Showing posts with label investment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label investment. Show all posts

Tuesday 13 February 2024

Share Investment Strategies - Owen O'Malley


If It’s Good Enough for Warren Buffett….

Owen O’Malley knows a thing or two about building wealth through the share market having over 27 years of trading experience. 

In this presentation, Owen looks at strategies for building wealth on the share market. How you can become a millionaire within 10 years.

In 2020, I was introduced to Owen and today through investment clubs, consortiums and private clients, Karen Newton International has over 200 people in our groups and investment funds of over $1 million.

Want to learn more about trading?

https://youtu.be/bwOoSHyHPHo


 

Monday 12 February 2024

Rome Wasn't Built in a Day, Neither is Wealth


Rome wasn't built in a day - neither is wealth is the theme for today's post.

Many people want instant gratification, with wealth now, income now and the lifestyle now.  But a reality check is needed.

We see and hear all these stories about making so much money in so many hours but it rarely works and is just a headline with a lot of qualifiers to justify why no-one gets the immediate results.

Creating wealth is about taking a series of action steps today that will provide the results in the future.

For example - if I want passive income coming in every month then there has to be something to generate the income.  Building an online business takes a lot of work, learning and analytics to get consistent income from the website.  Shares needs a strategy of investing regularly and learning how to pick the right shares to get the income.  Property takes time to buy and find tenants.

Everything is about taking time.  Time to learn, time to implement and time for the results to come.

What actions are you taking today that will reward you in the future? 



 

Wednesday 10 January 2024

Why Brand You is Perfect for an Online Business

 

When I started coaching, everyone was telling me I needed a brand for my business.  

It became known as The £2.73 Club based on if you saved £2.73 per day then you had one thousand a year and were able to invest.

Then people told me that The £2.73 Club sounded too small and if I wanted investors to invest with me I needed another name.

It didn't matter that I had spent a small fortune on £2.73 branding, website, event material etc.

I couldn't come up with another name despite working with a branding agent who said, your business name is unique and means something - this was not what my business partner wanted to hear when we had spent £500 with the agent.

Eventually, during covid, my business partner left and the business became Karen Newton International.

Why?

It is my brand, it is built around the things I've learned to build my wealth to what it is today.  Brand me, is the best brand for my business.

In Newsletter #029 recently released on The Online Entrepreneur website, I talk about Brand You and the benefits of making you the brand.


Joint Ventures

Today, one of the Karen Newton International Joint Ventures for property investing completed on their first property deal in Spain.

The property is on a Golf Resort at Condado de Alhama, Murcia.  A lovely central location for golf, tennis, swimming, going to the beach or city life.

Momentum is starting to grow and a second property deal is in progress which I'll be able to announce shortly.

Joint Ventures are a great way to get started as an investor.

Another Joint Venture is Share Investing - through our investment clubs we pool our money together and are able to trade and grow the pot faster.  We now have 5 investment clubs managing just under $1 million and providing trading opportunities to nearly 200 people.

Tonight I get to work with 3 of those amazing clubs.

Have a great day.


Friday 17 January 2014

Being A Landlord


Being a landlord is easy if you know the rules and regulations.  Twenty years ago if you owned a rental property it was simple to let it.  The landlord checked the roof didn’t leak, that it had four solid walls and a floor, set the rent level and found a tenant for life.  Then sat back and watched the money roll in but today the world of the landlord is changing.  Successive UK and EU governments have introduced so much legislation the landlord doesn’t know from one day to the next if the let on his property is legal or illegal.  Fines can be hefty.  Prison is a possibility.  Landlords can even lose the right to evict a tenant.  Here we look at some of the important legislation a landlord needs to comply with

Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) – before any property can be advertised for rent it must have an EPC report.  The report must be shown in full to the prospective tenants before they make a decision about the property.  Fixed penalties of £200 are applied if the landlord fails to obtain one.

Gas Safety Certificates – All properties must have a current gas safety certificate which has to be updated every 12 months.  The Health and Safety Executive are able to prosecute or imprison any landlord found not having a valid certificate. 

Information Commissioners Office (ICO) – it seems reasonable enough that the landlord will want to know as much as possible about the person they will be letting the property to.  They will want to be sure the prospective tenant can afford to rent the property, will look after it and does not have a poor credit history.  But did you know as soon as the landlord starts asking this information under the data protection act they need to be registered with the ICO.  Fines can vary from 3000 euros to 500,000 euros for breaches of the data protection act.

Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO) – if a landlord has a property that is classed as an HMO they will need to be licensed with the local council to be able to let the property.  Each council has it’s own licensing requirements and fees. Failure to register with the council can result in prosecution and fines up to £20,000.  If more people than the license approves live in the property another £20,000 fine, a further £5,000 fine for each breach of the license and the right to evict the tenant.  The landlord could also have to repay any rent collected.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Make-Living-From-Property/dp/1480022195/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389952383&sr=8-1&keywords=karen+newton
 

Landlord Accreditation – many councils in the UK require the landlord to be accredited if they want to rent a property.  Accreditation is a test that ensures the landlord is up to date with current rules and regulations and continues to keep themselves up to date through continuous learning.  In Wales landlords are required to attend a one day seminar and pass a test.  In England accreditation depends on the local council.  Landlord Associations also run their own accreditation schemes.

Health and Safety – every property needs to be assessed to ensure it complies with Health and Safety rules.  This is an assessment the landlord can do themselves.  It ensures tenants cannot come to any harm while they occupy the property.  Follow up checks should be done to ensure the tenant does not cause any potential harm while renting the property.

Green Deal – with effect from October 2012 (in England) and January 2013 (in Wales) landlords need to demonstrate they are continually improving the energy efficiency of the property they are letting.  Green Deal is a scheme aimed at helping landlords fund improvements to their properties.  From 2014 any property with an energy efficiency report of G will no longer be allowed to be let.  The plan is that over the coming years only properties with a rating of A to D will be able to be let.

The world of the landlord is continually changing.  Keeping up to date with current legislation has never been more important.  But, if you know your rules and regulations letting a property in the UK is easy.
 

Friday 5 October 2012

Do I or Don't I?....

Do I or Don’t I?…


It was a dilemma, do I or don’t I cancel the training for Wednesday? It was a small crowd of 15 people coming from around Wales and England. Was it fair to let them down by cancelling at the last minute?

My step-dad died on Sunday after being in hospital and care since Christmas. It was unexpected. He had a temperature Saturday night and was taken into hospital. Seemed fine but within a couple of hours was gone.

In addition, we are still reeling from the burglary and all the repercussions that involves with the police and insurance companies. The thought of trying to put on a smiley happy persona in front of 15 people was the last thing I wanted to do.

I decided to go ahead and turned up with my folders and pen in hand. It didn’t take long to realise what a great, motivated and enthused crowd we had.

I’m really pleased I made the decision not to cancel. The session started quietly, as they always do, as people wary of one an other at the start begin to relax. Within 40 minutes there was a buzz around the room which grew for the remainder of the session. It was a good crowd and fun and the energy was so infectious I thoroughly enjoyed the training.

So I have to say a big thank you to everyone who turned up. I hope you got something from the training. I know you gave me a lot.

Saturday 28 April 2012

The Compound Effect

If you are only ever going to read one book then 'The Compound Effect' by Darren Hardy should be near the top of your list.

Darren was the guest speaker at a function I was scheduled to attend in March.  Unfortunately, last minute family emergency meant I was unable to go. But, earlier this month I got the opportunity to watch a video of the event.  Darren's speech was funny, entertaining and motivational.  So much so, I searched online for his book 'The Compound Effect'. I enjoyed it so much it has become my book of the month.

The Compound Effect discusses how little actions or choices made today can have a large impact on your future.  You may not notice immediately but in 1 year, 5 years or even 10 years down the track you can see the results of the choices made today.  As someone who uses compounding interest principal in my day to day investments I particularly liked the analogy between having a magic penny that doubles in value every day or being given £3million in cash.  Very much like the story I tell of the Fairy Godmother and the magic train.

Paul J Meyer, has had a big influence in Darren Hardy's life which is noticeable throughout the book.  I also use the teachings of Mr Meyer and particularly like his Effective Personal Productivity programme.  However, reading The Compound Effect, I realised how much I have procrastinated in some areas of my life.  A look at the waist line in the mirror confirming as much as did the dust burning on the treadmill motor as I used it for the first time in several months.

The Compound Effect has provided a much needed wake-up call.  While, I have been successful with investing and creating an envious lifestyle I have let procrastination settle in forsaking the skills and disciplines that have provided my successes to date.  The past week has been spent reviewing my goals, aspirations and a new energy or 'Big Mo' as Darren calls it has been reawakened.

I now eagerly await a copy of Darren Hardy's other book 'Design Your Best Year Ever'.  I'm sure it will be as inspirational as The Compound Effect.  

Friday 25 November 2011

The Panic is Starting...

The panic is starting .......No, I'm not talking about doing your online Christmas shopping. Although if you haven't yet started it probably is time to start panicking.  What I'm referring to is the imminent problems in Europe and a worldwide depression.

Every day in the news we hear more countries in Europe are facing financial difficulties. How many people have forgotten about Greece which has been shoved to the background because of the new stories emerging? Their problems haven't suddenly gone away they just aren't newsworthy at the moment.  In a couple of weeks when they are again due to run out of money they'll be thrust back into the limelight again.

The countries currently in the headlines are:

Germany - once thought to be the savious of Europe and the Euro have found themselves out of favour with investors and this week failed to sell their full 6bn euro bonds. They could only sell 3.6bn euros and that was for much higher interest rates than expected. With opportunities to resolve the European turmoil squandered and  rumours circulating that Germany is printing deutchemarks in readiness for the fall of the euro it is no wonder there was a lack of confidence in buying German Bonds.



France - also squandered an opportunity to tackle the european crisis.  Their banks more than any other country have large exposure to sovereign debt.  Any default or break up of the euro would leave them vunerable to collapse. Rating agencies are looking carefully and France and their AAA rating is at risk. So France's attempts to sell French bonds was met with a luke warm market and interest rates were much higher than previous sales.

Other countries - in the headlings this week are Austria, Belgium and Latvia who all have banks in financial difficulties who are likely to need bailouts. Latvia nationalised it's bank but that hasn't helped stop the run on the bank in question

Europe is heading for recession and bar a miracle is probably already in recession and that will impact on Britain and other countries worldwide.

Today the FSA announced that banks need to have emergency plans in place inreadiness for the collapse of the euro. They went on further to say the euro could collapse within weeks.  European banks are frantically trying to sell off assets so they have cash in hand to deal with the crisis.

And what about us as investors? Well, Britain is still a relatively good place to do business.  Opportunities exist if you go looking for them. It is very much going to be every person providing for themselves and not relying on others to do it for them.  Keep building those assets and you will have a better chance of surviving 2012.

Sunday 6 November 2011

Yuk! It's School Time Again

After two weeks of half term holidays it is back to school again tomorrow. The daily grind of up at 6:00am begins again. But this second half term will be different. The clocks have gone back to GMT time and it will be dark when I collect my daughter from school.

When we are on British Summer Time (BST) our after school activities include walking the dog along the canal to a local playing field where he gets a run; bike rides around the boating lake or up to the Open Hearth Pub; Walks around Tredegar House Park. The activities only last half an hour or so but it is wind down time for all of us. For me it's the end of a busy day and my chance to get out of the house. For my husband it marks the time to switch off the phone which rings non-stop everyday and relax with the family.  For my daughter it's a break before starting homework. For the dog it's his chance to be let off the lead and have a free run. Sadly, due to the darkness, these activities become reserved for fine weekends only until it starts getting light again..



The other thing I dislike about school is the whole school system.  Don't get me wrong, school is important as our daughter needs to learn the basics reading, writing and arithmetic but unfortunately school is aimed at producing the next generation of employees and not the next generation of entrepreneurs or investors. Although only 12 years old our daughter already has a long list of business opportunities she wants to develop. Some will be consigned to the waste bin within a year or two but most have real potential to be outstanding businesses of the future. Her knowledge of investing is growing and will I've no doubt, exceed mine within a few years. (Especially now we have Junior ISA's which allow her to become her own investor). To me school holidays are the time when we work on the skills she will need to run a business or become an investor or both. While having fun we manage to plan, organise, research our trips. Play games that encourage investment and creativity such as monopoly and cashflow. All the while her business list ideas gets longer and her knowledge becomes greater.

For us school holidays are such and important time. As a family we decide what we will be doing each day of the week for the duration of the holidays with contingencies if the weather isn't appropriate for the planned activity. We schedule a morning a week for dealing with work after that it is total activities. These holidays we managed along with our bike rides and walks, mini golf at Celtic Manor; Halloween Party; Cinema; Guy Fawkes party; Visits to Fleet Air Arm Museuem; Haynes Motor Museum and Cadbury World. Two home movie nights and numerous games of Cashflow; Monopoly; Frustration; Articulate and Charades. And our ladies trips to the beauty salon and hairdresser. And while they seem simple enough activities they are building entrepreneurial skills which we hope will support her in her future career whatever it might be.

And so we are back to the school routine tomorrow.  The count down to the Christmas holidays has began.  Six weeks and we're back on holiday again. Six weeks and we are back into the realm of business, investment learning and fun again.

Wednesday 19 October 2011

October Book Review - Surviving 2012

Four years ago in 2007, in unprecedented scenes, Northern Rock had a run on it's branches which saw Northern Rock Bank become nationalised. It was the forerunner to the 2008 Credit Crunch.  Now four years later banks are still in financial difficulty. The almost daily notification of downgrades in credit worthiness of banks comes as no surprise. Countries which printed or borrowed endless money used to bail out their banks are themselves on the brink of bankruptcy.  The implementation of severe austerity measures as countries try and reduce their debt and GDP ratios has only contributed to high inflation, high unemployment and low economic growth. The world is on the brink of a depression unlike anything we have ever seen. Worse than the 1930's Great Depression.  Governments don't know how to solve the problems. They keep fighting with the same old tools that got us into the situation we currently find ourselves in. Instead of improving things it makes them worse. We are facing an enormous disaster and very few people are aware it is coming.

In my fifth book, Surviving 2012, due for release in January 2012, I discuss ways of improving your financial education and preparing for the biggest economic disaster of our lifetime. If you are looking for a know it all answers for everything type of book then this is not for you.  This book has been written as a basic financial book for beginners giving some fundamental information that could can help you survive 2012 and beyond.  The greatest financial disaster of a lifetime is almost upon us. Those with financial education will make it through the coming storm, not unscathed, but in a better position than those not prepared for it. 

As the financial world we know changes forever a great transfer of wealth is beginning and Surviving 2012 can help you share in it.

Surviving 2012 by Karen Newton due for release in January 2012.

Wednesday 1 June 2011

Being an investor .....

1999 was a new beginning.  It began quite simply with a colleague suggesting I read a book.  The book has now gone down in history as one of the great financial books of its time. 'Rich Dad, Poor Dad,' by Robert Kiyosaki.  I read the book, promptly went out and got the second one in the series. I was hooked. My husband wasn't convinced. 

About a month later the same colleague asked if we would like see Robert Kiyosaki in Auckland, NZ in January 2000. The answer was a resounding yes.  At the end of the seminar my husband suggested we buy the third book in the series. The five and a half hours trip from home from Auckland flew by as we discussed all the possible opportunities we had gained from the seminar.  We took a couple of days off work and read book three from cover to cover twice.  Our life as investors was about to begin or so we thought.

New Zealand has a high home ownership population and we decided the best thing for us was to move to Australia and start our new lives as investors. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be and within a week we were on our way to the UK following the death of several family members.

Our plans were on hold for about a year while we dealt with the family tragedies.  We didn't lose sight of what we wanted to do and by 2001 we bought our first house. Run down and needing repairs. We lived in it for 3 years but always with the intention that it was going to be a rental property.  In September 2001, on my husbands birthday we bought another property at auction.  Two houses within 3 months.  From there we set ourselves the target of doubling our portfolio every year.  A strategy we kept going until Northern Rock (one of our major lenders) got into trouble in September 2007, at which stage we had 60 properties and we ground to a halt. The next two years were spent, trying in vain, to raise financing to purchase more properties.

Late August 2009, we were invited to another Robert Kiyosaki seminar.  We again bought some more books, sat down and read them together and hatched the next plan of attack.  At this stage we had a healthy property portfolio but little else in investments. So we decided now was the time to start building other income producing assets. Remembering the advice from the books.  An asset is something that puts money in your pocket. Just keep building the asset column.

We had for twenty odd years dabbled in shares but never in a major way.  That was about to change.  We devised a two level share strategy. We would buy shares that produced a good dividend yield preferably over 7%.  We would also invest in penny shares with the aim to double our money. Sell the shares and put half back into high dividend yield and the other half back into penny shares.  We are still operating that strategy with good results.

We also set ourselves a goal of doubling our income from investments other than property every year.  2010 was a real learning curve as we tried different strategies until we found one that worked well for us.  We didn't quite make our goal of doubling income that year.  But the goal has already been achieved in 2011 and we expect it to be one of our best years for a long time.

We've continued our learning and our investments are now very diversified.  We still hold our property portfolio, we have our penny shares and our high yield dividend shares. We operate a lending portfolio where we provide loans to other people through a third party and receive monthly interest in return. We hold gold, silver, copper and other commodities all of which provide capital growth. 

We've worked hard to become investors in the real sense of the word.  Every day we do something to increase our wealth and our income. We always remember Robert Kiyosaki's advice. The definition of an asset is something that puts money in your pocket.  Keep building the asset column.

Wednesday 27 January 2010

What Green Shoots?

Yesterday's official figures indicated that the UK economy was finally out of recession.  Growth was at 0.1% but could be revised down once the final are released by the National Statistics Office next month.  If the 'normal' revision takes place then we will find ourselves at zero growth or back into the negative.

Am I the only one who sees the so called growth as a normal increase in spending due to the lead up to Christmas and Post Christmas sales?  The CBI have been saying businesses had a bumper Christmas compared to last year not because sales we up but because there was less competition due to the number of high profile business such as Woolworths which had ceased trading.

Unemployment figures last week showed a decrease by seven thousand people.  Again it is normal for businesses to take on temporary staff to cope with Christmas demand.  Are we likely to see unemployment go up again when the next set of figures are released?

I hesitate to say we are out of recession and I expect worse to come as I see no evidence of green shoots just a lot of politicians wearing green coloured glasses.