Best Destinations for Cheap Romantic Vacation Getaway

Who says money can’t buy happiness? You are obviously right but maybe it fits if you add, ‘but it can take you to the best places where to find it’. You see the best destinations and spots for a romantic vacation getaway always have to be paid. The most are far away so you still need to spend a lot of money for the fare and some other miscellaneous stuff.

But then, it doesn’t have to be expensive to say that you will be very happy with the travel or getaway. There are also some cheap romantic vacation getaway that you can really enjoy time with your family and friends at. Some of these places are as follows:

- South Padre Island, TX – During spring break, South Padre Island is at its peak days. During these times, it will cost you a lot but not if you order an affordable holiday right after or any month that is not in the peak months. The Gulf Coast resort will be the best choice for you during these days.

- Amelia Island, FL – If you are looking for a nice and quiet plus cheap romantic vacation getaway, Amelia Island is just the right pick for you. At best, you can avail of their weekend deal that already includes not only a four-poster romantic bed but scooter rental too. For just as small as $159, the Florida House Inn weekend deal will make your getaway perfect. If you add another $89, you will enjoy champagne in a romantic dinner as well as a sentimental carriage ride.

- Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. For 60F and more under the sun, Myrtle Beach is the right place to have your cheap romantic vacation getaway. For as low as $75 a night, you can find the best beach

- California. Anytime of the year, you can easily find a good place to spend your getaway in California. Some of the best hotels to check out are Santa Clara’s Hotel Biltmore. Get a package of a deluxe suite from this quality place for only $149 a night. This will already include a welcome basket of champagne, a dinner, and a breakfast plus a movie in the room.

- Auberge Lac-à-l’Eau-Claire in Quebec, Canada. If you want something more exotic and adventurous, the deep forest package in Quebec, Canada is a great choice. For only $289, you can enjoy a package good for 2 nights with buffet breakfasts and dinners. You also get to enjoy a dogsled ride and as much outdoor activities as you want.

- Romantic Cabins, homes, cottages, and log cabins rental in Tennessee's Smokey Mountains, Shenandoah VA and other scenic spots. You can also opt to enjoy quality time in quiet surroundings of any place you want to be at when you rent a cabin or cottage for two from vacation home rentals. This cheap romantic vacation getaway has no minimum stay required so you can enjoy to the fullest.

- Caribbean and Mexico cruise. $199 can take you and your loved one on a 3, 4, up to 5 nights Caribbean and Mexico cruises. If you want, you can find online bidding cruise agencies to get a lesser quote. 

From these many choices, you can surely find the best destination for your planned cheap romantic vacation getaway!

Best Destinations for Your Exotic Romantic Vacation

Have you been so busy with your job lately that you hardly spend time with your loved one anymore? It’s time to unwind yourself and spend quality time with your significant other. Why not treat her to an exotic romantic vacation?

A romantic vacation may have different meanings to different persons. For some, it means spending few days with their special someone in a romantic place. They will do nothing but stare at each other’s eyes and enjoying each other’s company as they explore the foreign land they are in. For others, a romantic vacation means enjoying the thrill of their favorite sports together such as kayaking, surfing, scuba-diving and many other sports. Whatever you want to do, what will make your escape even more romantic is the place you choose to spend your vacation in.

Here are two of the country’s renowned destinations for your exotic romantic vacation:

• Hawaii

The Island of Hawaii should be on top of the list when you’re looking for a place to have your exotic romantic vacation. As one of the worlds most famous and beautiful vacation destinations, Hawaii offers breath-taking natural attractions that will make your vacation even more unforgettable.

Vacations in Hawaii don’t just mean enjoying the tropical scenery together but also taking time to realize how it feels to be in a multi-cultured society. This state is undoubtedly a gigantic open-air museum of both natural and man-made wonders. Come and experience the feel of a world tour by exploring Hawaii’s amazing waterfalls, hills, romantic islands, rivers and glittering white beaches.

A dreamy holiday for lovers also means pampering yourself with the extravagance of modern facilities. When you need to relax, plunge in an oh-so-relaxing sauna or pool and treat your loved one with a sumptuous Hawaii luau.

Moving on, hotels, private homes and first-class resorts in Hawaii usually offer affordable package deals for couples who want to spend their vacation in a private setting. Most resorts provide world-class tennis and golf facilities together with superb dining and shopping.

• Florida

This is the perfect place for partners who prefer to watch sunrise or sunset together. Also known as the Sunshine State, this is a place that offers something for lovers to enjoy. From sun-kissed beaches, to its breathtaking lakes and from the splendid countryside to hot and fun city lights, this is truly is a place to behold.

Romantic vacation spots can be found around this state. Florida beaches are among the best in the world because of their beauty, facilities and accessibility. It also has numerous theme parks that are constantly attracting millions of visitors. Among the famous water parks in this state are Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

Moreover, night life is always hot here. You can bar-hop in Key West or enjoy the cool clubs in South Beach. And if you’re looking for hotels and places to stay, Florida has a never-ending list of hotels and resorts that can give you the best accommodation.

These are just two of the most famous exotic locations should you wish to treat your loved one to a romantic vacation. Since Florida and Hawaii are just few miles away, there’s no reason for you to celebrate love only on Valentine’s Day.

And who said exotic romantic vacations can only be done in exotic places like Africa?  It can be enjoyed just within the country too.

Creative Thinking and Mind Mapping

Innovative thinking can benefit greatly from mind mapping because it is able to consume all the common skills found in imagination, creativity, flexibility, and organization of ideas. There are some fundamental elements that you need to know if you want to improve your creative thinking. According to psychological research, these elements include using shapes, colors, unusual elements, and dimensions. Aside from that, it also involves the adjustment of the conceptual positions and it also considers the response to emotionally pleasing objects.

According to further studies, mind maps are the best tools in nurturing creative thinking. If you try to apply mind mapping in any of your activities, you will be able to create lots of innovative ideas than what you’ve expected.

In creative thinking, there are different stages. In the first stage, you can start by drawing a central image to represent a general topic. Make sure that the image is drawn at the center of the paper or blank page. Try to focus in the image and take note of the ideas that come into your mind. Welcome all ideas that enter your mind and indicate it on paper. You don’t have to write a lot of text; in fact, it will be a lot better if you use graphics or drawings instead. Take note of all the ideas no matter how absurd they may seem.

After that, you need to take a break so that your brain can also rest. Look at the ideas that you’ve generated. Get another blank paper and create a new mind map. Use the same central image but this time you need to identify the categories and major branches. You need to build up the hierarchies and look for new associations from the preliminary ideas. If you see repetitions of ideas in different branches, disregard them and don’t try to remove them because they might be important later on.

Your mind map will reflect your current thoughts. Study it carefully and you will be able to explore intellectually, making room for growth. When your mind is at rest, for example when you’re sleeping, you must take note of creative realizations. These are sudden bursts of ideas and you should immediately indicate it in your mind map. You need to reconstruct your mind maps and integrate all the ideas into one map.

The goal in creating the mind map is to look for decisions, realizations, or solutions. Examine your mind map again and look for breakthroughs or new insights. Soon you will realize that all the ideas are connected with each other and you will be able to find the answer that you’re looking for through the mind maps.

In creating mind maps, you will go through the different stages. If you find difficulty in one stage, don’t give up and try to continue making the maps. Follow the step above and soon, you will have a mind map of your own. When you’re in the process of creating the maps, you will notice that you’re creative thinking is already at a high level.

Making mind maps is one way of enhancing an individual’s creative thinking. Adults find it hard to use creative thinking because they are more rational thinkers but you shouldn’t be discouraged in exploring this portion of your mind. You will soon realize that it will be the key in solving your problems and in achieving your goals. 

Penny Stocks and Investments

Penny stocks: Penny stocks are the small value shares that are generally preferred by many people for investments. These shares can easily be purchased in pennies and that’s why are preferred for investments. However the investment in penny stocks is risky as you are not aware about the nature and background of the company where you are investing your money. Therefore all the precautions must be taken before investing in penny stocks and a thorough research about the company offering penny stocks is helpful in deciding in favor or against a specific penny stock.

Investment in penny stocks: A wise decision and through research about the penny stocks can be rewarding otherwise this is the highly risky market. You have to be careful and should never purchase the stocks being offered to you almost free or even in a few pennies. There are some good stocks on offer and in past a few stocks offered at 10 to 20 cents have crossed the five dollar mark although majority of stocks fails to do so.

Many people see the investment in penny stocks as an opportunity to earn a few dollars at the same time invest low amount so that the risk is minimal. People get learning experience while trading in penny stocks. People also develop some research skill about the companies offering penny stocks. It is good to learn about stock market by investing a small amount and therefore the basics of investment and trading can be easily understood.

Precautions: As investment in penny stocks is highly risky and therefore some precautions are necessary to avoid loss in this market. As the information about penny stocks do not come from reliable source, you should get the second opinion from another broker before making any investment in the particular penny stocks. Do not purchase the stocks in hurry as most of the time the broker will not give you sufficient time to make a decision. Think twice before making any investment and do not invest too much in a single stock.

You may get emails or phone calls about some of the penny stocks. The brokers or companies pay for such phone calls or email spammers and therefore you should avoid investing in such stocks. Many times lot of rumors is spread about some of the penny stocks and you should be alert and never pay attention to such rumors. It is better to consult financial consult or take second opinion before investing in any penny stock. Many times companies or broker may mislead you y offering free stocks or newsletters, you should avoid all such offers.

Summary: Many penny stocks has grown tremendously in the past from a mare 10 or 20 cent and crossed $5.0 mark. A lot of rumors prevails in the penny stock market so a wise decision can give you some profit otherwise you may lose your money.

Penny Stock Returns

Why do people invest in penny stocks if they are so risky? The answer lies in a few facts as well as a few misconceptions about penny stocks.  First let us look at the positive side of how penny stocks can be more profitable.

It is a well-known fact in finance that risk and return have a positive correlation. This means that an investment that carries greater risk will also give higher returns. The reason for this is very easy to understand and is almost intuitive. Suppose you had $10,000 to invest and two options A and B. Option A is a secure government bond that gives you 5% return, while option B is a higher risk investment in a company that will pay you only if it makes profits. Assume that this company has a history of making 5% Profits over several years and is likely to continue on the same lines.

That is, you can expect to get a return of 5% in future years, but that is subject to the company making the same level of profits. Where would you invest your money? If the returns are likely to be the same and if you are a sane person, you would obviously invest in the risk free option. Now suppose, options B were to pay you not 5% but 15% consistently, you might be tempted to put your money in it. In other words, a higher return can make you to invest in a riskier venture.

Since penny stocks are higher risk alternatives compared to regular stocks, the only way they can attract investment is by holding out a promise of higher return. How would a penny stock offer a higher return? This will be done not directly by the stock or the company, but by market forces. The market price of a stock is fixed on the basis of a few factors such as its intrinsic value and the return yielded by it. The market price of a stock divided by the return it gives is known as the price-earnings ratio.

For example, if $10 stocks were to be traded in the market at $20, and the company earns a net income per share of $1, the price-earnings ratio is 20. The price-earnings ratio will be higher for solid stocks that are known to be backed up by good management, have a history of consistent and good performance, and are perceived to be stable. The price-earnings ratio for stocks that are riskier, unknown and do not enjoy a positive perception will be much lower. This means that as against the example of price-earnings ratio of 20 that we assumed for a stable and well-known stock, a penny stock may have a much lower price-earnings ratio, say 3 or 4. Actual figures will depend on a number of other factors also.

Because of this, a penny stock will be priced lower for the same level of net income, and will therefore yield a higher return on the investment.

Penny stock picks

Penny stocks- an introduction:  If you are well aware about penny stocks and want to invest some money in penny stocks, you will be interested to know how to pick penny stocks. You will find a list of many stocks being traded at the website of pink sheets and will be interested to invest in some of the future Microsoft or Wal-Mart. This may happen only if the investor picks a right penny stock otherwise he or she may lose the amount.

Limited information for penny stocks: It is really very difficult to find information on penny stocks, as there are reliable sources with us. First of all the information provided by the company may not be the correct one and suppose if the information provided is correct, it may not be relevant.

For penny stocks we are not sure how to find information about the companies offering penny stocks. These companies have to provide a very little information to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and get easily listed at pink sheets. These companies are therefore not regulated by SEC, as is the case with companies listed at NASDAQ or NYSE. Furthermore the history of the companies listed at penny stocks is not available. The companies may be bankrupt or new having no experience of business and thus can be highly risky. A new investor should therefore carry out the research about the companies before putting their hard earned money into the market.

The next restriction on penny stocks is the limited liquidity. Sometimes it is difficult to sell the stock, as you may not find the buyer for it. Having very low liquidity, you may have to sell the stock at hefty discount causing you a heavy loss. Sometimes the brokers manipulate the penny stocks in various ways and may cause you sever loss so until and unless you do not understand the basics of stock market avoid investing large amount in penny stocks.

Chances of fraud: As the companies offering penny stocks are not scrutinized or regulated by government agencies or The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), penny stocks are more prone to fraud. Most of the times the companies spread rumors about their financial performance and other related issues to mislead the investors. Many times these companies take the help of media such as newspapers, radio or email and hype about the penny stocks offered by them. You may get several emails (spam) from their agents as well. These companies also pay for some financial consult for recommending their penny stocks to the investors.

Picking the right penny stock: Although the market of penny stock is highly risky, good companies are also available at OTCBB and pink sheets. The actual understanding is needed to identify the good penny stock and a lot of research is needed before putting money in penny stocks.

Summary: Picking of a right penny stock is the key factors for earning and you should ensure yourself that you are picking the right penny stock. Sometimes a little research can help you picking a right penny stock.

Penny stocks getting started

Introduction to Penny stocks: Penny stocks are low priced speculative stocks and these stocks are traded in over the counter (OTC) market. As per SEC (The Securities and Exchange Commission of United States) the maximum price of the penny stocks is fixed at $5.0 per share and in actual the price of these stocks are well below and sometimes a mare one cent. Although the penny stocks are commonly traded in the over the counter market, however these can also be traded at NYSE or NASDAQ.

How to start trading penny stocks: Although it is a common belief that the penny stocks are risky but at the same time as the share prices are generally low, the risk associated with penny stocks is also minimal. Many people see investing in penny stocks as an opportunity to learn share-trading techniques and at the same time not all penny stocks are risky. Although the investment in penny stocks may not substantially improve your financial condition, but the selected penny stocks may give you some profit.

If you have made your mind to invest a small amount of money in penny stocks, you will have to approach a trader or dealer for getting started. As per SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission of United States) guidelines you have to give a written request to the broker and after approval you may buy the stock from the broker. You should consult the trader and should invest carefully. Your broker will tell you the rate of the stock and brokerage.

Before investing in penny stocks contact to the Securities division of your state and get information about the broker. The history of broker provides important information about the license and disciplinary actions taken against the broker.

Once you have decided to deal with a broker, get all the information regarding the penny stocks, brokerage and other terms and conditions in writing from the broker. You should also keep the records of all the written documents provided to you by your broker. You should ask your broker to provide you the written documents mentioning the recommendation for buying or selling of any penny stocks. You should also take an independent opinion about the penny stocks from another broker and decide judiciously before making any investment. Your broker should also provide you a monthly statement mentioning the penny stocks held by you in your account and the rates of the penny stocks.

SIPC Coverage: Brokerage firms dealing in penny stocks will generally have SIPC (Securities Investor Protection Corporation) coverage. If the brokerage firm is unable to pay you your dues due to bankruptcy, the SIPC ensures that the customer owned penny stocks held by the brokerage firms are paid. SIPC insures the entire customer owned securities held by the brokerage firm, however in case of fraud, the insurer is not liable to pay the amount.

Summary:  Although investment in penny stocks is not quick rich type of schemes but the investment in penny stocks may provide an opportunity to learn trading. You should take at least a second opinion about the specific company before investing in a penny stock.

Learning the Basics of Penny Stocks

Penny stocks are stocks that are either low in value or low in the total market capitalization. The definition of penny stocks can vary a bit from one person to another. Generally, penny stocks can be understood to mean any stock that is not a major stock. The two criteria that we have set above will determine whether a stock is a penny or not based on its price and market capitalization.

In addition, one can also consider a stock as a penny stock if it does not conform to stock exchange regulations and are thus more risky. In practice, however, it would be extremely difficult to find a large market stock that is not meeting the major stock exchange regulations. Because of this reason, penny stocks are generally understood to be those stocks whose absolute price or market capitalization is very low.

The next question that arises is ‘how low is low’? Obviously this is a little subjective and also prone to change from time to time. While there are no hard and fast rules, we can follow some rules of thumb. However, you must remember that not only are these rules not sacrosanct but also are likely to keep changing over time. Having said that, we can set some rules of thumb for considering a stock as penny stock. Any stock that is below a certain cut off price is considered as penny stock.

The cut off price is a matter of opinion. Some consider any stock below $5 to be a penny stock, while others are more liberal and consider only those stocks that are below $3 to be penny stocks. There are still others who would rather set the limit at $1, considering any stock above $1 as not a penny stock. Similarly, in the case of market capitalization, various limits are set by various people. In general, we can consider any stock with a market capitalization below $300 million to be a penny stock.

There could further classifications within this group, with stocks having a market cap of below $50 million being considered a step below penny stocks and classified as nano-cap stocks. The general idea is that any stock having a low per stock price or low market capitalization would be considered as a penny stock.

In case you are wondering what is market capitalization, here’s some information that would help you. Market capitalization (or market cap for short) is the total value of all outstanding stocks at the current price. Suppose a stock sells at $10 and there are 100,000 stocks outstanding, the total market cap would be 10 x 100,000 or $1 million. Market cap is an important indicator, because the greater the total amount outstanding the greater the stakes.

If a large number of people or a large amount of money is involved in a stock, the chances are that there will be greater control on the stock. There is one exception to this. If the stock is not traded on a regular stock exchange like NASDAQ, it is not under any regulatory control to comply with a number of regulations that have been designed to safeguard the interest of the investor.

In these cases, even if t he market cap or the price is large, there may not be sufficient safety. In general, however, we can assume that for large market cap stocks the possibility of being outside the purview of a recognized stock exchange are very remote. The reasons for this, as well as the reason why penny stocks are considered risky will form the subject matter of our next article.

Learning More about Penny Stocks

There’s so much information out there on different stocks, and advice on how to play the stock market. But which advice do you trust, and how do you know that you’re getting good advice? When it comes to learning more about penny stocks, do you know where to start?

Finding out what penny stocks are, and how to trade in them, is the first step in trading penny stocks. After all, if you’re going to invest you want to know what you’re investing in and the best way to do it, right? This only makes sense. But many investors want to learn all they can about stocks, before they invest their valuable money – and their time, which is sometimes even more valuable than any amount of money.

So how do you go about learning more about penny stocks? A good place to start is the Internet, and not those spam e-mails that talk about penny stocks – never trust those. But there is valuable information to be found online and knowledgeable people who will answer any questions you may have. The Internet can always be a valuable source of information on any topic – as long as you remember not to trust everything you read you find online. It’s always good to double and triple check any facts you unearth online, just to be on the safe side.

But for chatting with others and learning public opinion, there is no better forum. And isn’t talking to fellow investors the best way to learn about investing? Those who have played the market using penny stocks are the people who will be able to offer you the best information and advice. They can tell you what they did, and perhaps even answer questions.

You’ll find online forums, chat groups, discussion boards, and entire sites dedicated to investing in all kinds of stocks. You may even be able to find some penny stock-dedicated forums and groups, where you can learn about the stock type that most interests you. This is a great way to find out what real people are saying about their stocks, and if they’re actually making any money with them. Some people may brag about huge returns and this sort of information should perhaps be taken with a grain of salt, unless stock numbers seem to match their claims. As you talk with people and learn more, you’ll become more and more familiar with the penny stocks of your choice.

After all, it’s not like you can just take your broker’s word for it. When it comes to your money, you should learn all you can about where you’re investing and what you’re investing into. The Internet is a great source of information, and you can look up penny stocks and penny stock information online as well as chat with other investors. There may be some false information, but there is a lot of really good information – and the only way to find it is to look. Talk to others, and learn more about penny stocks before you invest. It may help you may bigger profits and enjoy bigger returns, as a result.

How you can make (or lose) money on penny stocks

As we have seen earlier, penny stocks carry higher risks and also can give greater returns. This actually means that you can either lose a lot of money by investing in penny stocks (because of the higher risk factor) or make a lot of money (because of the higher potential returns). Which of these happens to you will depend a lot (but not only) on how you go about assessing the investment. Before we go further, however, you should be aware that no matter how much care you may take there is a certain amount of risk associated with penny stocks, which is much higher than in the case of large cap, stock exchange registered stocks.

In order to assess whether you can make money out of a penny stock, you should understand how one makes money in the stock market. One of the returns that one gets from a stock investment is in the form of dividends. That however, is usually a very small portion of the returns that one gets from stock investment. The major returns come from appreciation in the price of the stocks. The prices of stocks are assessed using different yardsticks or parameters. The first of these is the return on investment. If the return on a stock is 10% and the price earnings ratio is 10, for example, the stock would be priced at ten time the earnings or 100% of issue price. In other words this stock would be traded at its face value. From this we can see that the price would depend on two things, the absolute return and the price-earnings ratio.

The second important factor that affects the price is the book value of the stock, which is basically computed as a figure that represents the assets available in the company against each stock. For example, if a company has net assets of $100,000 and has issued 10,000 shares, the value of each share under this method would be $10.

The price of a share is also valued on the basis of a few other criteria. However, the most important factor from the market point of view is the returns that the stock generates. The value under this method would depend on the earnings and the price-earnings ratio. The latter is a matter of perception that will depend on the risks associated with the stock. This perception will undergo changes depending on the history of performance of the organization, the available information about the company and its prospects, and the market buzz about impending major events in the company (for example a takeover by a major organization).

Of these, the most important from the long-term point of view is the consistency and quantum of earnings from the long term and the direction of the price-earnings ratio in the short term. As an investor what you need to assess and be aware of are

- Is the company stable enough to sustain its earnings and growth? Who are the promoters? How long has it been in business? Answers to these and other such questions

- How is the market perception of the company? How is it likely to change?

- How are the “fundamentals”? Does the company have a good asset base? Does it enjoy a good business?

Finally, the old adage “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” is true to a greater extent in the case of penny stocks. So invest a little at a time and don’t put all your money on one or a few such stocks.

Fraudulent Activities in Penny Stocks

An Introduction to fraudulent activities in penny stocks: We all suffer from some kind of fraud or misappropriation of our money from cheaters many times in our life. There are few people engaged in fraud and uses various fraudulent measures to sell penny stocks to people. The Securities and Exchange Commission of United States of America seems to be inappropriate in controlling all these frauds as many fraudulent activities takes place daily.

These stocks are highly risky due to various reasons and fraud is one of the reasons. Sometimes a few market makers control the stock and thus adopt the fraudulent activities such s spam and phone calls.

Role of Brokers or Market Makers: In recent past the fraudulent activities of some of the brokers or market makers has been noticed by people and reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission of United States.

If a company offers a few market makers (one or two) to sell or buy the penny stocks of the company. These market makers therefore hype about the company and mislead the investor for buying. As all the stocks of the company will be in the hands of a bunch of people, these people control the stock prices.

Many times the company pay for some dealers or brokers for selling the stocks and for getting more money, the broker or dealer adopts fraudulent methods for selling the stocks. The dealer or broker will generally contact you over phone and hype about the stocks. Sometimes the dealer or broker can use email to convince the people. The poor people and people who do not have resources to verify the particulars of such emails or such phone calls easily get victims.

Sometimes the dealer or broker may offer free stocks and after manipulating the prices can ask for more investment in a specific penny stocks. This may be one of the techniques to lure the people but you should avoid taking free penny stocks. Sometimes free pamphlets or free newsletters can be offered to the people and these free newsletters should also be avoided these newsletter may contain some misleading information. Some brokers may ask you to make investment quickly and you should avoid quick decisions, as in most of the cases this technique is part of frauds.

You should go through the prospectus of the company and see all the particulars including risk factors very carefully. Penny stocks listed at pink sheets are highly risky and you should ensure about these stocks before investing in them. You should enquire about your broker from the state office of the Securities and Exchange Commission before dealing with the broker.

Summary: By taking some of the common and simple steps, you can be safe while investing in penny stocks. Do enquire about your broker from other investors as well as from the state office of the Securities and Exchange Commission before investing in his or her recommended penny stocks.