The growth of faith-based funds from just $370mn in 1997 to $17bn in 2007 is something which we all must be proud of.

The success of faith-based funds is proof that investors care for the society. These investors want not only higher returns from their investments but peace of mind as well.

Some funds, such as Ave Maria Funds, do not invest in companies that have connection to abortion, pornography, unmarried partners etc. In short they filter out any company that violates moral and religious beliefs.

Some funds such as Timothy Plan follow strict ethical norms. They do not invest in the stock of companies connected to gambling, alcohol and tobacco.

Amazon’s  Amazing Advance

Amazon’s share price jumped by nearly 40% and is trading at its highest since 2000.

The decision of the world’s largest online retailer to invest in technology is paying well. Innovative improvements such as customer reviews, online market for small merchants and freebies such as free shipping have helped Amazon to post phenomenal growth.

Amazon continues to spend large sums of money on software development. Its web services division recently launched a website for Marks and Spencer.

Amazon’s affiliate program is another contributing factor to its rapid growth, soaring profits and business success.

Investors who were skeptical about Jeff Bezos’ (Amazon founder and chief executive) decision to invest huge sums in technology are now fully convinced about his decision.

Lakshmi Mittal is UK’s Richest person

For the third straight year, the India-born Lakshmi Mittal has remained the UK’s richest person with a net worth of $38.5 billion.

Lakshmi Mittal, born in the Indian state of Rajasthan, started with just one steel mill in Indonesia in 1976.The share value of his flagship company Mittal Group has gone up by almost 35 percent in just one year, after he purchased Arcelor last year.

Lakshmi Mittal is now the world’s fifth richest person behind Bill Gates of Microsoft,  Warren Buffet of Berkshire Hathaway, Carlos Slim of Mexican Telecom and Ingvar Kamprad of Ikea. Brothers Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani of Reliance are the 14^th and 18^th richest persons in the world.

ICICI plans the biggest Indian Share sale

ICICI Bank, India’s largest bank by market value is planning a mega share sale of 5 billion dollars. The share sale is scheduled next month according to Mr. K.V Kamath, ICICI’s CEO.

Considering the fact that ICICI’s last issue of 2 billion dollars was oversubscribed many times, it will not be a difficult task at all. This extra funds will enhance ICICI’s capital base and ensure that it reaches global benchmark of operational parameters.

Though in the short term, its shares are expected to fall between 5 to 7 percent, the long term outlook for the banking sector in general and ICICI in particular looks bright.

Are Mutual Funds, an ideal investment vehicle?

The average investor chooses Mutual Funds as an ideal investment vehicle, because a Mutual Fund invests in a wide variety of stocks, so that the risk is considerably reduced. But we need to understand that less risk means less returns as well.

Most mutual funds will charge the investors a sales charge of 3% to 5% and an annual fee of 1% to 2%.So even before the fund starts earning for you, your investment is reduced.

Funds which boasts 50% returns attracts the bulk of the investors. But investors must be cautious about these mutual funds because these short term fund managers prefer to invest in ‘hot’ stocks. Hot stocks may not perform consistently, so those mutual funds may not be able to repeat their 50 percent returns.

While choosing a mutual fund one has to ensure that

1. The fund management focuses on long-term performance.

2. The fund is managed by a team who had stayed with fund for at least 3 years.

3. The management fee is low 

4. The fund is invested in low volatility stock.

7 Money skills you must learn to earn more and grow rich.

Develop a Wealthy Mind: that attracts not only material wealth into your life but other forms of wealth as well such as health, happiness, peace of mind etc.

Become Financially Intelligent: Learn the difference between  good debts and bad debts  so that your money works for you; not against you.

Learn Financial Plumbing: Plug those visible and invisible leaks in your money chambers and ensure that your hard-earned money does not go down the drain.

Multiply your Time: Apply the ‘DOTS’ principle to multiply your time by any number of times and reach your financial goals faster.

Enhance Earning Power: Learn how to monetize your skills and talents making use of your spare time.

Develop Multiple Income Streams:   Learn how to generate multiple streams of income and in the process utilize more of your skills.