How do you connect with investors if you don't know anyone?
With Gust, the power of the system is that your completed investor relations profile can now serve as your official application to virtually any organized angel group in the world...all you need to do is share it with them*. I'd suggest that you browse through the Gust investor search engine for investment groups (and accelerators, incubators, business plan competitions, et al) that are relevant to your startup (by location, industry, type of organization, etc.), and read their detailed profiles to see if they would be a good match for your venture.For example, from the profile for New York Angels, you will find out about the types of companies in which the group invests, the returns and valuations they seek, and a list of many of the companies in which they have already invested. If you're logged in to LinkedIn, you will also see the names of investors within the group to whom you have a personal connection! Assuming the group seems like a fit, then simply click the "Share Now" button at the top of the page, and voila, you're on your way. New York Angels, like most other mainstream angel groups these days, does not charge an application fee so there is nothing to lose by applying.On Gust, investment organizations are able to set filters for submissions in order to be sure that neither you nor they will be wasting each other's time if you apply. In the case of NYA, the group is pretty eclectic, and open to receiving applications from virtually any company in any area. While the large majority of investments are made into US-based ventures, all New York Angels members have access to all applying companies, and many of the group's investors are prepared to get involved with a company personally, even if it is not right for the group as a whole.*Note that Gust also allows you to share your password-protected investor relations site with individual investors and VCs you know or may meet, even if they are not part of an angel group or fund that uses Gust to manage its deal flow. As such, it's a handy way to keep all your information and your investors organized.
How do investment banks monitor their employees' personal trading accounts? Also, what are legitimate ways to avoid this disclosure?
In the US, you are required by law to tell your broker that you work in a bank, and the broker will send your employer a complete list of trades for both you and anyone you live with. Also if you plan to do stock trades, you will need to get preclearance from a 800 number. You call them up and they say yes or no.There are no legitimate ways of avoiding disclosure. They are really serious about this and if they catch you with an account that you didn't report, or if you make a single trade that you didn't pre-clear, you are likely to get instantly fired. Also, you don't know what they know. It is highly unlikely that you will be allowed to do causal stock option trading. You will have to hold any position for at least 30 days, and you cannot short, which means that you will not likely be able to hold a put option. Also, you do not know if you have insider information. Insider information is a catch-22 because you may have insider information and not know it. For example, when I ran back testing, I had to do this with real trade data, and even seeing the names of the companies that we were doing trades with caused me to be "tainted."When you call up compliance, you tell them the trade that you want to make. If they say no, then won't tell you why, the person on the phone probably doesn't want to know why, and you don't want to know why.As far as why you are forced to go through this, you get a large salary and bonus, and having to give up the right to personally trade is one reason that you get your large salary and bonus.
What would your advice be to a newbie in personal investing?
I’ll share a few tips that have worked for me.Read, read, read - You need to read and learn from a diverse group of resources. Some suggestions: Peter Thiel - “Zero to One”; Philip Fisher - “Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits”; Benjamin Graham - “The Intelligent Investor.” Don’t stop there. Read every book that you can get your hands on. Read every article. Follow the experts.Experiment and develop your own investing principles - This is essential. Compile what you learned in step one and make some thoughtful investments. Learn from your screw ups and fine tune your investing principles. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to THINK for yourself. Lean on the experts in the beginning. However, once you find your footing you must have the COURAGE to make BOLD decisions even in the face of scrutiny.Don’t worry about diversification - Diversification is absolutely overrated. It’s pure nonsense. Diversification is fear based investing at its finest. Invest in GREAT forward-thinking businesses, and hold them forever. End of story. Besides, your portfolio will naturally diversify the longer you invest.Invest in Creative Monopolies - This is a good starting point to build an investment foundation. Google, Amazon, Apple, Visa, Mastercard. These companies have monopolized huge market segments. The value based guys will tell you they are pricey. That’s fine. But they also have nearly ZERO competition. They can form the foundation of your portfolio.Foresight - You have to start thinking about how you believe the world will look 10 to 20 years from now. This will allow you to get ahead of the curve and make some truly lucrative investments. Amazon was an online bookseller. Imagine being an investor with the foresight to see its true potential back in the late 90s. A lot of this will be educated guesswork. You’ll make mistakes. But you have to make bold forward thinking decisions.Safety - If you don’t have the time or will to put in the work it takes to invest in individual stocks, then just buy into an Index Fund that follows the S&P 500. VOO or SPY are the stock tickers here. Reinvest the dividends. Make regular contributions. Don’t think about them. You’ll retire wealthy.Best of luck in your investing future.
Is there someone who can invest money in my business idea?
Finding an investor for your business provides you with the seed money you need to start the business. In return for investing in your business, most investors receive a percentage of the sales or company stock. Finding an investor for your business may be harder than it sounds, but there are some ways to go about locating and convincing investors to invest in your business.Write a business plan. Before looking for investors write a business plan. A business plan is a written guide of your business including the purpose, the startup costs, expenses, sales forecasts and other information to gain the interest of investors.Make a list of possible investors. Add people you know to the list who have money to invest and may be willing to take a risk with your business startup. Friends, family members and business owners of related businesses are the best places to start. For example, if your business involves a computer software product, then other software companies may be interested in investing in your company.Locate business investors on investor websites. Dozens of investor websites exist, where business startups can search for investors (see resources), which may be called angel networks. If you do not have someone you know personally that can invest in your business startup idea, you can typically find possible investors through these networks.Dale Ventures | Personal Investment Holding Company
Loan needed, Investors wanted. Private lender or Hard Money Lender.?
Why on earth would anybody post this here? If you respond to one of the people who are in here spamming for business, are you going to give out all of your personal information to this stranger? I am sure most of the people who spam for business in here where it isn't permitted have good intentions, they want the money. They aren't the most ethical people, they will violate the simple YA terms of use. But what if someone contacts you, gets your information and then steals your identity? PLEASE delete this post.
I need a 5000 loan, good job, bad credit, suggestions? Investors?
This is indeed a strange world in which we live! It seems there is an infinite number of people who want, want, want, without working for it. This is an age of entitlement. You have a job. I'm sure you qualify for it. You admit you don't qualify for a loan, even one collateralized by a car. You jokingly refer to having to bus to work. Get your coins together, suck it up, and ride the bus! There's honor in riding the bus. There's honor in accepting the bed you've created. There's honor in sleeping in the bed that bears your name. The most important thing any of us ever has in his corner is the ability to survive. You can survive your car crisis. It's not easy, it's not convenient, but it's hardly humiliating, is it? You're working your way out of a hole you created while on the beginning of your adult journey. You need to go this last little path on your own two feet. Most adults have been there, done that. Now it's your turn. By the way, have you noticed the influx of beggars attracted to your question? I find it amazing how some folks use another person's difficulties to try to lure the unsuspecting into their webs. I'm betting it turns you off just as it does me. Stay on your path---you know what to do and you're going to get it done. Len