Friday, February 27, 2009

REITs - Asset Backed Investments

Real Estate Investing For Retirement

Many people today are employed by themselves or small companies that just don’t have any sort of retirement plan. If you are one of these people, what have you done to make sure you are able to take care of yourself in your older years? Unfortunately for many people the answer is nothing. They don’t know where to begin or they have seen someone else lose everything in the stock market and are in fear of that type of investment.

While you may think that all stocks, bonds, mutual funds and everything connected to the market is evil these days, there are some investing avenues that will be there for you and can even help you see a healthy profit on your investments.

In this case we are talking REITs. A REIT is a real estate investment trust. This is essentially a holding company that uses the money from shareholders to purchase or manage real estate interests. Whether it's mortgage brokering or store and apartment complex purchasing, the money that comes in as interest payment or profits from the real estate holdings is then returned to the investors in the form of a dividend.

Traditionally, REITs pull in a 6-10% dividend annually. Some investors turn away from this type of return saying it's not enough to warrant putting their money in these accounts, but if you are working towards retirement, you need to look at this differently.

Unlike stocks, your REITs may not see massive gains in a year, although sometimes they do. Also unlike your stocks, your REIT investment is not going to disappear. While REITs can lose value, since they are property holdings, and property always has some value, they will not disappear completely taking your money with them.

Meanwhile, a return of 6-10% a year on a regular amount of money being put into a REIT will help you put aside a healthy little nest egg. It is a better savings option than you would get by putting your money in a bank or other secured interest possibility, while still being a pretty stable and steady investment that is not likely to go away.

If you keep putting your dividends right back into the investments, you may be surprised at just how fast your money will grow. While it is a long-term investment, in time you will be pleased with the returns.

Once you're ready to learn more about REITs it's time to do your research. This begins on REITBuyer.com. REITBuyer.com is a website that specializes in REITs. They are not only an information source, but also an investing real estate broker. That means they are the pros in this arena and can not only help you learn more about these types of investments, but also offer you the tools and research you need to make wise purchases and even let you make those purchases online.

There is no time like the present to begin your retirement fund. REITs are wise long-term investments that can help your fund see the money it needs when you get to retirement age.

Invest in REITs and See a High Return on Your Investment

REITs – Buy Now, Sell High

With so many people panicking after this past year's investment woes, there are some great deals to be had in the investment world. One of the best ones out there is in the real estate arena.

A lot of people are reluctant to put out any type of money into investments right now, thinking that since it's a bad time, things must be getting ready to get worse and worse. Well in real estate, this is not possible.

Think about this for a minute. Unless it is going to sink into the ocean or completely disappear into a black hole, the property behind a real estate investment will always be around. Sure, it can lose money and have a tough time, but it will be around and still have value.

Another thing to keep in mind is right now, as many other investors are doing what you are doing and worrying, those who move forward and make a buy will be the ones who have the most to gain as the market starts to rise again.

It's like Albert Einstein said, "In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity". While he may have been talking about science, it also works for the world of economics and investments. Sure we are in the midst of a difficult economic time when it seems every stock, bond and mutual fund has dropped through the floor and that any investment is doomed to fail. But, what if you look at the opportunity side of that. If you look around, the real estate market has bottomed out for the most part. That means the current opportunity is in investing in more of it and seeing a return on that investment.

Now that I have you thinking of opportunity, you may be thinking there is no way you will be able to afford purchasing properties right now. No one said you had to buy properties outright. Instead, why not purchase shares of property? This can be accomplished through real estate investment trusts or REITs. Being a part of a REIT allows you to purchase shares of a real estate development or real estate management company and still be in on the market without having to buy a whole property yourself.

In a REIT when the management group profits (through leases, rent or mortgage interest) at least 90% of that profit must be passed on to the investors. This will come in the form of a dividend. In many cases you will see a 6-10% return on your investment every year, as that is the average. In some years you may even see your real estate out perform the stock market.

Investing in REITs is easy. They are publicly traded and you can go to a website like REITBuyer.com to research the REITs you are interested in, look at their past, possible futures and even make the purchase all in the same place, as they are an investing real estate broker.

We're at a point in the economic tide right now where it's either time to make a move or stay out of the game. Only those who play can win.