to Fox News, the US Department of Energy threw away nearly $1 billion in loans to Fisker Automotive and Tesla Motors—two Calif.-based auto startups trying to produce the next generation of American-made energy-efficient cars. On several of its shows, including America's Newsroom and Your World, Fox News criticized the loans because Fisker and Tesla currently produce expensive cars that are made in Europe.
Moreover, Fox insinuated that Fisker received the DOE loan because of its connection with former vice-president and global warming activist Al Gore. America's Newsroom co-host Martha MacCallum said: "Listen to this. The US government is making a $529 million loan to a small car company that happens to be backed by former Vice President Al Gore. Get this. It's called the Karma. It's a hybrid. It's built by Fisker Automotive. The price tag for this greenmobile is about $89,000."
During the segment, on-screen text read, "Americans Fund Car Co That Will Create Jobs...In Finland.”
Fox News contributor Stephen Moore stated, "I think most of the people watching this show, I think, would question the wisdom of the Department of Energy giving out these grants in the first place. But I think the vast, vast majority of Americans would say, at least if we do it, find an American company that's going to employ American workers to do this."
While the all-electric Tesla Roadster is currently being built in England, and components of the Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid are made in Finland, Fox neglected to fully explain that the loans will be used to establish US manufacturing facilities for more affordable future models.
The DOE loan will support Fisker engineering work to be conducted at the company's Pontiac, Mich. office, with support from its Irvine, Calif. headquarters. Fisker estimates that it will produce 75,000 to 100,000 of a more affordable plug-in hybrid—about $45,000—every year beginning in late 2012. DOE officials said they spent months working with Fisker on its application, touring its Irvine and Pontiac facilities and test-driving prototypes.
Tesla received a $465 million government loan to support production of its Model S—expected to sell for around $55,000. Production is scheduled to begin in 2011 and ramp up to 20,000 vehicles per year by the end of 2013. The new manufacturing facility is expected to create 1,000 jobs in Southern California. The rest of the loan will support a new facility to manufacture battery packs and electric drivetrains, employing about 650 people in Northern California."
Your World host Neil Cavuto acknowledged, “Some of that cash will go toward building cars here, but that is years down the road."
Fisker's top investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a veteran Silicon Valley venture-capital firm of which Gore is a partner. Employees of KPCB have donated more than $2.2 million to political campaigns, mostly for Democrats, including President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Congress established the $25 billion alternative vehicle loan program during former President George Bush’s administration in 2007 to provide incentives for automakers to invest in green technology. The DOE has awarded $8 billion to Ford and Nissan. The low-cost loans will carry a discounted interest rate of about 5 percent. Automakers have up to 25 years to repay the money.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Choosing Insurance Tips
HEALTH is the most important thing in life. Therefore, people take a variety of ways to maintain and health care. Even people looking for health insurance to support and ensure their health. Moreover, the cost of care and treatment of disease increasingly soar.With the health insurance program means you have shifted the risk to other parties. Risk transferred to it, you have to pay a premium
Citra Insurance
Public opinion against an insurance is strongly influenced by how the insurance companies, which offer products and services the insurance company to the public. One of the most influential parameters insurance company's image is the process of claims filed by participants of insurance to insurance companies.When the claims process went well and smoothly, insurance participants will have a good
Friday, September 25, 2009
Gore-Backed Car Firm Gets Large U.S. Loan
WASHINGTON -- A tiny car company backed by former Vice President Al Gore has just gotten a $529 million U.S. government loan to help build a hybrid sports car in Finland that will sell for about $89,000.
The award this week to California startup Fisker Automotive Inc. follows a $465 million government loan to Tesla Motors Inc., purveyors of a $109,000 British-built electric Roadster. Tesla, like Fisker, is a California startup focusing on high-end hybrids, with a number of celebrity endorsements that is backed by investors that have contributed to Democratic campaigns.
The awards to Fisker and Tesla have prompted concern from companies that have had their bids for loans rejected, and criticism from groups that question why vehicles aimed at the wealthiest customers are getting loans subsidized by taxpayers.
"This is not for average Americans," said Leslie Paige, a spokeswoman for Citizens Against Government Waste, an anti-tax group in Washington. "This is for people to put something in their driveway that is a conversation piece. It's status symbol thing."
DOE officials spent months working with Fisker on its application, touring its Irvine, Calif., and Pontiac, Mich., facilities and test-driving prototypes.
Matt Rogers, who oversees the department's loan programs as a senior adviser to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, said Fisker was awarded the loan after a "detailed technical review" that concluded the company could eventually deliver a highly fuel-efficient hybrid car to a mass audience. Fisker said most of its DOE loan will be used to finance U.S. production of a $40,000 family sedan that has yet to be designed.
"It's the ability to drive significant change in fuel economy across a large market segment" that swayed the department to approve the Fisker loan, Mr. Rogers said. "We got quite excited."
Henrik Fisker, who designed cars for BMW, Aston Martin and Tesla before starting his Fisker Automotive in 2007, said his goal is to build the first plug-in electric hybrids that won't sacrifice the luxury, performance and looks of traditional gas-powered luxury cars.
The Karma will target an exclusive audience -- Gore was one of the first to sign up for one. Mr. Fisker says all new technology starts out being expensive. He pointed to flat-screen televisions that once started at $25,000 but are now affordable to the mass market.
The four-door Karma, powered by a lithium-ion battery, will be able to run solely on electric power for 50 miles, and will achieve an average fuel economy of 100 mpg over the span of a year, the company says. Production is scheduled to start in December, with about 15,000 vehicles a year expected to hit the U.S. market starting next June.
Many of the 1,500 people who have made deposits on the Karma are former BMW and Mercedes owners who want an environmentally friendly car without sacrificing luxury, Mr. Fisker said.
He said he pitched the Karma to Mr. Gore at an event hosted by KPCB last year, and that the former vice president almost immediately submitted a down payment for the car.
Kalee Kreider, a spokeswoman for Mr. Gore, confirmed that the former vice president backs Fisker and purchased a Karma. "He believes that a global shift of the automobile fleet toward electric vehicles, accompanying a shift toward renewable-energy generation, represents an important part of a sensible strategy for solving the climate crisis," she said in a statement.
Fisker's top investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a veteran Silicon Valley venture-capital firm of which Gore is a partner. Employees of KPCB have donated more than $2.2 million to political campaigns, mostly for Democrats, including President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that tracks campaign contributions.
Officials at Kleiner Perkins didn't return requests for comment.
Asked whether Mr. Gore had any influence on Fisker's application, the DOE's Rogers said, "None at all."
"This is a very attractive, very across-party-lines kind of vehicle," Mr. Rogers said. "All of the detailed due diligence [was] done by independent review teams."
Other Fisker investors include Eco-Drive (Capital) Partners LLC, an investment consortium, and Qatar Investment Authority, a state-run investor based in Qatar.
Fisker's government loans will come from a $25 billion program established by Congress in 2007 to help auto makers invest in the technology to meet a new congressional mandate to improve fuel efficiency. In June, the DOE awarded the first $8 billion from the program to Ford Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co., and Tesla, which are all developing electric cars.
Some companies that have been turned down for loans from DOE say they did not get much feedback from the department about their applications. O. John Coletti, president of EcoMotors International of Troy, Mich., said his company applied for a $20 million loan from the agency last December, and last month got a one-page rejection letter from the loan program's director, Lachlan Seward. EcoMotors' lead investor is Vinod Khosla, himself a former Kleiner Perkins partner and a longtime campaign contributor to Republicans and Democrats alike.
"I don't have an issue with the winners … it's possible somebody has better ideas than us," Mr. Coletti said. At the same time, he said, "More feedback from DOE on a timely basis would be wonderful. When you're running a business you'd like to know whether you're going to be able to take advantage of this opportunity."
Mr. Coletti's company -- which makes diesel engines and is still waiting to hear from the Department on a separate loan application to help it build a manufacturing facility -- isn't without politically well-connected patrons, either. Its major investor is Vinod Khosla, himself a former Kleiner Perkins partner who has donated to campaigns.
Scott Redmond, CEO of XP Vehicles Inc., said he met with DOE officials twice in Washington after applying for a $40 million loan to develop a $15,000 to $25,000 hybrid, and that both times he was told his application looked good. Since receiving a rejection letter from DOE in August, Redmond said, he has been unable to get a full explanation as to why his request was turned down.
Mr. Rogers said he was not at liberty to discuss individual applications that had been turned down, but said the process has been handled fairly and objectively.
The award this week to California startup Fisker Automotive Inc. follows a $465 million government loan to Tesla Motors Inc., purveyors of a $109,000 British-built electric Roadster. Tesla, like Fisker, is a California startup focusing on high-end hybrids, with a number of celebrity endorsements that is backed by investors that have contributed to Democratic campaigns.
The awards to Fisker and Tesla have prompted concern from companies that have had their bids for loans rejected, and criticism from groups that question why vehicles aimed at the wealthiest customers are getting loans subsidized by taxpayers.
"This is not for average Americans," said Leslie Paige, a spokeswoman for Citizens Against Government Waste, an anti-tax group in Washington. "This is for people to put something in their driveway that is a conversation piece. It's status symbol thing."
DOE officials spent months working with Fisker on its application, touring its Irvine, Calif., and Pontiac, Mich., facilities and test-driving prototypes.
Matt Rogers, who oversees the department's loan programs as a senior adviser to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, said Fisker was awarded the loan after a "detailed technical review" that concluded the company could eventually deliver a highly fuel-efficient hybrid car to a mass audience. Fisker said most of its DOE loan will be used to finance U.S. production of a $40,000 family sedan that has yet to be designed.
"It's the ability to drive significant change in fuel economy across a large market segment" that swayed the department to approve the Fisker loan, Mr. Rogers said. "We got quite excited."
Henrik Fisker, who designed cars for BMW, Aston Martin and Tesla before starting his Fisker Automotive in 2007, said his goal is to build the first plug-in electric hybrids that won't sacrifice the luxury, performance and looks of traditional gas-powered luxury cars.
The Karma will target an exclusive audience -- Gore was one of the first to sign up for one. Mr. Fisker says all new technology starts out being expensive. He pointed to flat-screen televisions that once started at $25,000 but are now affordable to the mass market.
The four-door Karma, powered by a lithium-ion battery, will be able to run solely on electric power for 50 miles, and will achieve an average fuel economy of 100 mpg over the span of a year, the company says. Production is scheduled to start in December, with about 15,000 vehicles a year expected to hit the U.S. market starting next June.
Many of the 1,500 people who have made deposits on the Karma are former BMW and Mercedes owners who want an environmentally friendly car without sacrificing luxury, Mr. Fisker said.
He said he pitched the Karma to Mr. Gore at an event hosted by KPCB last year, and that the former vice president almost immediately submitted a down payment for the car.
Kalee Kreider, a spokeswoman for Mr. Gore, confirmed that the former vice president backs Fisker and purchased a Karma. "He believes that a global shift of the automobile fleet toward electric vehicles, accompanying a shift toward renewable-energy generation, represents an important part of a sensible strategy for solving the climate crisis," she said in a statement.
Fisker's top investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a veteran Silicon Valley venture-capital firm of which Gore is a partner. Employees of KPCB have donated more than $2.2 million to political campaigns, mostly for Democrats, including President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that tracks campaign contributions.
Officials at Kleiner Perkins didn't return requests for comment.
Asked whether Mr. Gore had any influence on Fisker's application, the DOE's Rogers said, "None at all."
"This is a very attractive, very across-party-lines kind of vehicle," Mr. Rogers said. "All of the detailed due diligence [was] done by independent review teams."
Other Fisker investors include Eco-Drive (Capital) Partners LLC, an investment consortium, and Qatar Investment Authority, a state-run investor based in Qatar.
Fisker's government loans will come from a $25 billion program established by Congress in 2007 to help auto makers invest in the technology to meet a new congressional mandate to improve fuel efficiency. In June, the DOE awarded the first $8 billion from the program to Ford Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co., and Tesla, which are all developing electric cars.
Some companies that have been turned down for loans from DOE say they did not get much feedback from the department about their applications. O. John Coletti, president of EcoMotors International of Troy, Mich., said his company applied for a $20 million loan from the agency last December, and last month got a one-page rejection letter from the loan program's director, Lachlan Seward. EcoMotors' lead investor is Vinod Khosla, himself a former Kleiner Perkins partner and a longtime campaign contributor to Republicans and Democrats alike.
"I don't have an issue with the winners … it's possible somebody has better ideas than us," Mr. Coletti said. At the same time, he said, "More feedback from DOE on a timely basis would be wonderful. When you're running a business you'd like to know whether you're going to be able to take advantage of this opportunity."
Mr. Coletti's company -- which makes diesel engines and is still waiting to hear from the Department on a separate loan application to help it build a manufacturing facility -- isn't without politically well-connected patrons, either. Its major investor is Vinod Khosla, himself a former Kleiner Perkins partner who has donated to campaigns.
Scott Redmond, CEO of XP Vehicles Inc., said he met with DOE officials twice in Washington after applying for a $40 million loan to develop a $15,000 to $25,000 hybrid, and that both times he was told his application looked good. Since receiving a rejection letter from DOE in August, Redmond said, he has been unable to get a full explanation as to why his request was turned down.
Mr. Rogers said he was not at liberty to discuss individual applications that had been turned down, but said the process has been handled fairly and objectively.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Medical Insurance - An Integrated Claims Process Approach
The fourth edition of Medical Insurance: An Integrated Claims Process Approach is designed for medical insurance courses. The textbook provides medical assisting, medical insurance, and health information technology students with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully perform insurance and billing related duties.Medical Insurance - The chapters’ organization follows the medical billing
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
How to Buy Car Insurance Online Using a Comparison Quotes Website
When you go online to buy insurance the best place to start is an all inclusive comparison site. These sites search all the top companies and present you with four or five of your best quotes based on the information you have provided. These sites are becoming more popular since they allow you to find a quote, compare the price and the coverage with other companies.You have a car, it gets you
Car Insurance is Different
If you have a business and you have employees you are going to need the driving record of every employee who drives your business car or cars. This is not being intrusive it is to protect you as the business owner. You must not allow any employee who has a bad driving record to drive your company's vehicles. It is highly likely that your business car insurance company will not permit such a
Some Problems That You Can Encounter in Forex
Before even thinking of joining in the forex market, you have to be prepared first before dealing in. You should also be knowledgeable with the different forex dealing strategies and remember some problems in the forex dealing market. You also have to remember that forex does not present any limitations. So before joining in the market, you should know on where you should begin.
Another important part in forex dealing is to be able to plot where you will go. Software that can chart your part in forex can help you on which will be your next move on whether you should buy or sell one of the major currencies. There is a psychological part of forex dealing. You should be prepared to accept your losses.
You should also be disciplined enough to follow through with your plans. There are different techniques that you can use in forex dealing. 1st, Leverage technique. This kind of technique will allow online forex dealers to acquire more money rather than the deposited cash. When this technique is used, the benefits that you can get in the market are maximized to its potential.
This is usually utilized by dealer on a daily basis in order to received the advantage from the changes that happen in the foreign exchange market during the short term period. 2nd, Stop loss technique. This kind of technique minimizes the cash loss by the dealer. It makes a certain point so that when it is reached, the investor will need to stop dealing.
3rd, Automatic entry technique. This will allow the investor to deal in the market when the price is reasonable. The price is already set so that when that is reached, the dealer can trade in the forex market immediately. Technical evidences just feature signals. Dealers are confused most of the time when they should join the forex market.
This problem does not help you to make revenues. Another problem in foirex dealing is too much greed and unreasonable worry by the dealer. When a forex dealer begins to feature profits, greediness will play a big factor in this scenario. The dealer will try to get a lot of money in a single instance.
Another problem in forex dealing is when you picked a dealer that has no interest in helping you get a good deal in the game. Lack of knowledge is also a major problem in forex dealing. So if you are interested to do well in the game, you should learn about forex dealing.
Another important part in forex dealing is to be able to plot where you will go. Software that can chart your part in forex can help you on which will be your next move on whether you should buy or sell one of the major currencies. There is a psychological part of forex dealing. You should be prepared to accept your losses.
You should also be disciplined enough to follow through with your plans. There are different techniques that you can use in forex dealing. 1st, Leverage technique. This kind of technique will allow online forex dealers to acquire more money rather than the deposited cash. When this technique is used, the benefits that you can get in the market are maximized to its potential.
This is usually utilized by dealer on a daily basis in order to received the advantage from the changes that happen in the foreign exchange market during the short term period. 2nd, Stop loss technique. This kind of technique minimizes the cash loss by the dealer. It makes a certain point so that when it is reached, the investor will need to stop dealing.
3rd, Automatic entry technique. This will allow the investor to deal in the market when the price is reasonable. The price is already set so that when that is reached, the dealer can trade in the forex market immediately. Technical evidences just feature signals. Dealers are confused most of the time when they should join the forex market.
This problem does not help you to make revenues. Another problem in foirex dealing is too much greed and unreasonable worry by the dealer. When a forex dealer begins to feature profits, greediness will play a big factor in this scenario. The dealer will try to get a lot of money in a single instance.
Another problem in forex dealing is when you picked a dealer that has no interest in helping you get a good deal in the game. Lack of knowledge is also a major problem in forex dealing. So if you are interested to do well in the game, you should learn about forex dealing.
Best Performance Car Insurance Costs
Car Insurance Costs - If you drive a best performance car you are going to need best performance car insurance. This is an actual category and it would make sense to look into this kind of insurance before you actually buy a best performance car. Insurance is definitely going to be more expensive for this category of car. The reason for this is because these cars are more costly to repair when
Monday, September 21, 2009
A Guide to Insurance Agency Success
Are you working too many hours for too few clients? Does it seem that you do more paperwork than peoplework? Will you spend more hours on the road than in front of people this year?Whether your agency is big or small, if you answered yes to any of those quesitons, you need more than an andrenaline boost! You need a shot of strategies to wake things up and put you on the path to success fast.How
Consumers see few benefits from low base rate
Consumers have seen very little benefit from the Bank of England holding its base rate at a record low of 0.5% for six months, a consumer advice site pointed out this week.
Interest rates on savings accounts have dropped, while rates on mortgages, credit cards, and personal loans have continued to rise, said Moneyfacts.co.uk.
Research by the site found interest rates on easy access savers have dropped to an average of 0.77%, compared to 0.98% six months ago.
Cash ISA rates have followed a similar path, dropping from a 1.76% average to 1.46% in six months.
Meanwhile, the average rate on a two year fixed-rate mortgage has risen from 4.84% to 5.15%, on personal loans has risen from 11.9% to 12.1%, and on credit cards has increased from 17.7% to 18.1%.
“Base rate has been at an all time low for six months now, but it appears that only providers are feeling any real benefit,” said Moneyfacts financial expert Michelle Slade.
“Borrowers looking for a new mortgage deal have been hardest hit, as lenders continue to look to repair their balance sheets through increased margins.”
However, she added that HSBC’s recent launch of a 1.99% fixed rate mortgage shows that things could be improving.
“The launch of the sub-2% HSBC deal will hopefully spur other lenders on to reduce rates and bring much needed competition back to the market,” she said.
“Consumers will be hoping that as more time passes competition will become an increasing factor and that they will be offered more attractive deals across all finance areas.”
Interest rates on savings accounts have dropped, while rates on mortgages, credit cards, and personal loans have continued to rise, said Moneyfacts.co.uk.
Research by the site found interest rates on easy access savers have dropped to an average of 0.77%, compared to 0.98% six months ago.
Cash ISA rates have followed a similar path, dropping from a 1.76% average to 1.46% in six months.
Meanwhile, the average rate on a two year fixed-rate mortgage has risen from 4.84% to 5.15%, on personal loans has risen from 11.9% to 12.1%, and on credit cards has increased from 17.7% to 18.1%.
“Base rate has been at an all time low for six months now, but it appears that only providers are feeling any real benefit,” said Moneyfacts financial expert Michelle Slade.
“Borrowers looking for a new mortgage deal have been hardest hit, as lenders continue to look to repair their balance sheets through increased margins.”
However, she added that HSBC’s recent launch of a 1.99% fixed rate mortgage shows that things could be improving.
“The launch of the sub-2% HSBC deal will hopefully spur other lenders on to reduce rates and bring much needed competition back to the market,” she said.
“Consumers will be hoping that as more time passes competition will become an increasing factor and that they will be offered more attractive deals across all finance areas.”
The Insurance Business - Industry Leaders on Managing Risks, Ensuring Investments, and Protecting Assets
Inside the Minds: The Insurance Business is an authoritative, insider’s perspective on the ins and outs of this dynamic industry and the future of the business, on a global scale. Featuring Chairmen, Presidents, and CEOs, representing some of the top insurance companies across the nation, this book provides a broad, yet comprehensive overview of the current state and future shape of the
Friday, September 18, 2009
Foreign exchange reserves
Foreign exchange reserves (also called Forex reserves) in a strict sense are only the foreign currency deposits and bonds held by central banks and monetary authorities. However, the term in popular usage commonly includes foreign exchange and gold, SDRs and IMF reserve positions. This broader figure is more readily available, but it is more accurately termed official international reserves or international reserves. These are assets of the central bank held in different reserve currencies, mostly the US dollar, and to a lesser extent the euro, the UK pound, and the Japanese yen, and used to back its liabilities, e.g. the local currency issued, and the various bank reserves deposited with the central bank, by the government or financial institutions.
Source Wikipedia
Source Wikipedia
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Fundamentals of Risk and Insurance
Product DescriptionThis classic book presents a thorough and comprehensive introduction to the field of insurance while emphasizing the consumer. The new Tenth Edition first examines the concept of risk, the nature of the insurance device, and the principles of risk management. It then discusses the traditional fields of life and health insurance as solutions to the risks connected with the loss
Friday, September 11, 2009
Choosing cruise insurance
In the 16 years I’ve been cruising, I’ve seen many people fall ill and be taken off the ship in port or even evacuated at sea by helicopter. While I have always hoped for their speedy recovery, I have also wondered if they had purchased travel insurance.It’s certainly tempting not to. How many times have you returned from a trip safe and sound and kicked yourself for spending a couple of hundred
So You Want to Be an Insurance Agent
There is more to selling insurance than writing policies. When done right, you can build a successful business that affords you a lifestyle that most people only dream about. So You Want to Be an Insurance Agent is an essential guide for anyone who is considering opening an insurance agency or wants to grow an existing agency.
Highly recommended by Dr. Robert Hartwig, President of the Insurance
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Members login: Forgot your password? When You Will Be A Professional Fo
I received a comment on the December 24 report from a gentleman, Sambhunath, that made me write and post this article. Sambhunath says,
” While moving around aimlessly in the internet, I have chanced to come across your site. It appeared so attractive that I have gone through as many pages as I could and finally come to the conclusion that I must visit this site regularly.
As for myself, I am relatively new in the field of currency-trading. I had read a lot of e-books and practiced my acquired skills in some demo-accounts. Enthused by consecutive and relatively consistent success I started to believe that I had mastered all the skills necessary to become a successful currency trader. I then opened a real account with all the savings I had and started my real journey. The consequence of my endeavor proved to be fatal !!!!
I have lost all my money. I do not understand why for some days I remain puzzled and behave most irrationally and lost my all.
This blow has proved to be an eye-opener. I have realized that my knowledge about both the market and about myself is far from satisfactory. I am yet to learn a lot before even thinking of playing with real money. I have to learn everything afresh from a real master. I still believe that I can learn the subject and in course of time I must be a successful trader.
I have wrote so many things just for the new-comers. This is not just as it appears. It is purely a game of applied psychology- controlling impulses of fear and greed- applying earned knowledge judiciously.
I cannot sufficiently express how happy I am meeting you. You are the person I am looking after.
You have started an excellent work. Countless people around the world will remain thankful to you for ever. “
I appreciate his kindness and I am happy that my efforts could be any of help. Unfortunately, this happens to more than 95% of the beginners and he is not alone. Something that changes a beginner to a professional trader should happen after this stage but unfortunately 99% of those who come through this stage, give up and never think about forex or any other kind of investment and trading. They will complain that they are not for trading and they can not become traders.
I have explained in one of my other articles that you have to have three things to become a good and successful trader:
1. Knowledge
2. Experience
3. Suitable mental and psychological condition
If you lose your money as soon as you start working with the real account you should ask yourself that “Do I have enough knowledge? Do I have enough experience? Am I mentally and psychologically ready to trade with my money?”
If you answered no to any of the above questions, you should not trade with the real account.
You can learn everything about forex trading through the internet. Internet is full of free and invaluable information about forex. There are also free videos that you can watch and learn a lot. They all talk about trends, patterns, indicators, candle sticks, fundamentals and … and you can learn all of them word by word.
Then you sign up for a demo account and start trading. Sometimes your first trades are very good and it deceives you that you have learned everything and now you can trade with real money but you don’t know that forex market is like an ocean. Sometimes it is calm. Sometimes it is stormy and sometimes there is a Tsunami because of an earthquake. Someone who has experienced sailing when the ocean has been calm may think that he is a sailor but he is not aware that the storm is on the way and he is not experienced enough to face a real storm. He goes to ocean and becomes trapped by the storm.
Beginners should keep in their mind that a few successful trades with the demo account doesn’t mean that they are good traders and a few successful trades with the real account, doesn’t mean that they can increase the amount of the trades.
Beginners have to keep on trading with the demo at least for few months. The other thing is that they have to have a system. Trading with the demo account without an especial and well-described system is wasting of time. You have to know what kind of signals you should be waiting for before you buy and sell and you should know that you only buy and sell when you see the signals not when you think that you are seeing the signals. Like waiting behind the red light. You start moving only when you see the green light.
So you have to trade with the demo account at least for few months. You have to learn to get stuck to your system. You have to learn to control your emotions. You have to learn to control your fear and greed before you start working with real money.
Unfortunately some greedy brokers push the beginners to open real accounts. They are not smart enough to understand that they have to have long term traders not one day traders. Most beginners who lose their money, will never reload their accounts and so the brokers will lose them for good.
When you work with the demo account for few months, you feel a confidence in your heart. This confidence is not a false confidence because it is gained through practicing and experiencing. If you don’t feel a true confidence, keep on practicing with the demo account. It doesn’t matter for how long. One year or even two years. Nobody has determined a deadline for you. So don’t rush. The market is always there waiting for your money.
Then open a real account but please note that after opening a real account, you are at the BEGINNING of a new stage. Yes! Working with the real account is different from the demo account.
Why? Are the signals, charts, indicators, currency pairs and … different?
Absolutely not. They are all the same but something that is different is that you know that you are playing with your real money. The money that you have been working to the bone to collect. You don’t like to lose it. You want to increase it.
What will happen then?
You trade with more fear and greed. You don’t close the trade that goes against you because you don’t want to lose. You wait for the price to change the direction but it won’t and finally you decide to close your trade when you have lost a lot.
Or you keep a good trade to make more profit. You ignore the reversal signals and so you lose all the profit you had in your hand.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? :)
So what should you do?
1. Start learning first and complete your knowledge. Learn everything that you should know about the trends, patterns, support, resistance, candle sticks, reversal and continuation signals and … . There are a lot of websites that have these information for free. You have to spend at least three months to learn all these things.
2. Decide that if you want to be a swing trader or an intraday trader. As a beginner you should choose one of them because you have to be focused on one thing first.
3. Choose a system (strategy). Your system should be as simple as possible. Complicated systems are not applicable. You can only lose with them. A System should be as easy as 1, 2, 3. Also choose a system that works according to technique and knowledge not according to superstitions. In an e-book I read about a strategy that says you should buy when you see the price has gone up for 80 pips before noon!!!
4. Start trading with the demo account using the system you have chosen. If you see that you don’t like your system or it is not good, change it. Find a better and simpler system. Get stuck to it and test it over and over and over. Spend several months to one year with the demo account. Do not be fooled by some of the forums members who say “I have started working on forex two months ago and now I make 100 pips everyday”. This is not true.
5. Forget that the account you are working with it is a demo account. Consider it as a real account. When you see you are losing, think that it is your REAL money that is burning. And when you see that you are making profit think that it is going to your real bank account. Keep in your mind that if you rush and trade emotionally you lose your money. This will help you to experience your fear and greed before trading with the real account. If you experience them, you will learn to control them. Don’t let them show themselves right when you start trading with your real money.
6. Then start working with a real account BUT trade with a very very small amount of money. I don’t care if you have a $500k account or a $100 account. Start trading with the minimum amount that you can place an order. Keep on working with this amount of money for a few weeks. If you saw that you are trading exactly like when you have been trading with the demo account, increase the amount of the money gradually. Do not play with a huge amount of money after a few successful trades.
7. Don’t give up! Don’t get disappointed when you lose. Everybody loses at the beginning. Even the best traders lose in some of their trades. Learn from your mistakes. Keep in your mind that losing is part of the game. We do not practice to learn not to lose. We practice to learn how to lose small amounts and win big amounts. Your stop loss will be triggered in some cases. This is natural. It should not prevent you from entering to another trade.
If you work in the way I explained above, you will become a professional trader in about one year without losing your money and without having to reload your account.
Happy trading :)
” While moving around aimlessly in the internet, I have chanced to come across your site. It appeared so attractive that I have gone through as many pages as I could and finally come to the conclusion that I must visit this site regularly.
As for myself, I am relatively new in the field of currency-trading. I had read a lot of e-books and practiced my acquired skills in some demo-accounts. Enthused by consecutive and relatively consistent success I started to believe that I had mastered all the skills necessary to become a successful currency trader. I then opened a real account with all the savings I had and started my real journey. The consequence of my endeavor proved to be fatal !!!!
I have lost all my money. I do not understand why for some days I remain puzzled and behave most irrationally and lost my all.
This blow has proved to be an eye-opener. I have realized that my knowledge about both the market and about myself is far from satisfactory. I am yet to learn a lot before even thinking of playing with real money. I have to learn everything afresh from a real master. I still believe that I can learn the subject and in course of time I must be a successful trader.
I have wrote so many things just for the new-comers. This is not just as it appears. It is purely a game of applied psychology- controlling impulses of fear and greed- applying earned knowledge judiciously.
I cannot sufficiently express how happy I am meeting you. You are the person I am looking after.
You have started an excellent work. Countless people around the world will remain thankful to you for ever. “
I appreciate his kindness and I am happy that my efforts could be any of help. Unfortunately, this happens to more than 95% of the beginners and he is not alone. Something that changes a beginner to a professional trader should happen after this stage but unfortunately 99% of those who come through this stage, give up and never think about forex or any other kind of investment and trading. They will complain that they are not for trading and they can not become traders.
I have explained in one of my other articles that you have to have three things to become a good and successful trader:
1. Knowledge
2. Experience
3. Suitable mental and psychological condition
If you lose your money as soon as you start working with the real account you should ask yourself that “Do I have enough knowledge? Do I have enough experience? Am I mentally and psychologically ready to trade with my money?”
If you answered no to any of the above questions, you should not trade with the real account.
You can learn everything about forex trading through the internet. Internet is full of free and invaluable information about forex. There are also free videos that you can watch and learn a lot. They all talk about trends, patterns, indicators, candle sticks, fundamentals and … and you can learn all of them word by word.
Then you sign up for a demo account and start trading. Sometimes your first trades are very good and it deceives you that you have learned everything and now you can trade with real money but you don’t know that forex market is like an ocean. Sometimes it is calm. Sometimes it is stormy and sometimes there is a Tsunami because of an earthquake. Someone who has experienced sailing when the ocean has been calm may think that he is a sailor but he is not aware that the storm is on the way and he is not experienced enough to face a real storm. He goes to ocean and becomes trapped by the storm.
Beginners should keep in their mind that a few successful trades with the demo account doesn’t mean that they are good traders and a few successful trades with the real account, doesn’t mean that they can increase the amount of the trades.
Beginners have to keep on trading with the demo at least for few months. The other thing is that they have to have a system. Trading with the demo account without an especial and well-described system is wasting of time. You have to know what kind of signals you should be waiting for before you buy and sell and you should know that you only buy and sell when you see the signals not when you think that you are seeing the signals. Like waiting behind the red light. You start moving only when you see the green light.
So you have to trade with the demo account at least for few months. You have to learn to get stuck to your system. You have to learn to control your emotions. You have to learn to control your fear and greed before you start working with real money.
Unfortunately some greedy brokers push the beginners to open real accounts. They are not smart enough to understand that they have to have long term traders not one day traders. Most beginners who lose their money, will never reload their accounts and so the brokers will lose them for good.
When you work with the demo account for few months, you feel a confidence in your heart. This confidence is not a false confidence because it is gained through practicing and experiencing. If you don’t feel a true confidence, keep on practicing with the demo account. It doesn’t matter for how long. One year or even two years. Nobody has determined a deadline for you. So don’t rush. The market is always there waiting for your money.
Then open a real account but please note that after opening a real account, you are at the BEGINNING of a new stage. Yes! Working with the real account is different from the demo account.
Why? Are the signals, charts, indicators, currency pairs and … different?
Absolutely not. They are all the same but something that is different is that you know that you are playing with your real money. The money that you have been working to the bone to collect. You don’t like to lose it. You want to increase it.
What will happen then?
You trade with more fear and greed. You don’t close the trade that goes against you because you don’t want to lose. You wait for the price to change the direction but it won’t and finally you decide to close your trade when you have lost a lot.
Or you keep a good trade to make more profit. You ignore the reversal signals and so you lose all the profit you had in your hand.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? :)
So what should you do?
1. Start learning first and complete your knowledge. Learn everything that you should know about the trends, patterns, support, resistance, candle sticks, reversal and continuation signals and … . There are a lot of websites that have these information for free. You have to spend at least three months to learn all these things.
2. Decide that if you want to be a swing trader or an intraday trader. As a beginner you should choose one of them because you have to be focused on one thing first.
3. Choose a system (strategy). Your system should be as simple as possible. Complicated systems are not applicable. You can only lose with them. A System should be as easy as 1, 2, 3. Also choose a system that works according to technique and knowledge not according to superstitions. In an e-book I read about a strategy that says you should buy when you see the price has gone up for 80 pips before noon!!!
4. Start trading with the demo account using the system you have chosen. If you see that you don’t like your system or it is not good, change it. Find a better and simpler system. Get stuck to it and test it over and over and over. Spend several months to one year with the demo account. Do not be fooled by some of the forums members who say “I have started working on forex two months ago and now I make 100 pips everyday”. This is not true.
5. Forget that the account you are working with it is a demo account. Consider it as a real account. When you see you are losing, think that it is your REAL money that is burning. And when you see that you are making profit think that it is going to your real bank account. Keep in your mind that if you rush and trade emotionally you lose your money. This will help you to experience your fear and greed before trading with the real account. If you experience them, you will learn to control them. Don’t let them show themselves right when you start trading with your real money.
6. Then start working with a real account BUT trade with a very very small amount of money. I don’t care if you have a $500k account or a $100 account. Start trading with the minimum amount that you can place an order. Keep on working with this amount of money for a few weeks. If you saw that you are trading exactly like when you have been trading with the demo account, increase the amount of the money gradually. Do not play with a huge amount of money after a few successful trades.
7. Don’t give up! Don’t get disappointed when you lose. Everybody loses at the beginning. Even the best traders lose in some of their trades. Learn from your mistakes. Keep in your mind that losing is part of the game. We do not practice to learn not to lose. We practice to learn how to lose small amounts and win big amounts. Your stop loss will be triggered in some cases. This is natural. It should not prevent you from entering to another trade.
If you work in the way I explained above, you will become a professional trader in about one year without losing your money and without having to reload your account.
Happy trading :)
Friday, September 4, 2009
Members login: Forgot your password? Is Forex a Suitable Business/Job for Everybody?
I am an internet marketer and blogger more than a forex trader but forex is something that I also make money with it and I know a lot about it. Forex is a really different business. To make money with Forex, you have to know the technique and have enough experience otherwise you lose more than what you make.
But in other businesses like internet marketing, you can make some money even if you are not an internet marketing guru.
The good thing with forex is that you don’t have to be worried about competition. Unlike all other businesses that competition makes tougher conditions for everybody, the more people work on forex the more money everybody will make because it will make more volatility and movements in the market and volatility and price fluctuation is what we make money through it.
If you don’t know what the forex is, follow the link below: How to Make Money with Forex?
So forex is a good business but is it a suitable business for everybody?
To become a forex trader, first you have to learn it. It is not very hard to learn forex. There are enough free information over the internet. You just need to spend a few months to learn everything. But the more important part is the experience. You have to learn how to use your knowledge to trade and make money.
Forex is like driving. You can sit at home and read a lot of books about driving and know about it more than a driver who has a 30 years experience. But as long as you don’t practice and don’t drive, you will not become a driver. To be a good driver you also need to have a healthy body and mind otherwise you will make problems for yourself and the others. This is true about forex too. Not everybody who knows the techniques theoretically can be a good forex trader.
You have to have three things to become a good and successful forex trader:
1. Knowledge
2. Experience
3. Suitable mental and psychological condition
If you lose more than what you make in forex, you don’t have at least one of the above essentials.
As explained above, the knowledge can be gained easily and for free through the internet.
The experience can be gained through practicing with the demo account. Any of the forex broker companies offer free demo accounts that enable you to practice and learn to use your knowledge practically.
But what about the last factor? Suitable mental and psychological condition!
You can lose money in forex even when you have enough knowledge and experience. Why?
What kind of people, with what kind of personality, lose more in forex even when they have enough knowledge and experience?
1. Impatient people:
If you don’t have enough patience when you work or when you wait, you will have problems in forex. Forex needs a lot of patience. Sometimes you have to sit at the computer and watch the charts for several hours. Those who don’t have enough patience, get tired very soon and start entering to the trades while there is no clear and suitable signal and it is not the time to get in a trade. Then they will have to close a wrong position while they have already lost a lot of money.
2. Greedy people:
Those who are greedy are big forex losers. Greed cause you rush to enter to a trade when it is not the time because you think that the others are making money and you have to do it too. So you don’t wait for a clear signal and you just dive to a trade with this hope that you will make money whereas in most cases you will choose the wrong direction.
On the other hand, greedy people stay in trade for a long time and don’t end it when it is time to end. They keep the position to make more money but the market will change the direction suddenly and all the profit they had in their hand will be lost.
3. Fearful people:
Fear is the biggest problems in forex trading and generally fear is the biggest problem and obstacle in all the businesses. Fear keeps people from taking risks and those who have a lot of fear can not use the opportunities because they are always afraid of losing. They wait and wait and wait and lose the opportunities one by one and then get tired and try to overcome their fear and so they enter to the wrong direction before proper market analyzing and finding good signals. What will happen then? They lose money.
4. Emotional people:
If you are a person who makes his decisions emotionally and not wisely, logically, analytically, then forex is not for you because you will lose a lot. Forex is a technical and scientific business. It works according to the scientific rules and analysis. Forex traders use special indicators and signals to decide to buy or sell. They act only when they see proper signals and not when they feel that the price will go up or down.
Something you feel can be wrong and so if you trade according to what you feel, you lose.
Emotions are good but not in business, forex or stock trading. If you are an emotional person, you should not try forex trading unless you learn to control your emotions and use your knowledge.
How can you control your hastiness, Greed, Fear and Emotions in Forex trading?
This question can not be answered in just one article and I will write more articles about any of the above problems but here is some tips:
If you are a hasty person and this has made problems for you both in your life and forex, you have to practice Yoga, meditation or maybe hypnotism to become able to control your hastiness.
In case your hastiness can not be controlled at all, you may have to see a doctor and check your endocrine hormones like Thyroid, Adrenaline and Noradrenalin.
To control your greed, you have to make a strict discipline for yourself and try to be stuck to it. For example do not make more than a limited number of pips everyday or in each single trade. Tell yourself that you are not allowed to make more than - for example - 20 pips everyday or 5 pips in each trade and as soon as you reach the limit, turn off your computer or close your trade even if the market is still hot and you can make more or your trade is doing well and going to your favorite direction.
To control your fear, you have to spend enough time on learning and practicing with the demo account. You have fear because you don’t have enough confidence about your trading skills. You have to make hundreds of trades on the demo account to make sure that you have learnt the methods completely. Then you need to start with the real account and trading with your money but with a very small amount.
You have to keep on trading with a very small amount of money for several months and when you see that you can make profit and the number of your successful trades is more than your bad trades, you can increase the amount of the money little by little.
Keep in your mind that Forex and stock trading are all the matter of taking risk. The only thing that you have control on is the amount of the money you put in every trade and also the amount of the money that you let be lost. The rest is not in your hand.
Ok :)
- What do you think about yourself?
- Is Forex a suitable business for you or not?
- What are your weak-points?
- Are you greedy or you have a lot of fear that don’t let you trade properly?
- What is the reason of your fear? Is it because you think you have not learnt the techniques properly or it is because you have made a lot of bad trades and so you have lost your confidence?
Think about the above questions before you make your next trade and please make me happy and thankful with your comments.
But in other businesses like internet marketing, you can make some money even if you are not an internet marketing guru.
The good thing with forex is that you don’t have to be worried about competition. Unlike all other businesses that competition makes tougher conditions for everybody, the more people work on forex the more money everybody will make because it will make more volatility and movements in the market and volatility and price fluctuation is what we make money through it.
If you don’t know what the forex is, follow the link below: How to Make Money with Forex?
So forex is a good business but is it a suitable business for everybody?
To become a forex trader, first you have to learn it. It is not very hard to learn forex. There are enough free information over the internet. You just need to spend a few months to learn everything. But the more important part is the experience. You have to learn how to use your knowledge to trade and make money.
Forex is like driving. You can sit at home and read a lot of books about driving and know about it more than a driver who has a 30 years experience. But as long as you don’t practice and don’t drive, you will not become a driver. To be a good driver you also need to have a healthy body and mind otherwise you will make problems for yourself and the others. This is true about forex too. Not everybody who knows the techniques theoretically can be a good forex trader.
You have to have three things to become a good and successful forex trader:
1. Knowledge
2. Experience
3. Suitable mental and psychological condition
If you lose more than what you make in forex, you don’t have at least one of the above essentials.
As explained above, the knowledge can be gained easily and for free through the internet.
The experience can be gained through practicing with the demo account. Any of the forex broker companies offer free demo accounts that enable you to practice and learn to use your knowledge practically.
But what about the last factor? Suitable mental and psychological condition!
You can lose money in forex even when you have enough knowledge and experience. Why?
What kind of people, with what kind of personality, lose more in forex even when they have enough knowledge and experience?
1. Impatient people:
If you don’t have enough patience when you work or when you wait, you will have problems in forex. Forex needs a lot of patience. Sometimes you have to sit at the computer and watch the charts for several hours. Those who don’t have enough patience, get tired very soon and start entering to the trades while there is no clear and suitable signal and it is not the time to get in a trade. Then they will have to close a wrong position while they have already lost a lot of money.
2. Greedy people:
Those who are greedy are big forex losers. Greed cause you rush to enter to a trade when it is not the time because you think that the others are making money and you have to do it too. So you don’t wait for a clear signal and you just dive to a trade with this hope that you will make money whereas in most cases you will choose the wrong direction.
On the other hand, greedy people stay in trade for a long time and don’t end it when it is time to end. They keep the position to make more money but the market will change the direction suddenly and all the profit they had in their hand will be lost.
3. Fearful people:
Fear is the biggest problems in forex trading and generally fear is the biggest problem and obstacle in all the businesses. Fear keeps people from taking risks and those who have a lot of fear can not use the opportunities because they are always afraid of losing. They wait and wait and wait and lose the opportunities one by one and then get tired and try to overcome their fear and so they enter to the wrong direction before proper market analyzing and finding good signals. What will happen then? They lose money.
4. Emotional people:
If you are a person who makes his decisions emotionally and not wisely, logically, analytically, then forex is not for you because you will lose a lot. Forex is a technical and scientific business. It works according to the scientific rules and analysis. Forex traders use special indicators and signals to decide to buy or sell. They act only when they see proper signals and not when they feel that the price will go up or down.
Something you feel can be wrong and so if you trade according to what you feel, you lose.
Emotions are good but not in business, forex or stock trading. If you are an emotional person, you should not try forex trading unless you learn to control your emotions and use your knowledge.
How can you control your hastiness, Greed, Fear and Emotions in Forex trading?
This question can not be answered in just one article and I will write more articles about any of the above problems but here is some tips:
If you are a hasty person and this has made problems for you both in your life and forex, you have to practice Yoga, meditation or maybe hypnotism to become able to control your hastiness.
In case your hastiness can not be controlled at all, you may have to see a doctor and check your endocrine hormones like Thyroid, Adrenaline and Noradrenalin.
To control your greed, you have to make a strict discipline for yourself and try to be stuck to it. For example do not make more than a limited number of pips everyday or in each single trade. Tell yourself that you are not allowed to make more than - for example - 20 pips everyday or 5 pips in each trade and as soon as you reach the limit, turn off your computer or close your trade even if the market is still hot and you can make more or your trade is doing well and going to your favorite direction.
To control your fear, you have to spend enough time on learning and practicing with the demo account. You have fear because you don’t have enough confidence about your trading skills. You have to make hundreds of trades on the demo account to make sure that you have learnt the methods completely. Then you need to start with the real account and trading with your money but with a very small amount.
You have to keep on trading with a very small amount of money for several months and when you see that you can make profit and the number of your successful trades is more than your bad trades, you can increase the amount of the money little by little.
Keep in your mind that Forex and stock trading are all the matter of taking risk. The only thing that you have control on is the amount of the money you put in every trade and also the amount of the money that you let be lost. The rest is not in your hand.
Ok :)
- What do you think about yourself?
- Is Forex a suitable business for you or not?
- What are your weak-points?
- Are you greedy or you have a lot of fear that don’t let you trade properly?
- What is the reason of your fear? Is it because you think you have not learnt the techniques properly or it is because you have made a lot of bad trades and so you have lost your confidence?
Think about the above questions before you make your next trade and please make me happy and thankful with your comments.
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