Something see_change said here reminded me of what I hold to be my 3 best "friends" (as an investor).
In no particular order, they are money, time (or timing), and information.
Money
It doesn't have to be cash, it could be equity, a cash-bond, a loan. It may have been saved over many years, or it may be a windfall, a gift, an inheritance. Perhaps you are borrowing 100% (or more)? Or not borrowing at at all. Perhaps you've struck a deal such someone else pays all the bills. But ultimately any "investment" has a money component - at the start (getting in), as it is happening (getting through), and certainly at the conclusion (getting out) (profits, please!).
Time / Timing
Do you buy and hold? Ride the boom and dump? Reno and sell? Flip? Wrap? Build from the ground up? Redevelop? Time (or timing) is essential. If for whatever reason the timing of a project isn't right for you, then you cannot do it. If you know a project will take a given amount of time (assuming you are beginning with a specific end in mind) and you haven't got this time, what do you do then? Time to make things happen, to coordinate things, just being in the right place at the right time - we all need these things.
Information
Research, market smarts, knowledge, facts and figures, projections, forecasts, support networks, costings, quotes, forums, discussions, chat rooms, seminars, gut feelings, hot tips, rumours and innuendo even! Possession of information, either by design or accident, and then using this information advantageously* (perhaps before the masses do) is what sets out smart investors from ordinary ones.
So these are my 3 best "friends" when it comes to investing.
What are yours?
Mark
*Ordinary information used advantageously is better than quality information not used at all.
In no particular order, they are money, time (or timing), and information.
Money
It doesn't have to be cash, it could be equity, a cash-bond, a loan. It may have been saved over many years, or it may be a windfall, a gift, an inheritance. Perhaps you are borrowing 100% (or more)? Or not borrowing at at all. Perhaps you've struck a deal such someone else pays all the bills. But ultimately any "investment" has a money component - at the start (getting in), as it is happening (getting through), and certainly at the conclusion (getting out) (profits, please!).
Time / Timing
Do you buy and hold? Ride the boom and dump? Reno and sell? Flip? Wrap? Build from the ground up? Redevelop? Time (or timing) is essential. If for whatever reason the timing of a project isn't right for you, then you cannot do it. If you know a project will take a given amount of time (assuming you are beginning with a specific end in mind) and you haven't got this time, what do you do then? Time to make things happen, to coordinate things, just being in the right place at the right time - we all need these things.
Information
Research, market smarts, knowledge, facts and figures, projections, forecasts, support networks, costings, quotes, forums, discussions, chat rooms, seminars, gut feelings, hot tips, rumours and innuendo even! Possession of information, either by design or accident, and then using this information advantageously* (perhaps before the masses do) is what sets out smart investors from ordinary ones.
So these are my 3 best "friends" when it comes to investing.
What are yours?
Mark
*Ordinary information used advantageously is better than quality information not used at all.