follow paths of their dreams that could very well lead to hefty financial rewards.

Whatever you do, don't let laziness, uncertainty, or fear keep you from reaching for the stars. Taking baby steps is better than not taking any steps at all when it comes to producing an alternative stream of income. If you have a spare room in your home, you may want to entertain the possibility of renting that room out to make ends meet.

I am sure your parents badgered you about how important it was to get an education. I hate to be a bearer of bad news, but they are right. I found out from experience long ago that your income can't surpass your knowledge. Oops! I let the cat out the bag. Lets' compare life time earnings between a typical high school graduate and a typical college graduate with a bachelor's degree. I am sure you will agree that the statistics are bewildering. Over a 40-year career, a worker with a bachelor's will earn $1 million more than a worker with just a public high school diploma. This is not a misprint. $2.42 million versus $1.37 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau projections. If you have a master's degree, it bumps you up to $2.80 million. That is one world of a difference, wouldn't you agree!

Please keep in mind that going back to school does not guarantee a bigger paycheck, but it sure does not hurt to do so. If you do decide to go back to school, you will want to be cognizant of how much student loan debt you amass. A good practice that you will want to follow would be controlling the student loan amount borrowed. You will not want to borrow any more than you expect to earn in your first year of work.

There are several other reasons why you are always broke but I did mention that this was my short list. Just know that it is possible to turn it all around if you put your mind, heart, and soul into it.

If you would like to learn more about not becoming broke you may want to pick up my latest book "The Essential Keys To Financial Freedom." at http://www.drmarkhuddleston.com What are you waiting for? Do it today!

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5 Ways To Make Money From Home in 2018

If you want to make money from home pay close attention. In this article I'm going to give you 5 ways you could be getting paid on the internet in 2018.

Have you noticed that in 2017 the term "side hustle" became very popular?

I recently read an article that said over 50% of the workforce in the United States has some sort of "side hustle" that they use to supplement their income.

With that many people looking to do something on the side, you have to admit that the cost of living is growing faster than the minimum wage.

So let's go over a few of the ways that you could be earning money from home in 2018.

#1: Become a Social Media Manager

Social Media Managers have become really popular since the explosion of social media over the last decade.

A social media manager is exactly that; a manager.

So if you were to become a social media manager your job would entail sending/receiving friend requests, posting multiple times per day, engaging and reading incoming comments, etc.

You'd think that this is something that anyone could do, but there are many successful entrepreneurs and business owners out there that are gladly willing to pay someone to handle these mundane tasks on their behalf.

If you think you are proficient on social media maybe this is just the side gig for you?

#2: Learn How to Trade Forex and Cryptocurrency

It amazes me how few people have even heard of Forex. Forex is an acronym for Foreign Exchange.

With Forex you are buying and selling currencies just like people buy and sell commodities like corn, coffee, and orange juice.

This is an invaluable skill to learn because when you have it, you can write your own paycheck. Just keep in mind that this is considered the same as gambling in the eyes of Uncle Sam, so you will have to pay some hefty capital gains taxes on anything that you pull in.

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are not only something that you buy and hold. You can actually trade cryptocurrencies as well.

#3: Join a Network Marketing Company

Although network marketing companies tend to get a bad rap, most people are oblivious to the fact that network marketing is a 100+ billion dollar per year industry.

More money per year is generated from network marketing than from all of the professional sports in the United States each year, combined!

A network marketing company gives you the chance to become the CEO of your own organization from day number one.

In Corporate America you typically start off at the bottom of the ladder and are forced to work your way up. In Network Marketing, you start of at the top of your organization, but you're responsible for building and training a team of independent sales representatives who have common goals.

#4: Get Started With e-Commerce

You can also get involved with e-Commerce. You know, things like eBay, Amazon, and even Shopify.

This is where you have yourself a virtual business. You can sell virtually anything that you can muster up from your imagination.

Dropshipping is also a big part of successful e-Commerce selling. Otherwise you'll need your own products to sell and most people don't have that.

e-Commerce is a great way to make money working from home if you're not really a people person and you're not cut out for the sales life.

#5: Get Involved in Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Marketing is all about selling other people's products/services.

Virtually every company known to man has an affiliate program of some sort these days. For example, if you refer someone to Time Warner, they will pay you.

By simply sharing products and services that you use every day you can earn a percentage each and every time someone makes a purchase from your individual affiliate link.

Which One Of These Methods Are Best?

While all of the above methods are great, there really isn't one that's "best" per se. However, if you plan on making money from home on your computer you're going to need to receive the proper training. Otherwise it could realistically take years for you to learn and become a master of online marketing.

How would you like to receive training from an 8 figure earner on all 5 of the strategies listed in this article? To learn more about how to make money from home in 2018 visit my blog and read my LifePreneur Review

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Great Goal-Setting Methods You Can Use

The Long & Short Goal Method

The first goal-setting method that we'll cover is probably the one that you're most familiar with. This is the setting of long-term goals that can be broken down into smaller ones. The way that these method works is by setting long-term goals that you want to achieve over a specified period of time.

For example, write down 10 goals that you want to achieve in the next five years. Then determine what short-term goals that you will have to accomplish in order to make this happen.

These short goals may be things that you can do in a week, month or it may take as long as a year. There are no time limit requirements on short-term goals. The only rule is that they lead to long-term ones.

The Checklist Method

If the above method doesn't appeal to you, then you may want to try the checklist method. The checklist method is similar to the long and short method, but it brings your task list down to a daily level. How you use this method is by creating your long-term goals. Then, make a list of things that you can do daily to achieve those goals. This will be your daily checklist. Put it on your phone or tablet, or as the background of your desktop computer, and make sure that you check off all of those goals every day. At first, it will be difficult to get used to it, but after a while, it will become second nature to finish your checklist before you go to bed.

The Journal Method

Finally, there is the journal method. The journal method simply encourages you to write your goals down in a journal or diary, and then write an entry as often as you can about what you are doing to progress towards your goals. This is a much less restrictive method than the checklist or journal and highly creative people may prefer it.

Three Financial Habits that are Preventing Your Success

When it comes to financing, some people have developed habits from the time they started handling money that has brought them some level of achievement in their lives - whether that be having good enough credit to putting money away for emergencies or future investments. But most people aren't quite as good at managing their money. You don't have to become a financial guru to be successful, but there are three habits that nearly everyone does that are very likely going to prevent you from achieving the success that you desire.

Spending Money on Convenience

One of the worst bad habits that people have, especially in the United States, is wasting money on convenience. Store owners know this too and they take advantage of it. For example, while you might be able to go to a big box department store and buy motor oil for $2.50, you'll be paying $5 or $6 if you get it at a convenience store. Knowing that you are paying a great deal more money for not much more convenience will allow you to stop yourself when you are considering it. Put that money in savings instead.

Not Keeping Good Records

Another financial habit that will make it difficult for you to be successful is not keeping good records. Keeping records of your income and expenses is important because then you know what you are earning and spending in relation to each other and can see ways that you might be able to save money. Saving money is vital to future financial success because it is available in the case of an emergency, it will help you avoid credit card debt that could block your path to wealth and it could become your startup money when the next great idea comes along.

Failing to Create or Stick to a Budget

Another thing that people do is fail to create a budget, or even if they have a budget, they often do not stick to it. This means that they are less likely to save money and will not learn the skills that are going to be required to start a business and run the financial aspect of it down the road. Creating and adhering to a budget is directly related to success in business, and many of the top entrepreneurs in the world say it is one of the most important skills to have.

My name is Daniel Taylor and I'm a internet marketing, entrepreneur, product creator and mentor.

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The "Experts" Are Getting Crypto All Wrong

Bitcoin peaked about a month ago, on December 17, at a high of nearly $20,000. As I write, the cryptocurrency is under $11,000... a loss of about 45%. That's more than $150 billion in lost market cap.

Cue much hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth in the crypto-commentariat. It's neck-and-neck, but I think the "I-told-you-so" crowd has the edge over the "excuse-makers."

Here's the thing: Unless you just lost your shirt on bitcoin, this doesn't matter at all. And chances are, the "experts" you may see in the press aren't telling you why.

In fact, bitcoin's crash is wonderful... because it means we can all just stop thinking about cryptocurrencies altogether.

The Death of Bitcoin...

In a year or so, people won't be talking about bitcoin in the line at the grocery store or on the bus, as they are now. Here's why.

Bitcoin is the product of justified frustration. Its designer explicitly said the cryptocurrency was a reaction to government abuse of fiat currencies like the dollar or euro. It was supposed to provide an independent, peer-to-peer payment system based on a virtual currency that couldn't be debased, since there was a finite number of them.

That dream has long since been jettisoned in favor of raw speculation. Ironically, most people care about bitcoin because it seems like an easy way to get more fiat currency! They don't own it because they want to buy pizzas or gas with it.

Besides being a terrible way to transact electronically - it's agonizingly slow - bitcoin's success as a speculative play has made it useless as a currency. Why would anyone spend it if it's appreciating so fast? Who would accept one when it's depreciating rapidly?

Bitcoin is also a major source of pollution. It takes 351 kilowatt-hours of electricity just to process one transaction - which also releases 172 kilograms of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. That's enough to power one U.S. household for a year. The energy consumed by all bitcoin mining to date could power almost 4 million U.S. households for a year.

Paradoxically, bitcoin's success as an old-fashioned speculative play - not its envisaged libertarian uses - has attracted government crackdown.

China, South Korea, Germany, Switzerland and France have implemented, or are considering, bans or limitations on bitcoin trading. Several intergovernmental organizations have called for concerted action to rein in the obvious bubble. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which once seemed likely to approve bitcoin-based financial derivatives, now seems hesitant.

And according to Investing.com: "The European Union is implementing stricter rules to prevent money laundering and terrorism financing on virtual currency platforms. It's also looking into limits on cryptocurrency trading."

We may see a functional, widely accepted cryptocurrency someday, but it won't be bitcoin.

... But a Boost for Crypto Assets

Good. Getting over bitcoin allows us to see where the real value of crypto assets lies. Here's how.

To use the New York subway system, you need tokens. You can't use them to buy anything else... although you could sell them to someone who wanted to use the subway more than you.

In fact, if subway tokens were in limited supply, a lively market for them might spring up. They might even trade for a lot more than they originally cost. It all depends on how much people want to use the subway.

That, in a nutshell, is the scenario for the most promising "cryptocurrencies" other than bitcoin. They're not money, they're tokens - "crypto-tokens," if you will. They aren't used as general currency. They are only good within the platform for which they were designed.

If those platforms deliver valuable services, people will want those crypto-tokens, and that will determine their price. In other words, crypto-tokens will have value to the extent that people value the things you can get for them from their associated platform.

That will make them real assets, with intrinsic value - because they can be used to obtain something that people value. That means you can reliably expect a stream of revenue or services from owning such crypto-tokens. Critically, you can measure that stream of future returns against the price of the crypto-token, just as we do when we calculate the price/earnings ratio (P/E) of a stock.

Bitcoin, by contrast, has no intrinsic value. It only has a price - the price set by supply and demand. It can't produce future streams of revenue, and you can't measure anything like a P/E ratio for it.

One day it will be worthless because it doesn't get you anything real.

Ether and Other Crypto Assets Are the Future

The crypto-token ether sure seems like a currency. It's traded on cryptocurrency exchanges under the code ETH. Its symbol is the Greek uppercase Xi character. It's mined in a similar (but less energy-intensive) process to bitcoin.

But ether isn't a currency. Its designers describe it as "a fuel for operating the distributed application platform Ethereum. It is a form of payment made by the clients of the platform to the machines executing the requested operations."

Ether tokens get you access to one of the world's most sophisticated distributed computational networks. It's so promising that big companies are falling all over each other to develop practical, real-world uses for it.

Because most people who trade it don't really understand or care about its true purpose, the price of ether has bubbled and frothed like bitcoin in recent weeks.

But eventually, ether will revert to a stable price based on the demand for the computational services it can "buy" for people. That price will represent real value that can be priced into the future. There'll be a futures market for it, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), because everyone will have a way to assess its underlying value over time. Just as we do with stocks.

What will that value be? I have no idea. But I know it will be a lot more than bitcoin.

My advice: Get rid of your bitcoin, and buy ether at the next dip.

Ted Bauman joined The Sovereign Investor Daily in 2013. As an expat who lived in South Africa for 25 years, Ted specializes in asset protection and international migration. Read more of what he has to say about offshore living here.

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The Wild West Crypto Show Continues

Here is a question that comes up often: How do I choose which crypto currency to invest in - aren't they all the same?

There is no doubt that Bitcoin has captured the lion's share of the crypto currency (CC) market, and that is largely due to its FAME. This phenomenon is much like what is happening in national politics around the world, where a candidate captures the majority of votes based on FAME, rather than any proven abilities or qualifications to govern a nation. Bitcoin is the pioneer in this market space and continues to garner almost all of the market headlines. This FAME does not mean that it is perfect for the job, and it is fairly well known that Bitcoin has limitations and problems that need to be resolved, however, there is disagreement in the Bitcoin world on how best to resolve the problems. As the problems fester, there is ongoing opportunity for developers to initiate new coins that address particular situations, and thus distinguish themselves from the approximately 1300 other coins in this market space. Let's look at two Bitcoin rivals and explore how they differ from Bitcoin, and from each other:

Ethereum (ETH) - The Ethereum coin is known as ETHER. The main difference from Bitcoin is that Ethereum uses "smart contracts" which are account holding objects on the Ethereum blockchain. Smart Contracts are defined by their creators and they can interact with other contracts, make decisions, store data, and send ETHER to others. The execution and services they offer are provided by the Ethereum network, all of which is beyond what the Bitcoin or any other blockchain network can do. Smart Contracts can act as your autonomous agent, obeying your instructions and rules for spending currency and initiating other transactions on the Ethereum network.

Ripple (XRP) - This coin and the Ripple network also have unique features that make it much more than just a digital currency like Bitcoin. Ripple has developed the Ripple Transaction Protocol (RTXP), a powerful financial tool that allows exchanges on the Ripple network to transfer funds quickly and efficiently. The basic idea is to place money in "gateways" where only those who know the password can unlock the funds. For financial institutions this opens up huge possibilities, as it simplifies cross-border payments, reduces costs, and provides transparency and security. This is all done with creative and intelligent use of blockchain technology.

The mainstream media is covering this market with breaking news stories almost every day, however, there is little depth to their stories... they are mostly just dramatic headlines.

The Wild West show continues...

The 5 stocks crypto/blockchain picks are up an average of 109% since December 11/17. The wild swings continue with daily gyrations. Yesterday we had South Korea and China the latest to try to shoot down the boom in cryptocurrencies.

On Thursday, South Korea's justice minister, Park Sang-ki, sent global bitcoin prices temporarily plummeting and virtual coin markets into turmoil when he reportedly said regulators were preparing legislation to ban cryptocurrency trading. Later that same day, the South Korea Ministry of Strategy and Finance, one of the main member agencies of the South Korean government's cryptocurrency regulation task force, came out and said that their department does not agree with the premature statement of the Ministry of Justice about a potential cryptocurrency trading ban.

While the South Korean government says cryptocurrency trading is nothing more than gambling, and they are worried that the industry will leave many citizens in the poor house, their real concern is a loss of tax revenue. This is the same concern every government has.

China has grown into one of the world's biggest sources of cryptocurrency mining, but now the government is rumoured to be looking into regulating the electric power used by the mining computers. Over 80% of the electrical power to mine Bitcoin today comes from China. By shutting down miners, the government would make it harder for Bitcoin users to verify transactions. Mining operations will move to other places, but China is particularly attractive due to very low electricity and land costs. If China follows through with this threat, there will be a temporary loss of mining capacity, which would result in Bitcoin users seeing longer timers and higher costs for transaction verification.

This wild ride will continue, and much like the internet boom, we will see some big winners, and eventually, some big losers. Also, similar to the internet boom, or the uranium boom, it is those who get in early who will prosper, while the mass investors always show up at the end, buying in at the top.

Stay Tuned!

Martin Straith - http://www.thetrendletter.com

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Reviews of ICO (Initial Coin Offerings)

What is the Definition of ICO?

Initial Coin Offering (ICO) is a crowdfunding method used by new cryptocurrency companies to raise capitals. In ICO, some percentages of the newly issued cryptocurrencies are sold to people who are interested in supporting the project. They are sold to exchange for other established cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Fiat and Ether.

Backers purchase the new cryptocurrency with an intention to make a profit when it increases in value. It is similar to the principle of people making a profit when the share they bought at the stock market increases in value. ICO is different than purchasing shares at a stock market because you don't get a share of the ownership right when you invest in the new tokens.

Brief History on ICOs

In the beginning stage, ICO was conducted by companies such as Mastercoin, Ethereum and Karmacoin. Ethereum conducted one of the biggest ICO in 2014 by raising a total of $18 millions in the early stage of 2014. They break the record by raising 3,700 Bitcoins which is equivalent to $2.3 million dollars within the first 12 hours of the campaign. Kik conducted the first mainstream ICO in September 2017 but the project was interrupted by a phishing scam via the circulation of a false URL in the social media. Ripple sold $1 billion worth of XRP tokens to investors in exchange for bitcoins and fiats in 2013.

Today, ICO sales have become increasingly popular with around 50 token sales being conducted every month. Starting from 2017, ICO has been growing at a fast pace with at least $2 billion worth of token sales successfully conducted. This proves that it is not going to be a temporary method used by new cryptocurrency company to raise funds but it is here to stay for long term.

Nowadays, ICO token sale is so popular that at least a few ICO begins every day. It has been predicted that over $4 billion worth of token sales will be conducted this year. Genesis Vision, a Russian based company, conducted an ICO campaign that runs from the 15th October 2017 to the 15th November 2017. They manage to raise a total of $2.3 million in the token presale.

How Does ICOs Fundraising Work?

A cryptocurrency company that wants to raise capitals through ICO must provide a few details including project description, project purpose, amount need to be raised, percentage of tokens the company will keep, types of virtual currencies accepted, and the timeframe of the ICO campaign. Backers who are interested can email the seller and ask for more details of the project before performing a transaction. If they successfully raise the amount for the campaign, they will carry out the scheme to complete the project. If not, they will return the money back to the backers.

How Scammers Use ICO to Carry Out Fraud?

ICO can be conducted to help raise funds for various types of businesses and charity organization. It has also been used as a tool by scammers to conduct frauds. Scammers would use means to increase the ICO value temporarily and abandon the project afterwards to make a quick profit. Scams happen because of the lack of regulation by the government. Just like any investment, there is a risk when coming to invest in the initial coin offering.

No statistic on the company that runs the ICO is given so it is hard to make a prediction. Backers usually would only check out data such as who will receive the collected money, and the social media profile. To make a successful investment in ICO, one needs to be patient and willing to spend time to conduct research on the company.

Conclusion

In conclusion, ICO has helped many startups to raise the funds they need for their projects. With ICO, startups can easily raise a large amount of money within a short timeframe of just a few seconds or minutes. Entrepreneurs will continue to take advantage of ICO to raise capitals until it comes under government regulation.

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Tips When Advertising on Facebook

Facebook has come a long way from being a website for expanding your social network to being a progressive platform for businesses and content creators. In fact, it has changed the game of social media advertising and made it possible for all kinds of businesses to advertise their products even on a small budget.

If you're anything like us, you've probably come across at least one Facebook advertisement. But if you're an entrepreneur planning to advertise your business, coming up with a creative campaign that will actually stand out can be a bit of a challenge.

So how can you stand out despite the stream of Facebook ads on your potential clients' news feeds?

Here are some tips:

Be Really Pretty or Really Shocking

You can either go down the aesthetic route or be extremely attention-grabbing that your audience can't help but look at what you have to offer. Aesthetically pleasing ads can be really effective depending on the commodity you're planning to sell and the customers you're trying to attract.

Using shocking visuals can, on the other hand, get anyone's attention provided that you provide effectively written content to go along with it. Whichever route you take, remember that grabbing your audience's attention is one thing and getting them hooked on what you have to offer is another.

Use Offers and Discounts

This is a marketing classic. Discounts, price cuts, and offers are sweet words that can attract customers to your business. Remember to highlight the right keywords on your ad and reassure your customer that there will be no hidden charges to surprise them later on.

Round Up

While it has been widely used by businesses as a way to attract customers and give them the idea that they're actually paying less, not rounding up your price can come off as indirect and misleading form of marketing to your customers.

Tell your customers how much exactly they're about to pay for your product. Write "$20" instead of "$19.99" on your advertisement. It's direct, honest and overall a fresh approach on selling as it does not sugar coat anything for your customers.

Not Selling Might Sell

Yes, call to actions are commonly used and generally deemed as one of the essentials in marketing, but it's not always what you need. Especially if you're still starting out in the business world, raising brand awareness through advertisements can be beneficial for you.

Remember that trust is something you need to earn from your customers. In order to get loyal patrons, you need people to know about what you have to offer and earn their trust. If your goal is to increase brand awareness, hard selling might not be the best way to go for you... yet.

Instead, focus on advertising content that will represent what your business is about. Focus on leading more people to your page before persuading them to purchase your products. This improves your business's chances of proving what it stands for and your product's/service's saleability later on.

Videos

One of the most unique ways to advertise on Facebook is through videos. This can be very effective since video is one of the most widely used types of content on the internet nowadays. It allows you to better capture your audience's attention and effectively get your message across.

There are many ways to make the most of your Facebook ad campaign. You can follow the tips above, or you can do it your own way. No matter how you plan to execute your Facebook ad campaign, remember that creativity and being relatable are two things that can help you springboard your campaign to success.

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6 Incredible Benefits Of the Cryptocurrency

Over the past few years, people have been talking a lot about cryptocurrency. At first, this business sounded scary but people started developing trust in it. You may have heard of Ether and Bitcoin. They both are crypto currencies and use the Blockchain Technology for highest security possible. Nowadays, these currencies are available in several types. Let's know more about it.

How Can cryptocurrency help you?

As far as fraud is concerned, this type of currency can't be faked as it's in digital form and can't be reversed or counterfeited unlike the credit cards.

Immediate settlement

Buying real property involves third parties, such as lawyers and notary. So, delays can occur and extra costs may incur. On the other hand, Bitcoin contracts are designed and enforced in order to include or exclude third parties. The transactions are quick and settlements can be made instantly.

Lower fees

Typically, there is no transaction fee if you want to exchange Bitcoin or any other currency. For verifying a transaction, there are minors who get paid by the network. Although there is zero transaction fee, most buyers or sellers hire the services of a third-party, such as Coinbase for the creation and maintenance of their wallets. If you don't know, these services function just like Paypal that offers a web-based exchange system.

Identification of theft

Your merchant gets your full credit line when you provide them with your credit card. This is true even if the transaction amount is very small. Actually, what happens is that credit cards work based on a "pull" system where the online store pulls the required amount from the account associated with the card. On the other hand, the digital currencies feature a "push" mechanism where the account holder sends only the amount required without any additional information. So, there is no chance of theft.

Open access

According to statistics, there are around 2.2 billion people who use the Internet but not all of them have access to the conventional exchange. So, they can use the new form of payment method.

Decentralization

As far as decentralization is concerned, an international computer network called Blockchain technology manages the database of Bitcoin. In other words, Bitcoin is under the administration of the network, and there is no central authority. In other words, the network works on a peer-to-peer based approach.

Recognition

Since cryptocurrency is not based on the exchange rates, transaction charges or interest rates, you can use it internationally without suffering from any problems. So, you can save a lot of time and money. In other words, Bitcoin and other currencies like this are recognized all over the world. You can count on them.

So, if you have been looking for a way to invest your extra money, you can consider investing in Bitcoin. You can either become a miner or investor. However, make sure you know what you are doing. Safety is not an issue but other things are important to be kept in mind. Hopefully, you will find this article helpful.

Bitmora is the new game changing development of today. If you are into digital currencies, we suggest that you check out Bitmora cryptocurrency exchange.

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Ten Tips for Investing in Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency is the newest trend in the money market that contains the elements of computer science and mathematical theory. Its primary function is to secure communication as it converts legible information into an unbreakable code. You can track your purchases and transfers with cryptocurrency. Following are the top ten tips for investors to invest in cryptocurrency.

1.It's Just Like Investing in Commodities:

Investing in cryptocurrency is just like investing in any other commodity. It has two faces - it can be used as an asset or as an investment, which you can sell and exchange.

2.Buy Bitcoin Directly:

Buy Bitcoins directly if you do not want to pay the fee for investing or if you are interested in possessing real Bitcoins. There are a lot of options all over the world including Bitcoin.de, BitFinex, and BitFlyer from where you can buy Bitcoins directly.

3.Only an Absolute Minority Uses Cryptocurrency:

Today, Bitcoin is the most common cryptocurrency in the world of investment. In the United States, only 24% of the adults know about it, and surprisingly only 2% Americans use it. It is good news for the financial investors as the low usage represents a fruitful investment for the future.

4.Usage is Growing:

The combined market cap of the cryptocurrencies is more than 60 billion American dollars. It includes all cryptocurrencies in existence including hundreds of smaller and unknown ones. The real-time usage of the cryptocurrencies has gone up, showing a rise in trend.

5.Usage is the Key Criteria:

As an investor, the usage must be the key for you. The demand and supply data of cryptocurrencies exhibits a decent investment opportunity right now. There exists a strong usage of the currencies for facilitating payments between financial institutions and thus, pushing transaction costs down meaningfully.

6.The Market Cycle:

Currently, the cryptocurrency market is in euphoria. It is the point where the investment may not appear as a golden opportunity to you but the values will go higher from here. Businesses, governments, and society across the globe will soon be considering cryptocurrencies.

7.It will Solve Problems for You:

Money is to solve problems, and so is the cryptocurrency. The bigger problem it solves, the higher potential value it gets. The sweet spot for possessing cryptocurrency is that it provides access to money and basic bank functions including paying and wiring.

8.Crypto to Money:

Today, cryptocurrencies can be exchanged to conventional paper money. Therefore, the lock-in risk that existed a while ago is gone now.

9.Create Your Portfolio:

Since cryptocurrencies are exchangeable, they have become another way to build your portfolio. You can now store cash in the form of crypto and exchange it for cash anytime you need the traditional money.

10.Read the Right Resources:

'Everyone and his uncle' becomes a guru during any hype. Be very skeptical while selecting reading sources and people who do cryptocurrency investment.
If you like investing in cryptocurrency or need advice, check out http://lookupbitcoin.com/

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What Are Top 5 Cryptocurrencies Other Than Bitcoin?

Bitcoin has lead the crypto world for so long, and so dominantly that the terms crypto and Bitcoin are often used interchangeably. However, the truth is, the digital currency does not only comprise of Bitcoin. There are numerous other crypto currencies that are part of the crypto world. The purpose of this post is to educate our readers on cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin to provide them with a wide range of options to choose from - if they intend on making crypto-investments.

So let's get started with the first name on our list, that is:

Litecoin:

Launched in 2011, Litecoin is often referred to as 'silver to Bitcoin's gold.' Charlie Lee - MIT graduate and former engineer at Google - is the founder of Litecoin.

Similar to Bitcoin, Litecoin is a decentralized, open source payment network which functions without a central authority.

Litecoin is similar to Bitcoin in many ways and often leads people to think: "Why not go with Bitcoin? Both are similar!". Here's a catch: the block generation of Litecoin is much faster than that of Bitcoin! and this is the main reason why merchants around the world are becoming more open to accepting Litecoin.

Ethereum:

Another open source, decentralized software platform. The currency was launched in 2015 and enables Smart Contracts and Distributed Applications to be built and run without any downtime.

The applications on Ethereum platform require a specific cryptographic token - Ether. According to the core developers of Ethereum, the token can be used to trade, secure, and decentralize just about anything.

Ethereum experienced an attack in 2016 which saw the currency split into two parts: Ethereum and Ethereum Classic.

In the race of leading cryptocurrencies, Ethereum is second most popular and is right behind Bitcoin.

Zcash:

Zcash came out in the later part of 2016. The currency defines itself as: "if Bitcoin is like http for money, Zcash is https".

Zcash promises to provide transparency, security, and privacy of transactions. The currency also offers the option of 'shielded' transaction so the users can transfer data in the form of encrypted code.

Dash:

Dash is originally a secretive version of Bitcoin. It is also known as 'Darkcoin' due to its secretive nature.

Dash is popular for offering an expanded anonymity which allows its users to make transactions impossible to trace.

The currency first appeared on the canvas of digital market in the year 2014. Since then, it has experienced a large fan following over a very short span of time.

Ripple:

With a market capitalization of over $1bn, Ripple is the last name on our list. The currency was launched in 2012 and offers instant, secure, and low-cost payments.

The consensus ledger of Ripple doesn't require mining, a feature which makes it different from Bitcoin and other mainstream crypto currencies.

The lack of mining reduces the computing power which ultimately minimizes the latency and makes transactions faster.

Wrap Up:

Although Bitcoin continues to lead the pack of crypto, the rivals are picking up the pace. Currencies like Ethereum and Ripple have surpassed Bitcoin in enterprise solutions and are growing in popularity each day. Going by the trend, the other cryptos are here to stay and will soon be giving Bitcoin a real tough time to maintain its stature.

Talha Farooq is a Bitcoin enthusiast and an author for http://www.btcwonder.com. Do not hesitate to land in his inbox via talhafarooq717@gmail.com

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