Volatility and Investing

Volatility can be hard on any investor.  The most devastating reaction to the ups and downs of the market can be those of the emotional kind.  Most investors do not understand that it is all about your time in the market, and the ups and downs are inherent of the decision to invest.  Nevertheless, people tend to follow there emotional reaction and change their investment strategy according to these peaks and valleys, which is an almost surefire way to ensure that a person will not fare well in any market.

There is a strategy, however, to smooth out these ups and downs.  Dollar-cost averaging is a method of investing your money in fixed amounts on a regular basis over a period of time.  Once this strategy is utilized, investors buy shares of a security (ie. mutual funds) at various prices. Theoretically, when the share price falls one would purchase more shares for the same security providing a greater opportunity to benefit when share prices rise and could result in a lower average cost per share.  The long term effect of this strategy provides investors with a "smoother" ride during their market experience and volatility will not be as dramatic.

Dollar-cost averaging does not ensure against loss however.  It is just a means of purchasing an investment at various prices and mitigating the effect of volatility.  For the less experienced investor this can be very important though, as these individuals tend to be more influenced by price movement.  All investments are subject to market fluctuation, risk, and loss of principal, but this strategy can be an effective way for investors to accumulate shares to help meet long-term goals.

For more information and for a FREE consultation with a financial adviser, please click HERE.

Steps to Apply for Low Income Housing

For those on low income, trying to find low income housing can be a difficult and confusing process, but it really doesn’t have to be.  What is great is that the government has a specific department devoted to those seeking low income housing, titled the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  This department offers not only public housing, but programs that can assist those on low income as well.

What follows is a simple, step by step process to apply for either one:

The first step to perform is to go to your local public housing agency.  There they can help to determine whether or not you meet the eligibility guidelines for assisted housing.  The best way to find a local public housing agency is to go online to HUD.gov.  The sooner you do this step the better, as there may be TONS of other people trying to qualify for government assisted housing.  

Once a local agency has been located and your eligibility has been determined, the next step is to figure our your yearly income (if you haven't done that already).  This should be done as soon as possible because the program that the government offers in regards to housing depends on how much money you earn.  For instance, one program may stipulate that you need to earn less than half of the median yearly income for the particular city that you live in.  If you are at or above that certain threshold, you may not be able to apply for low income housing.

After doing this and figuring out whether or not you meet all of the requirements, you must then request to be on the waiting list that most agencies have for those in need of housing.  The waiting list could be anywhere from a few days to a few years depending on where you live, but generally speaking, the bigger the city one lives in the longer the waiting list there will be.  That is why it is important to explore all avenues before applying for housing.  It may take a long time to get accepted even if you do qualify. 

You should look into Section 8 housing programs along with your specific State's own public housing program, as they can both help you to find low income or "government assisted" housing.

The process is tedious and the red tape can be disheartening but once you are awarded assistance, the help with your monthly housing expense can be life saving.

There is an organization called SPAOA (Single Parent's Alliance of America) that provides information and assistance specifically for single parents.  They offer discount pharmacy cards, information on scholarships, housing programs, etc...  You should check out SPAOA for even more information and additional resources, click HERE for a link to SPAOA.