Forex Managed Accounts: Why Achieving Consistent Profits Is Difficult

By Brendan Wilson

Trading forex is a time consuming and complex process that frankly not everybody is well suited. The idea of trading forex, using large amounts of leverage to achieve big profits sounds very appealing to a lot of investors but at the same time it is an investment strategy that is fraught with danger.

No doubt that achieving the necessary skills to trade the forex market is a worthwhile pursuit, the reality is that it is an elite few that ever achieve a level where they can consistently trade profitably over a prolonged period of time. Many will invest a lot of time and money on their forex education and ultimately fail to achieve success.

From my own observations I have seen that forex traders fail for a variety of reasons, or most commonly a combination of factors. At the heart of the problem is the inability of traders to be able to overcome the most human of traits emotion. Human emotions such as fear and greed bring about the undoing of many otherwise capable traders. You need to be able to adopt a traders mindest to succeed at forex trading.

If you have found it difficult to trade consistently and profitably over time you are amongst the majority of forex traders. If this is the case then perhaps it might be time to consider alternatives such as a managed forex account. The time consuming and often frustrating process of trading the forex market is handled by a money manager who, over time, has been able to prove themselves as a disciplined and consistent trader.

By commencing a managed forex account you can benefit from the advantages of forex investment without the frustrations of having to stay glued to the screen for hours as you manage trades. Just be sure to do your due diligence on the company you decide to invest with and make sure they can supply actual trading statements so you can validate their authenticity. - 23200

About the Author:

For professionally managed Forex Managed Performance with consistent long term returns visit Managed Forex Services. Managed Forex Trader also provides information and services to people interested in Forex Managed Performance.

Fxcm - A Review Concerning Fxcm

By Prema Laga

Fxcm is perhaps the most famous broker in the internet forex broker industry. Because of their fame, Fxcm is a staple name within the forex trading community.

But there were problems they had to face before achieving such success. Fxcm was mixed up with a company that went by the name of Refco in the past. With an estimated value of $75 billion, Refco was the number one commodities broker on the Chicago Mercantila Exchange around 2005.

Refco had with them around $4 billion of their customers deposits. They had purchased a large share in Fxcm at the time. But they collapsed under the weight of an accounting scandal on October 2005. What took place is the hiding of about $430 million in bad debt. And under the weight of this news, Refco collapsed.

The connection Fxcm had with Refco was harmful, but that did not stop them from becoming one of the top online forex brokers. There are many reasons for their success. Firstly, they have proven that they are a financially reliable forex broker with a dependable track record with their clients.

Secondly, they have been marketing their services extremely aggressively worldwide. They advertise especially much via google adsense along with setting up seminars in countless countries. For their micro accounts, they offer perhaps the lowest spreads on the internet. You will never find a 4 pip spread on the Gbp/Jpy given for micro account holders with any other broker.

Low spreads apply to their entire currency range as well. They are not however, fixed spreads. Spreads are subject to fluctuation as and when volatility increases. Expect spreads to increase dramatically during economic data releases.

A very low amount is needed to open an account with fxcm which helps make them very accessible to all traders. $25 is all it takes for a micro account. Anyone can afford that amount. Conversely, they offer very high leverage of 400:1. Their trading software is called the FX Trading Station II and is fairly easy to use. Also, the excellent trading software, metatrader is available for traders of specific types of accounts.

Metatrader 4 is maybe the leading trading platform that is preferred by most traders . Those that prefer metatrader 4 over other software will be pleased. Unfortunately, this option is not available to micro account clients. Free online trading courses and tutorials are also offered to those looking to get into forex trading. A free forex demo account is a standard offering.

They also have their own forex signals for customers which are free or charge. You cannot go wrong with Fxcm as they are one of the more reliable forex brokers with many advantages. - 23200

About the Author:

For If you want a full overview on fxcm and other major forex brokers, please Click Here or visit the writers forex portal at www.i-forex-trading.com

Forex Futures And Making Money

By James A Jackson

Essentially Forex futures are a contractual trade that can provide several opportunities to a trader, however also a few drawbacks. They're contract that dictate a trader can purchase or sell a bound amount of currency. The value of the contract is set through a future price for a group date. Forex futures are traded with a terribly specific expiration date, then the trader should sell it.

Before you start trading forex futures you want to possess a cash management plan. This can help you avoid loss and reduce your risk. Forex futures are traded on a brief selling method. Take care and avoid making any high-risk currency combine exchanges.

Traders in forex futures should open a world brokerage account. You furthermore mght need to start trading on domestic exchanges like the London Stock Market. Forex futures investors should always employ the use of value charts. Any tool that helps you predict currency fluctuations can enable you to create decisions in buying forex futures.

Investors typically use Forex futures as part of a hedging method. This allows them to create contractual agreements on low risk currencies to offset potential loss on a high-risk investment. Traders conjointly use them as a method to invest profits from the expected currency value changes. Forex futures traders typically earn a high amount of profit concerning 80% of the time, so they can be used very effectively when used with care.

One in all the drawbacks is the increase in risk and volatility as a result of of the short selling nature of forex futures. A money trader will usually work with a lower margin and build more profit merely as a result of of the nature of the trades being made. The methods used to calculate the longer term worth of a currency are terribly complicated.

It can take into consideration a number of factors for example interest rates, disparities between the currencies, and therefore the time range involved. This may be very confusing for the average, casual investor. And of course you have to stay in mind that trading forex futures are based purely on speculation. This makes the probability of losses considerably above alternative varieties of trades. - 23200

About the Author:

James contributes frequently on Forex CFD and Forex Companies

How To Determine The Best Roth IRA

By Bill Timmer

Weighing your retirement options is an important process, and looking into the best Roth IRA opportunities is crucial to this process. Well-thought out choices are vital to making your retirement funds work for you.

A retirement choice in which your contributions are after-tax is referred to as a Roth Individual Retirement account. This is different from the pre-tax contribution option known as a traditional retirement account, in which you have not paid taxes on money going into the account and will not pay taxes until you reach retirement age. If you predict that, you will be earning less when reaching retirement and will therefore be in a lower tax bracket than you are presently, then a traditional IRA. If the reverse may be true then a Roth IRA may be the best choice for you. Remember to consider the pros and cons of each option with your tax accountant or financial advisor.

If you decide to start up a Roth IRA, know that there are Roth IRA limits to be aware of, such as the income limit. Earning more than $105,000 as a single filer? You may be ineligible to contribute fully to the Roth. This figure changes annually and you need to look at the IRS website, www.ors.gov, for the most up to date information. Another issue is that earnings distributions are not permitted to be made without penalty before age 59 . Furthermore, you must have your Roth IRA open for a minimum of five years to avoid penalties. Stay aware of contribution limits for the IRA as well. As of this writing, the current limit is $5,000 per year. Remember to subtract what you have already contributed to any traditional IRAs you may have-the total of all IRAs, both Roth and traditional, cannot go above $5000.

If you have read about your options and the Roth individual retirement agreement seems like a good option for you, then you should also read about Roth Ira rollovers. A rollover simply means that the funds, which are sitting in your traditional retirement account, can be transferred over to a Roth for tax reasons. This way, you can benefit from a tax-free source of income upon retirement.

Yet it is important to remember that you will need to pay taxes on the retirement funds that you are rolling over, which could potentially create a real financial burden for you in your current economic situation. Please note that another consideration is that beginning in 2010, the adjusted gross income limits, which are currently in place for rolling over to a Roth, will no longer apply, though it will be best to consult the Internal Revenue Service and also review your options with your financial advisor or tax accountant.

There are a number of details to be aware of with the changes in 2010. For example, not only is there the elimination of the income limits currently in place, there are also unique conversion opportunities. For example, the IRS is allowing taxpayers a one-time option to spread out the payment of taxes paid on conversions in the year 2010 to both 2011 and 2012. The government is trying to ease the conversion burden and this could be of great help to many of us.

The best Roth IRA decisions are those based on a careful assessment of your needs and opportunities. Do not let the opportunities pass you by-instead, stay informed of IRS guidelines so that you can make wise choices. - 23200

About the Author:

Bill Timmer is passionate about Roth IRAs. How about you? Please visit his site on Top ROth IRAs. Also, find out information on ROth IRA taxes!

Exchange Traded Funds and Their Big Advantage

By Jeffrey Jackson

Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) quickly became very popular because of their many advantages. As of the end of November, 2009, they saw a net inflow of $32B.

1. Lower Costs-ETFs are known for having no fees. Some however, do have some minimal but much lower marketing, distribution and accounting fees. Most of them traditionally have lower costs than other investment products. They generally are not actively managed which excludes them from paying fees associated with buying and selling securities to accommodate purchases and redemption.

1. Lower costs: Most have have no fees. Others have substantially lower distribution, marketing and accounting fees. Because most ETFs are not actively managed and are protected from the costs of having to buy and sell securities in order to accommodate shareholder purchases and redemptions, they typically will have lower costs than other investment products.

2. Flexibility to buy and sell: Unlike mutual funds, which can only be traded at the end of the trading day, ETFs can be bought and sold at current market prices at any time during the trading day. Their shares can be purchased on margin and sold short, as publicly traded securities, which enables the use of hedging strategies. Being a publicly traded security also allows them to be traded using stop orders and limit order, which allow investors to specify the price at which they are willing to trade.

3. Tax efficiency: ETFs generally have low capital gains taxes because they have such low turnover of their portfolio securities. Another huge tax advantage is not being required to sell securities to meet investor redemptions. Their tax benefits tend to be much stronger than those of other investment products.

4. Market exposure and diversification: ETFs add a more economical way to rebalance portfolio allocations and "equitize" cash by being able to invest it quickly. Investors are able to diversify across an entire index inherently though an index Exchange Traded Fund. Including broad-based indexes, broad-based international and country-specific indexes, industry sector-specific indexes, bond indexes, and commodities, ETFs offer exposure to a very diverse variety of markets.

Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) many advantages skyrocketed their popularity very quickly. By the end of November, 2009, net inflows were at $32B. They continue to be among the great investment methods. - 23200

About the Author:

Black Sand trading is an online stock trading tool that indicates to online traders where and how to invest their money. Black Sand's clients have consistently achieved a 53% or greater ROI over the past seven years following Black Sand's signal. For more information about trading and using Black Sand Trading visit our website.