Learning to trade well is essentially building a business that can make you self sufficient.  Especially in Forex, leverage plays a key role in helping you make the most of your money.  Of course that also means that there is more risk, but if we can manage that risk correctly, it should pay off in the long run.

In a similar way, loaning money to entrepreneurs in developing countries allows us to leverage the buying power of our currency to help them become more self sufficient.  Yes, the risk is much higher than lending on something like Lending Club because it is harder to get a feel for the financial viability of a small business in a foreign country.

However, I believe that this is much better than just giving people money.  It also allows us to “recycle” money instead of blowing it in one shot.  Anywho, I made a little money from the advertising on this blog last month, so this is what I did with it…

The Business I Loaned To

For my first loan, I chose Oyungerel Baasanjav from Mongolia and made a $25 loan.  She has a tailoring business and needed the loan to purchase string and wool for her business. She is married with two children and has been in business since 2008.

According to the description, she primarily makes gloves and scarves and business is picking up so she needs the additional materials.  Her total requested loan value is $475 and it was filled pretty quickly. That equals 600,000 MNT (Mongolian Tugriks).  Just for reference…according to Wikipedia, in 2008 public and private sector workers made an average of approximately 108,000 MNT or about $81 USD per month.

Why I Chose Her

Choosing Oyungerel had less to do with her and more to do with the local institution that qualified her for the loan.  Since there wasn’t much information on the borrowers, I decided to base my loan decision primarily on the local institution that was making the loan.  The local institution in this case was XacBank a microfinance bank.  They do full due diligence and have a 5/5 star risk rating (least risky).

What I found out was that XacBank makes these loans and does charge the borrower interest.  Then they back fill the loan with Kiva funding and the Kiva borrowers get repaid from the loan payments.  At first, this may seem like they are getting free money and in a way, they are.

But I’m OK with that for two reasons:

First, because they are taking the initial risk and putting out their own money.  They may not get the loan back filled, so they have to be sure that they can live with the loan themselves.

Secondly, because it does cost money to do the due diligence for the loan and go through the application process. I would rather have them get paid for this so they can do it well.  In addition, XacBank will give up to 9% of the interest paid back to the borrower in the form of a new savings account if they pay on time.

A final consideration, was the way that she dressed in the picture.  I know that this is a little superficial, but if she is a good fashion designer, she should look the part.  On top of that, if she took the time to dress well, she is probably more serious that someone who showed up in a t-shirt, flip-flops and shorts.

My Plan Going Forward

Since these loans are risky, my plan is to lend out each loan twice, then donate the money directly to Kiva’s operating costs.  I figure that this will get good use out of the money, while minimizing the risk of losing the entire principal.

Join Me!

If this is a cause that you would also like to support, I would love for you to join the lending group that I started on Kiva.  It is called the Trading Heroes Lending Team.  I don’t benefit in any way by you joining the Team, it just a way for Forex Traders to come together for a common cause.

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So after a lot of thought and research, I have decided to make Kiva the official partner charity of Trading Heroes.  There are several reasons for this decision.  Here they are in no particular order:

• They have an excellent rating on Charity Navigator, an independent charity evaluator
• Kiva makes loans to micro businesses in developing countries.  That means we are supporting people who are creating products, services and jobs.  I feel that this will go much further in ending world poverty than just donating money.
• They have a 98.88% repayment rate at the time of this writing
• Each loan is only $25, not a huge risk

Loans That Change Lives

Why Lend?

I think this video says it all…

How it works

• Choose a borrower from the list
• Loan $25 to their project
• When the total amount that the person wishes to borrow is fulfilled, the loan is given out
• They repay you according to the terms of the loan
• Do it again!

The risks

• These are unsecured loans, so you could lose all of your investment.  Luckily it is a small amount.
• There is no return on the loan, you do not receive any interest

How I will support them

I will donate 5% of all proceeds from the sale of Trading Heroes products and affiliate sales to Kiva and I will blog about the loans.  Trading is all about learning to create an income by educating yourself to trade in order to live The Trading Lifestyle.  By supporting people in developing countries that want to help themselves, I believe that we can make a difference and help them to live a better lifestyle too.

Are there any charities that you support that you want to us to know about?  Leave a comment below and tell about it any why you support that charity.

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People need to come together and take a stand for what is right.  Down with those evil corporations, down with the 1%!  Here is why I think that the Occupy Wall Street Movement is without a doubt, the greatest movement of our generation.

1.  We ARE the 99%!

I am proud to say that I am the 99%.  It is pretty tough to be in the 99% though, you have to admit.  Well of course…you know what it is like, you are in it too.

Don’t you hate it when you are repressed day after day and you can’t do anything about it?  We are better than that!  Deep down, I know that you could do more with your life if that lousy 1% wasn’t holding you back.  I feel the same way brother/sister.

It is not our fault that we go to college and come out $50,000 in debt, only to get a job that we could have got with a high school diploma.  Who cares if some of the richest people in the world dropped out of college…they are losers.

It’s not our fault that we go into debt, buying shit we don’t need.  The 1% makes us do it…and I really did need that 75″ LCD TV.

Buy a house that we can afford?  Psssssh…we are Americans, bigger is better.

Damn those people in Thailand.  Or France.  Or Congo.  Wait, which 1% was it again?

We live in one of the richest, freest countries in the world…we should be complaining!

2.  Leaderless revolutions are the kind of revolutionary thinking that we need

Who ever thought that having a leader was a good idea anyway?  That just leads to repression.  The Civil Rights Movement would have done fine without Martin Luther King.  The United States would have still become an independent country without George Washington.

When you give one person too much power, you end up with people like Marilyn Manson or the Unabomber.  Or Charles Manson…one of the Manson brothers.

Anyway…take my word for it, it gets all jacked up.

We all need to just chill the fuck out and let the MOVEMENT take care of itself.  Sometimes people get so wrapped up in the minutia of concrete goals (like equal rights, voting for women and banning whaling) that they forget to see the bigger picture:  Humanity coming together for a common cause…coming together and standing in the same place…at the same time.

3.  Using the Arab Spring tactic will bring victory

Since we are in the US, using the Arab Spring tactic of demonstration just makes sense.  But do not worry, it is not only our only alternative, but it is the best available method of demonstration.

You see, the Ghandi Summer tactic is actually the best way to protest, but you can only use that in Canada…on the English speaking side.  The French Canadians thought it was too powerful a demonstration technique and pepper spray anyone who even looks like Ghandi.  Or John Lennon.  Non of that shit on the Eastside.

But seriously, you cannot argue with the Arab Spring tactic, it gets results.  It has overthrown governments and has supposedly resulted in a 40% hike in the minimum wage in Lebanon.

This is no ordinary demonstration tactic where a bunch of people come together peacefully and protest something that they are against.  This is the internet age and this is Arab Spring bitches!

4.  The unemployed need to stop being so greedy and volunteer their time for the good of all

You know what…this is my pet peeve!  It should actually be number one.  People who think more about eating or providing shelter for their kids than the good of all humanity.  How selfish can these bastards be…right?

Just like it says on the website:

“We call for the unemployed to volunteer, to learn, to teach, to use what skills they have to support themselves as part of the revolting people as a community.”

Because giving selflessly of yourself is all the sustenance you need.  Nutrition is highly over rated.

Those evil corporations don’t create thousands of jobs, that is a myth.  They are evil, that is their real business.  Not working will show them who is boss!

5.  Abandoned buildings and land need to be seized and put to good use…for once

Yes, yes and yes!  All of those abandoned buildings and land need to be taken back by the 99% and put to good use.  What do these people think they are doing with these properties anyway?

People who speculate in real estate are evil.  Those properties could be used by poor deserving people.  So I say that we take back all of the resources that aren’t being used and put them to their highest and best use.  As a crack house.  Or a brothel.  Actually, a meth lab is pretty useful too.

Just don’t take the vacant land at 2938 Valley Road in Tempe, Arizona.  That land belongs to my Aunt and it has been in her family for generations.

6.  Using Twitter hashtags after your Tweet is weak, we need to be STRONG!

If we are going to agents of true change, we need to put the #occupywallstreet hashtag in as many blog post titles as humanly possible.  Not only that, but any other hashtag that comes to mind.

This will give the revolution momentum because it will show people that they are not the only ones who don’t know how to use Twitter.  We are the 99%…and proud of it!

7.  Paying people to lobby the government on your behalf is for losers

What do the Tobacco Companies, Drug Companies and Finance Companies have in common?  They are all losers.

Why?  Because they raise money to lobby the government to create laws in their favor.  People who institute real change don’t need money.  Or lobbiers.  Or laws.

We just need to get as many people to stand in a town square as possible.  It doesn’t matter who comes, just as long as we can say that we organized millions of people to stand up to the repressive 1%.

Literally.

Then we can go home, take a shower and watch some TV.  Maybe drink a beer.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot…

If Ben and Jerry believe, it has to be legit! After all Schweddy Balls is what revolutions are made of.

Hope you are having a great holiday season! I just wanted to send you a quick video to enjoy this holiday with your family and friends.

It is about Frank and Kristen and how Frank became paralyzed on what should have been the happiest day of their lives, their wedding day. Every day after that was spent in misery, with Frank unable to work or do anything for himself, Kristen has had to shoulder the burden, putting a tremendous amount of stress on her and the relationship.

Of all the videos in this series, I think this one was the most rewarding to watch. But don’t take my word for it, check it out:

Note: Click the rectangle icon in the lower right corner to view in full screen.

This is what the holidays are all about.

I just got an email today from OU Forex Trader that is pretty amazing.  12 traders/educators got together and are going to give you $7,000 worth of trading tools and educational material if you donate $7 to their holiday charity donation fund.

How’s that for ROI!

<—The charities that they support are listed here.

There are a few forex traders/educators on the list along with stock, ETF and futures traders.

I don’t know how good these courses are and I don’t make a dime by recommending this, but I thought it was a great idea and it goes to a great cause.

From what I was reading on the landing page, there are a few FULL courses and some trading tools like calculators and ebooks.  They say that one of the full courses being offered has been sold for $1,997.

Some of the educational materials are just parts of courses, just teasers so you possibly buy the whole course later.

But whatever, even if the entire package is absolute crap, it won’t break the bank and the donation helps out those organizations.   I’m sure that there is something to be learned from the educational material.

After you donate, they send you a confirmation email and access to the information will be emailed on December 27th.  But if you want to donate, I would do it now because they will probably shut it down before Christmas.

Click here to donate.

Happy Holidays!

Books/Movies

• Here is my list of my favorite books and trading related movies
• Rob Booker: Adventures of a Currency Trader (I will add it to the list later)
• Dr. Wayne Dyer: Excuses Begone! ( Going to add this one too)
• Click here to browse all the trading books on Amazon.com

Computer Hardware

• Gyration Wireless Mouse and Keyboard – I first saw this being used by a bond trader I worked with.  The cool thing (to me) is that the keyboard is very compact so it doesn’t use too much space on my desktop and the mouse can be used on the table or used in the air.  I use it personally and it allows me to get up or sit back in my chair and still be able to control the computer.
• MacBook Air – This is the perfect laptop, in my opinion.  Light, fast, beautiful looking, great battery life and has the best home operating system in the world: OS X.
• New Monitor – I don’t think that there is any trader in the world that would turn down a bigger/better monitor.  I like ViewSonic, but that’s just me.
• Add a Monitor Via USB – If your trader wants to add another monitor without opening the case, this is a good way to do it.  These adapters allow you to plug the monitor into the adapter, then plug the other end of the adapter into the USB port and you instantly have another available monitor.
• Laptop Cases – Check out the newest laptop cases.  For the frequent traveler on your list, consider the TSA approved cases that don’t require removal from the case when going through the x-ray machine.
• Plantronics Earpiece – Compact with great sound and noise reduction.  Perfect for talking on Skype or playing online games.  Can also be used for your mobile phone.

Education

• Chris Lori – My first recommendation in forex trading education.  Affordable and has a ton of information.  Chris is a professional fund manager.
• Hector Trader – An affordable course that also has a great information.  Hector Deville is a professional trader.

Fun Stuff

• Zazzle – Check out all of the trading shirts, mouse pads and mugs other people have designed or make your own!
• The Market Maven – Track the major US stock indexes with this clock-like device that can be put on your desk or even stuck to the fridge with the magnetic backing.  It constantly streams information to the device via cell phone towers but does NOT require a subscription.  Just add batteries and go!
• Decorative Stock Market Ticker Machine – Pretty cool for decoration.  Designed after the ticker machines that they used to use back in the day to get stock quotes.  You can even get it engraved.
• Framed Stock Certificates – Many of these old stock certificates are beautiful and make a great decoration piece.  Here is one for Standard Oil but there are others.

Software

• Forex Tester 2 – For the forex trader on your list.  Allows the trader to test trading strategies without risking any money.
• VMWare Fusion – For the Mac user on your list.  This allows the trader to install Windows and run programs that OS X cannot.  Don’t forget to get a copy of Windows too.

Office Stuff

• TUL Pens – This is an inexpensive stocking stuffer that everyone can use.  I have used various pens over the years, some expensive, some really cheap.  I like these the best.
• Casio Calculator – Another cheap item that every trader needs.

I hope that give you a few ideas that you can use.

Happy Holidays!

Note: To watch in full-screen, click the rectangle icon in the lower right corner.

Her ambitions put a strain on her family however and her long periods on the road led her husband Rick into the arms of another woman. In addition, their kids are out of control and need help coping with all the drama.

In order to fix her family, Melissa has to give up her dream. Find out if Tony can bring them back together in this episode:

Note: To watch the video in full screen, click the rectangle icon in the lower right corner after the commercial ends.