MONEY

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Unless you live on a desert island, you could not survive in the modern world without money - though I'm sure it may have crossed your mind once or twice to escape the rat race. Ignoring for now that thought, you should perhaps consider that money has made it possible to develop society and improve the quality of life.

Although we'd all like to go native from time to time (and do our level best to emulate that happy state during the annual holiday) the reality is that we want our televisions and cars.  We want our modern houses and the conveniences that come with them.  In fact, many of us would not know how to cope without them. So make the most of it.  Learn how to earn money and spend money wisely. If you are lucky and live in a caring society, the state (your government) should have made a level playing field to give everyone the chance to enjoy modern living. If not, vote them out and get a new bunch that understand the needs of the people.

Please use the links below to find out more about savings, pensions, mortgages, loans and investments - with our compliments.

International Accumulation of Foreign Reserve currencies

HISTORY

Money has developed over the years from the likes of conch shells to being managed by complex international banking systems.

The history of money has generally seen commodity money replaced by more formal systems, as money has been progressively brought under the control of governments.

In economics, there are various definitions for money, though it is now commonly considered to be any good or token that fulfills the money functions: to be a medium of exchange, store of value, and unit of account. Some authors explicitly require money to be a standard of deferred payment, too. In common usage, money refers more specifically to currency, particularly the many circulating currencies with legal tender status; deposit accounts denominated in such currencies are also considered part of the money supply.

The use of money provides an alternative to bartering, which is often inefficient because it requires a coincidence of wants between traders. The emergence of some form of money is a natural market phenomenon observed repeatedly across civilizations and is not dependent on any central authority or government. Indeed, the division of labour in any but the most basic of forms cannot occur without it^.

Commodity money was amongst the earliest forms of money to emerge. Under a commodity money system, the object used as money has inherent value. It is usually adopted to simplify transactions in a barter economy; thus it functions first as a medium of exchange. It quickly begins functioning as a store of value, since holders of perishable goods can easily convert them into durable money. In modern economies, commodity money has also been used as a unit of account. Gold-backed currency notes are a common derivative form of commodity money.

FEATURES

To function as money, the monetary item should possess a number of features:

To be a medium of exchange:

• It should have liquidity, easily tradable, with a low spread between the prices to buy and sell, in other words, a low transaction cost

• It should be easily transportable; precious metals have a high value to weight ratio. This is why oil, coal, vermiculite, or water are not suitable as money even though they are valuable. Paper notes have proved highly convenient in this regard.

• It should be durable. Money is often left in pockets through the wash. The Mexican 20 peso note is made of plastic for durability.

To be a unit of account:

• It should be divisible into small units without destroying its value; precious metals can be coined from bars, or melted down into bars again. This is why leather, or live animals are not suitable as money.

• It should be fungible: that is, one unit or piece must be exactly equivalent to another, which is why diamonds, works of art or real estate are not suitable as money.

• It must be a specific weight, or measure, to be verifiably countable.

To be a store of value:

• It should be long lasting, durable, it must not be perishable or subject to decay. This is why food items, expensive spices, or even fine silks or oriental rugs, are not generally suitable as money.

• It should have a stable value.

• It should be difficult to counterfeit, and the genuine must be easily recognizable. Platinum and Palladium are not as widely recognized by the general public, and are not as suitable for use as money.

To be anonymous:

• Money should not be subject to government tracking

• It should be useable for purchases in a black market

• It should not require equipment, tools or electricity to use

For these reasons, gold and silver have been chosen again and again throughout history as money in more societies and in more cultures and over longer time periods than any other items. Although, diamonds are used as an international arms currency.

One key benefit of these features of money is that it facilitates and encourages trade; because barter is inefficient.

Modern forms of money

Banknotes (also known as paper money) and coins are the most liquid forms of tangible money and are commonly used for small person-to-person transactions. Today, gold is commonly used as a store of value, but is not directly used as a medium of exchange and thus is no longer a form of money.

There are also less tangible forms of money, which nevertheless serve the same functions as money. Checks, debit cards and wire transfers are used as means to more easily transfer larger amounts of money between bank accounts. Electronic money is an entirely non-physical currency that is traded and used over the internet.

MONEY FINDER

SOLAR COLA as an INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY?

The soft drinks market is a tough place to do business, unless you have something different to offer and the marketing muscle to match. 

For nearly 100 years Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola have dominated the marketplace with similar products.  Each company spends around $600-800 million dollars a year to maintain its market position. The advertising centers around sport and music, with a scattering of irregular television campaigns. Each company launches (or attempts to launch) new brands every year.  So far, they have not proved as successful as their regular cola brands.

Red Bull, although in a different drinks category, spends not quite as much on advertising , but has managed to acquire instant status and volume sales from sponsoring formula one, the Darpa Desert Challenge, and now the New Jersey MetroStars football team.

Solar Cola, apart from it's contemporary name, is a healthier cola based drink.  Just as refreshing, it contains a unique blend of added ingredients as an aid to good health and energy levels.  The company contributes to and sponsors alternative projects, to include this website, featuring movies, music and several thousand pages of general information, which generates in excess of 3 million visits a month already.  Recent acquisitions include the rights to the Solar Navigator World Electric Challenge, and also the new Bluebird Electric land speed record car for 2007.  The company may also sponsor the London to Brighton Solar Car Run in 2008 (dependent on the number of university entries received). 

It is thought that this marketing strategy will equal several hundred thousand dollars of conventional Ad Agency spending.  As an example of the kind of media coverage such nautical antics generate, you have only to look at the newspapers when Ellen Macarthur completed her world circumnavigation.  The same holds true for Sir Francis Chichester and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.

The design of the Solar Cola can is copyright protected, with trademark applications in the USA, Australia and Europe pending in Class 32 and granted rights in the UK.  Introduction of the drink is held in abeyance pending official launch of one or other sponsored projects, which will be activated when the time is right, such activation to coincide with the market introduction of the drink.

Solar Cola PLC is shortly to be activated for online investment as their trading arm.  The company is forecast to produce excellent results for investors, with sustained growth to be followed by an eventual flotation on the Stock Markets of the world in the next few years.  At this point estimates suggest investors will reap substantial gains - in line with international Licensing expectations.

Solar Cola Ltd is managing the funding requirement for the trading company.  They are looking for medium term or seed investment between £4-5 million to kick start phase two of the venture.

If you are a Business Angel, or Equity House, looking for an opportunity with the potential for good returns, please contact SOLAR COLA LTD for details.  Please ask for the funding project manager: Nelson Kruschandl

+ 44 (0) 1323 831727

+44 (0) 7905 147709

This material and any views expressed herein are provided for information purposes only and should not be construed in any way as an endorsement or inducement to invest in any specific program. Before investing in any program, you must obtain, read and examine thoroughly its disclosure document or offering memorandum.

Healthier alternative tastes for adventure capitalists

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