What Does it take for you to start investing ?

Ok, let’s get to the point what is it that you need to have in you to be good at the stock market, and make some money … if you are thinking on the lines of an MBA in Finance From Harvard… not exactly, here are a few pointers:
Let’s take them one at a time.

Knowledge: You don’t need to fully understand the capital market or portfolio management theory to get started. Start with reading about the 5 companies where you want to be the shareholder. I am tempted to recommend 7 companies but you can start with as many as you can handle. From 1-10. Let’s keep a cap at 10.
As you read about them, you’ll learn a few jargons along the way like EPS, PE Ratio, etc. Don’t be finicky about learning everything as if you have to answer a test paper. Don’t worry, it’s not rocket science but plain simple common sense!
In a few months, you’d be raring to invest in a few of them. Go by your instinct and go for it. Ask around for tips and you’ll be more befuddled than before!

Attitude: Many say that the stock market is a zero sum game where some people make money and some make losses. I guess, it’s true on a day to day basis. But on a longer term, good stocks help you make more money than others. Period.
So decide for yourself that whether you’ll be able to stay positive during the downturns. If the slightest tremors on the stock market have an impact on your own heart, it’s better you stay away. It’s not for the faint hearted, dear.

Skills: Skills normally require knowledge, attitude and practice. In fact if you have the knowledge and the attitude, skill automatically comes in.
It’s like if you have love and compassion, peace/harmony/happiness naturally follows in!!
The few skills I can think of are: Analytical skills, operating the trading account/Demat account and monitoring them.
A few more things like your confidence level, motives and value systems also contribute to your money skills.
In fact, your money competencies are a combination of your knowledge, skills, attitude and your overall orientation (Values/Motives/Confidence)
To my mind, it’s important to be aware of your own realities about the above competencies before you start investing in stocks.
Feel free to share your comments.

for a better understanding of how you could begin investing in stocks and shares you could take a look at http://kotaksecurities.com/smartstart/

letz talk money for a bit

Its very natural that many of you reading this blog have seriously fallen head over heels in love with one or more of the beautiful cars that I've covered. So lets talk about how you can get to actually owning one of these cars.
If every one of us was lucky enough to win a lottery every day of our lives, we'd own choppers and planes or even a massive ocean cruiser for all i know.. but the truth of the matter is that not all of us end up winning lotteries and so owning good cars are a very possible ambition.
once in a while im going to take time out from the cars and talk about how one could possible make enough money to buy them. Apart from being an automobile fanatic i have been a keen observer of the stock market and i also possess a zest of writing stuff related to finance and investing.
you can look forward to reading pointers and tips related to taking that first step into the act of investing to buy that dream car of yours.
Cheers!

Automoblies you want to own india 2009

Ford Figo

Ford India has just announced and given the world at large a preview of the upcoming Ford Figo which should be launched early next year. The Figo is part of Fords ‘One Vision’ and ‘One Team’ and ‘One World’ project.



The Figo is based on Ford’s Global-B platform and promises to offer, economy, safety, driving dynamics, value for money and hopes to establish new benchmarks as the vehicle goes on sale next year. The Figo - roughly Polo sized - will be powered by a 1.2 litre petrol and a 1.5 litre diesel engine.

Ford India has not announced the price, but the car is expected to cost Rs 4 lakh and upwards for the base variant and will be pitted against Maruti Swift and Ritz, Fiat Punto, Chevrolet U-VA and Hyundai I20.

Mercedes: E Class

German luxury car manufacturer launched the next generation E-Class sedan in India priced at Rs 46.98 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
The new E-Class comes with a 3.5 litre V-6 petrol engine, which will be locally assembled at Mercedes’ Pune plant. The diesel variant will be launched after a few months.


Mercedes expects the new model to give a major push to sales growth as it finds its market leader position in the luxury segment under threat from global arch-rival BMW.

LandRover Freelander 2

Tata Motors’ Jaguar Land Rover brand has launched its most affordable model in India — Freelander 2. Powered by a 156bhp, 2.2-litre turbo-diesel motor, The Freelander 2 will be sold with a six-speed automatic and is well-specified too.



Available in 3 variants priced at Rs 33.8 lakh for the “S”, Rs 39 lakh for the “SE” and Rs 45 lakh for the “HSE” variant, ex showroom Mumbai (without octroi), the Freelander 2 will fall somewhere between the Nissan X-Trail and CR-V on one side and the BMW X3 and Audi Q5 on the other.

Audi Q7

It is a luxury crossover SUV produced by yet another German auto maker. The Q7 is designed more for on-road use, and was not meant for serious off-road use. It has quattro permanent four wheel drive system with a central differential lock, and an adjustable-height air suspension which helps in off road situations.



The luxury SUV offers a feature marketed as AMI, or Audi Music Interface, to allow user manipulation of an iPod or similar MP3-style player, which can play through the main sound system.
It was the first Audi model to offer Side Assist, a type of blind-spot detection and warning system

Toyota Fortuner
In August this year, Toyota launched Fortuner diesel. Priced at Rs 18.45 lakh (ex-showroom), the demand for the vehicle has been so huge that the company was forced to ask dealers to stop taking new bookings.

After seeing the interest shown by the customers, the auto giant has increased production by 50 per cent and is hoping to sell 4,500 SUVs by the end of 2010.

Tata Indigo Manza Nov 2009

On 14th October, India's largest auto manufacturer Tata Motors has launched its most awaited Tata Manza in Indian market in B+ segment. Tata Manza is build on the J300 platform and it also houses the shell of the company's popular hatchback model Tata Indica Vista, the all new Tata Indigo Manza comes with increased length and width in comparisonto the existing version of Tata Indigo. Tata Motors alos announced that they are going to phase out the existing Tata Indigo model and only its CS, Marina and XL variants will be available. The base variant of Tata Manza is available at Rs 4.8 lacs (as ex-showroom prices) while its top end variant will be available at Rs 6.75 lacs (as ex-showroom prices). The all new Tata Manza is packed with exciting features like Bluetooth connectivity, power outlets for charging laptops and other mobile devices, outdoor temperature sensor and three barreled headlamps.



Tata Manza Description :

According to the senior company official Tata Manza will be launched with both petrol and diesel variants - its petrol variants will be powered by the 1.4L, 1396cc MPFI petrol engine can produce 85PS of maximum power. This engine is currently the exisiting petrol variants of Tata Indigo. On the other hand diesel variants of Tata Manza will be powered by the Fiat's most popular 1.3L, 1248cc, Multijet diesel engine which is well known across the world for delivering high engine performance with excellent fuel efficiency and acceleration. This 1.3L multijet diesel engine can produce 76PS of maximum power at 4000rpm and it delivers excellent engine performance with excellent fuel mileage. This engine is currently powereing the diesel variants of Tata Indica Vista, Maruti Swift, Maruti Ritz, Maruti Swift Dzire, Fiat Linea and Fiat Punto.







The wheelbase of Tata Manza will be longer than the existing version of Tata Indigo. It is expected that the interiors of Tata Manza will be similar to the existing Tata Indica Vista but the it might be packed with some high end features to give it an upmarket look. Earlier, it was expected that the instrument panel of Tata Manza will be mounted at the center of the dashboard like currently available Tata Indica Vista but the teaser images of Tata Manza displayed by Tata Motors suggests that the instrument cluster of Tata Manza will be placed at the conventional right side of the dashboard behind the steering. Its steering mounted audio controls and larger wheelbase as compared to the existing Tata Indigo makes the handling of this car more easier.



Other exciting feature of Tata Manza will be its centrally mounted MID (Multi Information Display) which is generally available in the higher end vehicles. Other attractive features of Tata Manza like ABS (Antilock Braking System) and Airbags which enhances the safety of this with smaller price tag as other cars were not equipped with these features in this price range. Tata Motors plans to launch Tata Manza in the highly competitive price of Rs 5.5 lacs to Rs 7 lacs to compete with other sedans of this segment which is currently dominated by Maruti Swift Dzire and Ford Ikon. This highly competitive price tag of Tata Manza and its launch date which is scheduled just before Diwali, might give it a good start.


Tata Manza Models


Tata Motors still not disclosed exact information regarding the name and number of variants of Tata Manza, they are going to launch on 14th of this October, but the senior company official said that they will launch Tata Manza with both petrol and diesel variants. It is expected that the Tata Manza will be launched with six variants. Stay tuned with us as soon these information will be available we will provide here.


Mileage, Average and Fuel Economy


According to the company official Tata Manza will be launched with both petrol and diesel variants – its petrol variants will be powered by the 1.4L, 1368cc, MPFI petrol engine which is currently powering Tata Motors' most popular sedan Tata Indigo and Fiat's recently launched models Fiat Linea and Fiat Grande Punto. This petrol engine offers good engine performance with impressive fuel efficiency. This 1.4L, petrol engine delivers around 11kmpl mileage in urban traffic and on highway it delivers 15kmpl mileage.

On the other hand, diesel variants of Tata Manza will be equipped with Fiat’s most popular 1.3L, 1248cc, multijet diesel engine which is well known for delivering excellent fuel efficiency. This 1.3L multijet diesel engine is currently powering number of popular cars in India like – Fiat Punto, Maruti Swift, Maruti Swift Dzire, Tata Indica Vista, Fiat Linea, Fiat Grande Punto etc. This 1.3L, 1248cc, multijet diesel engine delivers great mileage – it delivers mileage in urban traffic around 14kmpl while on highway it delivers 18kmpl.


Power

As we already mentioned that Tata Manza will be launched with both petrol and diesel engine options – its petrol variants will be powered by the Tata Motors' 1.4L, 1368cc, MPFI (Multi Point Fuel Injection) petrol engine with five speed manual transmission gearbox. This engine delivers high engine performance with good power, torque acceleration and mileage. This 1.4L, 1368cc petrol engine produces 85PS of maximum power at 5500rpm with 117Nm of maximum torque at 3500rpm. While the diesel variants of Tata Manza will be equipped with Fiat's most popular 1.3L, 1248cc, turbocharged multijet diesel engine. This engine also delivers high performance and it is well known for delivering excellent mileage. This multijet engine produces maximum power of 75bhp at 4000rpm and 190Nm of maximum torque.

Maserati GranCabrio 2010

The Maserati Gran Cabrio, unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show...

There are a few things Maserati could do to make the GranTurismo look better than it does, but not many. One option is to surround it with unspeakably beautiful women. Another is to remove the roof. Thankfully, they opted for both in Frankfurt, where the Trident marque took the wraps off the new GranCabrio.

The GranCabrio represents the very essence of Maserati in terms of open-top cars. It's a Maserati in the purest sense of the word: from the unmistakable style by Pininfarina to the spacious interior, from the craftsmanship of each detail to the driving pleasure and performance. The Maserati GranCabrio enriches all five senses in a shared open-air experience, without sacrificing comfort and performance. A dream car designed and built for men and women who love to live life in an understated – though sophisticated - manner. Like all the made in Maserati open-top convertibles: special cars aimed at refined connoisseurs.

The GranCabrio is continuing the Maserati tradition in open-top fine automobiles, beginning with the 1950 A6G Frua Spyder, and continuing through a long list of significant and thrilling open air models. However, in adding to this tradition, the GranCabrio opens a new chapter, because never before have four-seater top-down models ever been produced at the Viale Ciro Menotti Maserati factory in Modena. Four proper seats are provided, so that the rear passengers are not merely supporting actors, but co-stars of the journey.

The GranCabrio is powered by a 4.7 liter V8, 323 kW engine and is the convertible with the longest wheelbase on the market (versus its direct competitors). The GranCabrio's roof is strictly canvas-made, emphasizing the link with the Maserati tradition.

.... c'mon play along...

Now that I’ve given all you guys a low down on all the machines on this insanely crazy list of maniacal cars… “Let the Games Begin.”

However much I try not to emphasize on the fact that driving any one of these cars is the ultimate ambition, it so happens that there is one lingering question that needs to be answered “which one’s the best one?”… clearly money here not being a constraint I simply want to know what you guys think about the cars on this list… cmon it doesn’t take too much of an effort. Oops did I just say it doesn’t take too much of an effort …. Ok I know it’s real tough to decide when you have 10 of the world’s best to choose from.. But give it a shot and leave your comments on the best one and why you’re in love with it..

10. 2009 BMW M3

With a total of 15 different models and four body configurations, the 3 Series is BMW’s most versatile model. While the M3 is the most powerful of the 3 Series models, the twin-turbocharged, all-wheel drive 335xi might be the most exciting to drive. All 3 Series convertible models offers a quiet ride and coupe-like look due to a retractable hardtop. During the first four years of ownership, BMW 3 Series drivers receive a 50,000-mile warranty and $0 maintenance program in addition to an unlimited mileage roadside assistance. The BMW 3 Series gets an estimated 25-28 mpg on the highway; the M3 model tops out at 20 mpg.