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Finding ways to make your money work for you has never been more important than in today’s economic climate. With pay rises hard to come by and many people seeing their ability to earn bonuses restricted, using your savings wisely may be the best option for supplementing your income.

If you are currently living abroad you may find that international investments, such as offshore funds, provide the best opportunity for high returns.

There are a number of laws and tax regulations relating to investing in offshore funds, meaning expatriates are likely to face fewer restrictions than UK residents.

An established bank or reputable fund manager will be able to help you deal with the regulations and establish whether you are eligible to make the international investments you have chosen. However, there is far more to consider than regulations when trying to make the correct international investment decisions.

Risk is one of the biggest issues you will need to think about - as it is in any kind of investment strategy.

You will need to accurately assess your current financial position in order to make an informed decision about whether you should choose safe products or opt for high-risk funds which have the potential to bring better returns.

Typically, if you cannot afford to lose any of your capital or you are approaching retirement, you should look at secure or cautious products.

International accounts and funds in these categories often offer some kind of guarantee about the safety of your capital, but the returns are likely to be steady rather than spectacular.

Adventurous offshore funds perhaps provide the best potential for high capital growth, but as they tend to be made up of equity-based investments, they are significantly riskier.

If you already have a selection of relatively safe investments and can afford to see some of your capital tied up while you seek medium or long-term capital growth, adventurous offshore funds may be right for you.

There are also a variety of medium-risk funds on the market, which see the capital invested across a range of asset classes in a bid to combine safe and high-risk international investments.

These offshore funds may appeal to you if you are seeking better returns than from savings accounts, but are uncomfortable about the prospect of investing your capital in high-risk products.

You will also need to think about how the different types of fund operate and what you want to achieve from your international investments. If you hope to use your savings to supplement your pension or salary, then you may find an income fund is your best choice. This type of fund makes regular payments to investors and usually offers some kind of protection for their capital.

If capital growth is your aim, then you should look at what growth funds have to offer, as they are designed to achieve the maximum returns over the medium to long term by investing in equities.

You may hope to achieve both regular income and long-term capital growth from your international investments. If this is the case, you should think about using a variety of international accounts and offshore funds.

Finding the right combination of investments can be difficult due to the huge number of products on the market, so you may find that seeking professional advice can help you to make a better informed choice.

Author:

For a wide range of international investments, including offshore funds, get in touch with Lloyds TSB International and ask for details of international accounts and other types of international investments.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

This is the Petronas Twin Towers - the tallest building in the world until 2003. I took this picture about a year ago, and today I tried to transform it into something better and brighter. Here’s the original picture.

Source: leenadevi

Forex trading or currency trading is one of the many profitable ventures you can engage online to make extra money. In fact, those successful with online forex trading quit their nine-to-five jobs and make a living with forex trading. Although this can be a profitable venture, it also involves great risks. In fact, it is always said that currency trading is not for everyone because of the risks involved in such a venture.

Although preparation is not an assurance that you succeed in foreign exchange or forex, it helps a lot to learn how to use some tools to aid you in making wise decisions when it comes to trading. Right timing is important in trading and to be able to monitor and predict prices, currency trading charts are usually used.

Trading in the foreign exchange market involves predicting possible fluctuations in the price of currencies and getting good profits in this venture often lies on how accurate you are with your predictions. Of course, you make money in foreign exchange by buying currencies when its price is low and selling it back if the cost is high and make profits with the difference in the prices. That is why it is important to get correct predictions as transactions in this venture do not only involve a few dollars but can make you lose everything you have if you are not cautious with your predictions and tools.

To help you with your trading tools, here are a few charts used in trading as well as tips in understanding these currency trading charts and how you can use them to your advantage.

Currency trading charts particularly show prices in the past and present as well as the market situation, thus you can base your trading decisions on them as well. Traders often look for patterns in these charts to give them a hint on whether to buy today or tomorrow and decide when is the best time to buy and sell with the best profit.

Currency prices, trends as well as market situations can also be graphically represented through these different currency trading charts.

Line Charts - the closing prices are shown in this chart with a straight line connecting them, showing the trend and movement of prices.

Bar Charts - one of the most commonly used currency trading charts used by traders where you will find the opening and closing prices as well as the highs and lows of a currency pair.

Candlestick Charts - this is another chart which gives a good amount of information. Although this can be a little complicated at first, it can be simple to read once you already know where to look and what the ‘candlestick’ graph represents. This is also favored by a lot of traders as you can get a lot of information with just a single graph.

Point and Figure Charts - instead of using lines and bars, this chart makes use of ‘Xs’ and ‘Os’ to represent the movement of the price in the currency market.

Although there are a number of charts that you can use to help you make wise decisions in forex trading, you have to understand that these do not assure you of winning, but can increase your chances of avoiding risks and making profits with forex.

Author:

For currency trading charts that you can use to help you trade wisely and profitably online, check out this Daily Forex Charts Subscription. Also check out Blade Forex Strategies, a guide to help you make money in the forex market.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

actually, it was jane-e and my 1 year anniversary.

i made this camera for her to mark the occasion.

i did the rodenstock 110a lens conversion with the original lens cap on a polaroid 250. everything was painted and sealed in flat black. the front , top, and sides of the lens board are all bondo/sanded flush (no leather inserts). i also cut/filed the viewfinder opening to make it larger (easier to see through).

it works great!

again, special thanks to option 8. he provided all the knowledge necessary for the conversion. his conversions are truly spectacular.

Source: buradori

Astronomy and Cosmology

Cosmology is the name given to a range of natural sciences, including both physics and astronomy that intends to provide an explanation for how the universe works as an integrated entity. Over the centuries, since the Pythagoreans in Greece during the 6th century BC considered the possibility that Earth was spherical, cosmology has come a long way and has integrated a variety of different fields of science.

Cosmology evolved from the observation of these Greeks who interpreted the natural laws of the heavenly bodies from which, eventually, the Ptolemaic model developed during the second century AD. Centuries later, during the 16th century, the Copernican system further developed the theories surrounding astronomy and cosmology - followed, in the 20th century, by the theories of special relativity and Albert Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity. Overall, however, the case for cosmology states that the laws of physics work the same everywhere and that there is homogeneity throughout the universe.

‘The Holographic Universe’, written by Michael Talbot, tells its story in two parts: the first part devotes 55 pages to discussing David Bohm’s holographic model of the universe - simplified into everyday language by Talbot. The second part of the book delves into events of the paranormal while, at the same time, attempting to rationalise the holographic model. Talbot introduces the reader to Karl Pribram as well as the philosophies of David Bohm.

Chemistry

Chemistry and biochemistry often go hand-in-hand, existing in parallel with other scientific disciplines such as dietetics [the science of food]. McCance and Widdowson, who produce ‘The Composition of Foods’ summarises food composition tables and updates much in the way of nutrition as a science. The foreword to the 6th edition has been written by Sir John Krebs while the actual volume itself provides an invaluable source of reference to dieticians and nutritionists the world over.

Meanwhile,’Principles of Biochemistry’ by Nelson D has been described as a ‘modern approach to biochemistry’. Personally, one of the best biochemistry books I have ever encountered was that written by Patterson - now, sadly, long since out of print. I attribute my successful pass in the biochemistry exams to the presence of Patterson which, by the time I had finished with it, was particularly dog-eared! Nelson D’s ‘Principles of Biochemistry’ really is the next best thing to Patterson and a worthy successor.

Earth Sciences and Geography

Earth sciences are a catch-all term covering a different range of natural sciences from those mentioned above. These relate to the study of the earth and how different parts of it are interlinked to produce that homogenous whole that is the classic feature of the scientific world. If you are interested in the world around you then you may be interested in a lovely book by Gavin Pretor-Pinney. This book ‘The Cloud Collector’s Handbook’ is full of charming pictures, below which you will find a short description of each cloud and space for you to record your own sightings. It certainly gives a new connotation to having your head in the clouds!

Education

If you think about it, there is all the difference in the world between someone who loves school and somebody who loves to learn: it doesn’t necessarily follow that, if you love to learn, then you must enjoy school. Education, however, is all about learning for the sheer pleasure of gaining new information. This learning may or may not be associated with school: it can even cover any subject. Evidence of this can be seen in Richard Dawkins’ book ‘The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution’.

Dawkins goes about educating his readers, explaining to them how fossils can be dated accurately, all about plate tectonics etc, before going into the details of how these may be linked with the global distribution of plants and animals and the effects changes in these physical elements can have on them. Dawkins, whilst making it clear that he is aware [and who could not be?] of the great debate on creation v evolution, doesn’t get drawn into the minutiae surrounding this eternal dispute.

Engineering and Technology

One book that I simply have to recommend is a fantastic book written by Jo Marchant. You will find it in our Science and Nature section under the heading of Engineering and Technology. The first thing to say is that this is not some dry and boring technical tome. This book relates the story behind a particularly ancient Greek artefact and what it took to decode its hidden mysteries. The book is called ‘Decoding the Heavens: Solving the Mystery of the World’s First Computer’. I wish Jo Marchant had found a more intriguing title for her book because this title really doesn’t do this book justice.

The book relates the story of the Antikythera Mechanism which has been shown to have amazing capabilities as an astronomical calculator: scientists believe its complexity was at least 1500 years before its time. The Antikythera Mechanism artifact is a good 2,000 years old and was found during a dive in 1901. Scientists have been attempting to unravel its secrets ever since. So, if it’s a true-life mystery you are interested, or a book that’s a bit different I would strongly recommend this well-written and interesting book of Jo Marchant’s.

There are innumerable other sub-genres to be found within our Science and Nature section, covering quite an array of subjects. If you are a fan of the border collie, Barbara Sykes writes a delightful treatise on ‘Understanding Border Collies’. This is an excellent book written by somebody who really does understand the intricacies that go to make up this breed of dog and is an absolute ‘must have’ for all the lovers of border collies out there. Changing from dogs to elephants, I would certainly recommend ‘The Elephant Whisperer: Learning about Life, Loyalty and Freedom from a Remarkable Herd of Elephants’ - it will really pull on your heartstrings then have you howling with laughter! Check out all the other options within this section - you will probably amaze yourself at the treasure trove of titles hidden within our web pages!

Author:

Books on science and nature.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com