Flying high on investments? Avoid scams!
If you’re just getting started with investing, you’re probably searching high and low for a legitimate high yield investment to sink some money into and make lots of profits. Everyone wants to find those high yield investments so they can do the same thing. The biggest problem, of course, is that many other people know how to prey upon those looking for good investments. Scams abound on the Internet, ranging from simple pyramid schemes where you can lose a few hundred dollars or more complicated investment schemes that can cost you thousands.
One good way to figure out if a legitimate high yield investment is a scam is to really think about what you’re being told, and why. Read about the investment with an objective eye. Is the reason it’s such a good investment being explained thoroughly, or is it just a lot of hype and promises designed to get you to sign up? The old adage really does apply—a high yield investment that seems almost to good to be true, probably is too good to be true.
Be wary of the person or the company that’s introducing you to the investment. What’s in it for them? Are they selling you the information about the investment? Be wary. This is how many scammers make their money. They talk you into paying them for information, and once you get the information it usually proves useless—or explains that by giving them even more money, you’ll get even more information. . . avoid these types of pitches. If the investment they’re touting were really a legitimate high yield investment, they’d be making all their money off the investment and wouldn’t need to sell their “secrets” or “system” to you.
One of most common scams involves pyramid schemes. These plans always sound like legitimate high yield investments to people unfamiliar with how they work, and people have been known to sink thousands of dollars into these “investments” before they realized they were being scammed. It’s easy to recognize a pyramid scheme, though, because you’ll probably have to recruit people so sign up for the plan or program, and you’re promised profits off of them and everyone else they sign up. It sounds fine in theory, but the problem with pyramids are that there’s nothing of value being offered. You make money from them signing up—it’s a simple passing of cash—with those at the top making the most and those lower down finding it harder and harder to get people to sign up.
Also, anyone who claims to have a legitimate high yield investment for you and is promising that you’ll double your money or make dramatic profits very quickly is probably just selling something, something on which you’ll lose all your money.
The best way to research high yield investments is by keeping an eye on trends, and reading financial magazines, and online finance magazines like Forbes and The Motley Fool. You’ll get sound investing advice, free of the hype and the desire to sell you something.
Photo Credits: 1
Originally posted 2008-12-26 05:47:15. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Articles -
Stocks are a Great Investment /caption] Most people recognize that stocks are an excellent investment, but purchasing stocks can be a confusing process. This is especially true if you have little experience in investing, or no experience at all. You can turn the stock buying process into a good investment even as a beginner, and...... -
What Are Safe Investments? [/caption] If you are trying to accumulate wealth, set aside money for the future or you would just like to have a few more streams of income coming in, investments are usually the first thing people turn to. However, the most common question that many people have is what are...... -
4 Tips for College Students Budgets /caption] If you are a college student, then your primary focus is probably set on your studies and trying to maintain your education so that you will be benefited in the future. Unfortunately, one of the things that you may not be putting enough consideration into is how you are...... -
Teens Saving Money [/caption] One of the best ways to build a strong financial foundation in teens is by starting a savings plan early on. Over the past few years, there have been more teens saving money and the results are clear. When you take the time to teach good financial practices to...... -
Traditional Magazines vs. Online Magazines /caption] While many people subscribe to a variety of financially-oriented magazines to keep abreast of the latest economic happenings, others find that online finance magazines are a great way to stay up-to-date on the latest financial news, all with just a click of the mouse. Online finance magazines have advantages......
Related Sites -
Roundup for week of 2 October 2006 Here are some noteworthy links from the Money Blog Network and other great personal finance blogs:Consumerism Commentary answers a reader's credit score question.Five Cent Nickel notices that Vanguard changed its target retirement fund offerings.Free Money Finance outlines what he'd do with $5,000,000.All FInancial Matters kicks off the Bogleheads' Guide to...... -
Top 3 Things to Learn About Personal Finance Regardless of your age, position in life, or your financial goals, there are a few things that we all need to learn about personal finance. Once you have the basics down, everything else can just flow naturally. These tips are the strong foundation upon which you can build your financial...... -
Best High Yield Savings Accounts Not all high interest savings accounts or money market accounts are alike. If you look at it from the standpoint of savers who decide to open such accounts, you’ll find that we’re all prompted to select savings accounts according to various reasons and criteria. Based on where we are in...... - Weekend Personal Finance Links (sore muscle edition) My wife persuaded me to go her gym's Body Pump class yesterday. Not only was my ego hurt by the women doing heavier weights more times than me, but even my finger muscles hurt. That being the case, I'm going to cut right to the chase and get you the......
-
How to Teach Personal Finance to College Kids The college crowd is among the most active users on the web, one can only hope they find resources like this out there. We've looked at how to teach personal finance to high schoolers, but how does it differ from the money management skills needed in college and beyond?......
