Today’s global financial market place has become so complex that there are so many factors that affect the prices of everything. Inflation, interest rates, exchange rates, bond markets and property markets all affect the values of any given investment these days. Even the weather can play a part in how a specific economy will do during any given financial period, and that in turn affects the economies that interact there as well. So how can you work your way around these problems? How can you work through these problems and still get consistent returns on your investments without the worry of losing anything? The answers are just as complicated as the questions, but at least the following will show you why gold will always be a good investment.

1. Precious metals rise consistently – The numbers have shown that over the last decade, where all the other investments have fluctuated the price of gold has is always on the up. The overall asset class has increased by just over 400% in the last ten years.

2. The value of gold is the same all over the world – regardless of where you are in the world, no matter what the current economic situation is there, you will always be able to get the same price for gold.

3. Gold acts as collateral – it is possible to back a financial transaction with gold as it acts as surety for parties involved. Governments, businesses and traders use it to back their transactions whenever they want to move money around.

4. Its value is independent of currency – inflation, deflation and stagflation have a big influence on the value of money. Financial markets can go into absolute turmoil and people can lose a lot of money, but the value of gold will never change.

5. It acts as both an asset and as cash – owning gold means that you will have it saved as an investment or keep so that it can be converted to cash. Gold always has demand so you can convert it to cash fairly quickly. That makes gold a liquid asset

6. Gold is independent of interest rates – the value of bonds, loans and currency is based on the current applicable interest rate. Interest rates fluctuate on a daily basis and so does your money. You have to wait for the rates to be right before your money can give you the return you are looking for.

7. Gold is perfect for long term investments – if you are not into making short term trades and prefer to watch your investment grow over time then gold is ideal. The 400% increase in the last 10 years proves that it works well in the long run.

8. Gold is a fallback investment – if you have excess cash flow and you need to secure it, then gold is the place to put your money. If your portfolio goes into the red then you can sell off your gold to recoup the losses.

9. Gold is a transparent investment – The price of gold is always available and you can find it whenever you need it. Other investment forms all have complicated mechanisms that determine their price and you won’t always get price you ask for it.

10. The value of gold is higher than its actual price – even though you will always get a fixed price for gold. When you buy gold you can always rest assured that it has a higher value than what you purchase it for. If you own gold then you can borrow money for a higher value based on the appreciation.

So there you have it, 10 valid reasons why you should buy gold based on the current markets. Gold was the first commodity to be exchanged and it became the standard for all trading around the world. It held its value over the years and it will continue to do so for many years to come. For that reason you can say for certain that gold will never get old.

Kristy writes for Live Gold Prices and Live Silver Prices, where you can find completely free content on gold/silver prices, investing advice, and other information and tutorials to help you beat inflation, find security, and make a profit during economic turmoil.

One of the greatest legacies left in recent years has been that left by an Australian doctor, Fred Hollows. Dr Hollows did not die rich in monetary terms, he never pursued money at any stage of his career, instead he focused his life on the returning of sight to the blind. He didn’t work on the Kings and Queens of the world, but worked amongst some of the poorest communities, with people who needed his help the most. Following his death, his work was carried on by his wife and colleagues with the formation of the Fred Hollows Foundation.

Leaving a legacy is therefore within the reach of most of us, as you can look at your level of social influence, your mind, attitude, and above all how your personal behaviour affects others. A legacy can be considered as something we are teaching the generations that follow, whether we are conscious of it or not. Many who are in the position to do so look on a legacy as leaving a corporation that they have built up over a lifetime, to their children or grandchildren. Others may leave money to a charitable organisation and a more common form of a legacy is that of leaving real estate to family beneficiaries.

As a result, everything we experience has an impact on us in some way and will often resurface later in life. Organised culture can change people professionally and personally because our minds work much the same as search engines do on the internet, where we tend to record everything either consciously, subconsciously or unconsciously to skim over when we need it, and all this is the legacy of living.

As we partake in the operation of organisations and interact with others around us, we should all be considering how accountable we really want to be. This means remembering that in some way we are contributing to leaving a legacy and therefore must make sure that legacy is not one of holding people back, hurting them, or stunting their emotional growth in any way. Instead, the legacy you should be looking forward to leaving should be one of compassion, education and encouragement.

Of course we are all capable of leaving a more material legacy to be remembered by as well. This can be achieved by creating family trusts or taking out a life insurance policy. In your will you can bequeath some of your money or assets to start a foundation such as The Fred Hollows Foundation which continues to carry on the he work started many years ago.

No matter how poor or how rich we are in a material sense, we can all leave a legacy to be remembered through our behaviour when interacting with our fellow beings. As you set about to adjust your words and actions to leave a positive impression on those you love and those who are yet to be born, take the time to think about what else you can leave behind.

Kristy Ramirez writes for Life Insurance Finder where she helps people to compare life insurance quotes and select the best policy to meet their needs at the best possible price.

For those looking to invest some money without knowing where to start, let us begin by dispelling some urban financial myths, whilst pointing out some investment ideas that you should reconsider before you reach into your wallet.

Property Is The Best Investment
People who brought property 20 years ago will no doubt agree that property is the greatest investment opportunity in the history of man.

Their enthusiasm is understandable. Considering that property bought all those years ago for a mere $20,000 could be worth at least $150,000, even in the current housing price slump, it is little wonder they are so pro property.

In fact right up until the last few years, property prices did very little other than rise year on year making property a fantastic investment. The recent housing price crash worldwide has been a harsh reminder that, like any other investment, prices can go down as well as up.

Whilst many believe the price of housing will once again recover and rise, buying property for any other purpose other than to live in is a risky prospect. World markets are still shaky, and many industry experts predict that prices may fall again before things begin to turn around. With that in mind, those thinking of investing in property would be well advised to think again.

Another poor piece of investment advice many younger people are hearing is…

“There’s No Rush! Retirement Planning Can Wait”
Whilst it’s true that the younger you are the more time you have to plan for your future, the longer you wait to start, the more impact retirement saving will have on your income. For example, if you wanted a retirement fund of $100,000 and you began saving at the age of 21 you would need to save $189 per month if you wanted to retire at 65 years old.

If you waited until you were 40 before you started saving you would have to put away $333 per month in order to retire at the same age and reach your $100,000.

It is never too early to start saving and investing in your future, and although you don’t have to put thousands away to begin with, every little saved will mean less to worry about in later years when your income may drop.

Hold On To Your Shares Indefinitely
Another poor piece of investment advice! People are right when they say that stocks and shares are a longer term investment, in that you shouldn’t expect to buy shares one week and find your shares have made you a millionaire the next (although it does happen every now and then!).

However, getting attached to a share is also not a wise move. Just like housing prices, what goes up can, and often will come down, so even if a share has been steadily rising in price, if you see something in the market that you believe may cause the price to drop don’t be afraid to get out!

You may miss out on a few potential gains, but you will also protect your profits should the worst happen. Remember the old gambling cliché: you can’t lose your chips once you take them off the table!
Do Not Save Until You Are Debt Free

Another horrible investment myth! Unless you are very fortunate, most people have some form of credit/debt in their life. The chances are if you own a property you have some debt, right?

With most mortgage products coming with payment terms of anywhere between 15 and 25 years, if you wait until you are debt free before you start saving you are going to have to slam vast amounts of money away in order to catch up.

On top of that you will also miss out on the dramatic effect compound interest has on long term savings. Of course you should ensure your debts are coming down, but you must allocate a certain amount of your income for savings. Work out how much money you have left at the end of a month once your bills are paid, and then decide on a percentage of what’s left you are comfortable investing.

Ring whatever bank or investment company you use and get them to deduct that figure from your account each month. If you leave the money in your account you will spend it. Get it paid out automatically so you don’t see it and watch your savings grow!

Do Whatever The Experts Say

I remember right before I bought my apartment asking my financial adviser whether it would be safe taking out a big loan against my property. He smiled and said “Prices are going nowhere but up.”

Two weeks later the phrase “credit crunch” was coined by the media and the housing crash began. Whilst experts do have specialist knowledge, it is worth bearing a couple of things in mind.

The first is that your financial adviser may or may not get a commission based on the advice he gives you and products he suggests to you. Make sure you are 100% clear on any professional adviser’s position in regards to commission and affiliation before you take any advice from them.

The second thing to bear in mind is that from time to time even the experts get it wrong. Do not be afraid to get more than one opinion, and don’t forget that at the end of the day the final decision is yours. Don’t let anyone bully you into any investment you are not happy with.

If something feels wrong, don’t get involved!

These are just some of the myths and investment ideas floating around that we think you should pay very close attention to before you make any sort of financial decision or commitment.

This article was written by personal finance writer Timothy Ng from Sydney, Australia. He is genuinely passionate about helping people compare credit cards and helping them through researching to find the best credit card. Checkout his guide to using credit cards to buy investments or visit http://www.CreditCardFinder.com.au/ for more information.

Start your own business- With the internet and a globally connected world, it has never been easier to start your own business. In many instances, you can set up something with no investment but your own time. As your profits grow, you can reinvest in the business to see it grow exponentially.

Breed animals- I am not talking about alpaca or emu farms or some other crazy get rich quick scheme, but there is money to be made from breeding animals. For example, you could get yourself relatively well set up as a greyhound breeder for around $8-10k and this can offer you the chance of more than 20)% return if you get a big enough litter.

Vending Machines- Another great way to make money is with vending machines, although you do need to find the right area to put them. Very cheap and easy to maintain, vending machines require little effort on your behalf once put in place but can bring great rewards.

There you have it. You do need to invest your money wisely but you must remember that you do not necessarily have to invest in the ‘standard’ investment opportunities that others go for.

Today’s Herald Sun has an article quizzing experts on what stocks to invest on in 2007.

If you are thinking of taking the plunge in 2007, check out the article here.

Best Business Deals recommends you get your free copy.

Read the book and make up your own mind whether his ideas could work for you as they have for many others.