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So you have saved some money and you are now ready to put it to good use. The .5% you are collecting in your traditional bank account, or even your 3% return on your online savings account just isn’t cutting it anymore. It’s great that you are interested in investing and want to make more money.

Before you begin, you need to decide what type of investment you want to get. Are you going to buy stocks, bonds, real estate, mutual funds, or something else? Where you buy your investments will depend on what you are buying. For example, you can buy a bond at your bank or online through TreasuryDirect.com, but in order to buy stocks you need a broker.

Online brokerage firms are great for beginner investors and seasoned investors alike. You can place trades online at home as well as see the performance right on your own computer. Not too long ago, you had to call your broker when you wanted to buy or sell. Now that you can do it online, it has gotten a lot easier.

The online brokerage firm I use is Sharebuilder. I have been using them for about 2 years now and I have been pleased. It only costs $4 for each order. They have excellent service and even offer mutual funds if you aren’t too stock choosing savvy.

Signing up is very simple. If you want to sign up with Sharebuilder just visit the link at the end of this article. Signing up is easy. First, click through the link to get to the site. Go through the sign up process and fill out a few forms. You will have to either fax or mail copies of ID and verification. This is a good thing; it adds to the security of your account.

Sharebuilder is a very secure account. You have to log into your account with a password and you need more verification before you can place a trade. Also, they have the padlock in the browser when you’re on the site. Make sure you see this next to the address bar to ensure your safety.

Once you have signed up and have everything verified, you are read to start investing. You can buy stocks on the third Tuesday of the month or opt to trade stocks more frequently for a little more cost. You can even set up an automatic investment plan so that you are investing on a regular basis. Waste no time, start investing now!

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How do I start Investing? If you need more information on investing and how to get started, go to LearnAboutInvesting.info

It’s been said that roughly half of a stock’s price move can be directly attributed to its group.
A strong Sector or strong Industry will have more of its companies moving higher than a weak Sector or weak Industry, because, by definition, a Sector or Industry is simply a group of like-minded stocks.

If the majority of stocks are going down in an industry, it can’t be a strong industry. But if more stocks are going up, it is a strong industry.

I’ve done some testing and found that, oftentimes, just getting into an average stock in a strong group will often outperform the best stocks in a troubled group.

This doesn’t mean you can just pick anything and you’ll make money. Far from it. But it illustrates how powerful the underlying group is to the success of your stock picking.

Defining the Top Sectors

There are several ways you can define the best Sectors or Industries.

One of my favorite ways is to look at the percentage of stocks trading within 10% of their 52-week highs.

A lot of people like looking at the percentage price change over the last 12 or 24 weeks. And that’s fine – but I don’t think its sensitive enough.

Take the Oil and Energy sector for instance. If you look at it based on its 24-week or 12-week price performance – its one of the top sectors. But it’s actually one of the worst price performing groups over the last 4 weeks.

The reason why the 12- and 24-week don’t reflect this is because if the gains were so large early on, then even a large pullback will be lost within the larger run-up that preceded it.

But by checking their position in comparison to their 52-week highs, a simple 10% pullback from their 52-week highs will show up. And if more and more companies within that group are pulling back from their highs by more than 10%,

it’ll be reflected in that Sector’s rating and alert the investor that something systemic might be happening to that group as a whole rather than something that’s just stock specific.

And like I said at the beginning, since roughly half of a stock’s price performance can be directly attributed to the group that it’s in, it’s important to be able to identify the best Sectors quickly and accurately.

So what are the New Top 5 Sectors?

The top five Sectors based on the percentage of stocks at or within 10% of their 52 week highs are:

1. 1 Finance 21%
2. 2 Aerospace 19%
3. 3 Retail-Wholesale 17%
4. 4 tie between:
Consumer Staples 16%
Construction 16%

I should note that the percentages are awfully small. Prior to this year, a Sector would typically need more than 50% of its stocks trading within 10% of their 52-week high to get into one of the top spots. These lower numbers are just a reflection of the kind of market we’re in.

By the way: the Oil and Energy sector – dead last.

Finding the Best Stocks in the Best Groups

Most great stocks come from great groups. And they often have some great peers as well.

If you find yourself in a killer trade, take a look at the characteristics of THAT STOCK and then hunt within its group to find OTHER STOCKS that share the same characteristics.

Does a certain outstanding stock exhibit great sales growth? I’m sure there are at least a few within its group that are also showing similar numbers.

What about increasing margins? If the stock is doing well, it’s likely that the industry itself is experiencing meaningful increases in margins too.

This type of screening is often called ‘modeling’. Figure out the components of what makes something successful and concentrate on that.

If you see great stocks in great groups while you’re bemoaning your misfortune in laggards or non-movers, find what stocks are successful and model them.

Here are a few stocks from each of those current top sectors (for Tues, 9/9/08):

HCBK Hudson City Bancorp, Inc. - Finance
COL Rockwell Collins, Inc. - Aerospace
FRED Fred’s Inc. - Retail-Wholesale
PEET Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Inc. - Consumer Staples
DHI D R Horton, Inc. - Construction

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Kevin Matras is the Research Wizard Product Manager and weekly contributing Editor at Zacks Investment Research who creates and writes the Zacks Commentary Screen of the Week. For more information, visit http://www.zacks.com

I’m surprised by the indiscriminate selling in commodities and commodity-related stocks.

Were there bubbles? Yes, but demand remains high and product shortages continue to exist.

For example, erratic deliveries of steel have caused an acquaintance of mine to put his employees on flexible work schedules. According to him, steel mills are not sticking to regular production schedules of the type of metal used for the packaging products that his company manufactures.

Not surprisingly, his customers are unhappy. But, because they lack a cost-effective alternative, they have no choice but to accept the higher prices and irregular production schedules.

Then there is fertilizer. Employees of fertilizer company Potash (POT) are on strike at a time when there continues to be a shortage of potash - a key ingredient for fertilizer. The company told Standard & Poor’s that the strike should only affect non-agricultural customers. That may not sound like a big deal, until one considers that there is no room for supply disruptions across the entire industry.

Still, shares of CF Industries (CF) and other fertilizer stocks are getting knocked around because of the overall weakness in commodity stocks. For demand destruction to occur, one would have to assume that people are going to stop eating, ethanol is no longer going to be subsidized or a replacement for fertilizer has been found. I just don’t see this happening.

Another example is natural gas. Natural gas prices have plunged by nearly 50% since early July. Yet, worldwide energy usage is growing. Plus, the Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a “numbing” winter.
Perhaps traders think that the NOAA’s forecast for above normal temperatures will be the correct one. My best guess is that those of us living in the northern states will be bundling up and complaining about our heating bills.

Of course, it is important to realize that even with the pullback, just about all commodities are still expensive. Here in the Chicago area, gas stations charge around $4 for a gallon of unleaded. Lake County, where I live, is coping with a dramatic increase in the price of road salt. Local officials say that this problem affecting many municipalities across the country.

Given the slowing economies of the Western World, some weakness in the commodity prices is logical, but we are a long way from the perceived demand destruction that seems be influencing some traders. This is why I am looking for the opportunity to add more commodity stocks to the Focus List.

The Financial Crisis
On Wednesday, I discussed the ongoing financial crisis in my Industry Rank column. In the second half of a podcast published on Thursday, I further discussed the banking industry’s problems with Chuck Jaffe of Marketwatch.

In summary, I believe the financial crisis, and the housing slump, will continue into next year. Here are some reasons why:
• The FDIC’s insurance fund’s reserve ratio dropped so low, 1.01%, that it is being forced to develop a plan for replenishing the safety net for depositors.
• Banks will likely have to pay higher fees to the FDIC, at the same time they are coping with tighter net interest margins.
• Nearly 1 million petitions for bankruptcy have been filed during the past 12 months; personal bankruptcies are up 28%.
• Net charge-off rates for Capital One (COF), and probably many other credit issuers, have been rising for several quarters.

Staying on the subject of banks, I want to mention the creativity shown by National City (NCC).
NCC is offering customers $200 to close their home-equity lines of credit.The bank is also waiving the $350 early termination fee. It is an interesting attempt to avoid further charge-offs, but my guess is that it won’t have any positive impact. Those who have the cash to pay off their home equity loans are not likely to default. And those who are at a risk of default probably don’t have the cash to pay off their loans.
The more likely scenario is that NCC is trying to engage in a game of hot potato, by which its borrowers move their home equity lines to another lender. For someone who is cash strapped, $200 helps, but not enough to keep them from falling behind on their payments.

The Markets
Volume picked up this week, as was expected.
Rather than focusing on weakening inflationary pressures, traders instead viewed the falling commodity prices as another sign that the economy is having problems.

The Fed’s observation that “economic activity has been slow” didn’t help matters. Selling intensified on Thursday in response to lousy retail sales numbers and fears about Friday’s employment numbers.
Last week, I called for choppy markets and this is what we are seeing.

My expectation is that the economic news won’t be very good, on balance, for a while. But, also I think we are closer to a recovery than many other developed nations. It’s a good market for long-term investors.
Remember, those who try to time the markets are often the ones who take large losses and miss out on the big gains. Conversely, the most successful investors never stop researching stocks.

Focus List Updates
We removed Central European Distributors (CEDC) from the portfolio. The fundamentals continue to look fantastic, but the selling pressure on the stock has been relentless.

The stock has been adversely affected by the Russian invasion of Georgia. Although CEDC is based in Pennsylvania and does a large amount of its business in Poland, it’s still being adversely affected by the rotation away from Russian stocks.

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Charles Rotblut is the Vice President of Web Content for Zacks Investment Research and the Senior Market Analyst for Zacks.com. He oversees the editorial staff, manages the market-beating Focus List, Timely Buys and Top 10 portfolios, and plays an instrumental role in the development of new products. For more information, visit http://www.zacks.com

The final week of August will feature earnings reports from S&P 500 members Big Lots (BIG), Dell (DELL), Novell (NOVL), Sears Holding (SHLD) and Tiffany (TIF). Overall, it will be a quiet week for earnings with 77 companies confirmed to report.

The economic schedule is pretty full, led by the minutes from the August Fed meeting. I don’t anticipate any surprises from the notes. Other key data will include:

• Monday: July existing home sales

• Tuesday: July new home sales, August Conference Board consumer confidence index, August Fed minutes

• Wednesday: July durable goods orders, weekly crude inventories

• Thursday: Preliminary second-quarter GDP, weekly initial jobless claims

• Thursday: July personal income and spending, August Chicago PMI, revised August University of Michigan consumer confidence

• The Federal Reserve’s web site does not list any upcoming speeches.

• The U.S. financial markets will be closed on Monday, Sep 1, in observance of Labor Day. Ahead of the holiday, I expect volume to remain modest, at best.

• Don’t use the quiet markets as an excuse to stop researching new investment ideas. The most successful investors look for new ideas everyday and so should you.

• Companies That Could Issue Positive Earnings Surprises during the Week of Aug 25 - 29

• A trend towards thriftiness has helped Big Lots (BIG). The closeout retailer preannounced a 1.9% increase in sales to $1.096 billion. Same-store sales rose 2.8%. Nearly all of the covering brokerage analysts raised their second-quarter forecasts in response, pushing the consensus earnings estimate four cents higher to 27 cents per share. BIG has topped expectations for 9 consecutive quarters. Big Lots is scheduled to report on Tuesday, Aug 26, before the start of trading.

• Dollar Tree (DLTR) preannounced second-quarter sales of $1.09 billion, a 12.5% increase over a year prior. Same-store sales rose 6.5%. The majority of the 9 covering brokerage analysts responded with revised profit projections. These revisions led to a 4-cent increase in the consensus earnings estimate to 40 cents. DLTR has exceeded expectations for 3 consecutive quarters. Dollar Tree is scheduled to report on Wednesday, Aug 27, before the start of trading.

• Companies That Could Issue Negative Earnings Surprises during the Week of Aug 25 - 29

• Last quarter, Omnivision Technologies (OVTI) missed earnings expectations by 3 cents with profits of 17 cents per share. Brokerage analysts are bracing for another disappointing earnings report. During the past 30 days, 5 of the 9 covering analysts cut their fiscal first-quarter projections. These cuts have led to a 3-cent drop in the consensus earnings estimate to 16 cents per share. The most accurate estimate is more bearish at 15 cents per share. Omnivision Technologies is scheduled to report on Thursday, Aug 28, after the close of trading.

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Charles Rotblut is the Vice President of Web Content for Zacks Investment Research and the Senior Market Analyst for Zacks.com. He oversees the editorial staff, manages the market-beating Focus List, Timely Buys and Top 10 portfolios, and plays an instrumental role in the development of new products. For more information, visit http://www.zacks.com.

One of the easiest and quickest ways to find a Forex broker is by contacting your local licensing authority. They are responsible for issuing brokers their licenses so that they can be in business. If a prospective broker does not have a license, avoid dealing with them. Avoid the scam artists who pose as brokers and offer fantastic deals that sound too good to be true. Start out cautiously so that you don’t get taken advantage of before you get some experience.

Brokers Build Reputations

Good or bad, Forex brokers build reputations that can be uncovered either by doing research online, by word of mouth and by contacting governing authorities to see if any complaints have been lodged. You can also consult other traders to see if they have any recommendations that you can research to find a good broker.

Protect Yourself

The Forex broker you decide to deal with should have safeguards in place to protect their clients. You will want to check and see if they are regulated and by whom. In addition, see what kinds of financial protections are in place against fraud and bankruptcy.

Take Advantage of Free Trial Offers

Many good Forex brokers will offer you the chance to participate in trial trading for free. This “play” money will give you a chance to see how the Forex trading system works without you risking any of your capital. If you profit, you don’t actually get any money, but it is a safe way to get your feet wet. Forex brokers will sometimes offer training videos and will work with you one-on-one to guide you to successful trading. Service and communication are essential, and through a free trial you can see how the prospective company treats customers and how they operate.

What Are The Benefits Of A Forex Broker

If you find that you are dealing with a reputable broker, see what tools they offer, their processing fees and trading advice pricing. Good Forex brokers will usually offer basic lessons to get you started, online trading and a DVD How-To guide that will teach you the business. As well, they should have a 24-hour customer service facility read to answer any questions.

Forex Broker Costs

Forex brokers should be able to quote costs in the beginning so that there is nothing hidden to slap you later. They should be fully transparent in their operations and costs, and many good Forex brokers will also offer package deals for frequent traders. When asking questions, listen carefully to the answers. You should get clear, concise and trustworthy answers to your questions.

Comparing Forex Brokers

As it is with anything, some Forex brokers are better than others, so before settling with any one, it pays to do some comparison shopping. There are websites that have comparison charts about the larger firms that allow you to see snapshots of the pros and cons of their offerings. For the smaller brokers, you will have to build charts yourself in order to ascertain who is better to go with. Consider the fees they assess – larger broker typically assess larger fees, while smaller brokers frequently offer more competitive fees.

Forex Brokers and Trading Platforms

One thing that’s extremely important to consider is the broker’s trading platform, currencies traded and the differences between the bidding/asking prices and the spread. In order to figure this out, simply open practice trading accounts between the brokers you want to compare, and then look at the differences and similarities of offerings. Finding a good Forex broker can be straightforward if you take the time, get the best information and perform quality research prior to going with any of them. In the end, getting into the Forex market and finding a reputable broker you want to work with takes action. The sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll see a return on your investment. Why not get started today and start comparing.

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For more insights and additional information about the topic of a Forex Broker as well as getting a free demo trade account with no obligation, please visit our web site at http://www.forexcurrencysystems.com/forex_broker.php

Commercial real estate is the most profitable industry in the US, if not world. In fact, commercial real estate is responsible for creating the more real estate tycoons than any other industry has created- millionaires and even billionaires. The commercial real estate industry is slowly becoming available to the everyday person. There is no need for millions of dollars in the bank, perfect personal credit, a strong investing or financial background, or even an advanced education.

Those who are willing to learn and are motivated by success, a profitable lifestyle, and making a difference in the lives of people who live in the communities they work in, can be extremely successful in commercial real estate if they are motivated enough to get there.

There are professionals who can help you every step of the way and advisors who can lead you down the right path of investment. These few tips will accelerate your journey to success so you too can go from a commercial real estate novice to an extremely wealthy and profitable investor.

The first step in being a successful commercial real estate investor is to get to know your community. That’s right, your own back yard. You need to know the buildings, how much they are worth, and who owns them. It is time to become a detective and identify trends or patterns within your local market. There may be specific apartments that are being poorly managed and are about to go into foreclosure, or a new mall in the development plan about three years from now and purchasing the 100 acres around the future building site at the very inexpensive price of $15,000 per acre is going to be worth over $200,000 per acre once the mall goes under construction.

Attend your local planning and zoning meetings, investing meetings, and chamber of commerce. Make your presence slowly by watching and seeking out the noticeable successful investors and decision makers within your community. What do they do? What have they been responsible for? You will also begin to understand the value of properties in your community, where certain properties are beginning to decrease in value due to poor management and outdated amenities, as well as what opportunities you may take advantage of in the future.

The second tip is to read, read and read on everything commercial real estate. You need to understand the industry inside and out to truly be successful. Have a certain type of property you enjoy, such as apartments or office parks? Then focus in a certain area. How about a specific strategy such as purchasing foreclosure, bankruptcy or declining properties and adding extreme value to the bottom line? Or perhaps you are interested in simply holding properties and then selling when the market demands the ultimate price. The more you know, the more successful you can become.

The last and most effective tip I am going to give you today is to seek out a successful commercial real estate investor whom you can study, model after and even adopt as a mentor.

Who do you notice in your community that is always ahead of the commercial real estate game? Repeatedly purchasing properties and creating value within the community. Ask these people for advice- but always come prepared. Schedule a meeting or a nice dinner or lunch meeting. Always thank them for their time and send a thank-you gift explaining how the information helped you and that you look forward to their next meeting. Offer to help in any way you possibly can- simply for the education.

I think you would be surprised how many people would be willing to teach you the ropes for a helping hand. Always listen and approach the situation as a learner- not an expert. Never step on their toes and take in the experience. Watch for details, specific strategies and eventually you too will be one of the big players in the industry.

If you recognize the benefits that the commercial real estate company provides, then do not let any obstacles of fear or inferiority stand in your way.

With a little observation, effort and a whole lot of motivation, you can be the next millionaire real estate tycoon. There are people and professionals willing to assist you in your efforts and have knowledge they are waiting to pass on to the right people. Be that person who drives others to want to teach you the business. This is not a difficult business but one that requires motivation and effort to learn the strategies for great success.

Are you going to be the one who reaches these commercial real estate goals? I definitely hope so.

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Specializing in commercial and investment real estate, Tony Seruga, Yolanda Seruga and Yolanda Bishop are always searching for new and profitable commercial properties across the U.S. Visit http://www.maverickrei.com for more great information.

Over the past year you have probably seen countless numbers of articles giving motorists advice on how they can save on their fuel purchases. The advice is usually helpful and can lead to savings of 10% or more if tires are kept inflated, jackrabbit starts are avoided, and regular gas is selected instead of premium. Beyond that, savings can only come from restricting one’s driving or finding the cheapest gas available. While you may not be able to do the former, you certainly can do the latter and accomplish that task online. Read on to uncover an important way you can save dimes at the pump!

Gas Buddy – This website tracks all of the latest prices by bringing together information gleaned from more than 170 websites to determine current prices in your area. For U.S. prices, key in your zip code for prices near your home; the results are listed by the gallon. For Canadian prices, click on the province and narrow down the list by area; the results listed will be by litre of fuel. You can find the site at GasBuddy.Com

MSN Autos – Similar to Gas Buddy, MSN Autos will list prices in your area. You can enter your zip code and a map of all of the gas stations in your area will appear with numbered results on it. These results correspond with current prices making it simple for you to find the lowest price in your area. Visit Autos.Msn.Com for up to the moment pricing information.

Ethanol – A blend of fuel that is catching on is ethanol which is marketed as E85 in the U.S. or 85% ethanol and 15% straight fuel. Approximately five million vehicles in the U.S. can run on E85 or straight fuel and prices have typically been considerably lower than gasoline over the past year. You can find E85 prices for pumps in the Upper Midwest region of the USA by visiting CleanAirChoice.Org for member listed prices.

As far as diesel prices go, both Gas Buddy and MSN Autos will list those prices too.

So, why visit these types of sites? Well, if you have been pumping your gas at “X” station and hadn’t realized that “Y” station down the street and around the corner is charging ten cents less per gallon, then you could be missing one more important way to save on gasoline.

We need every edge we can get these days; check online for the best gas, diesel, and ethanol prices in your area and head down the road to valuable savings!

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Adam Heist has helped many internet surfers since launching his website. If you have questions or concerns or are wondering about the different Uk Personal Loan that are available, click on over to our site in order to find the information you are looking for.

Basically options investing consists of a buyer (taker) purchasing the right to do something from a seller (writer). The most popular forms of options trading are stock options and commodity options, but options can be used in any market with price fluctuations.

So the idea behind options are this. The writer (seller) feels the stocks he owns at $20.00 are going to stay at that price for lets say, a month. So he would write an option for those shares at say $0.20 (twenty cents). You feel this stock is going up in the next month so you buy a $2000 dollar option off this seller which means you have control of 10,000 shares (2000 divided by 0.20). If the price does go indeed go up, as you anticipated to say $23.00 you have made yourself a nice $3000 dollar profit. This is true because you now control the option to purchase the for $20,000 while they are worth $23,000.

However the downside here is if the price goes down by say 10 cents you lose your whole investment where if you would have bought 100 shares of this stock with your $2000 your loss would have only been $10. So obviously you need to know what you are doing.

There are lots of good books available to help you to learn about options, futures, and investing in general. I suggest you do some reading before you decide to jump into options investing.

When it comes to personal finances and money management for most people the aim is to be able to retire comfortably when the time is right. Its that time of your life when you can finally get to do what they enjoy most and while for some that may be nothing at all but just relaxing from a long life of just hectic routines and scheduled work for other that may be a time to actually fulfill their dreams by investing and finally doing what they enjoy most. There are many independent retirement planning companies that can and will assist you to choose the right retirement plan applicable to you and also to invest that money further in multiplying them along the years. Retirement investing plans are extremely helpful but there are a few points you should ensure before you risk your retirements funds.

There are a few things you need to look out for as you navigate your way around the personal finances and money management front.

First and foremost try not to invest with the same company where you have your retirement plan drawn just in case they are faced with any kind of problem your entire funds will not be lost. Ensure that the company with whom you are investing your retirement money is stable and reliable; many fraud companies truck seniors of their money promising too good to be true returns only to disappear with their money.

If your choose retirement investing with a financial company you must do your homework first and not rush to throw your hard earned money away only to be left with nothing in the end. If your retirement investment is going towards another business then you should not invest more then you are prepared to loose because most businesses have a 50-50 chance and you should always be prepared for the worst. Retirement investment is not easy but when you are working for yourself you have nothing to complain so, take your time and only choose those options that carry the minimum possible a risk and then work hard and with a bit of luck you may turn millionaire in your golden age and truly do what you always loved.

The personal finances and money management planning that you do today will make your retirement more enjoyable. Time flies and your money can too so, start planning today for retirement and retirement investments so finally when you retire or even earlier you can be your own boss. It is worth all the effort in the world when you are ensuring your own future that will include not depending on anyone but being able to finally enjoy life as you always wanted.

The first question I have for someone who’s interested in real estate investing is: What type of investing is right for you?

Now when I ask people this question, the response I often hear is:

“I didn’t know there were different types of real estate investments. I just want to make some money.”

Well, there are several ways to invest in real estate.

Let me explain.

1. Make Money Monthly (Cash Flow)

You buy property and become a landlord. This doesn’t necessarily mean you deal with tenants. There are plenty of management companies that will do that for a nominal fee.

You buy property and structure the deal so that any mortgage payment, plus the sum total of expenses, are less than the amount of income (rent) you are receiving. Hence the term - Positive Cash Flow!

When calculating positive cash flow, don’t forget there are annual tax benefits to owning real estate and appreciation (realized at the time of sale.)

2. Buying and Selling (Flipping)
The idea here is simple: buy property for less than you sell it for. You can buy a distressed property that needs improvement, or buy from a distressed owner that needs out.

When you buy property that needs improvement, to make the most money you will want to bring the property up to snuff. Whether you do the work, or hire it done, you will need to calculate your cost to improve the property, as well as your holding costs. Holding costs are the expenses of owning the property during the time of repairs and until the property is sold. These costs include taxes, any mortgage interest payments, utilities, and normal maintenance such as grass cutting, and snow removal.

When you buy property from a distressed owner, often the property is fine, but the owner has either fallen behind in mortgage payments or taxes, or does not want the property for other reasons such as relocation, divorce, probate, etc. In this situation, you payoff the owner’s debt, take over the property, and sell for a profit. Obviously the debt needs to be lower than the market value for you to profit.

3. Lease Option
This less common method involves controlling the property without taking title. You lease the property and either sell the property or lease to another tenant until the property sells. This one is a bit more complicated and has some drawbacks, such as the inability to depreciate your lease, but you can reap big profits.

4. Buying Tax Liens
Property in default for back taxes can be purchased from the government. You simply place a deposit as designated by the government and sit out the waiting period. If the taxes are not paid, you get the property. Oh, in the meantime your money earns interest and you are guaranteed by the government not to lose a dime!

5. Private Lending
Individuals are allowed to finance so many properties per year without the regulations of becoming a mortgage company. This is a great way to invest passively in the real estate market. By holding a first deed of trust, your money is secured by the property, and you can charge more interest than you would otherwise earn with a typical safe passive investment such as CDs.

6. Pre-Construction:

Buy property direct from builders before they are built. You lock in a wholesale price and market the property upon completion. This is a good opportunity in many areas. You have no tenants to worry about and no mortgage payments during the construction.

So there are six choices for you to start making money in real estate!

Learn more about investing real estate now at: http://www.iloverealestateinvesting.com

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Allen Pang is a real estate investor and the owner of Please visit his site for more free investing tips.