Guidant Financial Group Blog

As we expected, the "talk of the town" news at Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference, was a new model of the iPhone.

The new model is called the iPhone 3G S and this one can record video, take pictures on it's three-megapixel camera, downloand data twice as fast as the current 3G model (like the one's Guidant's officers use!) will start at $199 for a 32-gigabyte model. It comes with a three-megapixel camera. In addition, users will be able to plug into MMS technology that allows the sending of pictures via text message.

If you are a small business owner or investor - the iPhone is a must-have technological device...at least we think so!

Self-directed IRAs are one of the fastest-growing segments in the financial services industry; however, it is still difficult to find credible information regarding these types of accounts as many inexperienced providers, masked as advisors, are entering the industry.

• The biggest mistakes self-directed IRA investors make;
• How the credit crisis could affect self-directed;
• Ways to eliminate asset, transactional and holding fees by a custodian; and
• What opportunities are today’s self-directed investors capitalizing on.

Forbes magazine recently published its top 10 Real Estate Markets. Investors may want to take notice of some of these markets—near or far—as many of them provide opportunities for substantial returns. The top 10 are:

1. Washington D.C.
2. London
3. New York City
4. Tokyo
5. Shanghai
6. San Francisco
7. Los Angeles
8. Paris
9. Houston
10. Singapore

Washington D.C. ranks number one because burgeoning government programs are expected to draw large numbers of workers to the city and surrounding areas, creating higher demand for all types of residential real estate and a boom in service industries.

New York's density was widely believed to guard the metropolis from major downturns in residential property sales, but some neighborhoods have seen a three-quarter drop in sales activity, according to the article. This drop could bring bargains in the near future as the local market recovers from the financial crisis that has stricken Wall Street.

Like most California cities, San Francisco and Los Angeles have seen significant drops in housing prices. The former is also on the verge of a major commercial property glut, which could present bargains for long-term investors, while L.A. is seeing more sales activity in recent months, hinting that the market may be at least nearing its bottom.

Lastly among American cities, Houston is one of only a handful that saw prices rise overall from 2006 to 2009, and this growth is expected to continue because of the city's low business costs, which could attract corporate relocations and thus new residents.

As fears continue to rise concerning the fate of the stock market, more and more IRA holders are considering self-directed IRAs over traditional investments. These real estate markets may provide the right opportunities for investors to weather recent downturns and see returns much larger than they might have expected even in the boom years.

Read the article, which focuses on the D.C. property market, on the Forbes website here.