March 31, 2008
The price of gold is higher than it has been in 17 years. And it’s likely to go much higher. Why?
There is a very interesting article in the New York Times that caught my attention. You can read it here…
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/24/international/24GOLD.html
The article is really about how gold mining companies are harming the environment. But, as an investor, here are some key points that I think are important for the gold market…
The amount of gold that is left to be mined is extremely small and it is coming from the poorest countries in the world. 70% of gold in now being mined in poor countries.
To get one ounce of gold to make a ring, miners have to dig up and haul away 30 tons of rock and sprinkle it with diluted cyanide.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the cost of cleaning up metal mines could reach $54 billion.
According to the World Gold Council, jewelry sales soared to a record $38 billion last year.
Just in the last year, gold sales are up 11% in China and a whopping 47% in India, a country with close to a billion people who are huge gold consumers.
The United States is the second leading consumer of gold (second to India. The U.S. government has 8,134 tons of gold in reserves. The Federal Reserve and other major central banks have an agreement to severely restrict sales from their reserves. This will serve to support the price of gold.
Also, sophisticated investors have a renewed interest in gold as a hedge against inflation and a falling U.S. dollar.
So we have a classic demand/supply imbalance that’s going to last for years. The long-term fundamentals seem very favorable for gold investments.
Larry Holmes invites you to visit http://www.Money-Management-Wisdom.com/
You will learn how to become debt-free, save and invest money, cut taxes, manage risk, and achieve financial freedom in a much shorter time than you dreamed possible.
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There are several varieties of credit repair agencies. There are the “professional credit counselors”, the “credit experts”, and various other descriptions that basically mean the same thing. Then, there are the law firms which will help you repair credit report inaccuracies.
The first thing to look at is exactly what services these credit repair agencies offer and how much they charge for these services. If you only have one or two pieces of inaccurate information on your credit report, you may be able to take care of this yourself. You can view your credit report on line, free of charge, once a year at www.annualcreditreport.com. If you need to repair credit report information, you can report the information on line, but the sites are not particularly user friendly. You can contact the company which reported the information and ask them to remove it. You can send a letter to the appropriate credit bureau, letter writing suggestions are made at the Credit Repair Blog (http://badcredit-repair.blogspot.com). Credit repair agencies should be able to take care of all of this for you. If you are paying them to resolve these issues, then you should only have to sit back and wait.
The problem is that some credit repair agencies are only selling information that is freely available if you know where to look. Some of them will handle the letter writing for you. Some credit repair agencies recommend action which is illegal. The only way to effectively and legally repair credit report issues, if you cannot achieve results on your own, is to contact a law firm that specializes in credit repair issues. Not just any law firm, your private attorney may or may not be able to handle this for you. He/she will probably charge more than a law firm which advertises alongside other credit repair agencies.
Even if you do not have problematic credit, it is a good idea to view your credit report on a yearly basis. You can legally repair credit report problems, but it may be difficult. People steal names and social security numbers to finance cars or other major purchases. One young man was unaware that his social security number and name had been used, until the thieves were late making a payment. They had also used his address, so the bank sent the late notice to him. He was unable to resolve the issue with the bank. The police were unable to help him; no one knew where this person actually lived. The credit bureau was unresponsive. His credit score was being damaged and he was not responsible, but he could not prove it. His lawyer was finally able to correct the situation, but it was quite expensive. At the time, there were not many credit repair agencies. A law firm that specializes in credit repair would have been less expensive than his private attorney, but if they existed he was unaware of them.
The Federal Trade Commission advises that consumers should beware of credit repair agencies that claim to be able to repair credit report inaccuracies in a very short period of time. The credit bureaus have thirty days to investigate any claim or dispute. Any credit repair agencies that claim to be able to achieve results in less time should be questioned thoroughly, before you give them any money. For more information about credit repair agencies, visit the Credit Repair Blog.
The writers and editors of the Credit Repair Blog are dedicated to providing accurate information about credit repair agencies. Visit us at http://badcredit-repair.blogspot.com
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How many musicians do I need?
The size of the wedding party is the key to this question.
A duo with discreet amplification can happily entertain a
group of up to 60-70 people. A trio can cope with up to 100
people. As the party size increases, so does the size of the
venue. You need more happening on stage to catch the attention
and get the party going. A four or five-piece band with a small
PA system is generally required if the party is 100 or more.
To entertain 200 people and beyond, the quality of the PA
system and the lighting for the stage and dance-floor becomes
crucial to the success of the event. An act is required that is
able to present a “stage show” that not only sounds good but
also looks good, in terms of movement and costume, with the
ability to catch the attention of the crowd … even those at
the back of a big hall!
How do I find the right band?
The quality of musicianship is the most important factor.
Listen to recordings of the band performing live, where
available.
Repertoire and experience come next. How long has the band been
involved in wedding entertainment? Can you talk to a “satisfied
customer” … a couple who used the band for their wedding and
were, hopefully, delighted with the result?
If it’s possible, watch the band perform live. However, if your
wedding is in the UK, do be aware that recently revised
licensing laws have made it very difficult and expensive to
present live music in a public place, so public performances by
bands of the quality you require for a successful wedding are a
rarity.
How will the performance be organised?
You can expect approximately 3×45 minute sets of live music in
a four hour period … or 2×1 hour sets, if it suits you better.
If the musicians are carrying a PA system, they will probably
come equipped with a CD player and will be able to play CDs of a
similar style of music for half an hour before the first set and
in the breaks between the sets, giving professional-quality
background music when the band is offstage.
For peace of mind, organise your music through a reputable
agency. Make sure you receive, sign and return a contract
stipulating when the band will arrive, when the performance will
take place and the agreed amount of remuneration. You should
expect to be able to talk to the bandleader a few weeks before
the wedding to discuss any specific preferences you require.
That first dance is something really special. If you approach
the band well before the event, the guys will usually be
prepared to learn your chosen song, if it’s not already in their
repertoire.
How much should I expect to pay?
Reliability and quality of performance are the two attributes
that are essential for headache-free, successful music at a
wedding. If you go for cheap, you are likely to sacrifice either
or both of the above!
In the UK, a professional musician will expect to take home
£100 - 150 for an engagement. On top of that there are equipment
and travel costs, along with publicity, advertising and agency
costs.
As a rule of thumb, you can expect to pay £200 - 250 for a solo
performance, £300 - 400 for a duo, £450 - 625 for a trio. A
four-piece band starts at approximately £800. Depending on the
versatility of the musicians, the quality of equipment (PA
system … possibly backlighting for the stage and for the
dance-floor), the price increases to £1000 - 1500. Larger bands
cost proportionately more. To see the variety and versatility of
the wedding bands available in the British Isles, take a look at
The A -
Z of Wedding Bands in the UK.
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As the number of people using the Internet as an integral part of their daily life grows, it is inevitable that the number of Internet Scams will grow. Unfortunately there are many forms of scams but in this article we will look at three of the most prominent.
419 fraud or “Nigerian Scams”
Also known as advanced fee fraud (AFF), 4-1-9 scams are named after the section of the Nigerian penal code that deals with fraud. Although originally originating in Nigeria these scams can originate from anywhere. If you fall for one of these at best you will lose thousands of dollars; at worst you will lose your life. These usually start with an email from a bank official or the relative of a recently deceased African president or a government minister informing you that they have access to millions of dollars but need your help to get the money out of the country. The end result is that when the deal is threatened you will be asked for money to secure the release of the funds. Do not under any circumstances reply to these letters, people have been murdered while following up with these scams.
Phishing
Phishing scams can be very elaborate, scammers send out emails to millions of internet addresses purporting to be from a financial institution, and requiring you to log in and confirm your details. The email looks authentic and contains a link that you need to click. If you happen to have an account at the bank featured in the scam then it’s a very natural thing to click the link and login to “your” account except it’s not your account or even your bank. It will be a website setup by the scammers to extract as much information from you as possible, Name, Address Credit card details, Bank login, Password, PIN number etc. Once they have these details it is very likely that will have access to your funds and in the worse case your identity. Avoid these scams by never clicking on a link in an email like these, Banks do not sent out emails requesting you login and confirm your details.
Vehicle Sales Fraud
If you place an advert online to sell a car, boat, or motorcycle you will probably receive one of these scam attempts. You will receive an email from abroad saying that they would like to buy your vehicle and arrange shipping. Once you agree you will get a check or bankers draft in the mail within a few days for the amount you asked for the vehicle PLUS the shipping fee you will then be asked to contact the shipper and pay him the extra amount. If you are sensible you will wait for the check to clear then pass on the shipping fee. This is what the scammers expect, the check will only bounce about 3 weeks to a month later at which point your bank will take back the money leaving you short of the shipping money. The best way of avoiding this fraud is not to sell your vehicle to someone who wants to pay the shipper.
I hope all this hasn’t scared you away from the Internet, If you are sensible and wary about offers that seem too good to be true then you should be Ok, just apply the same commonsense you use in everyday life, after all if a stranger walked up to you in the street and said “Hi I am from your bank what’s your credit card number and PIN” would you give it to them?
Mark Thompson ran an IT consultancy in London for many years . He now live in Spain and runs an number of websites including The Income Site
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