Today’s giveaway comes from Author Charmel Delos Santos — she’s giving away 3 copies of her book “High Heeled Traders” today.Note: this giveaway is now over and the winners have been chosen and notified.
To be entered to win just leave a comment on this post. Tell us either how your investing strategy has changed over the course of your life or tell us your number one question about investing.
US and Canada Residents only please. Winners will be randomly chosen using a random number generator. Void where prohibited.
Here’s more about Charmel and High Heeled Traders:
Trading gets extreme…makeover!
If you want to learn about investing or trading shares, options or forex but worried about complex explanations, worry no more! Using girlie analogies in shopping, fashion and shoes– this fun, educational and comprehensive guide will reveal:
• How behavior is a big part of trading and the ideas that actually work.
• The most important ingredient to trading. If you had any kind of success, you got it.
• How a woman’s busy lifestyle can help to trade.
• Low-risk high-reward trades for markets going up, down, or sideways.
• Easy-to-follow steps and exact information you’ll need to trade profitably with low risk. Save money, and avoid frustration from years of trial and error!
About Charmel Delos Santos
Charmel Delos Santos is a private trader, mother of three, systems analyst and ex-beauty queen wannabe.
Charmel grew up in the Philippines. The second of 3 sisters, she had strong women that influenced much of her life, as her mother and six aunts are mostly teachers. As a young woman, she worked in the family business exporting handicrafts made by women in her village. She was active in civic activities organizing and modelling in fashion shows, which prompted her to join Binibining Pilipinas in 1998 (Miss Philippines). She received her bachelor’s in international studies from Miriam College in Manila while also taking up computer programming. She started her career as a business analyst and worked in information technology for 15 years. After investing in real estate, Santos traded shares and options with little success but continued to work through the lessons, finally getting breakthrough after taking advanced trading courses and workshops with Van Tharp Institute and changing her trading style to “trade as a woman”.
Her current focus is protecting assets and generating income using options and developing trading system for Forex. She is based in Sydney and currently volunteers in a mother’s group. She is a member of the United Nations Women National Committee Australia.
I’m investing-challenged. I always feel so confused. I’m a finance MBA major so I know a decent amount, but I still want to know more about FOREX and options.
Hi! Michelle, left a message here earlier but it didn’t preview, sorry if it doubles up. I totally agree! Investing is challenging, confusing, and you can read a lot about it but not all are useful. As I say in my website, I don’t author any new ideas, but I share what actually work, and you’d love that I use FOREX and options.
Is it safer to just invest in CD’s or other short term/long term investments, or would you recommend investing in other venues? I don’t want any fear of loss, like i would have with stocks.
thanks! 😀
-jenipher
Hi! Jenipher – I left a message here earlier but it didn’t preview – anyway – I totally understand the fear of losing money, however, you would find that “safe” investments may not be working for you at all, CDs tend to attract low rate of investments that inflation and taxes would just eat up.
I used to just guess at my 401K funds in the past and probably missed out on a lot of potential earnings. When they added target date funds, I made the switch. Having trained people make the choices was better than throwing darts.
Hi! Kay – trained people could make better choices, however it will be better that you could supervise them. If you don’t – how can you tell that they are actually delivering the best possible outcome? Cheers!
I started with my 401k account. This exposed me to mutual funds. Then I invested in my company’s stock. I also joined DRIP programs from other companies. Now I have an eTrade account. For conservative investments, I put money in CDs. I would like to know more about Forex and how to invest in the Philippine stock market.
It’s good that you have all these investments, I hope they have been serving your goals well, like if they are meeting the target return for the amount of time you specify. Most of the time I hear people saying they are investing for the long term, the problem with that is you don’t get to evaluate if the investment is working well or not, and if there are better alternatives. Understanding FOREX and Philippine stock market is a good idea, they are interrelated with US stock market anyway once you understand how this whole investing works.
HI there,I love the title of your book and your website. Investing women rock!
Thank you! I talk about investing in a way that doesn’t kill off our brain cells. It’s hard enough to find the time for busy women like us to learn to invest so I try my best to make it fun! Cheers!
This book sounds great! My investment strategy is constantly evolving and I feel like I’m finally at the point where I’d like to learn more about investing in individual stocks outside of my Roth or 403b as well as learning more about REITs. I’d also love to hear others’ perspectives regarding real estate property investments.
Hi! The Happy Homeowner – I’m glad to hear you want to step up! My book has an Appendix comparing Real Estate Investments and Trading — I do talk about a whole menu of investments.
Good luck with the book. I’d love to take a look at it even though I am died in the wool proponent of the efficient market hypothesis, and passive, asset allocation with low cost index funds proponent.
Hi! Barbara – thanks for the well wishes — yes, sometimes when we find something that works we’d stick too it, nothing wrong with that. You might just want to have a taste of other things.
I’m finally trying to figure out how to budget and invest and save. Yeah! That’s the first step, right?
Hi! Mary Sue, . Budgeting and Saving are basic skills, there should be plenty of ideas and tools around. Investing however is tricky, a bit more complicated because of the risks, so I would advise to first step up by educating yourself, may I invite you to my free eBook where I share the most important things to know regarding investments and trading, (more active form of investing)Cheers! Charmel
I am beyond ignorant in the investment area. I am hoping that I am doing what I need to do, but at age 58-I need to do more than hope. I have a state public retirement system with 35 years of contributions, a small 401 with a small match and a 457 that I contribute to and have done that for 20 some years. Wish I had done it for all 35 years! All debt is gone except for auto and home-those will be gone in early 2014. I would love to work for another 10 years, but after aggressively paying off the mortgage and auto, do I dump those payments into the retirement, or do I build my emergency/savings fund??
Hi! Chris – I strongly suggest for you to see a financial planner because you are nearing retirement age. I feel though that at the first instance you should build up your emergency fund, typically this is 3-6 months. Congratulations on all the debt-paying and retirement contribution you’ve done so far! You’d pay off all debts by 2014! That’s phenomenal! Cheers!
I need to invest the money rolled over from my 401k. I could use any help I can get.
Hi! One Frugal Girl — before investing your money, you need to invest on your education because investments have risks. Also see several financial planners and choose the best one to guide your investments especially that we are talking about your 401K. (You also need to supervise these professionals like ask pointed, intelligent questions on why they are recommending investments to you). Cheers!
I just need help knowing where to invest. I am a very conservative person by nature and scared to take any risk, especially with money. I just feel that I worked so hard for that money, I would hate to lose it if my investment went down.
Hi! ib — I understand the fear. Unfortunately, investments will always have risks. However, you can start by just going for the safest ones, like CDs (though as I mentioned in one of the comments above, what you earn in CDs is very low and eaten up by rising prices and taxes). I would also like to invite you to read my preview eBook on how to invest with low-risk http://highheeledtraders.com/?p=2983. There is also a whole lot of material too on getting rid of fear in our lives. My experience is that fear keeps me from growing, going to where I want to go. You may want to find out more about that too before investing. All the best!