My thoughts on Primerica

What some call a sham and a pyramid scheme seems to be a little deeper than that. It doesn't seem that any business can satisfy all of its customers nor can any business seemingly have success without people critiqing a company they have limited knowledge of. The very premise of Primerica is to help struggling individuals correct their financial planning mishaps. That's it and nothing more than that.

However, its amazing to me how many people can take that and make it into so much more than what it is. The complaints usually are that the people that work there don't have any background in finance, they ask too many questions regarding your personal finances, or that's not a real business. But these same people give the same personal finance answer to other companies who solicit over the phone and they've never asked about their background in finance. Credit card companies, online banks, and the like all require the same information as Primerica.

In regards to the pyramid scheme I ask: what business isn't? There is a hierarchy of management and payscale within every organization. The top management makes their money off of the lowest level employees daily. Primerica has helped countless people restructure their finances and get back on track in one way or another. If you need help and they are able and willing to help, don't deny yourself the opportunity.

I am not a member of Primerica because that form of finance isn't my career path but I have seen them in action and it can work if you allow it. Every business isn't out to get you but please do your due diligence before engaging anyone, whether good or bad.

The Economic Growth of New Zealand

The GDP of New Zealand grew at a rate of 1.1% in the first quarter of 2012. This is out of proportion with the rest of the developed countries who were generally flat or beginning to return to recession like levels.  The favorable weather helped with farm production output which was led by 2.3% increases in output. Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd. announced their output was 10% higher than the year before. Manufacturing increased by 1.8%, household spending and engineering also showed significant gains.

Numbers of this nature would indicate that a global recession has ended but as soon as these numbers were released the opposite followed. The consumer confidence index dropped to its lowest level in a year. The New Zealand dollar rallies in response to the economic data but its strength will be monitored by global investors the next few days to see if the international community agrees with new negative outlook of the consumer confidence index.

Ghana's weakening currency in relation to the Euro

Establishment of a new currency is to strengthen the prospects for an economy. Ghana’s devaluing is autonomous and independent because it doesn’t rely on solvency from any other country source. The Euro carries the same premise which is to strengthen the economies it circulates in and monetizes.

The Euro has a communal effect that carries a global ripple due to its 17 country membership. Each country has different industry strengths and trading partner equivalents and each trading partner must continually evaluate the situation. Remaining cautious of the outcome due to any sudden movement s in currency valuation could easily cause developing agreements to become an economic loss for any investing country.

The economic principle of a weak currency means increased buying power reigns true however, not in every situation.  Increased buying power doesn’t mean increase in business investment at every opportunity. Countries with weak currencies must have something of incredible value to offer investors, and in todays’ age the investment of choice is commodities.  Whether its oil, gold, coffee, or natural gas it must be a product that will prove useful or in scarcity in another economy.

While this makes sense it can be hard to accomplish and also is often not an economic goal of the country receiving investment. Being able to attract cash strapped investors into a country where they previously haven’t invested is a gamble and considered extremely risky. While the country receiving investment is glad to have the interest and investment it would many times prefer an investment that will attract jobs to citizens of that country instead of foreign investors bringing their own workers.

The current value of the Ghanaian cedi is definitely an issue, however, it pales in comparison to the Euro. The Ghanaian cedi still has a future while the future of the Euro remains a question. For all investors who wonder about investments in Ghana please visit this website: http://www.gipcghana.com/

Guyana Strength

Countries with similar names are often confused with one each other. Guyana and Ghana are two countries with those characteristics. Guyana is a South American nation with a population of 752,000 and an economic policy that has shown growth in ways that rival other developing countries. According to the Guyana ministry of finance debt has decreased from 658% of GDP in 1991 to 47% of GDP in 2011. Stable exchange rates, lower interest rates, and inflation that has remained at levels to promote and encourage growth. FDI have reached its highest levels at $1.3 billion in 5 years. With recent stagnation in Brazil it will be interesting to see which South American country will grow to the level of growth that Brazil encountered in 2010. We will continue to monitor the economy of Guyana and its international trading.