Life in the hyipworld is going quite well so far. I have been posting on HyipDiscussion quite a lot and feel I have learnt quite a bit. Hard to believe that i've been in this business for nearly six months. I think I can even apply for access to the veterans folder on hyipD next month. Overall since starting I am in profit, so I am delighted about that. Thanks to many people along the way who have helped me get started in this business. I wondered how I could give something back, so I thought I’d outline some key things I have learnt along the way that may be of benefit to people just starting out. Firstly I will say I am not a ponzi player, I only put my money in programs I believe to be real.

To be successful in this business I have learnt it is very important to try and create a balanced, diversified portfolio that has the highest possible return, with the lowest possible risk. With the large amounts of fraudulent activity in the business, this is certainly easier said than done. If it is possible, choosing programs that generate returns from different sectors is certainly preferable. For example programs that are backed by forex, sports arbitrage, venture capital, etc.

When choosing an opportunity, I see two risk major factors, Fraud risk and operational risk. For example for a forex based program the operational risk would obviously be the trading risk.

The first thing I try to analyse is the fraud risk. No matter how good the program is, if there is a significant chance the admin may run away with all your money, I don't personally believe it's worth the risk. Obtaining ID documents from the admin and verifying them would be a good start here. If the verification procedure is successful, often this would mean the admin is less likely to act fraudulently, as he would be easier to trace. Although, this is not cast iron by any means. If the admin lived not to far away, perhaps you could go and visit him/her at home. If he/she appears settled with a family, again this may make it more difficult for the him/her to act fraudulently. I could personally go and visit Paul at NSFG, if he was agreeable, as he doesn't live too far away from me. For many people, the money they invest in online opportunities has been hard earned, so don't give it to a scammer!

If after investigating the fraud risk you feel happy, the next big risk is operational risk. Let’s say we are investigating an online opportunity backed by foreign exchange trading. It could be beneficial to analyse the traders trading career and how successful s/he has been. The first thing to be aware of is the fact that it is believed that only 5% of forex traders make money consistently. I have seen many amateur traders out there offering managed accounts because they don't feel comfortable risking their own money, so clearly extremely caution is needed here. As an example if after investigating the trader you find s/he has been trading managed accounts for people for the last five years, with great results, you are inevitable going to be more confident about the trading than if you have a newbie trading handling your money.

As always these online opportunities always involve a great deal of risk, and it is very important that only risk capital is used. The potential for good results is there, but one certainly must be extremely diligent and careful.

OK, if you’ve read this far, you must be bored senseless, so good luck and thanks for reading :)