Protecting Your Fiefdom: Issues for First Time Landlords to Consider

Dear Mr. Market:th-22

Over the past couple of months we’ve had all eyes on you and to state the obvious it’s been a wild ride!  With all the recent volatility, the risks (and rewards) of the stock market were on clear display but today we switch gears to a different asset class and share some insight from our friend and guest author, Mr. Brian Chou, Esq.

Owning investment real estate can be a very rewarding and profitable experience, but it can also be a huge headache and a drain on resources. I remember when I purchased my first investment property several years ago, my head was filled with conflicting images of myself sunbathing on my private island and lying penniless in a gutter.  The possibilities and the liabilities seemed endless. Continue reading

The trend is NOT always your friend….

BitcoinDear Mr. Market:

How is it that through both bull and bear markets, you are constantly able to create new products and services that entice investors to take on risk beyond what they need in their investment portfolios?   Time after time, we’ve seen investors rush to get involved in the next great investment opportunity. Just looking at the last few years alone we’ve seen the Facebook IPO, Leveraged ETF’s, Day Trading, Managed Futures… and the list goes on and on.  Most recently we’ve seen a new “currency” hit the headlines and attract investors … Bitcoins.

This new digital currency has caught plenty of media attention with the price hitting extreme highs and lows.  Just in the last two weeks Bitcoins were worth as much as $260 apiece and then within days they dropped down to $100 a piece.  This decentralized digital currency allows for exchange without any regulations or protection.  It is based on an online programming code written by a group or an individual that operate under the name “Satoshi Nakamoto”.  If that doesn’t make individuals feel secure then knowing that they can never hold these ‘coins’ in their hands but instead can hold them in their online digital wallet definitely should! Continue reading