Financial Advice?

Discussion in 'Designing, building, making and powering your life' started by helenlee, Dec 14, 2008.

  1. helenlee

    helenlee Junior Member

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    I don't know if this is the right board for this question - please redirect it if it's not :)

    Does anyone know where I can get financial advice from real people who live on the same planet I do? !!!

    I'm about to receive a lump sum of money & I feel I should get some sound advice before I decide what to do with it. However, all the agencies I've researched seem to cater to a clientele so very, very different from me & my situation that I just can't see myself calling. I know a good professional should be able to give the same service to someone earning $20K p.a as some one earning $220K - but I'd like to talk to someone who wouldn't look at me like I've got 2 heads. I mean, I NEVER aspire to own/do what seems to be most of mainstream Australia's idea of just "normal" financial goals. And the way I do want to live, many people see as weird or "alternate".
    Does anyone know where I can start to look for real people with both feet on this planet who can help me understand my options/responsibilities?
     
  2. Michaelangelica

    Michaelangelica Junior Member

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    Re: Financial Advice?

    No
    They all have agendas
    Welcome to the real world.
    Stick it in a mattress or buy a gold brick.
     
  3. Alex M

    Alex M Junior Member

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    Re: Financial Advice?

    I'm investing most of my energy and money in my project. Unfortunately, without a lump sum of any kind to start with, I'm away working to earn the money to buy the sheds, water tanks, solar panels and other equipment I need to build my food forest home. I doubt the viability of the current economy, and want to convert the money I earn into useful, generative assets while it still has any exchange value at all.

    I have a small amount of money in employer-funded superanuation (actually, the title is a misnomer; it's taken from my wages, paid in lieu of a pay rise under Hawke & Keating's "accord", but employers like to portray it as their generous contribution), but it's shrinking at rate that is becoming inversly proportionate to the rate of growth of the trees I could have bought with it, and I won't be able to get my hands on it for a few years yet, so won't be holding my breath on that one.

    The only advice I can offer you, Helen, is to be wary. Free advice can be very expensive, so don't be afraid to pay a professional to check out any schemes or ideas presented to you by anyone, even well-meaning family and friends, before you hand over your cash.
     
  4. Noz

    Noz Junior Member

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    Re: Financial Advice?

    I have been burnt by "ethical" investments
    Too much 'ethical' and not enough 'investment'

    My rule of thumb for the stock market is to find a company with
    • *a reasonable amount of debt
      *They make something tangible that I can physically see today.

    Most little companies today are being gobbled up by multi-nationals who have no creativity or ideas about how to spend their money.
    They usually destroy little companies (eg Oz Tea tree firms, Bridstowe Lavender,Nature's Spirit, Woods and Woods etc)

    I am not sure what is wrong with UN-ethical investments.
    If we all invested in Dow or Monsanto we may have some voice in their rape of the planet.
     
  5. Ojo

    Ojo Junior Member

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  6. ho-hum

    ho-hum New Member

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    Re: Financial Advice?

    Helen,

    Do a google search for Travis Morien, he is in WA. I am not a customer, but have seen his posting on the Net for about 9 years. He will charge you an honest fee. I have also seen this advisor questioned, hammered, assessed etc.

    I have never met the man, nor hired or engaged him. The advice he will/can offer is designed to suit your situations/aspect/fears/religion etc.

    I do not use this forum to promote individuals, unless they are under public scrutiny and do the best they can.

    Worth a whiz.

    cheers,
     
  7. Phil Hansen

    Phil Hansen Junior Member

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    Re: Financial Advice?

    Do something positive with a piece of land, even if small, it will always return you in the end. Protect it and pertain from it a small return to cover your costs. The right land, well protected with covenents will be worth more tomorrow than shit land with a shit house in a shit suburb (forgive the base language!). If ypu can find some acres of disturbed land - revegetate it. If you can find a dune - protect it. If you can find a creek - let it flood. If you can find old agricultural land - grow food.

    My super is caught up in Ethical Investments, and while it has lost 6% in the last year, it has grown 14% over 5 years without any contributions from me (SELF-EMPLOYED).
    I have no option to recieve it early to re-invest it as I wish as a self managed super fund, unfortunatley.

    Without wanting to endorse any fund manager as such, AES has a better track record of returns than all other fund managers, and the advantage that we know through disclosure, where they put our money.
    Food for Thought,
    Phil
     
  8. tomintaz.

    tomintaz. Junior Member

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    Re: Financial Advice?

    G'Day -- Helen....

    I understand anyone wanting to insure all/some of their money in the most secure way possible.

    First look at the chart at the bottom of this post (gold over a 60 day period). :D

    Personally i've invested over 100k into gold through the VERY functional, highly reputable enterprise of which can be found here https://www.goldmoney.com

    I have vigorously tested the complete working(s) and integrity of the goldmoney website, by buying and selling gold to myself online with this very service (to see what it claimed) and it worked faultlessly..... In fact, i have no issues regarding it's ability to deliver to my bank acct, whenever i want to 100%, with my testing.

    I send money via bank transfer [which i do online] to https://www.goldmoney.com it goes into a secure bank holding acct. and is available for me to purchase gold bullion at the click of a mouse @ COMEX gold spot price. To recieve actual REAL CA$H money back into my bank acct. i just log on sell the amount i want cash for and presto [1 business day later] it lands back into my bank acct.

    It took only two weeks for me to set up this https://www.goldmoney.com acct. Extensive proof of identity had to be sent by snail mail - and now my security is knowing that my money is held in actual bullion that i can sell back to myself at current COMEX gold spot price [ie: market price] 7 days a week/24 hrs day.

    There is overwhelming evidence that GOLD will drastically increase rather quickly in price both near and long term. All i can do is point you/others in this right direction !!

    I seriously suggest you look into setting up your own acct with https://www.goldmoney.com ASAP for personal security/protection, for if the next 60 day gold graph parallels the one below you will achieved what you set out to do; invest your cash with a BEST OPTION plan. :D

    Don't just take my word on it, here's some links you should look into:

    :arrow: https://au.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=1D137FD6A800D390
    :arrow: https://www.bullionmark.com/search/label/Hyperinflationary currency crisis
    :arrow: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/video/share.html?s=news01n1533q4c3
    :arrow: https://au.youtube.com/watch?v=cSPSiDX0Xnk&feature=related
    :arrow: https://au.youtube.com/watch?v=6G3Qefbt0n4
     
  9. Tim Auld

    Tim Auld Junior Member

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    Re: Financial Advice?

    Hi Tom,

    I've bought gold and silver through Perth Mint and Ainslie Bullion, but nothing like GoldMoney. How do you feel about using a company without local representation? Given that you're letting them hold onto a significant amount of your savings, doesn't it worry you that they could just fall off the face of the Earth? You could have little recourse in tracking down your money/metal. I'm not sure what value guarantees, insurance and independent audits will have in the future we are facing, when your metals are supposedly held in London or Zurich.

    Cheers,
    Tim
     
  10. tomintaz.

    tomintaz. Junior Member

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    Representation means delivery upon request !

    Hiya Tim...

    QUESTION: "How do I feel" about using a company without local representation? :| NEUTRAL

    ANSWER: Local or not if the doors close, so be it, it could happen ANYWHERE; that's why diligent and thorough research pays off https://www.goldmoney.com appears to the best and most secure i've found out there.

    However... local representation to me; also means 100% delivery upon request, which in this particular case has to be through my computer, no exceptions. You just can't get better representation than that, i recon !

    :arrow: + I don't like the idea of paying up to 30% above the spot price for coins or bullion at any dealership (as currently evidenced everywhere on the planet, right now).

    :arrow: + the opportunity to transfer different major currencies to any SPECIFIED acct. of my choice, anywhere on the planet at the click of a mouse. Very, very convienient i say, it takes the legwork out of trying to stash the stuff yourself to sell to a buyer when needed.
     
  11. Tim Auld

    Tim Auld Junior Member

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    Re: Financial Advice?

    Consider the magnitude of the problems in the global economy, and then read the following clause in their user agreement:

    XIII. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
    D. GoldMoney shall be relieved from its obligations under this Agreement if and to the
    extent that it is unable to carry out all or any of its obligations hereunder owing to:
    i. Wars, civil commotion, vis major, act of God, strikes, riots, lockouts,
    governmental controls or restrictions, non-availability of any equipment or
    telecommunications or computer systems or any other causes beyond the
    reasonable control of GoldMoney

    I'm thinking of using it to a small extent anyway, but if you have significant holdings with them you may want to diversify.

    Cheers,
    Tim
     
  12. aroideana

    aroideana Junior Member

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    Re: Financial Advice?

    cENTERLINK OFER THE SERVICES OF A FINANCIAL ADVISOR , my brother knows one in Townsville . He travels up to Cairns and out west , and is a plainspeaking down to earth guy .
     
  13. tomintaz.

    tomintaz. Junior Member

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    :arrow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_bullion_market

    In the Information Age a whole new level of currency has developed centered around gold. For example, GoldMoney has created the goldgram. A goldgram in the online GoldMoney database may be transferred between user's accounts and is backed by a gram of gold held in vaults throughout the world that meet the London bullion market (LBMA) standards. The bullion is insured by Lloyd's of London and audited by Deloitte & Touche. As a result, many of the risks to using gold as a currency in daily transaction have been eliminated. While the digital gold currencies have not acquired widespread adoption they are extremely efficient and may become a dominant currency in the future.

    -------------
    >>edit>edit
     
  14. Hamishmac

    Hamishmac Junior Member

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    Re: Financial Advice?

    This post a wee bit tongue in cheek, so please take it as that.

    What a great chart! It shows precisely not how much gold has risen in value, but how much the purchasing power of the US Dollar has fallen!

    Have you got similar charts plotting gold/currencies over say 100 years? Or gold against other soft commodities like wheat/coffee etc?

    And of course, have you got any good recipes for gold? I sprinkle gold leaf over curries when trying to really impress guests.

    Yours with tongue in cheek,

    Hamish
     
  15. Tim Auld

    Tim Auld Junior Member

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    Re: Financial Advice?

    How else can I put it? The agreement you made with GoldMoney means that if society breaks down and they are unable to service their customers, you don't get anything back. As a hedge against the breakdown of society it has an obvious problem. If you ignore that risk then you're actually gambling.
     
  16. spritegal

    spritegal Junior Member

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    Re: Financial Advice?

    I view goldmoney.com with considerable sceptism and would much prefer to have the stuff in my hand. What has worked in the last 10 years in money systems is no guarantee that it will work (or even exist) in the future. The world has entered a paradigm shift and such companies ring alarm bells with me. They have your gold; therefore they also have your money.

    Case in point: a respected arts dealer in Sydney yesterday had his gallery cleaned out of "super investments". These paintings, all by famous artists, had been extensively advertised to retirees as good super investments. He took their money, offered to store their paintings for them (which you have to do under the laws of superannuation - have no access to the asset until you retire), and then re-sold them to other unsuspecting clients. Some paintings may have been sold many times over, all the while he pocketed unsuspecting people's life savings. Since you can't actually "see" your gold, can you guarantee that it actually exists?? That it hasn't been resold?

    I guess what I'm trying to say is that possession is 9/10's of the law and nobody can prove to me that a comany setup as a "virtual" bank for an asset as precious as gold is as safe as having the stuff under the mattress.

    Losing a percentage of your bullion's value when trading it through a broker is no different to losing a percentage of your share value when trading through a broker. Its part of the deal. Its not an argument or disincentive to not use that service. Remember also that broking costs are completely tax deductible on your profits.

    Thanks for reading.
     
  17. sindhooram

    sindhooram Junior Member

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    Re: Financial Advice?

    I'm not a financial expert and dont know much about your present situation - can only say that if you can afford it just by some land - the best you can afford. Care for it as well as you can in your present situation and set up an exciting project there if your time permits. Land always goes up in value more or less in the long term so it wil be a really good investment too. That is what I would do - it is probaly true that gold is a good investment but given the choice between some gold or a piece of land to work with I know what I would choose!!
     
  18. spritegal

    spritegal Junior Member

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    Re: Financial Advice?

    At the moment land is a bit of a two edged sword.

    Land in transition town areas already well serviced by infrastructure and transport routes is an attractive investment proposition. Remember though that you may be liable for land tax each and every year if the value of your land is more than $330,000 (it may be more or less now, that wasthe limit what I had to pay a few years back). If you have no tenants on the property or no house, you still have fairly high upkeep costs with no return (until you sell of course).

    Land in medium or high density areas in Sydney or other capital cities I would avoid like the plague. Flats and townhouses are completely unsustainable and will become more and more expensive to maintain as the years go by. People are getting smarter and are looking at things like utility bills when assessing whether to exchange contracts on a property.

    Just my 2c worth.
     
  19. Tim Auld

    Tim Auld Junior Member

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    Re: Financial Advice?

    I would strongly advise against going into debt to buy real estate (or anything) [1]. If you can buy outright you should be fine although I don't know if it's wise given the overpricing. Otherwise, pay attention! We are in a deflationary situation now. That means the purchasing power of savings is increasing as time goes on. i.e. prices are falling. Some are predicting that real estate prices (and I think this may include rural property), will fall to 10-20% of peak values [2]. This is backed up by data from the Great Depression. The primary cause of this is that the banking system is collapsing - it's inevitable. Credit will be unavailable to anyone who really needs it, meaning future earnings can no longer be used to bid up prices. So, any savings you can protect now will be increasingly and spectacularly more valuable in the future. If I had a reasonably amount of cash, but not enough to buy something good outright, I would buy precious metals and some cash, then rent or board with family until prices come down enough to buy. I'd pass my time by training and working in permaculture if I could :) There will be much to chose from if nations in a more advanced state of collapse are anything to go by. Some property is practically being given away. Obviously you don't want to leave it too late because you want to set up the property - obtain tools, earth works, retro fit or build, establish trees, connect to community, etc. before these products and services are too scarce and your neighbours are desperate.

    I bought a fantastic block of land in the Adelaide Hills in mid 2006 before I understood all this. I partially regret the decision, because I now have a debt hanging over my head, tying me down. There's no house on it and I now don't want to go into debt to build one. The cash value could go much further in the future - a bigger block and established house perhaps. I'm thinking of selling it, but I love it. It's a bit heartbreaking!You can see photos of it here: https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=39645&l=feb0f&id=667452350 My best mate lives next door so I already have some community connection and a place to sleep :D

    [1] https://theautomaticearth.blogspot.com/2008/11/debt-rattle-november-30-2008-how-to.html
    [2] https://theautomaticearth.blogspot.com/2009/01/january-27-2009-look-in-their-eyes-mom.html
     

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