6 Things I Learned About Niches From Dummies Books

By Richard Killey

It has been said that if you can find a book from the popular Dummies series about a particular topic, or niche, then that may be a good candidate for a profitable website. Even if the topic of the book is too broad, the book may give you ideas for a sub-niche. The bottom line is that popular topics can lead to profitable websites, and Dummies Books tend to be popular.

Let's examine the top 20 Dummies books from a given day, by using a list of the bestselling ones from a popular online book seller. What topics did I learn were popular?

Lesson # 1 - Computer Topics are Popular

The top 3 selling Dummies books on the day I did this research were all about computer topics.

- 1 - WordPress
- 2 - Office 2007
- 3 - Excel 2007

Note that Excel is actually in the top 3 twice, since it is a part of Office 2007. Would you hazard a guess that lots of people want to learn how to create spreadsheets and WordPress Blogs?

To top that off, Quickbooks 2009 was # 4, Facebook was # 9, and Windows Vista was # 11.

Lesson # 2 - Traditional Topics are also Popular

You might be surprised to find English Grammar (#15), Robert's Rules (#17), and Personal Finance (# 19) all in the top 20. People want to have good communication skills and a good handle on their personal finances. Perhaps the loss of lots of jobs recently led to those 2 topics being popular.

However, what in the world are Robert's Rules? With Robert's Rules, you'll not only discover how to hold more effective meetings, you'll get advice for dealing with malcontents or monopolizers who can disrupt, derail, or prolong meetings. And you'll get great information to use in a leadership position. Ahhh, just the thing to help get noticed and get a promotion.

Lesson # 3 - Investing is In

At # 6, # 10, and # 16 respectively were Stock Investing, Currency Trading, and Investing. Perhaps a lot of you no longer trust your employer's investment plan and want to control your own retirement fund. I know that currency trading (Forex) sites have been hot of late, and stock investing is probably one of the ever-green topics.

Lesson # 4 - Healthy Bodies

We have 2 health related topics in the top 20. At # 8 is Living Gluten-Free, and at # 18 is Diabetes. Interesting that both of these are about specific problems. What have your mentors been telling you? Find a problem that lots of people have, and solve it for them, and they will love you forever.

Lesson # 5 - Miscellaneous Topics

Another 5 books from the top 20 cover a variety of topics.

- 5 - Catholicism (not only healthy minds and bodies, but also healthy souls)
- 7 - Nikon D90 (a particular digital camera model)
- 12 - Solar Power Your Home (environmentally sound)
- 14 - Beekeeping (in the pet category!!!)
- 20 - Chemistry (wow! an academic choice in the top 20)

Lesson # 6 - One More

I left one book out. If you are keeping a checklist you will know that it is lucky # 13. Do you build websites? Do you want lots of visitors? You need this last book. Search Engine Optimization, or commonly called SEO.

The End

There you have it. Some insight into what people want to learn. Can you be their teacher? If you can, you will probably have a successful website. Keep in mind, though, that sales slowly change over time, and this top 20 list may already be at least partially out of date by the time you read this article.

Forex for Absolute Dummies

By Joseph Plazo

Forex (foreign exchange) pertains to the foreign currency exchange market, the world’s largest financial trading market. It exceeds the trading volume of the equities market a hundred fold.

Want to pass yourself as a forex expert? Know these buzz words:

• Bid – to buy

• Ask – to sell

• Liquidity – financial ease of transaction, i.e. cash

• Trading volume – the amount traded

• Bid/ask spread – the difference between the proposed buying price and the actual selling price

• OTC – over the counter

• Exchange rate – the difference between currency values; for instance, a Canadian dollar is valued at .86 of a US dollar

• Hedge funds – large mutual funds companies that control vast amounts of money and are able to manipulate the value of a currency through speculation

• Central bank – the national bank of a nation, which usually exerts control over the value of that currency

Forex trading is the investment in the currency of one nation. Multinational Corporations doing business across national boundaries find value in keeping their cash reserves in a variety of countries, and holding their funds in a myriad of ways. For example, a UK corporation may hold a percentage of its working capital in UK pounds, but if it does quite a bit of business in USA it may also maintain a percentage of its money in dollars, in US banks. Individual investors over the decades have discovered that there is profit to be made in investment and speculation in the currency markets.

Take the case during the 70’s when the German DM swung rapidly in value. It was worth anywhere from 1.2 marks to the US dollar to 3.5 US marks to the dollar. When the mark was worth 2.5 it was beneficial to spend dollars buying marks, since the mark would buy more goods or services at that rate. As the mark bottomed out 1.7 to the dollar there was less incentive.

Surprisingly, the forex market itself is not unified. One can find many small forex markets specializing in trading various currencies. The most commonly traded currencies in forex speculation are the US dollar, the Australian dollar, the British pound sterling, the Japanese yen, and the European Euro. Currency values vary depending on the market in which an investor is speculating, so there is really no such thing as a single, unified dollar rate, but instead there are multiple dollar rates, which vary according to the market where the trade is occurring.

The major cities in which trades occur include New York, London, and Tokyo. It’s a 24 hour process. When Asian trading ends, European trading commences, and when European trading ends, then American trading opens. Naturally, when American trading ends, it is time for Asian trading to open house once more… and so on.

Currently, the most actively traded currency is the US dollar, involved in 90% of all trades. This is followed by the Euro involved in 36% of all trades, then by the yen in 20% and the pound in 17%.

Our fastest rising currency in trade is the Euro, however the US dollar is still the favored anchor point-- and the currency watched so as to judge how others will react. Differences in value of currencies come from the current events. GDP growth, inflation dips, interest rate swings, budget and trade deficits, surpluses and other economic conditions all shift currency values. Investors, for this reason, follow the news very closely. There are 24 hour cable news channels and many web sites devoted to news that aid currency speculators.

The forex market is highly susceptible to rumors. In fact the central banks of countries frequently manipulated local currency value by sowing rumors about interest rate hikes and other economic propaganda that impacts the value of the domestic currency. When this news is false it is called a dirty float- and it dismays the market.

Dummies' Guide to Investment - Top Investment Tips

By Mary Rodgers
In words of finance, the acquisition of a financial product or any other item of value with an expectation of favorable future returns is known as Investment. In other words, investment means the expenditure of money in the hope of making more. In this article, we will hash out most essential tips for deriving a maximum gain from your investment.
1. Investment and Diversification
The saying, "don't put all your eggs in one basket" is consequential when it comes to investing i.e. don't put all your money in a single stock. What's more, you should buy fixed income securities (such as bonds) and stocks. This means that you should not choose only one type of investment in your portfolio.
2. Think it
Acquire and scrutinize as much information as possible before making your investment plans. This will prepare you about any problems a company may have, or what to expect from the investment you have made.
3. Set your goals
Resolve the price (high target price or low stop-loss price) at which you want to sell. Examine the interest rates to come to a decision what return you really want.
4. Minimize risk
The fewer you can afford a loss, the more conventional you should be in your choice of investments.
5. Greed is a curse
Don't expect your broker to recommend stocks that will double in value within a few months. If you do have a stock that goes up considerably, i.e. 50% or more, sell.
6. Think Big
The stock prices of companies may vary, sometimes adversely, in the quick-fix. Invest for the long-term, but bear your present financial needs in mind. You obviously do not know when you might require some of that money.
7. Value is Important
Undervalued stocks may also assist in making the most growth in your investment portfolio.
8. Tax Planning
Strategize income-splitting techniques and don't hesitate to ask your investment adviser about tax planning.
10. Ask a Professional
If you're taking the first step, take services of an economical professional adviser you can afford. Professional advice always pays for itself within a short period of time. Once you are used to the market, you'll be soon able to perform all the investigation yourself...