You may be surprised to know that your vacation meals, can cost you more than your airfare. Here are some simple ways to cut costs on vacation meals. Cook for yourself – Book a hotel that offers a kitchenette or a mini fridge. Always eat breakfast in your room. You can stop at any supermarket and pick up some essentials, like fruit, cereal, milk, disposable plates and spoons. Eat 2 meals instead of 3 – When you’re on holiday you’re usually off your daily routine. Most days will be late starts, so have brunch and opt for an early supper at 5pm. Stock up on healthy snacks – Fresh fruit, crackers, cheese, nuts, water and milk are easy snacks to carry in your bag. Share your meals – Most restaurants serve large portions, use this to order a main and an entree and split it. If you’re travelling with children, ask the restaurant if they have a children’s menu. Look for cafes – Small cafes will provide a wide range of breakfasts, sandwiches and healthy smoothies at reasonable prices. Book a hotel that includes breakfast buffets – Breakfast buffets at a hotel usually have a variety of breakfast dishes plus a few mains. This is ideal for an early brunch. Happy hour – Many bars and pubs have happy hour from 3.30pm – 5.30pm. These happy hour offers are not only for drinks, they also include pub food such as pies, fish and chips and...

Feb 21, 2016

In economic climates such as these, there are very instruments that provide double digit returns. With the extremely low rates, some countries are seeing charges from banks to deposit funds. Index and other funds are also no longer the risk free return investors have come to expect. Real estate is one of the few investments if done right, can result in healthy returns. There are two primary conditions that need to be met in order for an investment in real estate to provide the kind of returns we like. Location This is the more important of the two conditions. Mature real estate markets will not see significant appreciation. In order to see the kind of return we are looking for, look for property in up and coming areas. Preferably close to transport hubs and infrastructure. There is a lot of research that will need to go in. Before you actually invest, qualify your plan first. Do a test run of your research and track how your selected property and area do over a certain period of time. This will give you a reasonable idea of what to expect from your selection. Time Unless you are looking to flip a properly quickly, real estate is a medium term investment. In the short term the returns are likely to be lower single digit. In order to maximize your returns, look to divest around the three year mark. There is a point the appreciation of the property will start to slow. That is the point you will want to...

Jan 21, 2016

The 50/20/30 guideline is one used by planners when working with new clients to help them understand where they spend their funds. This method can be used by anyone who is looking to work within a budget, to ensure that they have sufficient money for the month as well as savings. Fixed costs – These costs are those that do not vary very much during the month. For example, mortgage payments, utilities, car payments and rent. You could also add monthly memberships, like gym and subscriptions, like Netflix. A planner will suggest that you allocate 50% of your monthly earning for these costs. Financial goals – These goals can include savings for an emergency fund, retirement fund or down payment for a home or land. Planners will suggest that you allocate 20% of your funds for this purpose. This saving will help you maintain a secure future for you and your dependants. Flexible spending – These costs are those that vary during the month. This will include groceries, take out, shopping, entertainment and travel. A planner will recommend 30% of your monthly earnings for this area of spending. Remember that you can be flexible in this area as long as you don’t go over the allocated sum. If your looking at putting a 50/20/30 budget guideline into action, start off with putting down all your expenses, preferably on an excel sheet. You should do this for at least a month prior to assess your pattern of spending and then allocate your funds...

Jan 6, 2016

By Samuel Phineas Upham Banks are usually held to different standards because of the volume of money that flows through them. In the most recent fiscal crisis, we frequently heard this term “too big to fail” in reference to banks. Banking regulation aims to provide some guidelines and frameworks banks can work within to prevent this kind of thing from happening. They are not always successful, and some of these regulations can be rather knee jerk, but they come from a place of wanting to preserve the integrity and credibility of our financial system. Three basic principles guide the concepts involved with banking regulation. The Minimum It’s typical for banking regulations to lay out some minimum requirements that help to telegraph the objectives of the regulation. The one most commonly used is maintaining minimum capital ratios, but regulations usually apply to whichever parts of the bank stand to be exposed to the most risk. US banks have quite a bit of control during this process, and typically work closely with regulators on this aspect. Review by Supervisor Every bank is required to hold a license to operate. Those licenses are overseen by a regulatory supervisor, whose job it is to monitor the activity of registered banks. Regulatory supervisors also respond when there is a breach or a crisis at the bank. They are empowered to issue fines, give direction or revoke the bank’s license in extreme cases. Discipline Banks with discipline aren’t simply fiscally responsible; they have to disclose their financial information. That aspect is crucial when assessing risk, as is the market price. Together, that data signals the financial health of the institution. About the Author: Samuel Phineas Upham is an investor at a family office/ hedgefund, where he focuses on special situation illiquid investing. Before this position, Phin Upham was working at Morgan Stanley in the Media and Telecom group. You may contact Phin on his Samuel Phineas Upham website or...

Dec 21, 2015

Saving for retirement is often overlooked, since most young people assume that it is too far along the way to warrant any present investment. Saving for retirement early means that once you do retire you will have sufficient funds to do the things that you have always enjoyed. It’s good to start with a well paying job but a well paying job doesn’t guarantee savings for retirement. Here are a few tips to help you save for a secure, happy retirement. Save…NOW Don’t wait till you’re over 30 to start saving for your retirement. Speak to your local bank and look into a retirement fund. Your retirement fund value will vary according to your earnings. Since you will have to save a set value every month, you will learn to manage your other expenses accordingly. Don’t use the saved funds Avoid using a lump sum from your investment before retirement. Think of your retirement fund as money spent, therefore making it inaccessible. Expenses such as purchasing a new home, car or paying for your child’s education will come up, but remember that there are other ways to fund these expenses and your retirement fund is not one of them. Save more. If you have excess funds after your retirement fund monthly fee has been charged, save the excess. These saving can be invested in stocks, bonds, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and mutual funds, but make sure you receive sound investment advice from a reputed...