Profiting from bear market – New Telegraph Nigerian Newspaper

The current low prices of stocks occasioned by the downturn of the economy present bargain hunters investment opportunities. CHRIS UGWU writes

A bear market refers to a market-wide decline in stock prices of at least 15-20 per cent coupled with a pessimistic sentiment about the market. Clearly, these times are nothing to look forward to and fighting back can be dangerous. However, according to Investopedia, bear markets can provide great opportunities for investors.

“The trick is to know what you are looking for. Beaten up, battered, and underpriced: these are all descriptions of stocks during a bear market. Value investors such as Warren Buffett often view bear markets as buying opportunities because the valuations of good companies get hammered down along with the poor companies and sit at very attractive valuations. Buffett often builds up his position in some of his favorite stocks during lessthan- cheery times in the market because he knows that the market’s nature is to punish even good companies by more than they deserve,” said Investopedia.

MMM: 7 reasons real entrepreneurs are not interested BY ENYIOMA MADUBUIKE

MMM is trending here in Nigeria. Every week, I get an average of five invites across all social media platforms to join the MMM ‘movement’.  In the unlikely event that you have not heard of MMM having just emerged from a cave to miraculously run into this article, MMM is a platform which in summary, claims to operate a mutual aid programme requesting participants to provide money to others and promising returns of 30% of such monies after 30 days. It is a global platform touted as a Ponzi scheme (as it obviously is) and reported to be operated by Sergei Mavrodi, a Russian jailed in his home country in the late 1990’s when his earliest schemes ripped Russians millions of Dollars and led to many suicides. The Nigerian adaptation is an ingenious creation displaying an understanding of the culture, beliefs and thought processes of the typical Nigerian. Its model stands out as a lesson for all entrepreneurs looking to push their products into new markets.

Apart from these lessons however I have had the opportunity to disuss the platform with colleagues and there seems to be no debate on the status of the platform as a Ponzi Scheme as it does tick all  boxes. See http://nairametrics.com/how-to-know-if-its-a-ponzi-scheme/ for hints. Regardless of its status as a Ponzi scheme however, I still get people telling me how it is still a useful source of quick cash before it crashes. For the following reasons, this position as pragmatic as it sounds does not quite resonate with me and I believe with a lot of entrepreneurs out there trying to build a product.

Promise of big money consistently with little work. Entrepreneurs know that there are of course things that you can do to make money without having to work all that hard. But, it’s just not possible for everyone who joins a business to be able to make so much returns without working. Making money takes work. Entrepreneurs also know that NO business on earth can consistently provide such returns. Businesses have ups and downs simple.

The Principle of value. Real entrepreneurs understand that real wealth is generated from the creation of value and not from instantaneous windfalls resulting from concocted trade-offs. They understand the paradox of the lottery winner…money minus value does not equal wealth.

Understanding Money. Real entrepreneurs understand that money is really not valuable in itself. It is valuable because people agree to make it a medium of exchange for REAL value. Its utility lies in its use as current (hence currency) for the movement of value thereby obviating barter. A system running merely on the exchange of money for profit is nothing but a SCAM. Participating in a system like that is lending credence to the scam.

Not an investment: I have heard people liken the MMM system to investing in shares.  The comparison is laughable. When an investor buys shares, he is taking real risks to contribute into an entity that undertakes in the creation of some sort of value. Investing in shares takes careful thought, analysis, and assessment. He does not expect consistent returns. By buying shares, the investor expresses faith in the vision of the company and faith in the management to execute the vision. It takes knowledge to avoid serious burns. So NO, MMM is not comparable to investing in shares.

The issue of focus: Entrepreneurs are busy trying to create and perfect systems, solve problems, devise innovative answers to challenges. They are going to look at a get rich quick scheme as mere distraction in terms of the time and resources to be expended into chasing a venture that provides no ultimate value addition to themselves or the society.

The Moral question: If you are sure that a system is a scam propped up by the resources of naïve but trusting participants being manipulated by experienced “confidence men” with an uncanny understanding of human greed and a history of taking advantage of it, would you still support it with your money?

The understanding of risk: Proponents of the scheme tout the cliché; “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” because it paints the contrarian picture of a daring risk taker. Entrepreneurs however understand the difference between gambling and enlightened risk taking.  A gamble is taken without understanding or control of the variables which are to determine the desired outcome. Investing involves enlightened risk taking which entails an understanding of key variables and a reasonable grasp of possible eventualities. If I commit to give my money to a scheme over which I have no control, because of returns of which I have no sight, I am not investing, I am gambling.

The times are hard. Nigerians are seeing the MMM scheme as some sort of christ which will save us from the harsh realities of the current recession despite the obvious signs that it is not. To all those who cannot resist the temptation of quick easy cash, please proceed with extreme caution. To all those who do not participate in the scheme as a matter of principle, know that you are not alone.

Enyioma Madubuike is a lawyer, writer and entrepreneur. Join him on Twitter where he engages in public interest discussions @philkingenyioma

Why Saving Money Won’t Make You Rich

Is saving money your winning strategy to building wealth? If it is, then you had better seek for another strategy with better chances of success. This is because no one has been able to build wealth just by saving money. Managing savings is a good discipline which can result in having a comfortable quality of life, but not a wealthy quality of life.

Following are some reasons why saving money alone won’t make you rich:
1. The rich don’t ascribe success to savings From the study of multi-millionaires and billionaires in the last couple of years, not one hinged their success in amassing wealth to saving. A good number of them mentioned taking advantage of opportunities, meeting needs, solving problems and surmounting obstacles as the key that propelled them to achieving substantial wealth and fortune.

2. Currencies lose value Every currency whether it is the euro, pound sterling, dollar or naira continues to depreciate in value on a regular basis. The value of the naira and what it could buy, for example, in 1976 cannot be compared to what it is now in 2016. By 2056, it will have drastically decreased in value and there is no sign that this trend will abate. Putting money into savings for the long term yields funds whose values will have seriously depreciated from what it is today. This is the major reason why you cannot build wealth just by saving money because the money’s value is constantly being eroded. The prices of goods and services constantly increase while the value of money used to purchase them goes in the opposite direction.

8 Basic Principles For Investing Wisely by Investor Guide

1. Start Investing Now
We say this not just to discourage procrastination, but because an early start can make all the
difference. In general, every six years you wait doubles the required monthly savings to reach the same level of retirement income.
Another motivational statistic: If you contributed some amount each month for the next nine years, and then nothing afterwards, or if you contributed
nothing for the first nine years, then contributed the same amount each month for the next 41
years, you would have about the same amount. Compounding is a beautiful thing.

2. Know Thyself                           The right course of action depends on your current situation, your future goals, and your personality. If you don’t take a close look at these, and make them explicit, you might be headed in the wrong
direction.
Current Situation: How healthy are you, financially? What’s your net worth right now? What’s your
monthly income? What are your expenses (and where could they be reduced)? How much debt are
you carrying? At what rate of interest? How much are you saving? How are you investing it? What are your returns? What are your expenses?
Goals: What are your financial goals? How much
will you need to achieve them? Are you on theright track?
Risk Tolerance: How much risk are you willing and able to accept in pursuit of your objectives?
The appropriate level of risk is determined by your personality, age, job security, health, net worth,
amount of cash you have to cover emergencies, and the length of your investing horizon.

3.Get Your Financial House In Order
Even though investing may be more fun than personal finance,it makes more sense to get
started on them in the reverse order. If you don’t know where the money goes each month, you shouldn’t be thinking about investing yet. Tracking your spending habits is the first step toward improving them. If you’re carrying debt at a high rate of interest (especially credit card debt), you should unburden yourself before you begin
investing. If you don’t know how much you save each month and how much you’ll need to save to
reach your goals, there’s no way to know what investments are right for you. If you’ve transitioned from a debt situation to a paycheck-to-paycheck situation to a saving some money every month situation, you’re ready to begin
investing what you save. You should start by amassing enough to cover three to six months of
expenses, and keep this money in a very safe investment like a money market account, so you’re
prepared in the event of an emergency. Once you’ve saved up this emergency reserve, you can
progress to higher risk (and higher return) investments: bonds for money that you expect to
need in the next few years, and stocks or stock mutual funds for the rest. Use dollar cost averaging , by investing about the same amount each month. This is always a good idea,but even more so with the dramatic fluctuations in the market in the past
10 years. Dollar cost averaging will make it easier to stomach the inevitable dips. And remember, never invest in anything you don’t
understand.

BOOST YOUR FINANCES TODAY AND RAISE AS MUCH CAPITAL AS YOU NEED FOR YOUR START UP OR GROWING BUSINESS WITH JUST N5500 INITIAL CAPITAL.

The current global economic downturn has brought about an unprecedented redistribution in global income. Meaning that wealth is gradually changing hands.

The question is: from whom and to whom?

The answer is simple: from those who lack modern innovative and entrepreneurial investment strategies to those who are capable of thinking differently and that are constantly exploiting innovative strategies to diversify and grow their income streams.

The question then is: are you willing to explore a very simple, reliable, easy, cheap and very lucrative source of additional income generation that would help you boost your finances and raise the capital you need to finance your own business.

If your answer is yes, then you are very lucky because i am about to introduce to very exciting and lucrative investment opportunity that is bound to produce for you as much money as you can desire with just little effort and a very little sum of N5500. This is no joke. It is the case of a mustard seed been able to produce a very large tree with an infinite supply of fruits to the person who must have gotten the seed at little or no cost.

Remember, to be poor simply means to pass over opportunities repeatedly. I would appeal to you not to let this opportunity pass you buy for any reason.

The opportunity:

Direct Bank saver is an existing online product of a company called Direct Business Associate which is registered under the Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission and other bodies that control businesses and financial institutions in Nigeria. Direct bank saver is aimed at helping every one in Nigeria earn, save and start any business of their choice for the unemployed and also help those that are employed to improve their income.

When you become a member of direct bank saver, you become eligible to enjoy all of the under listed benefits:

1. you earn N4500 instantly to your bank account for every person you introduce to DBS who registers on the site with your ID.

2. you gain access to over 100 ebooks which are released in batches for you to upgrade yourself in business, financial management and entrepreneurship.

3. you also have access to a very soft loan of N500000 if you are active for 6months or you have registered 100 people directly under you

4. Also, earn a yearly recurrent annual income of N12,000 on your project account balance being a subscribed member of DBS

5. Many more amazing incentives still on the way.

So how does this work and how do I get involved?

To get started, head over to http://www.directbanksaver.com. You will require a Subscriber ID

to continue, type in “emelie” without the quotes and you are good to go. After logging in with the subscriber id, you will see all the steps you need to follow to register and become a full member  gain access to all the amazing incentives earlier mentioned.

Please feel free to drop all your comments and questions and ill be at hand to reply to them. Remember! it is within your power to achieve whatever you want to achieve through the Grace of God.

you can contact me @ 08133385000

Thanks for your audience and i hope to receive good news from you in no distant time.