Americans from every walk of life are falling into a deep hole as far as debt is concerned. Many of us have home mortgages, car loans, credit card debt, and even debt on our store cards. Each and every month, people are struggling just to make the minimum payments on their credit cards, getting further and further into debt and not saving anything for their retirements. And even though a home loan will help you build equity in a very positive asset, credit cards are a very tempting way to get further and further into debt. Sound familiar?

How safe will your money be?

By ASIC

In the past 3 years, ASIC estimates that at least 6,000 Australians have lost around $500 million of their life savings chasing high returns. The biggest danger sign is an investment that promises a better return than you can get anywhere else.

What is a high return? If the scheme promises you 1.5-2% or more per year better than the average return for the type of asset in which you invest, please be extremely careful. In our experience your money may not be safe. Read how to to calculate rates of return and our tips on working out what you've been offered.

The following article lists some simple, informative tips that will help you have a better experience with how to trade stock.

Aim for the best timing in stock market trading. It is the only option for a successful stock market investor learning how to trade stock.

In order to raise capital and invest in the business, companies issue their stocks and the public may then buy and sell. The price varies depending on the supply and demand. This is what a stock market trader takes full advantage of.

Gold has recently shot up the ranks as one of the best and safest investments to make this year. With the gold price expected to reach at least $1,000 per troy ounce before the decade is out we can see why.

One way of saving thousands of dollars on your mortgage is by switching your payments from monthly to weekly or fortnightly.

Weekly or fortnightly mortgage payments have been growing in favour with home owners across Australia and many institutions now offer these payment options. The fascination with more frequent payment options is that if they are done correctly you can take several years off your mortgage amortization and thus own your home free and clear years ahead of paying on a monthly basis.

Once you have made the decision to buy a home you will need to obtain mortgage financing for your purchase. Until about fifteen years ago buyers had to go directly to banks to obtain loans and shopping around for the right fit was a long process. Mortgage Brokers are experts in home loans who will consider your financial situation and financing requirements and then shop around for various lenders to find the best possible deal on financing for your purchase.

Did you have a piggy bank when you were a child? I did. Mine sat empty for a long time until my mother convinced me that I should really start putting my pennies and nickels into it in order to save my money for when I was older and wanted to buy something.

So, I did. I had about forty cents on me from the sale of some baseball cards to one of my friends (probably a Reggie Jackson Rookie Card or something worth thousands today) and I plunked it into the piggy bank to save money for “when I was older.” The next day I went to my mother and asked her, “How do you pray?” She was definitely taken aback by the question (I was probably five or six years old at the time), but gave me a long religious discussion about talking to God and waiting to hear an answer, the whole nine yards. I was puzzled by this response and asked my next question, “But how do you pray open?” She asked what I meant, so I went and got my piggy bank to show her the disc on the bottom which had a small slot perfectly sized for the insertion of a flathead screwdriver, upon which was stamped the phrase PRY OPEN. I was, after all, a day older and I wanted my forty cents for the ice cream man.

Most people seem to believe that having access to lots of money will solve all their problems and miraculously make them happy. Do you believe that?

A recent Australian Government survey commissioned by Household, Income and Labour Dynamics Australia (HILDA) examined a range of answers that people gave to a series of financial questions. The survey concluded that people on higher incomes were very reluctant to call themselves prosperous. Those in the top seven percent of incomes - having a net worth of more than $3 million - described their financial position as "poor" or "just getting along." Does that surprise you?

You have probably heard the term "Structured Settlement" on a television or print ad and wondered what it meant. After all, the term is not a part of our everyday lexicon.

A structured settlement is a contract under which an insurance company undertakes to make periodic payments to an injured party as part of a bodily injury claim settlement or to a surviving family member to whom a large settlement has been awarded. These are just two examples of where a structured settlement might be used. Structured settlements have become popular because they offer substantial benefits to all parties involved in the settlement agreement.

How do Options Work in Australia. * Options are the most versatile trading instrument ever invented. Indeed they were initially conceived in 1973 to minimise risk in the stockmarket and provide income to leveraged portfolios. Options were introduced in Australia in 1976. * Since options cost less than stock, they provide a high leverage approach to trading that can significantly limit the overall risk of a trade or provide additional income. Option buyers have rights and option sellers have obligations. Option buyers have the right, but not the obligation, to buy (call) or sell (put) the underlying stock at a specified price up until expiry. * There are two kinds of options: calls and puts. Call options give you the right to buy the underlying asset. Put options give you the right to sell the underlying asset.