Closing the doors in 2010…

Before we know it 2009 will be just a fond memory and all our attention will be focused on profiting in 2010.

Whilst a laudable sentiment I just wanted to flag for readers that two online investments have stated that they will be going private in 2010 and if you don’t prepare you may miss out on golden opportunities.

Today I received an email from CashTanker announcing that in 2010 they will go private. The admin says that withdrawal issues have been sorted out and everything is looking good for payouts to be made starting next week.

The announcement says that CashTanker will go private from January 01 2010. Now, it’s not totally clear how long registration will stay open for so if you want to join I’d set a reminder for the first day of 2010 to help you remember. Minimum deposit will be $25 and as they are having problems with Strictpay you won’t be able to use that payment processor.

Compounding will be restricted to 800%, after that daily interest will not compound. Maximum number of referrals will be 5 (although if you already have more than 5 you won’t lose them).

My advice would be to wait and make sure pending withdrawals are made and then on 01 January review what plans CashTanker make available and decide then whether to join or not.

Some while ago Gold Nugget Invest announced that in 2010 they would go private. This intent has not changed although as yet I’ve not seen any formal announcement re dates and the like.

Personally I wouldn’t be waiting any longer than I have to to join Gold Nugget Invest as they are proving to be very resilient and maintain a highly professional approach in their dealings.

Their new website is working very well and has a very nice user interface which is fast and intuitive.

My recommendation here would not be to wait and join as soon as you are able. Just don’t wait too long or you may miss out altogether.

CashTanker hits a bump in the road…

Is it me? Recently I’ve posted about two opportunities that I reported on by saying that they were quietly going about their business and delivering on their promises.

The first to trip me up was Vanfunds who were swallowed up by another company and now CashTanker has created something of a stir. Earlier this week investors received an email from the owner saying that due to heavier that anticipated requests for withdrawals he was having to implement measures to protect the integrity of his service.

This means that all plans have been ‘paid up’ until December 25th and these funds can be withdrawn from December 20th. For larger sums he is recommending that bank wires are preferred method of payment.

By doing this he wants to ensure that CashTanker can start 2010 with a more robust business model.

Somewhat confusingly when you now login to the CashTanker back office there is a notice to the effect that deposits are still possible until the 25th December and as I read it payments will be made directly so that no compounding is available. I still haven’t quite figured out what all of this means and reading the forum it seems that the doom monger crowd are sensing blood.

Personally I’m keeping an open mind and have decided to continue with my withdrawal (you do have the option to keep funds at CashTanker until the beginning of 2010 but not earning anything) and will re-assess the situation at the beginning of 2010.

I think that it is worth saying that this time of year is always somewhat traumatic for online investing as many investors make withdrawals to pay for Christmas expenses so we shouldn’t be too surprised to come across situations like this, hopefully things will get back to normal service very soon.

Cash Tanker goes quietly about its business…

When you look at the Cash Tanker site you’d be right in thinking that whatever they spend their money on it isn’t a flashy web design. In fact, you’d struggle to spend an awful lot of time there unless you are a member and even then what you get is short and to the point.

It took a few days to realise that on the Cash Tanker home page they show an updated record of recent deposits and withdrawals. Clearly it is not possible to verify this information easily but some of the figures they show demonstrate that investors are liking what they see.

For myself I’m very happy with the performance so far as each day I receive an email telling me that the interest payment for the day has been made. So far this has been as regular as a metronome which is comforting to know.

The fact that not much effort has been spent on the website suggests that they are more interested in earning the returns they promise and as far as I can see this strategy is working pretty well.

One thing that I do find quite strange is that the site has a red flag rating from WOT the organisation set up to provide internet users with the ability to rate websites. I’m not sure what this poor rating is based on as there really isn’t much on the site to evaluate. If you have an idea of why this situation is like it is drop a comment below.

Anyway, more importantly the plans available are 2% a day for between $5 and $1,000, 3% between $1,001 and $50,000 and 4% for $50,001 and above. Earnings are made on business days only so effectively five days a week.

You are able to specify the percentage of returns you would like compounded. You can deposit using Liberty Reserve, StrictPay, Perfect Money or ECU Money so a reasonable choice there I’m sure you’ll agree.

All in all it looks as though Cash Tanker will keep performing and is well worth considering if you have funds to invest.

“It’s comin’ on Christmas they’re cuttin’ down trees…”

“It’s comin’ on Christmas they’re cuttin’ down trees…”

The opening line of Joni Mitchell’s song River reproduced here conjures up for me the true feeling of the season. It’s not a typical Christmas song but for me it evokes the true Christmas spirit, a time to look forward to and to share in the earth’s bounty.

Of course it also means the giving and receiving of gifts and that’s what I’d like to concentrate on, at least the giving part.

When you find yourself stuck for ideas why not take a leaf out of Bob’s book and use online investing to help share the joy of Christmas. Bob has a dilemma. He is unsatisfied with giving the usual presents to his family so decides this year to be a little more creative and put a real smile on his family’s face.

Firstly there are the two kids, Jack who is 18 and Ann who is 22. Like his sister before him Jack has just started a three year course at university and he is full of the promise it holds and is actively participating in the social life as well. One thing he isn’t thinking about is the student loan that he receives to see him through his course. This will leave him with a sizeable debt when he graduates.

Ann, on the other hand has already graduated and with some careful budgeting and some part time work she has left University with a relatively manageable loan outstanding. The problem is the recession has severely curtailed any job opportunities and she is struggling to start the career in business that she was hoping to. This has prompted her to travel, so for the whole of next year she is off to follow the path taken by many others and see the world. When she returns hopefully the job market will be better. Then she might think about settling down and buying her first property.

So, how can Bob help? Looking at the investments he has he decides to invest $50 on behalf of each of them in a CashTanker account. This pays 2% a day and as the money won’t be needed straight away Bob opts for 100% compounding. The programme is due to close on December 25 2011 so assuming 220 business days a year and 440 days in total the return for each of his offspring would be over $300K. This should be more than enough to clear Jack’s student loan and also help Ann put a deposit down on a property, although secretly Bob hopes that Ann will just rent a property and use the funds to start her own business as they’ve discussed in the past (Bob’s wife, Judy is keener on the property purchase).

Bob and Judy have been married for 25 years and whilst Judy has not always had the faith in online investing that Bob has she suffers his ventures gladly hoping for a profitable outturn. Bob wants to thank Judy for all her support so decides that he will invest $50 in a Traded Endowment Policy with Imperia Invest. He knows these are available until 01 February 2010 and are scheduled to payout the $134,000 return in the middle of 2010. This would allow Judy to really spoil herself. With another $50 he decides to open an account at Sport Arbs. This has a variable return but is usually at least 2% a day minimum. As they trade 7 days a week the growth could be significant and will provide an nice nest egg for the future.

Lastly Bob has to think about his parents, Terry and Liz. They are both recently retired and whilst they have made reasonable allowance for their day to day living it’s unlikely their funds will provide them with a luxurious lifestyle. Bob appreciates all the sacrifices his parents have made over the years on his behalf and feels that he would like to provide enough funds to help them spoil themselves from time to time. Perhaps a meal at a top restaurant or the odd weekend away in a nice hotel. Looking at the opportunities available he feels that PTV Partner offer the ideal solution. He decides to invest $200 on behalf of his parents in their 40 day plan that pays 190% return. So, every 40 days they will receive $380. It will be easy for them to save up for the odd month or two so that they can easily afford those odd luxuries now and again.

As Bob sits back in his armchair he is pleased with his plans and knows that his family will definitely remember this Christmas for years to come.

Postscript: Of course we shouldn’t forget that any income received may be subject to tax so don’t forget that if you have similar plans to Bob. Take some advice from a good tax accountant.