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Sunday, November 29, 2009

MLPs (Part I)

By Ahmad Hassam

Investing in commodities may be something that investors thought of boring and dull only a few decades back but not anymore now. If you are interested in investing in companies that are involved in the production, transformation and distribution of commodities, than one of the best ways to do so is through investing in the Master Limited Partnership (MLP).

The shares that an MLP issues are called Units and the investors who own them are known as Unit Holders. MLPs are public entities that trade on public exchanges. An MLP issues shares that trade on an exchange just like a company stocks that trades on an exchange. You can invest in an MLP by buying its shares on an exchange.

Now most of the MLPs trade on the New York Stock Exchange. A few MLPs also trade on the NASDAQ and the AMEX. When you invest in an MLP, you are essentially investing in public partnership. There are tax advantages to investing in MLP. Unlike regular corporations, an MLP is only taxed once. Because of Congressional Legislation, any MLP that derives 90% or more of its income from the production, distribution and transformation of commodities qualifies for this tax exempt scheme. You must be curious how this tax advantage works out.

There is a tax exemption on MLPs. You must be curious how this tax advantage works out. Because of Congressional Legislation, any MLP that derives 90% or more of its income from the production, distribution and transformation of commodities qualifies for this tax exempt scheme.

This tax advantage gives an MLP competitive advantage as compared to other corporations when competing for assets. This means a huge advantage for an MLP. Now an MLP is run by a General Partner (GP). In most cases, the majority of these GPs in MLPs are other corporate entities setup with the specific purpose of running an MLP.

The role of a GP is very important in an MLP. You as an investor in the assets of MLP might have a very limited role or say in its running. You can think of yourself as a sleeping partner in the MLP. In most cases, the majority of these GPs in MLPs are other corporate entities setup with the specific purpose of running an MLP. This tax advantage gives an MLP competitive advantage as compared to other corporations when competing for assets. This means a huge advantage for an MLP. Now an MLP is run by a General Partner (GP). But you don't have to worry much about the GP. Most GPs do a good job of running the MLP as it is in their financial interests. GPs know that if they don't make sound management and investment decisions, most of the investors my eventually deicide to divest themselves from the units of the MLP. Now you must know as a limited partner in an MLP, you have limited voting rights. This means when you invest in an MLP, you are giving away the keys of ownership to the GP. This means you are out of the decision making in an MLP.

Investing in MLP units can give you quarterly cash flows as well as appreciation of the unit price. An MLP is obligated to distribute all available cash back to its unit holders on a quarterly basis, so you will be getting a quarterly income from your units. Secondly as the MLP expands and grows overtime, its units may give you capital gain as well. - 23212

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The Lowdown On Foreign Currency Trading

By John Eather

Want to make money on trades but you're not willing to lose money on the standard markets but don't know anything about foreign currency trading online? You may not know, but there's a market that is open, twenty four seven that can make you riches beyond your wildest dreams and it's called the Forex.

The foreign exchange market or Forex is a virtual market that is open all day, every day. On this exchange, foreign currencies are bought and sold. You can make a lot of money on this market if you have the right tools. Many people are making their fortunes on the Forex market.

Don't know how to decide what currencies you should buy and sell? No worries, there. With Expert Advisor software, you can rest easy knowing that your money is being well cared for. You can set parameters on when to buy and sell and how you want your trades carried out.

Are you afraid that you'll mess something up and end up losing a heap of money? I felt the same way, once. After I found the perfect Expert Advisor software for myself, I suddenly realized that there was nothing to be scared of. I could allow my software to manipulate the trades I specified and only the ones I wanted to be carried out.

If you try to get into the foreign exchange market without having knowledge on your side, you're bound to fail. This is not a joke, you can lose everything if you go into this or any other investing and trading opportunity blind.

I've watched others enter the market, unprepared and let me tell you, there's nothing good to be gained by disregarding the inexpensive and incredible advice and guidance that you'll get from using a good advisor software package that was created just for people like you by the pros. If you truly don't want to make money, then steer clear of foreign currency trading. - 23212

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MLPs (Part II)

By Ahmad Hassam

As said, this has to be done on a quarterly basis. The reason MLPs exist is to distribute all available cash back to the MLP unit holders. The following factors are considered before determining the amount of cash distributed to each individual investor:

1) The difference between the total cash flow and the cash flow ploughed back into the MLP for futures growth. 2) How many units you hold as an MLP investor. 3) The incentive distribution rights created for the GP. These are just a few factors. There might be more as well. You need to understand the reasons behind the factors that determine the distribution of cash among the individual investors.

You must do your due diligence while making your investment decisions. There are always pros and cons of each investment vehicle! So once you decide to invest in commodities, you have many investment options like mutual funds, stocks, ETFs as well as MLPs.

You can invest in commodity stocks, you can invest in commodity ETFs, you can invest in commodity mutual funds. The possibilities are many. So investing in an MLP is just like investing in stocks. Investing in MLPs is quite simple. Since an MLP is a publicly traded entity. You can simply invest in an MLP by calling your broker and telling him or her how many units of a particular MLP you are interested in buying.

There are not many MLPs registered in US. Something like 50 MLPs is being publicly traded in the United States. Out of these 50, 40 are energy MLPs meaning that they are involved in the storage terminals, pipelines, transportation, refining and distribution. Majority of MLPs trade on NYSE with a few trading on NASDAQ and AMEX! So you don't have to do your research from a long list of MLPs. MLP sector is growing.

Moreover, investing in pipelines and other energy infrastructure offers steady cash flow streams for an MLP. You only need to remember this 90% of the income that comes to an MLP should come from the production and distribution of commodities for these MLPs to have the tax exempt status.

So when you invest in an MLP, you should look for answers to the following questions: 1) What's the historical payout of the MLP? 2) How much is the cash flow? And so on. If your brokerage firm has published some research on the MLPs, you can reference that.

Now investing in MLPs do come with some risks like most of the infrastructure is like pipelines and drilling rigs that are vulnerable to natural disasters and earth quakes like the Hurricane Katrina, so any such event can have a negative impact on your investment.

There is another risk related with the management. You don't have much say in the management of the MLP. Running an MLP is basically a GP show. If you are not satisfied with the performance of the management or its policies only thing that you can do is to withdraw your investment from that MLP. Since the MLP is fairly small at this moment, there can be liquidity issues in withdrawing your investment from an MLP. These are some of the risk that you can face while investing in an MLP. - 23212

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Working with a Forex Broker

By Bart Icles

While it is always possible for you to survive in forex trading all by yourself, there are times when you simply need the help of a forex broker. But before you seek help from the first foreign exchange broker you can lookup in the internet, it is important that you evaluate things first. It is important that you remember that it is not always that you will need the help of broker but sometimes it can just be simply useful to have a broker by your side. One factor that will help you in determining whether or not you will need to work with a broker is your experience in individual trading. Brokers usually have a wide knowledge of the market but it is totally up to you to choose to trade with a broker or continue to trade all by yourself.

One of the things you should learn about forex brokers is that they would usually help you with trading through the assistance of a software package that will enable you to make transactions and gather information on market prices online. Technology has advanced dramatically that brokers now use the internet to gather trading facts and figures online and use these vital snippets of information in developing new ideas and tools. In selecting a foreign exchange broker, try to check if a certain broker is able to truly help you succeed in the market and become good at trading. If they are able to ensure that you are able to understand various important aspects of forex trading, you can always consider trading with them.

It would be to your advantage to work with a forex broker if that certain adviser is able to provide you with relevant market information in real time. It would also help if that agent is able to give you updates in a flash. This can be made possible through the trading software used by the dealer you choose to work with so when evaluating forex brokers, make it a point to review the trading software that they use as well.

There are practically two types of software used: client-based and web-based. Web-based trading software are starting to become more popular because they do not need to be installed into your system, you simply need to access them through the internet.

Just remember that the reason why you would want to work with a forex broker is that you need someone to help you become more successful in trading. When a forex broker appears to do nothing but confuse you even more, then you would be better off trading individually. - 23212

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Selling Real Estate Using Twitter

By Jerome Pennix

At every real estate conventions, boot camps, or seminars the topic of marketing comes up. Someone will mention Facebook (that's a whole different story) which is always closely followed by a comment about Twitter. So... let's evaluate is Twitter worth it? If it IS worth it, how can you best use it for great results? First, lets look at just what Twitter is and what it can do for your marketing efforts.

Twitter.com is a website that anyone can make a profile and become a "micro-blogger". Twitter is like an original blog (aka web-log) in that it allows you say anything you desire to say to anyone and everyone that will see it - with a single exception. Twitter only lets you to express yourself--0 letters at a time. So it's a little similar to using you cell phone to send the world a text message. When you identify a profile of a person whose Twitter posts (called "tweets") you can "follow" that person - whenever they put up something new, it will show up on your Twitter home screen. If someone locates YOUR profile and follows YOU, then you will be notified that that person is "following" you. Now that you know the basics, let's look at making this a useful and PROFITABLE avenue for you.

Because the old adage "Out of sight, out of mind" is always true, you'll have to keep active with your "tweeting". You should post at least one time a day. Find information to say specific to real estate - information that other people will deem useful. If you just start putting info about properties you in your portfolio for sale, it probably won't get you as far as you desired. After all - when have you last opened and read an email from someone trying to sell you something?

If you give your followers information they can use or information they find interesting (even if it ISN'T about real estate) then you'll have an opportunity to keep their attention. When you gain their trust, they'll be more willing to consider what you have to say when you do offer them a property you have listed.

Twitter, like other social networking sites, is a wonderful way to network and connect with people - just keep in mind that they are real people and desire to be respected and treated like real people. They aren't dollar signs. So connect when someone follows you, send them a short personal "tweet" letting them feel you appreciate them.

Remember that being real with others and giving thoughtful content is what Twitter is made for - the profit will follow if you treat people like people and post routinely so that your Twitter marketing is constantly on the radar! The more you "Tweet", the larger your following will become - and the larger your following, the better your opportunities of communicating with a person who is interested in making a deal - which, of course, means a greater opportunity for you to profit! - 23212

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