My Personal Finance Blog

System Tool 2011 is a newly released fraudulent antivirus program which has been created by hackers to try and steal your personal information, as well as to get you to buy the fake upgrade to the virus. Despite this tool looking like it could be legitimate, it’s a thinly-disguised scam, which is currently installing itself onto an estimated 10,000 computers a day around the World. If you have this virus, you need to get rid of it in the most effective and complete way – which can be done by using the tutorial in this article.

This virus has been designed by the same hackers who created the notorious “Security Tool” virus, and is actually much worse than its predecessor. It’s what is known as as “malware” (malicious software) infection which will automatically install itself onto its victims computers from the likes of a rogue download, fake email attachment or malicious website; and will then perform a large number of fake scans on your system. Some of the “features” (if you can call them that) of this program are that it will block your other programs from loading, as well as preventing you from being able to correctly load up a number of Windows features (such as the Task Manager). The way to get rid of this infection is to remove all the files / settings which it uses to run.

The way to get rid of this virus is to first stop the program from running, and then remove all of its program files. Because it’s basically just a piece of software, you will not be able to use an “anti-virus” program to get rid of it, as it will have too many files for these tools to remove. Instead, you should either manually delete the files the program uses to run, or remove the virus with an automated program. It’s important to note that when you want to remove this infection, you have to be able to get rid of the entire application first time, as it will install a large number of backup files onto your hard drive which it will use to try and reload itself if not correctly removed.

This virus stores the bulk of its files in these folders:

%AppData%48541024 %UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\

The best method to completely remove the System Tool 2011 virus is to use a piece of software called an “anti-malware” program. These are tools created by professional software firms to scan through your PC and remove all the infected files that the likes of System Tool have placed onto your PC – allowing your computer to run smoother again. We’ve found that a tool called XoftSpy is the most effective at removing System Tool 2011, as it’s the most up to date and able to fix the largest number of problems that are on your PC. To use it, you can download it, let it scan your computer and then fix any of the problems inside.

If you don’t know how to invest money or where to invest for 2011 and beyond and you’re on a tight budget, this article is written for you. Some of the biggest and best fund companies in the world got that way by working with small investors directly. That’s not likely to change in 2011 and going into the future. Today the internet makes it easier to invest money than ever before.

Later I’ll name names and tell you exactly where to invest money for 2011 and going forward. When you’re done reading this article I suggest you go to your favorite search engine and enter keyword phrases like: “how to invest 2011, or where to invest 2011, or best funds 2011, or no-load funds”. Look at the companies who pay for top billing, the sponsor sites. They want you to invest with them and some of these are the best mutual fund companies in existence.

Now, here’s how to invest $200 or more once you’ve checked the best fund companies out on the internet. Call their toll free number and tell them you want to invest money each month in an automatic investment plan and would like a starter kit and other info sent to you. There will be no charge (with the best fund companies) and you’ll be able to talk with a representative any time you need help in the future. Here’s how to pick funds to invest in based on your objectives.

HOW TO INVEST FOR SAFETY: Money market funds are safe and pay interest in the form of dividends. In 2011 interest rates in general will likely still be low in these funds and at your local bank as well. The advantage with money funds is that when rates go up in the future the interest you earn will automatically follow current trends. Invest money in these funds for safety and flexibility. You can always move some of this money to other funds at no charge if you’re with one of the best fund companies, to be named later.

HOW TO INVEST TO EARN MORE INTEREST: Bond funds offer higher interest income or dividends at a moderate level of risk, GENERALLY. Today’s low interest rates make the risk here greater than usual. Unlike money funds where the share price is always pegged at $1, the price or value of bond fund shares WILL FLUCUATE. When interest rates go up, their price will fall. There are two ways to deal with this risk in 2011 and beyond.

First, make sure you continue to invest the same dollar amount each month. This way when you invest money each month you will automatically buy more shares when the share price gets cheaper and fewer at high prices. This is called “dollar cost averaging”, which is a powerful tool for long-term investors. Second, pick intermediate-term bond funds or short-term funds vs. long-term ones. The shorter the term (average maturity) of a bond fund the lower the risk.

HOW TO INVEST FOR MORE PROFIT POTENTIAL: Equity funds invest in stocks and offer the prospect of higher returns over the long term as well as more risk. Expect the fund share price to fluctuate as the stock market does when you invest money here. There are two ways to reign in risk here as well. Go with DIVERSIFIED EQUITY-INCOME funds that invest in major corporations that pay dividends consistently. They are less volatile (risky) than growth funds that pay very little in dividends. Second, use dollar cost averaging to lower your average cost per share, just like you’re doing in your bond fund(s).

HOW TO INVEST IN ALL THREE OF THE ABOVE: Make sure that all of your dividends and other income earned (and capital gains) are automatically reinvested to buy more shares in the funds, and not sent to you. This is normal procedure in mutual funds for long term investors, and puts dollar cost averaging to work for you every time you earn income in a fund. With the best fund companies you can invest in an individual account if single or married, a joint account with your spouse, and/or an IRA if you want tax advantages and qualify.

Now, back to where to invest money in 2011 and beyond… the best fund companies. You could also call this list “where to invest money to save big money in sales charges and fund expenses”, because these fund companies offer funds with NO sales charges and with some of the lowest expenses in the business (especially the first one named). My long-time favorite fund companies are (and I have no affiliation with any of them): Vanguard, Fidelity, T Rowe Price, and American Century.

Go to your search engine and enter “no-load funds, or top fund companies, or best funds 2011″. You’ll likely see the above names; and you’re headed in the right direction for where to invest money in 2011 and beyond. You may also find another of my hundreds of articles if you search “best funds 2011″. Read on, and invest with the best.

The best bond fund for 2011 and beyond might be labeled as an INCOME fund, and finding this fund can be compared to a balancing act on a high wire. Lean toward the safest bond funds and you earn 1% a year in interest income. Lean the other way and make 7% or more without a safety net. Let’s sort these and other income funds out in search of the best.

For most people, neither of the two examples above will likely be the best bond fund for 2011 or in the near future. The first is a short-term fund that invests in the world’s safest income securities, U.S. Treasuries that mature in about 3 years. That’s why it only yields or pays 1% a year in interest income in the form of dividends, for a dividend yield of 1%. Our second example is a high-yield income fund that invests your money in bonds of lower quality with higher credit risk. The risk here is that some of the “junk” bonds in the portfolio could default on interest payments and/or even principal. That’s why it yields 7% or more, because it’s risky. Some of the securities held might not pay interest as promised, and some could become worthless.

There are two basic ways to earn higher interest income in bond funds. Accept lower quality in the bond portfolio or buy funds that hold securities with longer-term maturities. Both increase your risk. Long-term income funds have higher interest rate risk, and lower quality funds have a higher risk of default. On the other hand, the safest bond funds with little risk of default and short-term average maturities (of like 3 years) are hardly worth buying if they only pay 1%. Welcome to the balancing act in bond investing today.

When looking for the best bond fund in terms of risk vs. reward, remember that TOTAL RETURN is what really matters: interest income (dividends) plus the change in value of fund shares equals total return. If you earn 7% in dividends and your fund shares drop 20% in the same year, you’ve lost money. So, you’ll need to balance bond quality with a number called AVERAGE MATURITY (explained shortly) to limit your risk and still get a good return. The real risk in bond investing today focuses on the interest rate risk associated with longer-term bonds and funds that invest in them, so let’s take a look.

You can get a yield of over 3% today in a long-term fund that holds bonds of the highest quality. Average maturity of the fund is 25 YEARS, which means that it holds bonds (with fixed interest rates) that are long-term in nature that on average mature in 25 years. Interest rate risk is high. If interest rates go up the value of the bonds held in the portfolio will fall significantly in the bond market, because the interest income they pay becomes less attractive to investors compared to the new higher rates. And the rates are fixed, on average, for 25 years.

Hence, investors in a long-term bond or income fund will have a negative total return (lose money) when interest rates go up significantly. Now, you can increase your yield to 5% in a long-term fund today if you downgrade from highest quality to medium-to-high quality bonds in the portfolio. But this isn’t the best bond fund for most people because interest rate risk is still high. So, let’s play the balancing act by focusing on bond funds with shorter average maturities and relatively high (but not the highest) bond quality.

Intermediate-term income funds have average maturities of 5 to 10 years, which greatly reduces interest rate risk. If you want the highest quality in your bond portfolio (Treasury securities) you can get a 2% yield. Settle for a high quality corporate bond fund with an average maturity of about 7 years and you can get 3% to 4%. In my opinion, that’s the best bond fund for 2011 and beyond for most people. The problem is that no investment salesperson can sell you such a fund. I’ll explain.

When you buy an income fund from a registered representative (financial planner, stock broker, etc.) there will likely be a sales charge or commission up front of about 3% and/or yearly expenses of 1% or more. If you pay 3% up front you’ve just given up your first year’s interest income. Then you give back 1% or more a year in the form of yearly expenses, which reduces your return. But if you know where to look, you can cut the cost of investing and increase your total return by investing on your own with one of the largest fund companies in America.

Vanguard and Fidelity are the two largest fund companies and both offer NO-Load funds with no sales charges or commissions. Yearly expenses for some funds offered amount to less than ¼% or .25%. Look for a TOTAL EXPENSE RATIO of about.25% for an intermediate-term high quality bond fund with an average maturity of about 7 years. That’s your best bond fund for 2011 and beyond, and the best deal you will find for your money in this author’s opinion.

Basically, an investment plan is your plan to achieve a certain financial goal. That is quite obvious, but people tend to forget about goal setting. They say “Who needs planning? I just want to be rich.” This is a straight road to financial hell. If you don’t know what do you want, then you won’t have any guidelines for your actions, and you’ll probably be under emotional stress. Fear and greed are very powerful emotions and they can drive you to the undesired outcomes.

In order to help you, the first thing you will need to know is how much money you can invest. This could be an amount for a week, month, year or some other period of time. If you are in debt, your first step is paying it out. You should, also, consider future investments amount. For example, if you are going to be married and you are the only one that works, it is likely that your investment capability will be lower in the future.

The next step is to resolve how much do you need and when. Using these parameters, you can calculate the return rate of your investments. For example, let’s say that you are going to invest 600$ per year (that’s 50$ per month) and that you want to withdraw 20,000$ after 20 years. This means that your average return rate should be about 4.6% per year, which is not very high rate. In the previous 20 years average return rate of Dow Jones was 10% per year.

You can calculate the resulting amount of money for any yearly addition. Let’s say that you could invest 3000$ per year and that after 20 years and that you would like to have 200,000$. That means that you should have return rate between 10% and 11%. 5 times 600 is equal to the 3000$, 5 times 37801 is equal to the 189005$ and 5 times 42759$ is equal to the 113795$.

This way you can determine required return rate and the types of investment. Also, it can happen that your desire doesn’t match reality. For example, if you wish to invest 600$ per year and you want 100,000$ after 20 years that would mean that you need return rate of around 18% and that is very unlikely to achieve. Therefore, you should lower your expectations or you should increase your yearly addition. With these parameters, you can find asset allocation that should give you required result with the lowest possible risk. There is a theory that helps you to do this. We will elaborate this in details some other time. Let’s just say that with this you can select assets that should be in your portfolio.

To sum it up, investment plan takes into account your desire and as a result it finds out what kind of assets you should have.

You don’t have to be made of money to be an investor. There are many investments ideas for small investors that you probably aren’t aware of. And these investments can be a lot closer and simpler than you think.

One investment idea for small investors is stocks. Now this may come as a surprise since most people think you need to have scads of money to get involved with the stock market.

Many stocks, however, do not cost an arm and leg to buy. They can be quite affordable and you can start with a few shares and work up to larger investments.

Shares in start up companies in a hot industry are one example of a good investment idea for small investors. A few shares of a blue chip stock is another.

Just be sure to do some research first and be willing to hang on to your stock through ups and downs, as stocks tend to be more profitable in the long term and will definitely see some ups and downs.

Government bonds and securities are other investment options for small investors.

Many government bonds can be bought at a low to moderate price, and they will give an investor the advantage of interest payments.

These interest payments can be used for another investment idea. In fact, the interest payments on government bonds and shares can make it possible to diversify investments for small investors.

Investment ideas for small investors can be in more tangible types of items as well. Items such as coins, cars and collectibles are often a good place for small investors to begin.

These types of investments often make an investor feel more secure than when they’re dealing with what is often referred to as “paper ” money. They like being able to keep their investments close to them.

The advantage this can have is that if a coin or collectible has a sudden spike in value it can be easily gotten to and sold for a profit. And, after all, the best investment idea for small investors is the one they feel the most secure and comfortable making.