Tag: investment

An interview with Meir Nissensohn, former general manager of IBM in Israel.

Doesn’t modern slavery come in the form of debt, overdraft, and heavy bills?

Insurance, retirement and pensions in Israel.

An interview with Terry Savage, author of The New Savage Number: How Much Money Do Really You Need to Retire?

Straight from the Jerusalem Boardroom #174.

Straight from the Jerusalem Boardroom #171

The new directive stops banks from giving mortgages with an LTV of more than 70%, with an exception for first-time buyers, who are allowed mortgages of up to 75% of the value of the apartment. Mortgage customers who buy an apartment for investment will be limited to 50% LTV.

Word has been spreading that some gold experts have cracked open the gold bars that they bought only to discover tungsten (a metal worth about one-fifth of the value of gold) inside. Since tungsten has a similar density to gold, it’s easy to confuse people, amateurs and experts alike. With bars of gold that weigh ten ounces or more, using regular x-rays to determine the chemical composition of the metal doesn’t work well since the x-rays don’t penetrate deep enough.

The Israel on Campus Coalition announced a new partnership with the student-run TAMID Israel Investment Group, connecting American business students with business and investment opportunities in Israel.

As a financial planner, I often ask new clients why a particular investment is included in their portfolio. One answer that I find somewhat worrying is: “I don’t really know how to explain it, but I just had a gut feeling that this stock was going to be a winner!”

As a financial adviser I notice that certain money mistakes are very commonplace. Are you making these kinds of errors that can destroy a fortune? Instead of learning from your own mistakes, try learning from other people’s mistakes. Here is a list of some of the most common mistakes in financial planning.

Sadly, as stated above, ZeekRewards is not a one-off story. Apart from desperation to make more money, another possible reason people fall for these schemes is that the scammers may have gotten smarter. However, there are three basic measures that you could follow to protect yourself from falling victim in a financial scheme.

The sale of a 185-room hotel at the entrance of Jerusalem on August 16 was not just a 17.5 million dollar real estate acquisition by Australian multi-millionaire Kevin Bermeister, but one investment in a broader and more calculated strategy to make Jerusalem a global tourism capital. Up next: a subway system servicing the Old City and a Jerusalem International Airport in the nearby desert.

The committee for permits in the state comptroller’s office has allowed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on August 15 – at his own request – to make changes in his investment portfolio, both overseas and locally. The request comes in the wake of threats by the PM to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities in the near future. But it appears that Netanyahu's financial move was done in full transparency and in complete adherence with legal procedure.

Though every investment has pros and cons, consider using one of the most common investment tools around.

The best-selling book The E-Myth examines the success of McDonalds and what we can learn from it.

Though the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instituted an unprecedented 10 month building freeze in Judea and Samaria due to pressure by the US beginning in November 2009, an Israeli business newspaper report shows that financial support for Jewish communities leaped a whopping 38% the following year.

What did you do when you received a purple vase decorated with green stripes and gold roses as an inheritance from your late Aunt Minnie? Did you give it a place of honor in your breakfront, hide it away in the attic, or did you follow your spouse’s instructions and “sell that hideous thing because at least you might get some money for it”? Chances are that you wouldn’t dare sell the vase, simply because of its sentimental value.

There’s no such thing as a perfect investment.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Should you sell out of your portfolio now?

What kind of investor are you? Do you try to time the market and jump in at the right minute? Or are you a more cautious kind of person who spends hours researching market performance before you consider buying or selling anything?

Watch out when salesmen want to sell you a unique or secret investment.

There is a myth that if you buy a property in Jerusalem then you are assured to make money.

Which investment scammer has you in his sights? Who knows? But one thing is for sure - if you start by asking the most basic questions and not believing the unbelievable, you're well on your way to protecting yourself. The scammer will just move on to his next victim.

Judge Margaret Marrinan dismissed a lawsuit looking to force the state of Minnesota to sell the $18 million in Israeli bonds which is held in its portfolio. The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota published this understatement: "Divesting from the State of Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East, one of our nation’s strongest allies, and an important trading partner for the State of Minnesota, is wrong."

The Iron Dome Support Act (IDSA) authorizes and encourages President Obama to provide funds for the "procurement, maintenance and sustainment" of more of the anti-missile defense systems, should the Israeli government request it. The legislation was actually inspired by an op-ed by Israeli Ambassador to the US, Michael Oren, in which he wrote that "at least ten Iron Dome systems will be necessary in order to defend the whole country."

With thousands of Haggadot in print, it can be overwhelming to decide what to buy and what to use at the Seder. Just like kashering the home for Pesach requires preparation, so too the material for the Seder. And according to the investment is the return. Below are twenty of my favorite Haggadot.

The economy is directing people towards cost-consciousness and dining in, rather than dining out. For many of these former restaurant-goers, especially singles who live on their own, the kitchen is alien territory. Perhaps they can prep a basic sandwich, or boil a box of pasta. But needing to feed a family or guests on an ongoing basis requires a bit more creativity and skill.

The economy is directing people towards cost-consciousness and dining in, rather than dining out. For many of these former restaurant-goers, especially singles who live on their own, the kitchen is alien territory. Perhaps they can prep a basic sandwich, or boil a box of pasta. But needing to feed a family or guests on an ongoing basis requires a bit more creativity and skill.