10 Smart Financial Moves You Should Make in 2018

"Financial planning is about more than just good advice or investment returns. It is about providing guidance that you can trust."

It is always beneficial to plan out and have a blueprint of your future finances ready. You certainly don't want to make a same financial blunder that you have made earlier. It's also important to plan your investments well.

The Budget 2018 was announced recently and while there is no change in personal income tax, long-term capital gains will be taxed at 10% for amount exceeding Rs. 1 Lakh, without indexing.

So, how should you plan 2018 to make it financially viable?

To make your financial year of 2018 a big HIT, here are 10 financial moves that you can take:

1.) Venture on a Term's Plan or Insurance

Life has its own course of running. You can never be aware of what is going to happen next. It is unpredictable and therefore it's important that you plan ahead.

Invest on a Term Plan, as a way to secure your family's future. Term plan or Term Insurance is a financial protection that helps your family financially in your absence. Term insurances are increasingly becoming popular as they come with loads of benefits.

2.) Have a Health Insurance

Health is wealth and there is no denying that fact.

Whether you've family or you're living an independent life, it must be your priority to invest on a health plan. Accidents and ailments aren't uncommon, and the sad part is that medical treatment isn't cheap in our country.

Having a Health Insurance helps you overcome sudden medical emergencies.

3.) Invest in a Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs)

It is one of the most simple and convenient manner to invest money in mutual funds. You have the liberty to venture your money either weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Systematic Investment Plans grant you an already decided amount to be paid uniformly at regular terms. This type of investment in mutual funds is regarded as the most safe and suitable kind in the market.

4.) Buy Real Estate

After the implementation of the Goods and Service Tax (GST) in the year 2017, realty investors weren't very sure about their financial security. However, the picture is likely to change in the year 2018. It seems the government is looking for new ways to revive growth in the real estate sector.

With the Real Estate Regulatory Authority Act (RERA) in place, there is no place for false promises by real estate developers. You'll also most likely not have to deal with cheating or delay in possessions. Also, the rates are low all across the country. Owing to the good market conditions, this can be the right time to purchase a house or a commercial property. But, make sure to leverage the benefits of a home loan while doing this costly transaction. Instead of paying the complete cost in cash, use a home loan to pay a part of the total cost and save on taxes. What better time to invest in real estate than now?

5.) Evergreen Fixed Deposits

It is a financial mechanism provided by banks where investors receive a high rate of interest varying from 4 to 6.5 percent than the normal savings. Here, your money is deposited in a Fixed Deposit account for a certain time period without and you can't withdraw it until its maturity. The maturity periods can vary from a week's time to 7 years depending on the investors. And since your money is locked, you don't have any other option than to save. Loan on your Fixed Deposit is available, which you can opt for in the case of emergencies.

6.) Tax Saving Investments

Balance your portfolio well and keep a tab on the tax saving instruments, while investing in the year 2018. You're eligible for a tax deduction of up to Rs. 1.5 lakh under Income Tax Act Section 80 (C). Ensure to use this carefully.

In the cases of traditional debt tax saving instrument, the returns have become lower over the past few months. Invest in options like ELSS to maximise your ROI.

PPF is another option you have. Though the rate of interest has gone down recently, your money is safe here.

In addition to that, use financial loans for expenses like child's education, home renovation. This will help you claim tax benefit under section 80 (C).

7.) Invest in Balanced and Liquid Funds

Debt Mutual Funds and liquid funds offer moderate returns, are tax-efficient, and will keep your hard-earned money safe. What percent of these should constitute your portfolio depends completely on you.

8.) Have a Proper Budget in Place

Having a proper budget in place and sticking to it is crucial.

Did you have a budget for 2017? If not, then it's time to have one. And if you already have one, make sure that it doesn't have the same loopholes as the one before.

Every single person needs to have a budget regardless of the money he or she earns. Keeping a constructive budget helps you to track your expenses. It will also help you in keeping a tab of your savings and planning your finances well.

9.) Assess your Monthly Expenditure

Keeping track of your monthly expenditure to know where your money is being spent. Spend some time going through your expenses and cut down on unnecessary spends. This will help you in the future to build up your savings.

10.) Sustain a Good Credit Score

An acceptable credit score assists you in a greater acquiring ability that will help you in accomplishing your dreams of purchasing a house or funding your child's education. Always keep a check on your credit score.

The 7-Point Trading Plan Template

One of the first things beginning traders are told to do is to create a trading plan that will spell out a trading strategy and a list of rules to follow in implementing that strategy. The only problem with that advice is that beginning traders don't really have any trading experience, and thus are lost when attempting to craft a trading plan for their trading.

Another problem with trading plans is that beginners are instructed to treat their plans as gospel and are told not to deviate from them. This prevents traders from adapting their strategies and rules to improve their performance, an essential step in every trader's learning curve.

Instead of a rigid document to be created early on in your trading career and never to be changed, you should instead view your trading plan as a living and breathing set of guidelines, capable of being modified as you gain trading experience. This article will teach you how to create a trading plan that will guide your trading efforts without stunting your progress.

The 7-Point Trading Plan Template






In creating your trading plan, here are the items you should include:

1. Markets - What markets will you focus on? Be as specific as possible - if you're trading stocks, what types of stocks will you concentrate on?

2. Timeframe - How long will you hold your positions for? Will you be a day trader focusing on trades lasting a few minutes, or a swing trader holding trades for a few days?

3. Time Period - What times of the day will you trade? You may have outside responsibilities that prevent you from trading an entire trading day. Pick which times of the day best suit your style.

4. Trading Style - How would you characterize your trading style? Perhaps you are a momentum trader focusing on trending stocks? Or maybe you specialize in a particular sector? Again, this can and will change as you gain experience and learn from your results.

5. Risk Management Rules - This is an absolutely essential and often overlooked component of your trading plan. How will you manage your risk, both on a per-trade basis and overall? You should have a "stop trading" point which is a fixed dollar amount that will force you to stop trading if you're down by that much.

6. Mentor - Who do you follow and learn from as a teacher? Attempting to learn trading all by yourself is not only lonely, but foolish as it ignores the hard-earned wisdom of other traders. You can either repeat the mistakes of other professionals and hope to eventually learn the lessons and techniques that they've learned, or you can simply learn from successful traders and bypass those initial frustrations.

7. Learning Process - How will you structure your learning process as a trader? What steps will you take to ensure you're always getting better? How will you structure your trading journal?

Trading Plan Example






To show you this trading plan template in action, I'm going to fill it out according to my own trading style:

1. I trade the U.S. stock markets, focusing on volatile stocks with sufficient volume. These stocks are typically the focus of news items and are thus "in play."

2. I am a day trader and hold my positions anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours. I'm primarily a scalper and am looking to take advantage of short-term imbalances between supply and demand. I will stay in a trade as long as I can identify a supply/demand imbalance.

3. I trade throughout the trading day, although I focus most of my activity at the open and close of the trading day.

4. While I have multiple styles, I would characterize myself primarily as a momentum trader that relies on tape reading to identify favorable risk/reward situations to enter in the direction of a trend.

5. I'm fanatical about managing my risk, both on a per-trade basis and overall. Every trade I enter has a predefined stop-loss and I have a daily stop-loss to stop trading when I'm having a rough day.

6. I've had a variety of mentors throughout my career, and now I talk with a select group of traders at my firm with similar trading styles.

7. I review every single trade I make, always looking for ways in which I can improve. This may be as simple as cutting down my risk when trading certain stocks or altering my execution patterns.

Your trading plan can be as simple as that, just a series of statements answering those 7 questions. You also shouldn't spend too much time creating your trading plan as it will frequently change throughout your career.

Summary






Your trading plan will crystallize exactly what you're trying to accomplish, but don't view it as set in stone. Rather, your plan will grow and change as you gain experience and develop your own trading style.

Your trading plan also doesn't need to be a complicated document spanning multiple pages. You simply need to define what markets you're going to trade, how you're going to trade them (how long you'll hold positions, what times of day you're going to trade, and your trading style), how you're going to manage your risk, and how you're going to continue developing as a trader. By clarifying and explicitly stating those 7 key points, your trading plan will serve and support you in your trading career.

Hire Joomla Extension Developer To Get The Benefits of Joomla

Joomla is highly popular content management system. You can create beautiful websites quickly and without much effort with it. It makes a lot of tasks easier and quicker and due to this reason more and more people choose to use it. You can not only build beautiful websites with Joomla but you can do build useful applications with it. Many people have appreciated the efficiency of working system of Joomla and particularly its extension system. Joomla boasts with powerful extension system which can be used to extend its functionality. Extension system of Joomla is highly useful to build websites and applications.

These extensions are build and created by its many users or by creator of Joomla itself. This is because Joomla is an open source and it has many creators who contribute in Joomla development. These developers create Joomla extensions and post them on Joomla system. Majority of extensions are free to download and certain are charged to download it. The sole purpose of extensions is making work easier and quicker for a person who use it. This extensions system ensures that your Joomla system is working better and perform more tasks. The extensions work as main component of it and perform excellent tasks.

Getting Joomla extension developer is not an easy tasks you need to make certain effort for it. Hiring developer in-house is a headache. You have to deal with their payrolls, maintenance, incentives and many more issues. You are to pay taxes of the government. You are to pay respect to the labor laws of the local body. To save yourself from these headaches you need to hire extension developer from outsourcing companies and only pay their service charges.

You can hire Joomla extension developer at affordable costs from outsourcing companies because outsourcing companies are operating from India like countries where skilled manpower is available at cheaper rates. You can hire Joomla extension developer for fraction of cost in your countries because their salary standard in their counties are five times lower than developed countries.

Outsourcing companies provide all infrastructure facilities for the development. They provide easy communication with their developers so you can contact your developers at anytime and from anywhere. You can contact your developers by emails, instant messengers, live chats and by international calling system.

Bankruptcy Credit Counseling

If you are in a bad financial situation where you feel there is no hope for you to recover, bankruptcy may be your only option. People who have lost a job or do not have enough income to cover all of the growing expenses may need to consider the different options that they can take. If you are going to apply for bankruptcy, you may be required to obtain bankruptcy counseling before you can file.

Most courts will require people who are applying for a bankruptcy to get a bankruptcy credit counselor. These counselors will need to be approved by the court. If you fail to meet the requirement of obtaining a bankruptcy counselor, you may have to start the approval process all over again. Even if your bankruptcy is not a result of financial mismanagement, counseling is often required by the courts.

Most courts will give you a list of different credit counselors that are approved. Before you see a counselor your need to make sure they are approved by the courts. You can often get the courts to approve most counselor you choose; you just need to contact them.

A bankruptcy counseling service will help teach you different skills to help avoid you getting into the same bad credit situation. They can go through all of your debt with you and see if there are any ways that you can recover your financial situation without going through a bankruptcy process. Bankruptcy credit counseling is a good thing to do before you decide to file for bankruptcy because it will show you some different alternatives to bankruptcy.

Huawei Mate 10 Pro Vs Google Pixel 2 XL: Which One to Choose?

If you are going to buy new Android flagship sooner than later, then chances are great that you will find Google's Pixel 2 XL. It is one of the best Android devices on the planet, backed by a well renowned Tech Name, "Google".

But wait! There is another competitor which is offering some nice features to their customers. The Huawei Mate 10 Pro smartphone matches up closely with the Pixel 2 XL by Google on few top features and various tech specs; however, there are some key details that differ between them. Here, we are going to show you the most prominent features of these two devices with the comparison so you can see where one is doing better than the other. So, let's get started.

Design & Display

Both the Huawei Mate 10 Pro and the Google Pixel 2 XL mobile phones feature few very 2017 design elements. The Pixel 2 XL phone device has relatively bigger in terms of dimensions that features stunning rounded corners and tiny bezels.






Huawei Mate 10 Pro doesn't have rounded corners though, but it does have a nice large display. The Pixel 2 XL comes with the mixture of glass and metal on the back. On the other hand, the Mate 10 Pro smartphone sticks with entirely glass on the rear side.

As far as display is concerned, both phones offer 6-inches large enough display; however, the Pixel 2 XL has a P-OLED display, and Mate 10 Pro is backed by AMOLED display. Pixel 2 XL by Google offers slightly better display resolution and density of 2880x1440 and 537ppi respectively than the Huawei Mate 10 Pro's 2160x1080 pixel resolution and 402ppi pixel density. Other features are almost identical in both like Screen protection and Screen to body ratio.

Performance

Google Pixel 2 XL comes with the same 6 months old Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor chip. No doubt, it is one of the fastest chips around but as compared to the latest flagship Android phones, it's considered as outdated. Still, it has plenty to experience super-fast and crazy smartphone experience with 4GB enough RAM and latest Android 8.0 Oreo onboard.

And when you see the Huawei Mate 10 Pro, it has new and updated HiSilicon Kirin 970 chip, which is far better than its predecessor. Backed by a neural processing unit within for A.I requirements as well as machine learning adapting feature, this is truly a speed master, particularly with 6GB of extended RAM.

All in all, the Kirin 970 compares very well, in terms of speed, performance, and everyday usage, to the Snapdragon 835 chip in benchmark testing.

Battery

Google Pixel 2 XL comprises a powerful Li-Ion battery with a capacity of 3520mAh. Huawei provides even more powerful Li-Polymer 4000mAh battery. This is a core difference. And both phones offer fast charging.

Camera

Huawei Mate 10 Pro goes with the similar dual-camera approach as you found in the P10 and P10 Plus phones, with a 12 Mega Pixels primary sensor and 20MP monochromatic secondary sensor. The camera of Mate 10 Pro rapidly focuses on whatever you shoot and adjusts accordingly, thanks to its A.I skills. This is truly one of the leading smartphone cameras on the market today, without any doubt.

But when we see the Pixel 2 XL Camera, it offers various new and exciting features like laser autofocus and phase detection and can deliver impressive shots swiftly. Due to Google's state-of-the-art image processing abilities, you will get something incredible every time you shoot, and even in low light conditions. But still, it is a single lens shooter.

The Dos and Don'ts of Upgrades

When it comes to optioning the house, the primary question an investor should be asking themselves upon an acquisition is whether or not the option selected will contribute to the sell-ability of the house, relative to the actual cost. Obviously, there's a point of diminishing return if one builds a Taj Mahal in a land of tract homes. Despite the urge to go all out and deck the place to the tee, please resist the temptation. Doing so will only cut down on your return. This is particularly important given the fact that since it is an investment, an investment with an unknown value, it isn't prudent to put some of the potential gain at risk by purchasing unnecessary design upgrades that aren't critical.

More often than not, homebuilders are aware of this vulnerability. This is more then ever true for investors, for whom they will provide a glut of options and upgrades that are grossly marked up. This type of financial exploitation provides an income stream that is indispensable to many homebuilders, such as KB Home, who are notorious for their exuberant cost upgrades and options. This system is so elaborate that their design department is a whole corporation of its own-which is known as KB Home Studio and rivals that of most high-end design centers. Not only are these stand-alone profit centers, KB Home has a separate business unit with senior vice presidents, AVPs, regional heads, etc., to take care of this organizational monster. The great thing about this apparatus is that it offers a plethora of design upgrades and options that are really top-shelf. The only problem is that you usually have to pay an arm and a leg to get these wonderful amenities.

To relate a story, the first time I went through a KB Home Studio, it was baptism by fire. I spent over eight hours in the design center, split over two days. At $35,000 plus in upgrades, I estimated that it cost me about $4,300 an hour to shop in their design center. You can see why I was happy to get out of there. Keep in mind also, that you may be required to pay a fraction of the upgrade costs in the form of a deposit soon after selection. This is almost a certainty and industry standard. On average, the deposit amount runs 25 percent to 50 percent and are usually nonrefundable. The consequence of this deposit requirement is apparent, in that it makes it more difficult, especially as an investor, to walk away from a transaction.

In spite of the latter, you can see on a pure convenience factor, it's hard not to like that a homebuilder can offer you lots of options. Having the "convenience factor" available is all good and well; however, it becomes somewhat of an entrapment issue when the builder offers a plain vanilla box without any or few upgrades. In these cases, sometimes builders will only go to "code"-meaning, only providing what is necessary to have the local housing department or building and safety, at the city or the county level sign off on the property and give it a certificate of occupancy. This for instance, may mean no rain gutters, no landscaping in the front or back, unfinished garages, which typically consist of drywall with a coat of primer, or an unfinished garage consisting of the latter but with exposed 2x4 studs, sheetrock, chicken wire and black installation coversheet. Other more obvious "standards" include all vinyl flooring and small 4x4 white tile for the kitchen countertops, or cheap laminate for that matter. To top it all off, in terms of complete ugly-fication, you might get the builders' special quarter-inch clustered marble countertops in the bathroom.

There's a reason why even home design centers at Home Depot or Lowe's highlight these amenities, and that's because they're cheap and nobody really wants them. Consequently, many homebuilders offer the standards in order to eek out as much money as possible out of each home they build. As a result, a new homeowner and/or investor is essentially forced into buying options and various upgrades in order to avoid the home looking like a plain Jane. Having too much of a plain Jane can actually hurt a home's value. As an investor, it's up to you to define the balance without overspending on a new tract flip. That's the nature of making a business decision: you have to use your judgment. I've seen some homes that were literally destroyed from the inside out given the extreme lack of appeal that permeated the house as a result of no upgrades. As an example, spending an additional $4,000 to $6,000 on upgraded floorways and kitchen countertops is probably well advised. Most carpeting, even if it doesn't have stain guard, should be adequate for most homes. Don't be pressured into upgrading into a thicker padding for the carpet. Just go with the standard one-quarter inch, since most builders will try to get an extra $700 to $1,200, if not more, added to the cost of the house just for upgraded padding.

6 Key Elements of a Contract

1. Offer. An offer can be oral or written as long as it is not required to be written by law. It is the definite expression or an overt action which begins the contract. It is simply what is offered to another for the return of that person's promise to act. It cannot be ambiguous or unclear. It must be spelled out in terms that are specific and certain, such as the identity and nature of the object which is being offered and under what conditions and/ or terms it is offered.

2. Acceptance. As a general proposition of law, the acceptance of the offer made by one party by the other party is what creates the contract. This acceptance, as a general rule, cannot be withdrawn, nor can it vary the terms of the offer, or alter it, or modify it. To do so makes the acceptance a counter-offer. Though this proposition may vary from state to state, the general rule is that there are no conditional acceptances by law. In fact, by making a conditional acceptance, the offeree is rejecting the offer. However the offerer, at his choosing, by act or word which shows acceptance of the counter-offer, can be bound by the conditions tendered by the offeree.

3. Consideration. Consideration for a contract may be money or may be another right, interest, or benefit, or it may be a detriment, loss or responsibility given up to someone else. Consideration is an absolutely necessary element of a contract. As a word of caution, it should be noted that consideration has to be expressly agreed upon by both parties to the contract or it must be expressly implied by the terms of the contract. A potential or accidental benefit or detriment alone would not be construed as valid consideration. The consideration must be explicit and sufficient to support the promise to do or not to do, whatever is applicable. However, it need not be of any particular monetary value. Mutual promises are adequate and valid consideration as to each party as long as they are binding. This rule applies to conditional promises as well. As additional clarification, the general rule is that a promise to act which you are already legally bound to do is not a sufficient consideration for a contract. The courts determine the application.

4. Capacity of the Parties to Contract. The general presumption of the law is that all people have a capacity to contract. A person who is trying to avoid a contract would have to plead his or her lack of capacity to contract against the party who is trying to enforce the contract. For example, he would have to prove that he was a minor, adjudged incompetent or drunk or drugged, and so forth. Often this is the most difficult burdens of proof to overcome due to the presumption of one's ability to contract.

5. Intent of the Parties to Contract. It is a basic requirement to the formation of any contract, be it oral or written, that there has to be a mutual assent or a "meeting of the minds" of the parties on all proposed terms and essential elements of the contract. It has been held by the courts that there can be no contract unless all the parties involved intended to enter into one. This intent is determined by the outward actions or actual words of the parties and not just their secret intentions or desires. Therefore, mere negotiations to arrive at a mutual agreement or assent to a contract would not be considered an offer and acceptance even thought the parties agree on some of the terms which are being negotiated. Both parties must have intended to enter into the contract and one can not have been misled by the other. That is why fraud or certain mistakes can make a contract voidable.

6. Object of the Contract. A contract is not enforceable if its object is considered to be illegal or against public policy. In many jurisdictions contracts predicated upon lotteries, dog races, horse races, or other forms of gambling would be considered illegal contracts. Yet in some states these types of contracts are valid. Federal and some state laws make contracts in restraint of trade, price-fixing and monopolies illegal. Therefore, a contract which violates those statutes would be illegal and unenforceable. This is true for drugs and prostitution or any other activity if considered criminal.