Top Trending Jobs and How to Get Them

Some say our economy is in a "permanent slump," but it's still possible to find a job you love. Here's a look at today's top trending jobs and how to get one.

Health Care

Image via Flickr Southeastern Seminary

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the health care industry offers a wellspring of job opportunities, including careers in dentistry, dietetics, emergency medicine, fitness, genetics, mental health, and veterinary care.

Join the Field

In some states, you can land a job as a pharmacy tech, medical care assistant, or health care aide without any training. An associate degree can get you in the door as a nuclear medicine technologist, sonographer, or veterinary tech. A graduate degree can help you get a more specialized job, such as that of occupational health specialist, nurse practitioner, or physician/surgeon.

Take some time to read about different health careers. If you're considering going back to school, meet with an academic advisor at your local university. He or she will help you decide which field is right for you, how long your program of study would take, and what your prospects would look like upon graduation.

Business

If a high salary is your goal, a career in business could be your best move. A person with a four-year business degree can find entry-level work in accounting, marketing, insurance, public relations, management, and more. A person with an MBA enjoys even more career opportunities and a higher earning potential.

Join the Field

An associate degree in business can put you on the path to a career in office management, tax preparation, real estate, customer service, and more. A bachelor's degree could lead you to lucrative work in finance, human resources, and purchase management. An MBA is one of the most versatile and prestigious degrees you can get these days, and it often leads to job promotion. Many adults have used an online MBA program to reach their business goals.

Experts predict that 2014 will be another robust year for business grads. Before you embark on a program of study, spend some time evaluating your business savvy. If your heart belongs in the field, you'll know.

Technology

Technology is here to stay, and that's a blessing to IT fanatics who make their living with computers. Some of the best tech jobs for 2014 include software developer, web developer, and computer systems analyst, according to U.S. News and World Report.

Join the Field

You don't need a four-year degree to snag an IT job. Computer support specialists often have no post-secondary education. Web developers make upwards of $60,000 with an associate degree alone. A bachelor's degree in computer science might earn you more money, though: computer programmers, network architects, and database administrators raked in median incomes over $70,000 in 2012.

Talk to an advisor about the various certifications and degrees that could advance your tech career. He or she can help you select the academic track that best suits your needs.

Choosing a career is no small task. Arm yourself with an understanding of today's top industries and you'll have a much easier time finding a fulfilling job you truly enjoy.

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Basic Terms of Forex Trading

What Is Forex?
Foreign exchange, commonly known as forex, is the trading of currencies in the foreign market, primarily by speculators and investors. The trading and exchange of currency goes back to ancient times. It was a vital practice that allowed people to buy and sell food and other materials. Averaging over $4 trillion in turnover per day, foreign exchange is the world's largest market. Working through international financial institutions, forex operates on different levels. By enabling currency conversion, the forex market helps international trade and investments. There is plenty of opportunity in forex trading for investors. However, success is contingent upon an understanding of the basics behind currency movements.

The Basics of Forex Trading
There are several theories explaining exchange rate fluctuations in a floating exchange rate regime. One is international parity conditions which include interest rate parity, International Fisher effect, and Relative Purchasing Power Parity. Second, there is the balance of model which mostly focuses on tradable goods and services. Finally, there is the asset market model, which considers currencies to be an important asset class for putting together investment portfolios. The aforementioned models have not successfully exchange rates and their volatility in a large time frame. Algorithms can be used to predict prices in a shorter time frame.

A simple example of forex tradings is as follows: There's a situation in which the value of the U.S. dollar is expected to weaken relative to the euro. In this situation, a forex trader will sell dollars and purchase euros. If the value of the euro strengthens, there is increased purchasing power to buy dollars. Now the trader can profit because they can buy back more dollars than they had to begin with. This shows some similarity to stock trading as a stock trader will typically buy stock if they think it will increase in price in the future and sell if the price is likely to fall in the future. A forex trader buys a currency pair if they expect the exchange rate to rise and will sell if they expect the rate to fall.

Key Terms And Concepts
When it comes to forex trading, there are some basic terms and concepts that should be understood:

• Exchange rate: Exchange rate is simply the price of one currency in terms of another's. There are two components, the domestic currency and the foreign currency.
• Pips: A pip is the smallest price change that a given exchange rate can make.
• Spread: The spread is the difference between the two prices on a currency pair. You have the ask price and the bid price.
• Leverage: This concept is used by both companies and investors. Companies use it for the financing of their assets. Investors use leverage to increase the returns they can get on an investment.
• Forex broker: Forex brokers are firms that provide forex traders with access to a platform that for the trading of foreign currencies. Brokers are used for access to the 24-hour currency market. They are usually compensated the spread of a currency pair.
• Face value: A familiar concept throughout investing and securities, face value is the stated dollar value of a security. In the case of stocks, it is the original cost of the stock as shown on the certificate.
• Rollover: This rate is the the net interest return on a trader's currency position. This rate converts net currency interest sales into a cash return for the position.

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The Rise of Software in the Forex Era

During the last seven years, numerous automated trading systems that offer a wide range of charts and strategies have become available. Some of these software programs include expert advisers, platforms that allow customers to analyze and to mimic the trades of other investors and algorithms that use the recent fluctuations of a currency's value to identify potentially profitable investments. 

Customization 
When using an automated software program, the trader will be able to select the level of risk, the margin that the system uses and the currency pairs that the program trades. The user can also prompt the system to execute long-term trades or to place orders that are based on short-term trends. 

Following Experienced Investors 
Before analyzing the trades of another person, a customer can view the percentage of the trader's orders that have generated a profit, the average earnings of each trade and the number of people who are currently copying each order that the investor places. Moreover, the user will have the ability to see a list of the traders who have generated the most profits during the last several days. 

Signals
Seven years ago, a trader could only receive indicators in emails, and most companies that provided trading signals did not track the percentage of their indicators that produced profits. In 2014, a client who has signed up to obtain signals can receive SMS text messages, alerts from a software program that can be added to most computers or indicators in the member's area of a company's site, and the customer will be able to view charts and graphs that show the strategy that the provider is using. 

Autochartist
This business provides a wide range of information, such as the level of volatility of certain currency pairs during each hour of the day, a detailed analysis of the impact that economic events will have on a currency and a list of potential trades that could generate a large amount of profit. Instead of offering exact predictions of a currency's value, the company forecasts the price ranges of particular currency pairs. 

MetaTrader
Metatrader lets investors use expert advisers and signals of all types, and the patron can opt to link an untested system to a demo account in order to effectively test the software. Additionally, customers have the ability to create their own systems that are compatible with MetaTrader's programming language.

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"Invest" in a Hybrid Vehicle with Specialty Financing

That's right, a car can be thought of as a financial investment. In fact considering that most new cars start depreciating the minute you leave the lot, and could lose up to twenty percent of their value within the first year, buying a car could be seen as financial folly.

What you may not know is that hybrid cars can give you a financial advantage in terms of federal tax credits. Hybrid-electric vehicles purchased after 2010 could be eligible for up to $7,500 in Federal tax credits. Purchasing a hybrid vehicle could make you eligible for tax credits and other financial incentives on the state level as well.  If you use the vehicle for business purposes, you can deduct the insurance, maintenance, what little you spend on gas, and even the car payment as a business expense on your taxes.

The Cost of Hybrid Cars

One of the big issues with hybrid vehicles is that, although they offer financial benefits, they can be fairly expensive to buy. If you don’t have an excellent credit score, it could be very difficult to even secure the financing you need to purchase one of these vehicles. Luckily there are specialty finance companies, like Consumer Portfolio Services, that can make it easier for people with less than stellar credit to invest in a hybrid vehicle.

What is Specialty Finance Company

Specialty finance companies help consumers with difficult financing issues by purchasing and servicing retail automobile contracts from franchised and independent automobile dealers. They then offer indirect financing to the customer, through the dealer. Specialty loans, like the ones available through Consumer Portfolio Services, are ideal for individuals with past credit issues, or a limited credit history, who might not be able to obtain financing through traditional means.

Getting Specialty Financing

The process for getting specialty financing is similar to the process for getting a traditional car loan. Often times the dealer will automatically try several finance options based on your preliminary credit and income report, and one of those will be a specialty finance company. However, if you are aware of your credit limitations, you can also notify the dealer in advance and they can start working toward getting you the specialty financing you need.

Once the dealer determines that you qualify for specialty financing, he can tell you the amount for which you have been approved so you can purchase the hybrid vehicle of your choice.

Things to Consider

Thanks to the potential tax breaks and financial incentives, purchasing a hybrid vehicle could be a smart investment. To get the most out of your investment, here are some things to consider:

·  Avoid buying more care than you need. If you don’t do a lot of hauling or off-roading, a sedan will probably serve you better than an SUV. You’ll save money on the initial cost of the car, you could have better insurance rates, you’ll get better gas mileage, and the sedan could have a slower rate of depreciation than an SUV.

·  Avoid purchasing extras. While a factory-installed sun-roof, a high-end stereo, or a spoiler, but these can also drastically increase the cost of the vehicle. Additionally, the price you pay for factory-installed items is often more than getting it done at a reliable after-market vendor.

·  Put a little money down. Even if you are approved for the full price of the vehicle, it’s a good idea to pay a portion of the cost up front. That will lower your monthly payment and your interest.

·  Pay a little more each month. Making a double payment each month ensures that you pay off more of the principle, and less in interest. You will also pay off the loan faster, which means you will not reap the financial rewards associated with owning a hybrid vehicle; you will also own the car outright before it has fully depreciated.

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How to Add Money To Your Prepaid Card

Have you ever needed money on your prepaid card but you weren’t sure how to add the money? It is now easy to transfer money to your prepaid card by going online to your bank website or the website of the card company. The first thing that you have to do is activate your prepaid card. You can’t add anything unless the card is activated. There are several ways to put money on the card. Direct deposit is convenient if you have a job. There is a form that you will give to your employer so that part or all of your paycheck is deposited. 

Another way is to transfer money from your bank account to your prepaid card. This is something you can do if you want to use the prepaid card for a bill or to shop online. You can use cash to add money to the card by going to a store and purchasing a money pack. Once you pay for the pack with cash, the amount is deposited onto your prepaid card. Money can be transferred through applications on your smartphone. Transfers can also be completed from PayPal to your prepaid account. This process only takes a few days, but you will be able to see when the transaction has been completed

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Online Listings of Homes For Sale

The real estate market is now easily accessible to people from all over the world. Buyers and sellers can virtually find each other through professional websites that include listings of properties for sale. Of course, the traditional real estate agent is still part of the equation involving the housing market. In fact, realtors are in charge of managing listings that are posted online.

An online listing of a home includes important information that any buyer may be interested in. The asking price is displayed prominently on the heading of the listing. Several high quality photos are also included in the quick overview of any home listing. The goal of any virtual listing is to attract potential buyers. Detailed listing information may include data on the total interior space, year the property was built, types of utility services, number of bedrooms and much more. 

Some properties that are listed online can only be viewed in person with the accommodation of a real estate agent. Realtors are assigned specific listings that are managed until they are sold or taken off the market. A customer that is interested in looking at a house for sale must contact a licensed real estate that manages a particular listing. A simply inquiry box can be filled online by a potential buyer. A real estate agent usually contacts the client within one full business day. The realtor and client eventually set up an appointment to tour a house that is listed online. During the walking tour, an agent has the chance to emphasize some of the highlights of a home that's for sale. For example, brand new hardwood floors and appliances can be mentioned. Similarly, buyers can look for any possible problems that need to be fixed inside and outside of a house. 

Real estate websites often focus on a very specific housing market in a region. For example, an agent in northern Florida can post listings of homes that are on sale in that particular part of the state. Jacksonville NC Real Estate is an example of a regional housing market in Florida that can be fully explored online.

Real estate agents also use social media to post listings of homes that might attract some potential buyers. For example, popular social media sites can be used to upload photos and videos of attractive homes that would be suitable for a family with young children and pets.

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