There I’ve said it: mutual funds are not the best investments.  This comes from me who was big into mutual funds just six short years ago.  Now, my stance has not changed because of losing money in the market:  I made money and lost some too.  No, the reason I say this is because I have found some other ways to make money work harder and better for you.  Let me share a few of them here.

Real estate investing is the first one on the list because it is something that everyone needs.  Whether it be a home or some office space, people everywhere need it.  Also, real estate tends to be less volatile than stock markets and have had steady returns over the years.  I also like the idea of control over my investment - if I want to make more money, I can raise rents.

The second option I like is starting a business.  Though this option may require a little more dedication, education, and information than a mutual fund, the returns can be better.  Take for example a website that I setup in June and have done nothing to it since.  My $10 investment has returned $180 a 1800% return over the six months.  What did my mutual funds make?  1.5%.

The third option is one that I don’t recommend that everyone try, and that you only invest a little money.  This investment would be a high yield investment program (HYIP).  Now these investment programs invest your money in the Forex (currency trading) market, or other emerging stock markets around the world.  They typically can earn one or two percent per day of your investment.  Now, I caution you that there are good ones but there are also bad HYIPs that fail.  So, don’t invest all of your nest egg, or money you need to eat, rather make them a small portion of your portfolio - if you win, you win, if you lose, you don’t starve.

Though mutual funds are pushed as the investment of choice, they are not the best investment.  Consider investing in real estate, a business or a HYIP to dramatically increase the returns on your portfolio.

Well, today I woke up and went to get the paper out of the mail box immediately.  You see, our paper usually runs some sort of special in the business section on Mondays because they have no stock market information to report.  By adding the special section, it makes the paper seem a little thicker and worth the price.

So, I sat down with my coffee at the table to see what was in store for me - the special today was about the fastest growing franchises.  This was pretty exciting as I have been looking to find some of the top franchise opportunities to help me decide which franchise to invest in.

Now, I have thought for a long time that it would be great to open a Starbucks franchise in town - but from what I read that is not a possibility.  Inside that paper, it said that they don’t sell individual franchises to their stores - so too bad for me.

Well, I am going to read the rest of the paper - what can I say, I am hooked.  It is such a great way to start off the week - by reading the business special in the paper.

In the world of business, when you need financing, you need it now.  Time is usually of the essence, and there seems to never be enough.  Someone definitely had the right idea when business cash advances were created.  They are a great alternative to getting a business loan - and I will tell you why below.

A business cash advance tackles the issue of time remarkably well.  Unlike business loans for bad credit (which approval can take more than a week), a business cash advance approval takes less than 24 hours.  You will also see the money in your hand in less than a week.  Quicker access to cash can allow a business to be in the position to take advantage of any opportunity that comes their way.

The other issue that a business cash advance addresses is simplicity.  Unlike an unsecured business loan, where there is a pile of paperwork and financial information required, a cash advance has only one simple form to fill out online - that’s it.  So, instead of spending your time (or paying someone) to get all the documents together and take the lengthy process of filling out the forms, you can do it yourself in less than ten minutes.

Whoever came up with the concept for business cash advances was a genius.  With quick access to capital and a simple application process, a business cash advance is a novel idea.

When I want to try something new, I have a philosophy of trying to find a mentor.  Think of it as finding someone that knows what you need to know, and learning from them - not unlike your school teacher as a child.

In some respects the Internet makes it easier.  In fact, lots of experts are online sharing their expertise for those who would read it.  Today was a good example as I was reading a day trading blog. 

Now this blog detailed the journey and progress of a day trader following the Emini Trading course.  What really got me interested is that the writer highlighted his successes and his failures.

In fact, in my opinion, a true expert will share their successes and their failures.  The difference between someone who succeeds and someone who always fails is that the one that is successful learns from their failures.  I think by reading this blog and perhaps some others I will get the day trading education I need to succeed.