My Personal Finance Blog

Hospitals and healthcare are definitely on the reliable growth pace. Current industry trend is really reverse to what you would expect, being new to this sector – this is shortage of nurses and medical professionals, meaning that it is rather challenge to find certified applicants, and not really to get new contracts from healthcare organizations. This trends requires the investors to look at healthcare staffing agency from the perspective of its popularity among nurses community – getting nurses opinions on which company is “better” – in the senses of being more friendly, offering better conditions, including faster paychecks issuance. As medical staffing companies actually sells services in the form of recruiting fees, plus W2 services to their medical temps – you should feel the nature of the risks and the opportunities: they are at the management experience, passion and competence side, not in real material assets, such as plants, production tools or even buildings. Let’s try to see the pro and contra arguments:

1. Economy Cycles: Booms and Recessions – healthcare is always in demand, so it should be considered stable and not really exposed to economy cycling. This statement might be considered as a trend, however some companies will suffer from bad economy, but in our opinion mostly due to the recession “atmosphere”.

2. US population “aging” – this is similar to what was long times seen in Europe and Japan, where immigration offset (or even new young immigrants inflow reversed the aging process) was not as active as in United States. Senior population requires more medicine attention and potentially will increase the workload for healthcare staffing organizations, who supply hospitals, nursing homes and retirement communities with nurses and medical doctors.

3. Baby Boomers “contribution”. It is believed to be a factor and it should begin its population aging contribution, in the sense that baby boomers will approach retirement age in five-ten years from now. Maybe it is over estimated, however as new population is growing due to current high rate of immigration into US.

4. Healthcare placement competition is rising. Still, we see large number of privately owned recruiting firms, who are strong on the local and sub-regional markets, so the best way to grow is merges and acquisitions, it is not a good time for new operations launching in the regions. Obviously it is too optimistic to predict that all of these healthcare staffing firms will be absorbed by public healthcare placement providers, however the trends are out there.

5. Sun belt states syndrome. Retiring population has a trend to sell their mortgage paid single family houses in New England, New York, Illinois, California and other mid-west or northern states and move down to Florida, Texas, Georgia, Arizona, and others sun belts states, where they surge new medical nurse inflow.

Why buy a house or property in the Philippines?

Most expatriate workers in Saudi Arabia, specifically Filipinos, are baffled by the same question as I have. A large chunk of the market for real estate can be found among the OFW’s in the Middle East and yet it has not been tapped more extensively not because they do not have the resources or the capacity but because the marketing strategy does not fit the present trend among Filipino buyers. Take Juan Cruz for instance. He has been working so hard for his family ever since he landed in Saudi Arabia two years ago. There has been many instances already that he has been offered a house and lot in Cavite but he is reluctant to get one. His primary reason is to save first before buying but, as we all know, that could take years to accomplish and that the prices could be much higher by the time he is ready to buy a property. If you are a real estate agent, what would you do to gain his confidence and understanding?

There are a few pointers that I would like to discuss here but they are, of course just my opinion. There could be other more effective approach.

Investment

I would say that investing in real estate properties is a lifetime savings. All your hard-earned cash under one roof is definitely worth it. I would like to think of it as some sort of bank where all your money is safely kept in it. It is also interesting to note that while the property can and it will appreciate over time, selling it prematurely and at a lower rate might defeat its purpose altogether. Let us go back to Juan, as our example here. Juan purchased a prime property in Tagaytay. Over the course of 10 years he suddenly chose to leave the Philippines for good and have decided to reside somewhere in Canada. He sold his property at half the original price because he departed his hometown rather too hastily and he needed the money badly.

Income

Most homeowners would love to turn their acquired property into some sort of income generating venture. In socialized housing communities, many owners have resorted to small “sari-sari” stores or “carenderias” to augment their daily expenses. Others have set-up internet shops and a whole other different ideas to fit their lifestyle.

Opportunity

It knocks only once. The whole point to this concept is that be ready when it does come. I remember a close friend of mine during my years in Cagayan de Oro who ventured into a very lucrative small business endeavor and came out very successful. When he first conceived the plan, he sold all his properties to come up with a hefty start-up capital.

Health and Well-Being

“Health is wealth” or so they say. A healthy pocket comes with a healthy body, is this true? Not all of it, though, but if we try to think of it in other sense, such as the type of food we eat, the clothes we wear, the bed we sleep on, and the car that we ride on, well it’s probably true. People in the lower socio-economic status tend to be more unhealthy than from those who rank higher and that is a fact.

Future

It is more of a cliché than a fact. We always hear the lines “for a better future” and yet we tend to procrastinate.

Self-Esteem

Now here is a man who has nothing and yet beaming with self-confidence as oppose to someone who has everything and yet suffers from mental degradation. In reality, money does have an influence in our self-worth. Well it is not necessary, but it is definitely important.

Why should I buy a house or property in the Philippines when I am already living in Australia?

Do you believe in this saying: “You have travelled far and wide only to find out that home is where your heart is.”? Sooner or later you will go back to where you belong. More and more Filipinos from abroad are seeking to buy homes and properties in the Philippines as a place to retire, relax and enjoy. It is too expensive to buy in the US, Canada, or Australia. If indeed you have bought a house in, let’s say in Florida, you would eventually sell it to settle in the Philippines. Why? If you sell your house in Miami for 1M Dollars, how much would that be in Pesos? That is an awful lot of retirement money, don’t you think? Besides you love the Philippines, your own native land. This is where your heart is.

You have heard it a thousand times over: how education is one of the most
important things that you should invest in for your future.

Once you have finished high school and the rush of activities have passed,
the next thing that you need to think about is college – where to go and
which field of study to take. Taking up undergraduate studies can both be a
torture or a lot of fun, but it is a mere preparation for the things that
are in store for you when you go to college.

The next thing that you, as a student, will prepare before applying for a
university is your personal statement or college essay. The outcome of your
personal statement for college will reflect whether you found writing it a
breeze – or a chore.

Even if you are not a future novelist and you are not good with the pen, you
can still come up with a decent college essay that will reflect your goals,
give the reader an overview of who you are as a person, how you have
overcome some obstacles in your life and how important education is for
you.

Take a look at the following tips on how you can compose a readable,
concise and heartfelt personal statement for college which you can surely be
proud of:

1. Study the essay question and answer it.

Treat your personal statement for college like a job interview. Answer the
essay question directly and do not beat around the bush. You can go on and
on about how you really want to get into the university that you are writing
the essay for, but if you did not answer the essay question, your personal
statement will not earn you any plus points.

2. Follow technical guidelines to the letter.

One mistake that most college essay writers make is that they do not conform
to the requirements. They either write a very short essay thinking that
‘short and sweet’ should do the trick. Or, they write a very long and
tiresome essay, which is not what examiners are looking for. If you are
required to write a three-page long essay, then stick to the rules. Other
minor details like the size of the paper used, your grammar, punctuation and
overall presentation of the essay will count as well.

3. Be honest and direct.

Your personal statement for college should give the reader an insight into
your mind and personality. A list of your accomplishments is not enough. Add
some anecdotes from your life which will show how you have become the person
that you are now. Make sure that the essay reflects your confidence in
yourself, your positive traits and how you view education in general.

4. Rewrite if necessary.

It a rule for colleges and universities to accept only the best students.
Show in your personal statement that you are the student that they are
looking for. After having a draft of your essay, re-read and rewrite if
necessary. Have somebody else read it for you, to get an outside feedback on
how your essay would read to others.

Once you have written a good personal college statement, you can be on your
way to getting into the college or university of your choice.

The marked downward trend of the stock markets after reaching its peak, due to various reasons, has definitely set the investors thinking. Under the given circumstances, the investor is looking for investments that would not eat into his savings. In times of such crisis the only safe place to park your money would be ‘gold’.

Gold is a real, tangible asset whose value does not go down like that of paper money. On the contrary, its value increases in tandem with the inflationary trend. In fact, the gold reserves of a country are an indicator of the country’s economic strength. According to finance gurus gold has and will always remain a safe investment option not only as a hedging instrument but as a highly appreciating asset as well. So is this the right time to invest in gold?
The recession in the US, the strengthening of the rupee and the increase in oil prices set the stage for the gold rates to increase in the coming months. Coupled with this is the Indians ongoing love affair with gold which only helps in pushing up the ever increasing demand for gold. Incidentally, India is the largest consumer of gold. The return of 18% that gold has yielded in the first two months of 2008 only goes to prove that this is the right and opportune time to invest in gold. Under the current market conditions gold provides good capital appreciation. Although the sensex has taken a deep dip, the gold Exchange Traded Funds have done very well, yielding a return of more than 25% in the last three months. Investing in ETF’s is a safe long term bet as you have the added advantage of no wealth tax being attracted and no concerns of the purity of gold as well. This is also a good time to invest in mutual funds that invest in shares of mining companies of precious metals. Due to the growth and profit factor of companies the shares will yield you much higher returns in a short period itself. Major players in the world gold market like investment banks, bullion traders and gold funds only buy gold of a guaranteed quality. For this reason it is advisable to invest in gold coins and biscuits rather than jewellery.

So, this seems to be the opportune time to invest in the glittering metal. However the entry time is important. Some analysts feel that there may be a correction by 7 to 8%, and ultimately the value of pure gold may stabilize at a higher rate in next few months. That may be the right time to start investing in the yellow metal.

Here are some real estate investing tips that will be helpful when you start planning on how to expand your investment portfolio. Remember, investing in real estate can be extremely profitable, if you go about doing it the correct way.

1. The first thing that you need is to get a real estate agent or realtor who has the kind of experience you are looking for. You can check out a real estate guide to get a list of agents who work in the area where you are interested in buying or selling the property. Also, make sure that the agent has previously handled the type of property you are buying or selling.
2. When making a low offer, ensure that you inform the seller that it is not personal and not meant to offend him or her. Make a list of items that need to be repaired or replaced. This way you will be able to justify your low offer. Sometimes, it is best to let the agent make the offer on your behalf as the seller may not like to hear that his or her property has problems.
3. When flipping properties, do not be satisfied by just making a tidy profit. Look to add something extra into the property. This can be easily done by making the basement into a living space, or converting the attic into a bedroom or office, or keeping an extra lot at the side of the property that can be sold without harming the value of the house.
4. Many times people invest in rental properties to get some form of cash flow or income. It can so happen that the money you get from the properties is not in line with the value of the property. So, if you are looking for adequate cash flow, it is best to invest in something bigger like apartment building rather than opting for smaller rental properties like duplexes or rental homes.
5. When scouring real estate ads, always look for motivated sellers. This way you can be sure that they want to get rid of the property and you will not have to talk them into selling. The way to identify motivated seller is by checking the wording of the advertisements. The ads that have wording like ‘Need to sell’ or ‘Must sell’ are the ones you should be approaching. These sellers will be more conducive to accepting your offer.
6. If you are waiting for property prices to increase in order to make a profit, you are not investing into real estate. You are speculating. Therefore, do not depend solely on appreciation as a way to make a profit. Look for ways to increase the value of the property so that you can make a tidy profit even if the property has not appreciated in value.