Has your 401k turned into a 201k? If so you’re not alone. The stock market has been experiencing unprecedented times. What started with a few mortgage companies announcing that they were expecting to lose tens of billions of dollars due to subprime loans has turned into a global credit crisis. This crisis has taken down some of the largest icons in the financial industry. Companies like Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers, and Washington Mutual, have all undergone serious changes, not to mention the bailout of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and AIG to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars.

The Federal government is now working with these giants and has injected billions of dollars into the banking system to prevent a major disaster. Over a dozen banks from coast to coast are no longer with us. All this news is just here in the U.S. Iceland has been particularly hard hit by the crisis, where interest rates are now at 18%. Foreign markets are currently at extreme low levels. We could go on and on with all the doom and gloom.

So, how does this affect the average investor? The average investor probably has a broker, or has not obtained an education on stock/options investing. I have talked to some of these people and they have lost a lot of money. A good friend of mine has lost 40% of his retirement (thanks to a broker he is now “broke-r”). Most Americans are in the same boat.

What about those who actually knew how to handle this volatility? The ones I have talked to have done quite well through this troubled market. They have been extremely patient waiting for just the right time to make their investments. Most of their trades have been bearish (since we are in a bear (down) market). Once they had a profit, they took it. The market has been too volatile to let a trade sit. On their poor trades they cut their losses short, not getting into a position to where they were hoping the stock would come back. Many Prosper Inc. students have been successful with covered call trades. These too have been short term trades, waiting and watching the market for a calm in the storm to place these trades close to expiration. Some students I spoke with took 8-13% profits in less than a week’s time.

The bottom line is that this market has been extremely dangerous for most investors. With the right skills and knowledge, a well-disciplined investor can make money whether a stock market goes up, down, or sideways.

— Carl Anderson, Division Leader - Stock Coaching

This is for informational purposes and should not be construed as financial or investment advice.

Leading up to Thanksgiving, Prosper Inc. employees have been bringing in non-perishable food items to support the Community Action Services and Food Bank in Utah County. Our food drive was connected to the BYU-Utah game, with donors donating on behalf of one or the other team. Employees could also donate cash by purchasing “team marks” (Ute or Cougar logos).

The final tally is that Prosper employees donated $589 and 784 food items to the food bank. We hope to have a pound tally soon.

Way to go, Prosper employees!

I have been involved in a couple of successful businesses over the years and have been fortunate to evaluate and learn from those individuals that I believe are very successful. I believe that these individuals all have similar qualities that make them successful. I have identified them as what I see are the 4 keys to success.

1. Concern yourself with things that are in your control 
This one seems so easy, but in fact is really hard to do. The hard part is distinguishing what is within my control and what isn’t. The way I distinguish it is if I can significantly influence the situation then it is within my control. If not, I can’t. Those who worry about things that are out of their control never seem to move significantly forward in their endeavors. They are too caught up on the things they don’t control and it impedes their progress, while those who move forward focus on their circle of influence and rise to the top.

2. Set goals and become borderline obsessed with those goals
When I set a goal, it isn’t just something I write on a piece of paper (although that is better than just saying it in your mind), it is a vision in my mind that is so clear and vivid that if I were to write it out it would be 1–2 pages long. I refer to it as a vivid vision of what you want to accomplish. A goal on paper is good, but a vivid vision of what that goal accomplishes looks far better. 

3. Positive Attitude and Optimism
Have you ever thought about the conversations that you have with yourself?  Do you constantly bring yourself down?  Hopefully you build yourself. If you think you aren’t good at something, so will the rest of the world. However, if you believe in yourself and carry that dialogue within your head, then chances are you will accomplish what you set out to do. 

I’m sure that we have all met those people who are so extremely negative that it just physically, mentally, and emotionally drains your energy. If your energy is continuously being drained by negativity (whether it is by you or someone else), then you have little left in the tank to be successful. 
 
I have met people in my life that haven’t been the smartest, but have been successful through determination and optimism. That is the only dialogue they have with themselves. They attract success to them. 

4. Surround yourself with those that share the same drive to success and values you have
You have to surround yourself with others that share your drive and passion. If you have been able to master the first three keys to success, the fourth key should make absolute sense. Associating yourself with those who don’t buy into the first three keys to success is like training hard to get into shape, then hanging out every day at the All You Can Eat Club. You will get unwanted results. 

There is power in a group of individuals that shares the same values and strives to attract success into their lives. They are united as a group, and this goes beyond teamwork. They focus on the task at hand and strive for the main goal with such fervor that success will ultimately find them. 

Aaron Peterson, Executive Vice President of Sales, Satelitte Offices

When was the last time you walked into Home Depot or even your local grocery store expecting to buy one specific item and walked out with a whole cartload of items after coming across some unexpected and irresistible sale items?  I’d bet that many of the items you bought on sale weren’t even things you needed or later used. This type of buying is very normal for most of us. After all, who doesn’t love a good sale!

Many regular bargain hunters aren’t seeing the biggest sale of all, and it’s happening all around them. There are amazing deals available in real estate across the country and around the world. Everyone has heard the old investing adage, “Buy low and sell high.” It’s funny how they run forward in hoards to buy when prices are high, but few people seem to have the courage to step forward and buy when prices are low. In spite of the recent downturn, prices will eventually rebound and continue to climb. Still, many continue to be skittish. Is it possible to safely enter the market under current conditions? Absolutely! The following are a couple of ways to seek financial success and still sleep at night:

Assigning Contracts 
After an offer is accepted on a piece of property, you have the option (as long as your contract is structured properly) to assign or transfer the contract to someone else for a fee, rather than closing on the property yourself. Assigning contracts to another allows you to profit from real estate without having to fix up property, apply for financing, or risk having to cover an extra mortgage payment. For investors, this can be a very-low risk way to an extremely fast payday.

Conservative and Purposeful Offers
Forget the asking price! What can you afford to pay for the property to make it work for you? Remember, there are many very anxious sellers in the market today, and buyers are scarce. Because of the disparity in supply and demand, sellers are getting more motivated and flexible on both their price and terms.

The last time that we had a buying opportunity like we have today interest rates were at 12%. Our rates today are half that. Property prices, seller flexibility, and rock bottom interest rates make this a WONDERFUL time to load up your cart!

Dave Greene, Real Estate Coaching Division Leader