When it comes to planning your perfect getaway, is it really possible to find a truly personalised holiday package – a travel itinerary that’s been especially curated according to your needs and preferences? Luckily for keen jetsetters and tourists, the answer is a resounding yes.Bespoke holiday providers can be found online by doing a little digging and performing some basic research. This may involve combing customer review sites to find the most reputable service providers, as well as comparing quotations from competing travel agencies. You may also know somebody that can recommend a good company to use.Bear in mind that the best travel and tour providers tend to be located near to where you’re staying. This way, not only will they be able to impart valuable information about the local area, they will also be on hand to help should any problems arise during your visit. Some even provide management staff to help with your daily duties and security.With that in mind, the first thing to consider is what kind of holiday experience you’re looking to have. Are you travelling alone, or with your family or friends, for example? Do you have a romantic city break in mind, or a fun-filled fortnight of activities for the kids to enjoy, with poolside relaxation during the evenings?You will also need to have an idea about to location you wish to visit, as this will help you narrow down your travel company options. Some franchises will specialise in Sandals resort holidays, for example, whereas others may provide travel to the world’s most remote islands, capital cities or beaches – this may require a little research.If you’re open to suggestions about your holiday destination, it’s worth sitting down with an adviser, as they will be able to use their skill and contracts to find you the best deals and a number of location options. This often works out well for those jetting off at the last minute, as there will be an abundance of discounted flight and hotel options available.Once you’ve decided where you want to go, narrow down your online search options according to the dates you wish to fly and the type of accommodation you’re looking for. If you’re travelling with a large party, you may consider renting a private villa for the week, which can generally accommodate up to 27 people (though smaller villas can be found).If you’re planning a more low-key holiday, you may still wish to look at renting privately. This will allow you to enjoy more space and make use of your own facilities. Options may include villas, condos, holiday homes and apartments. Make contact with an agency in the local area and ask them to find you something that suits your budget.If you’re hoping to learn a little about the local culture, it’s a good idea to look into the ‘travel and tour’ options provided by the company you choose. If you have specific places in mind that you would like to see, it’s worth contacting the company to discuss your requirements in detail so they can come up with a personalised itinerary for you.The holiday company you choose should be able to assist you with every detail of the booking process – from organising the most convenient and cost-effective flights, to planning activities for you when you arrive. They may also be able to recommend local restaurants, cultural sites and places to visit, along with a range of other services.Wherever you choose to visit, make sure the company you book your holiday with offers 100% financial protection and are members of the ABTA.
Skin Care Advice – What Can You Believe?
Skin care advice is worth its weight in gold when it directs the consumer to all natural skin care products. Healthy and glowing skin can be achieved by using natural skin care products and organic face care products, rather than ones containing synthetic ingredients. Take the time to verify skin care advice to make sure it is based on fact, and not hype.Organic face care moisturizers, lotions, and serums are becoming more and more visible on the shelves of department and drug stores throughout the country. Consumers are more educated about skin care and are more interested in the ingredients of their products than in previous years. The organic face care and skin care industry in general has responded to the consumer demand for more healthful products by offering a wide range of products that will fit almost every budget.There is a lot of hype out there concerning all natural skin care products. So, what skin care advice can you actually believe? When it comes to trusting what you hear and read, the thing to remember is to conduct your own research. Every consumer should be educated about the ingredients that are healthy for the skin. Read the labels on your skin care products to make certain they contain natural ingredients, before purchasing them.With that said, what ingredients should your skin care products contain? Organic face care products and other skin care products such as lotions, serums, cosmetics, anti-wrinkle creams, and shampoos, should contain only holistic and non-synthetic ingredients. When you apply lotion or any other skin care product to your skin, roughly 60% of the ingredients contained in that product will be absorbed through your skin and into your bloodstream. It makes perfect sense then, that the ingredients should be natural and therefore not harmful to our bodies.Keep in mind that skin care advice will come at you from every direction in the form of marketing campaigns. Be educated about your skin care and you’ll be prepared to choose your organic face care and skin care products with the best ingredients.Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant and will help your skin to battle the aging process. Vitamin E is effective in reducing the look of fine lines; laugh lines, and wrinkles on your skin. This vital ingredient defies the free radicals in the air by protecting your skin and giving the skin a healthy glow.Jojoba oil is another holistic ingredient contained in all natural skin care products, as well as organic face care products. It is essentially a vegetable oil, but its very make up mimics the naturally occurring oil in the skin called sebum, making it an excellent moisturizer for the skin. Skin that is kept moisturized will naturally appear younger and healthier.Many women show their age in and around the eye area. Organic face care products that contain grapeseed oil are a good choice. Research has revealed that grapeseed oil has a healing effect on the skin around the eyes, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines effectively.So there you have it. Just keep in mind that skin care advice is worth listening to if it directs you to all natural and organic skin care. These are the products that will have holistic and healthy ingredients that will provide results that will impress you.
SPDN: An Inexpensive Way To Profit When The S&P 500 Falls
Summary
SPDN is not the largest or oldest way to short the S&P 500, but it’s a solid choice.
This ETF uses a variety of financial instruments to target a return opposite that of the S&P 500 Index.
SPDN’s 0.49% Expense Ratio is nearly half that of the larger, longer-tenured -1x Inverse S&P 500 ETF.
Details aside, the potential continuation of the equity bear market makes single-inverse ETFs an investment segment investor should be familiar with.
We rate SPDN a Strong Buy because we believe the risks of a continued bear market greatly outweigh the possibility of a quick return to a bull market.
Put a gear stick into R position, (Reverse).
Birdlkportfolio
By Rob Isbitts
Summary
The S&P 500 is in a bear market, and we don’t see a quick-fix. Many investors assume the only way to navigate a potentially long-term bear market is to hide in cash, day-trade or “just hang in there” while the bear takes their retirement nest egg.
The Direxion Daily S&P 500® Bear 1X ETF (NYSEARCA:SPDN) is one of a class of single-inverse ETFs that allow investors to profit from down moves in the stock market.
SPDN is an unleveraged, liquid, low-cost way to either try to hedge an equity portfolio, profit from a decline in the S&P 500, or both. We rate it a Strong Buy, given our concern about the intermediate-term outlook for the global equity market.
Strategy
SPDN keeps it simple. If the S&P 500 goes up by X%, it should go down by X%. The opposite is also expected.
Proprietary ETF Grades
Offense/Defense: Defense
Segment: Inverse Equity
Sub-Segment: Inverse S&P 500
Correlation (vs. S&P 500): Very High (inverse)
Expected Volatility (vs. S&P 500): Similar (but opposite)
Holding Analysis
SPDN does not rely on shorting individual stocks in the S&P 500. Instead, the managers typically use a combination of futures, swaps and other derivative instruments to create a portfolio that consistently aims to deliver the opposite of what the S&P 500 does.
Strengths
SPDN is a fairly “no-frills” way to do what many investors probably wished they could do during the first 9 months of 2022 and in past bear markets: find something that goes up when the “market” goes down. After all, bonds are not the answer they used to be, commodities like gold have, shall we say, lost their luster. And moving to cash creates the issue of making two correct timing decisions, when to get in and when to get out. SPDN and its single-inverse ETF brethren offer a liquid tool to use in a variety of ways, depending on what a particular investor wants to achieve.
Weaknesses
The weakness of any inverse ETF is that it does the opposite of what the market does, when the market goes up. So, even in bear markets when the broader market trend is down, sharp bear market rallies (or any rallies for that matter) in the S&P 500 will cause SPDN to drop as much as the market goes up.
Opportunities
While inverse ETFs have a reputation in some circles as nothing more than day-trading vehicles, our own experience with them is, pardon the pun, exactly the opposite! We encourage investors to try to better-understand single inverse ETFs like SPDN. While traders tend to gravitate to leveraged inverse ETFs (which actually are day-trading tools), we believe that in an extended bear market, SPDN and its ilk could be a game-saver for many portfolios.
Threats
SPDN and most other single inverse ETFs are vulnerable to a sustained rise in the price of the index it aims to deliver the inverse of. But that threat of loss in a rising market means that when an investor considers SPDN, they should also have a game plan for how and when they will deploy this unique portfolio weapon.
Proprietary Technical Ratings
Short-Term Rating (next 3 months): Strong Buy
Long-Term Rating (next 12 months): Buy
Conclusions
ETF Quality Opinion
SPDN does what it aims to do, and has done so for over 6 years now. For a while, it was largely-ignored, given the existence of a similar ETF that has been around much longer. But the more tenured SPDN has become, the more attractive it looks as an alternative.
ETF Investment Opinion
SPDN is rated Strong Buy because the S&P 500 continues to look as vulnerable to further decline. And, while the market bottomed in mid-June, rallied, then waffled since that time, our proprietary macro market indicators all point to much greater risk of a major decline from this level than a fast return to bull market glory. Thus, SPDN is at best a way to exploit and attack the bear, and at worst a hedge on an otherwise equity-laden portfolio.