Personal Finance and Money Management 35-the Baby-boomers and Equity Investments
Remember that the government only represents about 30% of our retirement income, the company retirement pension plan offers another 30 % and many of us do not have one. It is up to individuals to invest wisely short and long term in order to make up for the short fall if he or she would like to live comfortably after retirement without giving up some retirement plans. Because of low interest rate environment, unlike the generations before them, they know that fixed income investments are no longer provide enough incomes for their financial needs.In this article, we will discuss the baby boomers and equity investments. The equity investment that has out-performed all others by at least 6.5%—against cash, bonds, and inflation—over the past 50 years.In fact, many financial analysts believe the rule of thumb for the best asset mix in wealth accumulation to be 60% in stocks and 40% in bonds.
1. You are allowed to hold the equity investment securities such as Publicly traded stocks, bonds, mutual funds, stocks and term certificates,etc.In your RRSP, 401k and IRA account. In addition, you may also choose to purchase income annuities when you reach the age to roll over your RRSP, 401K and IRA account. Remember, a legal minimal withdrawal payment is required each year, if you over 69 years old for Canadian resident and 70 and 1/2 years old for US resident.
2. Your RRIF investments that roll over from your RRSP account allow you to invest in equity market just like any RRSP account. In case of IRA and 401k roll over to IRA account, you are allowed to investment in equity markets by following the IRS Publications and the Internal Revenue Code. Your money continue working for you, tax-sheltered, allowing your capital to continue to grow and providing protection against the ravages of inflation. Minimum withdrawn payment is required each year.
3. You can set up your investment in RRIF when RRSP is required roll over to RRIF,so you can increase your cash flow each year to ensure your needs are adequately covered. In case of IRA account, the same set up will do the trick.
4. Even with tax against your with minimum withdrawn payment, your tax-deferred RRIF and IRA investments represent the major wealth-accumulation instrument because of the unstoppable power of compounding interest.
5. Today, inflation remains low, but there’s no guarantee it won’t rise soon. Inflation eventually erodes the value of your money.
I hope this information will help. If you need more information, you can read the complete series of the above subject at my home page:
http://lifeanddisabitityinsuranceunderwriter.blogspot.com/
http://medicaladvisorjournals.blogspot.com
http://personalfinance35.blogspot.com/
1. You are allowed to hold the equity investment securities such as Publicly traded stocks, bonds, mutual funds, stocks and term certificates,etc.In your RRSP, 401k and IRA account. In addition, you may also choose to purchase income annuities when you reach the age to roll over your RRSP, 401K and IRA account. Remember, a legal minimal withdrawal payment is required each year, if you over 69 years old for Canadian resident and 70 and 1/2 years old for US resident.
2. Your RRIF investments that roll over from your RRSP account allow you to invest in equity market just like any RRSP account. In case of IRA and 401k roll over to IRA account, you are allowed to investment in equity markets by following the IRS Publications and the Internal Revenue Code. Your money continue working for you, tax-sheltered, allowing your capital to continue to grow and providing protection against the ravages of inflation. Minimum withdrawn payment is required each year.
3. You can set up your investment in RRIF when RRSP is required roll over to RRIF,so you can increase your cash flow each year to ensure your needs are adequately covered. In case of IRA account, the same set up will do the trick.
4. Even with tax against your with minimum withdrawn payment, your tax-deferred RRIF and IRA investments represent the major wealth-accumulation instrument because of the unstoppable power of compounding interest.
5. Today, inflation remains low, but there’s no guarantee it won’t rise soon. Inflation eventually erodes the value of your money.
I hope this information will help. If you need more information, you can read the complete series of the above subject at my home page:
http://lifeanddisabitityinsuranceunderwriter.blogspot.com/
http://medicaladvisorjournals.blogspot.com
http://personalfinance35.blogspot.com/
Family Finance Beyond Rrsps
“At this point,” says Anita Prescott, a certified financial planner (CFP) and Winnipeg-based financial adviser with CIBC Imperial Service, “it’s best if couples can work with a dedicated financial adviser to really look into their net worth (the difference between what you own and what you owe).” And to maximize any potential gains, Prescott offers some insight for families working together to invest and grow this net worth.
Take advantage of the benefits of a spousal RRSP
While the contributing spouse will realize the immediate tax savings from the spousal RRSP contribution, many couples will also benefit from future tax savings when income is received from the spousal RRSP, because the income is taxed at the spouse’s marginal rate, and not that of the contributor. With proper planning, income can be drawn from both spouses’ RRSPs or other income sources in order to reduce the total taxes paid on the entire amount.
Make your portfolio tax efficient
If you have both registered and non-registered investments, ensure your portfolios are structured to be tax efficient. Positioning your income-producing investments within a tax-sheltered RRSP and your equity and dividend-producing investments in your non-registered accounts may allow you to realize significant tax savings.
Improve your cash flow
If you have a regular investment plan in which your RRSP contribution is withdrawn automatically, you may be able to have less income tax deducted at source. That way, you’ll have more cash in your pocket now instead of having to wait for your tax refund.
Read more on
http://myfreeinfo4u.com/finance/family_finance_beyond_rrsps.html
Take advantage of the benefits of a spousal RRSP
While the contributing spouse will realize the immediate tax savings from the spousal RRSP contribution, many couples will also benefit from future tax savings when income is received from the spousal RRSP, because the income is taxed at the spouse’s marginal rate, and not that of the contributor. With proper planning, income can be drawn from both spouses’ RRSPs or other income sources in order to reduce the total taxes paid on the entire amount.
Make your portfolio tax efficient
If you have both registered and non-registered investments, ensure your portfolios are structured to be tax efficient. Positioning your income-producing investments within a tax-sheltered RRSP and your equity and dividend-producing investments in your non-registered accounts may allow you to realize significant tax savings.
Improve your cash flow
If you have a regular investment plan in which your RRSP contribution is withdrawn automatically, you may be able to have less income tax deducted at source. That way, you’ll have more cash in your pocket now instead of having to wait for your tax refund.
Read more on
http://myfreeinfo4u.com/finance/family_finance_beyond_rrsps.html
Personal Finance and Money Management 33 - Characteristics of Non Registered Annuity
As we mentioned in other articles, the government only represents about 30% of our retirement income,, the company retirement pension plan offers another 30 % and many of us do not have one. It is up to individuals to invest wisely short and long term in order to make up for the short fall if he or she would like to live comfortably after retirement without giving up some retirement plan. Now you have reached your retirement age, there are some important investment options for your RRSP or 401k plan. In this article, we will discuss characteristics of non registered annuity.
An annuity is non-registered when it is purchased with funds from money other than registered plan. Payments made under a non-registered annuity contain your principal and earned interest. Only the interest portion is taxable each year.
1. Non-registered fixed term annuity
Annuity payments are fixed for the term of the plan and cannot be changed. The payment amount is determined by the interest rate for the term and the term chosen, if term is long than payment will be small, on other hand if the term is short than the payment will be large. Each payment includes principal and interest and only the interest portion of the payment is taxable for the year of receipt.
2. Non prescribe annuity
The taxable interest portion of a non-prescribed annuity decreases annually. Therefore, taxes paid are higher during the first few years, gradually decreasing to zero over time.
3. Prescribe annuity
Payments contain capital and interest income in a ratio that can not be changed and the tax payable is spread out evenly over the entire duration of the contract.
I hope this information will help. If you need more information or insurance advices, please follow my article series of the above subject at my home page at:
http://medicaladvisorjournals.blogspot.com
http://lifeanddisabitityinsuranceunderwriter.blogspot.com/
http://personalfinance33.blogspot.com/
An annuity is non-registered when it is purchased with funds from money other than registered plan. Payments made under a non-registered annuity contain your principal and earned interest. Only the interest portion is taxable each year.
1. Non-registered fixed term annuity
Annuity payments are fixed for the term of the plan and cannot be changed. The payment amount is determined by the interest rate for the term and the term chosen, if term is long than payment will be small, on other hand if the term is short than the payment will be large. Each payment includes principal and interest and only the interest portion of the payment is taxable for the year of receipt.
2. Non prescribe annuity
The taxable interest portion of a non-prescribed annuity decreases annually. Therefore, taxes paid are higher during the first few years, gradually decreasing to zero over time.
3. Prescribe annuity
Payments contain capital and interest income in a ratio that can not be changed and the tax payable is spread out evenly over the entire duration of the contract.
I hope this information will help. If you need more information or insurance advices, please follow my article series of the above subject at my home page at:
http://medicaladvisorjournals.blogspot.com
http://lifeanddisabitityinsuranceunderwriter.blogspot.com/
http://personalfinance33.blogspot.com/
Sep’s, Ira’s, 401(k)’s and Rrsp’s
One of the most common questions I get regards “tax-favored” investment vehicles such as Self-employed Retirement Plans (SEP’s), IRA’s, 401(k)’s, and, in Canada, RRSP’s. With the exception of the Roth IRA and Roth 401(k), these vehicles primarily rely on the time-honored tradition that paying taxes later is better than paying taxes today. In each of these (except Roth’s), the taxpayer receives a deduction today for their contribution to the plan, the investments grow tax-deferred while in the plan, and are taxed at ordinary income rates when withdrawn fromt he plan.
Sounds like a great plan, right? Wrong!!! Let me briefly outline my complaints about these types of investment vehicles.
1. The tax benefits rely on the premise that when you retire, you will be in a lower tax bracket than you are now. Unfortunately, this is true for many people who use these vehicles, because they will retire poor. However, if you want to retire rich, you will likely be in a much higher tax bracket than you are now. Why? You will have fewer deductions. No business deductions (remember, you are retired), no dependent exemptions, no home mortgage interest. And when you retire you’ll probably want to have more income available than when you were working because you have places to go and things to see.
Let me tell you a story about a client of mine. For many years he was a very successful businessman. He set up a very nice pension plan to which he contributed faithfully every year. Then he retired. He paid very few taxes and was actually in a very low tax bracket while he was in business. He no longer had all of these deductions when he retired. Immediately, he was in the highest tax bracket possible. He complained to me constantly about his high taxes. But, given that he was retired and all of his income was coming as distributions from his pension plan, there was nothing I could do for him. He just had to pay the tax.
2. You have very little control over the funds. Who has control? The government. They control what you can invest in, how much you can add to your investment and when you can take it out. I find that this lack of control normally results in lower returns.
3. You can’t take advantage of other tax-advantaged investments. For example, you cannot receive the tax advantages (e.g., depreciation) from real estate to produce lower taxes from your other income. You don’t receive capital gains treatment from dividends and long-term stock gains. And, if you do invest in a business (a very complicated matter within a tax-deferred plan), you are severely restricted as to your operating entity.
There are times when these arrangements can be very profitable. I know several options traders who use their self-directed IRA’s for option trading. Since there are no current tax benefits for option trading, why not defer the tax? The same goes with hard money loans.
My gripe with SEP’s, IRA’s, 401(k)’s and RRSP’s is that the financial institutions and the government push them so hard that people think they are the ONLY alternative. There are many other ways to save taxes that are much better for many people.
Warmest regards,
Tom
Sounds like a great plan, right? Wrong!!! Let me briefly outline my complaints about these types of investment vehicles.
1. The tax benefits rely on the premise that when you retire, you will be in a lower tax bracket than you are now. Unfortunately, this is true for many people who use these vehicles, because they will retire poor. However, if you want to retire rich, you will likely be in a much higher tax bracket than you are now. Why? You will have fewer deductions. No business deductions (remember, you are retired), no dependent exemptions, no home mortgage interest. And when you retire you’ll probably want to have more income available than when you were working because you have places to go and things to see.
Let me tell you a story about a client of mine. For many years he was a very successful businessman. He set up a very nice pension plan to which he contributed faithfully every year. Then he retired. He paid very few taxes and was actually in a very low tax bracket while he was in business. He no longer had all of these deductions when he retired. Immediately, he was in the highest tax bracket possible. He complained to me constantly about his high taxes. But, given that he was retired and all of his income was coming as distributions from his pension plan, there was nothing I could do for him. He just had to pay the tax.
2. You have very little control over the funds. Who has control? The government. They control what you can invest in, how much you can add to your investment and when you can take it out. I find that this lack of control normally results in lower returns.
3. You can’t take advantage of other tax-advantaged investments. For example, you cannot receive the tax advantages (e.g., depreciation) from real estate to produce lower taxes from your other income. You don’t receive capital gains treatment from dividends and long-term stock gains. And, if you do invest in a business (a very complicated matter within a tax-deferred plan), you are severely restricted as to your operating entity.
There are times when these arrangements can be very profitable. I know several options traders who use their self-directed IRA’s for option trading. Since there are no current tax benefits for option trading, why not defer the tax? The same goes with hard money loans.
My gripe with SEP’s, IRA’s, 401(k)’s and RRSP’s is that the financial institutions and the government push them so hard that people think they are the ONLY alternative. There are many other ways to save taxes that are much better for many people.
Warmest regards,
Tom
Personal Finance and Money Management 41 - How to Choose Between Rrif and Anuity for Your Rrsp
Remember that the government only represents about 30% of our retirement income, the company retirement pension plan offers another 30 % and many of us do not have one. It is up to individuals to invest wisely short and long term in order to make up for the short fall if he or she would like to live comfortably after retirement without giving up some retirement plans. Now you reach the year of RRSP conversion year, you are facing the choice to choose either to convert your registered retirement saving plan to RRIF or annuity. In this article, we will discuss How to choose between RRIF and annuity for your RRSP.
I. Choose RRIF, if
a) You want to have control your investment and manage your RRIF to ensure that your income from it can be last as long as you live.
b) beside RRIF, you have other non registered assets.
c) You want to have some money left for estate preservation.
d) Your interest of your RRSP assets are for future growth.
e) Together with non registered assets, your income every month is far exceed your expenses.
II. Choose annuity, if
a) You requires income every month to meet your basic expenses.
b) you are worry about that you may out live your capital.
c) You don`t want to manage your own assets.
d) You are healthy and you believe that you will be live for a long time.
e) The only source of income is your RRSP.
f) You do not have a lot of saving.
g) You may require assistance from the government for supplement income.
I hope this information will help. If you need more information, you can read the complete series of the above subject at my home page:
http://lifeanddisabitityinsuranceunderwriter.blogspot.com/
http://personalfinance41.blogspot.com/
I. Choose RRIF, if
a) You want to have control your investment and manage your RRIF to ensure that your income from it can be last as long as you live.
b) beside RRIF, you have other non registered assets.
c) You want to have some money left for estate preservation.
d) Your interest of your RRSP assets are for future growth.
e) Together with non registered assets, your income every month is far exceed your expenses.
II. Choose annuity, if
a) You requires income every month to meet your basic expenses.
b) you are worry about that you may out live your capital.
c) You don`t want to manage your own assets.
d) You are healthy and you believe that you will be live for a long time.
e) The only source of income is your RRSP.
f) You do not have a lot of saving.
g) You may require assistance from the government for supplement income.
I hope this information will help. If you need more information, you can read the complete series of the above subject at my home page:
http://lifeanddisabitityinsuranceunderwriter.blogspot.com/
http://personalfinance41.blogspot.com/
Offshore Investment Companies: Based Out Of Tax Havens
These countries are often less regulated than the host country and are hence preferred by offshore investors. Offshore investment gives greater freedom to the investor and has the potential for much greater return on investments. Since there is a wide portfolio of investments on offer offshore investment companies play a vital role in conducting these affairs.
Offshore investments can be made in the form of hedge funds, offshore investment funds, overseas mutual funds, offshore investment bonds, offshore unit trusts, offshore property funds etc.
An offshore investment offers a high level of privacy and is sometimes is looked at suspiciously as offering a channel for investing illegally acquired wealth. However offshore investments shield legitimate, affluent individuals from the financial pressures and constraints faced by them in their home country.
In fact offshore investments managed by offshore investment companies are completely legal and are regulated by the jurisdictions of those countries where investments are made.
Investors who live away from their home country, those who want to maintain their financial privacy and those who want to protect their assets legally usually opt for offshore investments.
Other reasons for offshore investments are benefits from a reduction in taxes, opportunity to remain discrete in financial affairs (due to family arrangements), and to expand investments beyond the investor’s current jurisdiction, to achieve a better return on investment.
Offshore investment companies with their years of investment experience gained by working in offshore jurisdictions help both corporate and individual investors to protect their assets through market savvy investments, thereby enabling investors to attain maximum return on their overseas investments.
Offshore investments shields investments from capital gain taxation and augments assets through a confidential and secure investment that is not governed by the rules and regulations of the home country.
It is very essential to choose the right offshore investment service provider to ensure that good advice is being obtained and more crucially an excellent ROI is achieved. Offshore investment companies work closely with their clients so as to get a detailed understanding about their investment and financial objectives, which enables them to give the best possible offshore advice.
Offshore investment companies prepare well constructed balanced portfolio of investments for their investors so as to ensure success. They update the investment portfolio because financial markets adjust according to world economies and are prone to internal and currency fluctuations. They make assessments on investments after every six months along with a full financial analysis once every 12 months. This is essential to maintain the growth of the investment portfolio.
Investing offshore can be a very attractive option to an investor who wants to explore and invest in markets outside the home country by acquiring overseas private investments. The common perception that offshore investments can be very risky does not hold any truth. In fact offshore financial centers rely heavily on offshore capital and as such are very concerned about maintaining their reputations.
Offshore investments can be made in the form of hedge funds, offshore investment funds, overseas mutual funds, offshore investment bonds, offshore unit trusts, offshore property funds etc.
An offshore investment offers a high level of privacy and is sometimes is looked at suspiciously as offering a channel for investing illegally acquired wealth. However offshore investments shield legitimate, affluent individuals from the financial pressures and constraints faced by them in their home country.
In fact offshore investments managed by offshore investment companies are completely legal and are regulated by the jurisdictions of those countries where investments are made.
Investors who live away from their home country, those who want to maintain their financial privacy and those who want to protect their assets legally usually opt for offshore investments.
Other reasons for offshore investments are benefits from a reduction in taxes, opportunity to remain discrete in financial affairs (due to family arrangements), and to expand investments beyond the investor’s current jurisdiction, to achieve a better return on investment.
Offshore investment companies with their years of investment experience gained by working in offshore jurisdictions help both corporate and individual investors to protect their assets through market savvy investments, thereby enabling investors to attain maximum return on their overseas investments.
Offshore investments shields investments from capital gain taxation and augments assets through a confidential and secure investment that is not governed by the rules and regulations of the home country.
It is very essential to choose the right offshore investment service provider to ensure that good advice is being obtained and more crucially an excellent ROI is achieved. Offshore investment companies work closely with their clients so as to get a detailed understanding about their investment and financial objectives, which enables them to give the best possible offshore advice.
Offshore investment companies prepare well constructed balanced portfolio of investments for their investors so as to ensure success. They update the investment portfolio because financial markets adjust according to world economies and are prone to internal and currency fluctuations. They make assessments on investments after every six months along with a full financial analysis once every 12 months. This is essential to maintain the growth of the investment portfolio.
Investing offshore can be a very attractive option to an investor who wants to explore and invest in markets outside the home country by acquiring overseas private investments. The common perception that offshore investments can be very risky does not hold any truth. In fact offshore financial centers rely heavily on offshore capital and as such are very concerned about maintaining their reputations.
In Risky Markets, Following The Secrets Of The Ultra-rich, Not The Rich, Will Help Your Investment Decisions
Recently, there was an article on CNNMoney that spoke about the “secrets” of the elite rich in the United States. In turn, several articles were written about this article, including one that stated that the richest of Americans “built their wealth with diversification, wealth preservation and strategic growth.” That is a ridiculous statement in itself because two of those strategies, diversification and preservation don’t help build wealth. Perhaps the richest of Americans use these two strategies to maintain an even keel AFTER they have accumulated great wealth, but certainly they didn’t use them during the accumulation phase. According to this article, a survey of Northern Trust uncovered that the “richest Americans do not heavily rely on high-risk investment vehicles like hedge funds to make money, but are moderate risk takers who put more than half of their asset allocation into U.S. stocks and cash.”
Again, just as former hedge fund manager and multi-millionaire Jim Cramer said that he used certain financial journalists, including ones employed by the Wall Street Journal, as pawns to spread misinformation far and wide to benefit himself, again this is an example of investment institutions using the media as pawns to spread their myths to keep the masses of retail investors ignorant. The CNNMoney article made it appear that the richest of Americans built their wealth by being conservative and slowly growing their money over time. That’s an oxymoron right there. To state that the rich became rich by slowly growing their money over time. Well, if they are slowly growing their money and becoming even richer, then this implies that they were rich to begin with. So how did they accumulate wealth? Surely not by “slowly growing” their money.
Sure, some of the “richest Americans do not heavily rely on high-risk investments” because they ARE ALREADY EXTREMELY RICH. The majority of ultra-rich do NOT build their fortunes by speculating on high-risk investments as is commonly believed. Often they build fortunes utilizing volatile assets and investments but that does NOT mean they were engaging in risky behavior. Many times, investing in a hedge fund can be much riskier than investing in some of the assets that your investment firm will tell you is “risky”. But investment firms will gladly place a portion of your money in hedge funds because the fees they earn from hedge funds are so high even as they advise you not to put your money in a much less risky investment with much greater earning potential. And THIS IS THE SECRET that investment firms never tell you.
Volatile assets that often can be used to build great wealth are NOT RISKY if they are purchased at entry points that are extremely favorable and provide a low-risk point of entry. 99% of investors don’t understand what high-risk investments truly are because they have been misinformed by their advisors and their firms for the past half of a century. Purchasing volatile assets at low risk-high reward entry points greatly mitigates and neutralizes the great majority of risk of volatile assets. If you don’t understand this concept then you need to.
Many millionaires that are wealthy but that could be extremely wealthy fail to build enormous wealth because investment and financial institutions mislead them about certain investment opportunities and describe them as complex and risky and are able to convince their clients of this belief because they never properly explain risk-reward scenarios to their clients. However, those investors that are extremely wealthy are the rare breed that understand this concept. If investors had a choice between allocating $1,000,000 in a historically volatile Investment A that has a 78% chance of returning a 250% gain versus an Investment B that has a 95% chance of earning 9%, most investors would choose Investment A.
However, because Investment A may exhibit 50% more volatility than Investment B, the great majority of advisors would steer their client away from the former investment into the latter one. In fact, this is exactly what even “prestigious” firms that cater to ultra high net-worth clients do because they allow misinformed, uneducated investors dictate the rules of engagement to them, and they would much rather appease such powerful, important people with slow,minimal gains rather than empower and enlighten them and boost their returns like never before. They would choose to steer them away because they present the investment opportunities incorrectly, merely telling their client that while they could earn 350% from Investment A there was also a very realistic probability that they could lose $300,000, and that shooting for the slow but steady $90,000 a year is much better for them.
If you are thinking to yourself, “That makes absolutely no sense?” Why would firms not earn 20% a year for their clients if they could instead of 8% a year? The answer is because the overwhelming majority of investment firms, no matter how prestigious their brand, are merely highly glorified sales machines. They fail to convince clients to invest in phenomenal investment opportunities that sometimes arise like Investment A because in order for Investment A to be a moderate risk, very high reward investment, it must be entered at a low risk entry point so that the probability of being down $300,000 at any give time would be reduced from perhaps 50% to 20%.
And that even if their timing is not optimal, then a firm must educate the client that as long as they don’t panic when they are down, the odds are still extremely high that they will earn a 250% or better gain. However, the greatest factor that determines why firms will not seek this strategy is time. Engaging in much better strategies such as these for their clients would take massive amounts of time in client education and enough time in research that the amount of assets gathered would take a serious hit.
So because it is not in a firm’s interest to engage in activities that maximize portfolio returns (unless it is their own institutional portfolio), instead, we have Chief Investment Officers at top investment firms making statements like, “”Generally they [the richest of Americans] want to see prudently managed growth without a lot of surprises, which is why we emphasize diversification.” Again, this is a sales & marketing campaign statement, not an aboveboard statement about how to make money for clients.
If clients are uncomfortable with strategies that would actually built great wealth for them instead of producing mediocre or subpar returns, their discomfort only originates from the fact that the largest investment firms have been deceiving their clients, just as Jim Cramer had deceived the thundering sheep herd for years, about the realities of building wealth. This discomfort originates solely from the fact that he or she has been kept in the dark for so long. Thus, we have a misinformation-driven cauldron of investors making bad investment decisions that exists today. In 2007, you’ll still find Chief Investment Officers of very well known firms making ridiculous statement that investors need to invest at least 50% of their stock portfolio in U.S. stocks if they wish to grow their portfolios exponentially.
How are they going to grow their portfolios exponentially with more than half of their stocks in a stock market (the U.S.) that has NEVER been the best performing market in the past 25 years (even among developed stock markets)? How will they grow their portfolios exponentially by buying stocks in market that trades in what is quite possibly the worst currency on earth among developed markets (the U.S. dollar)? Yes I know that when the U.S. dollar shows a brief spike in strength as is likely to happen soon (I’m writing this article in April, 2007), that many people will question what I am saying, but this is only again because they are victims to the mass deception mind-games of the investment industry. I suppose if planning to earn better than subpar returns in your stock portfolio is engaging in risky behavior as Chief Investment Officers of various firms claim, then yes, I whole-heartedly endorse engaging in risky behavior.
And because so many people, yes, even those considered quite wealthy, fall victim to the preaching of investment industry demagogues, there is a second mistake that many rich investors will soon make.
Another survey of wealthy U.S. investors uncovered that a large percentage of investors with investment assets of over a million do not employ any type of investment advisor but plan to do so soon giving the increasingly gloomy nature of the U.S. stock markets. To that, this is what I have to say. Making money in difficult markets is ten times more difficult than making money in bull markets. If investors believe that it will be increasingly more difficult to make money in U.S. stock markets, but yet top investment firms in the U.S. continue to preach that more than half of your portfolio should be in U.S. stocks (mostly to cover their respective firm’s inadequate coverage of emerging markets), how is the hiring one of these men possibly going to improve these investors’ future performance outlook?
But there is an EXTREMELY important distinction to be made here. What I’ve written above applies to the behavior and mindset of some of the richest people in America, but not THE very richest people in America. The very richest people in America, those you might categorize as the world’s ultra-rich, possess a very different mindset and behavior set than those that are just rich. The ultra-rich have positioned their portfolios extremely differently from how the rich people discussed above have positioned their portfolios. The reason why articles regarding their behavior and investment decisions are virtually non-existent is because they don’t grant interviews and they don’t want people to know what they are doing. But I’ve investigated what they are doing, and trust me, it is nothing remotely similar to the behavior of wealthy investors described by Northern Trust and other investment firms.
If you would like to find out why the ultra-rich always manage their own money or able to find the 1 in a million consultant truly capable of providing them the returns they desire, consult our resource of “101 Reasons Why Managing Your Own Money is the Only Way to Build Wealth.” Even if the ultra-wealthy have someone managing their money for them, the only way they were capable of finding this 1 in a million financial consultant was due to the fact that if they had to, they could manage their own money successfully as well. Only be first fully understanding the most successful investment strategies themselves could they identify an advisor capable of employing such strategies. However, a great majority of ultra-wealthy continue to handle and make their own investment decisions.
Again, just as former hedge fund manager and multi-millionaire Jim Cramer said that he used certain financial journalists, including ones employed by the Wall Street Journal, as pawns to spread misinformation far and wide to benefit himself, again this is an example of investment institutions using the media as pawns to spread their myths to keep the masses of retail investors ignorant. The CNNMoney article made it appear that the richest of Americans built their wealth by being conservative and slowly growing their money over time. That’s an oxymoron right there. To state that the rich became rich by slowly growing their money over time. Well, if they are slowly growing their money and becoming even richer, then this implies that they were rich to begin with. So how did they accumulate wealth? Surely not by “slowly growing” their money.
Sure, some of the “richest Americans do not heavily rely on high-risk investments” because they ARE ALREADY EXTREMELY RICH. The majority of ultra-rich do NOT build their fortunes by speculating on high-risk investments as is commonly believed. Often they build fortunes utilizing volatile assets and investments but that does NOT mean they were engaging in risky behavior. Many times, investing in a hedge fund can be much riskier than investing in some of the assets that your investment firm will tell you is “risky”. But investment firms will gladly place a portion of your money in hedge funds because the fees they earn from hedge funds are so high even as they advise you not to put your money in a much less risky investment with much greater earning potential. And THIS IS THE SECRET that investment firms never tell you.
Volatile assets that often can be used to build great wealth are NOT RISKY if they are purchased at entry points that are extremely favorable and provide a low-risk point of entry. 99% of investors don’t understand what high-risk investments truly are because they have been misinformed by their advisors and their firms for the past half of a century. Purchasing volatile assets at low risk-high reward entry points greatly mitigates and neutralizes the great majority of risk of volatile assets. If you don’t understand this concept then you need to.
Many millionaires that are wealthy but that could be extremely wealthy fail to build enormous wealth because investment and financial institutions mislead them about certain investment opportunities and describe them as complex and risky and are able to convince their clients of this belief because they never properly explain risk-reward scenarios to their clients. However, those investors that are extremely wealthy are the rare breed that understand this concept. If investors had a choice between allocating $1,000,000 in a historically volatile Investment A that has a 78% chance of returning a 250% gain versus an Investment B that has a 95% chance of earning 9%, most investors would choose Investment A.
However, because Investment A may exhibit 50% more volatility than Investment B, the great majority of advisors would steer their client away from the former investment into the latter one. In fact, this is exactly what even “prestigious” firms that cater to ultra high net-worth clients do because they allow misinformed, uneducated investors dictate the rules of engagement to them, and they would much rather appease such powerful, important people with slow,minimal gains rather than empower and enlighten them and boost their returns like never before. They would choose to steer them away because they present the investment opportunities incorrectly, merely telling their client that while they could earn 350% from Investment A there was also a very realistic probability that they could lose $300,000, and that shooting for the slow but steady $90,000 a year is much better for them.
If you are thinking to yourself, “That makes absolutely no sense?” Why would firms not earn 20% a year for their clients if they could instead of 8% a year? The answer is because the overwhelming majority of investment firms, no matter how prestigious their brand, are merely highly glorified sales machines. They fail to convince clients to invest in phenomenal investment opportunities that sometimes arise like Investment A because in order for Investment A to be a moderate risk, very high reward investment, it must be entered at a low risk entry point so that the probability of being down $300,000 at any give time would be reduced from perhaps 50% to 20%.
And that even if their timing is not optimal, then a firm must educate the client that as long as they don’t panic when they are down, the odds are still extremely high that they will earn a 250% or better gain. However, the greatest factor that determines why firms will not seek this strategy is time. Engaging in much better strategies such as these for their clients would take massive amounts of time in client education and enough time in research that the amount of assets gathered would take a serious hit.
So because it is not in a firm’s interest to engage in activities that maximize portfolio returns (unless it is their own institutional portfolio), instead, we have Chief Investment Officers at top investment firms making statements like, “”Generally they [the richest of Americans] want to see prudently managed growth without a lot of surprises, which is why we emphasize diversification.” Again, this is a sales & marketing campaign statement, not an aboveboard statement about how to make money for clients.
If clients are uncomfortable with strategies that would actually built great wealth for them instead of producing mediocre or subpar returns, their discomfort only originates from the fact that the largest investment firms have been deceiving their clients, just as Jim Cramer had deceived the thundering sheep herd for years, about the realities of building wealth. This discomfort originates solely from the fact that he or she has been kept in the dark for so long. Thus, we have a misinformation-driven cauldron of investors making bad investment decisions that exists today. In 2007, you’ll still find Chief Investment Officers of very well known firms making ridiculous statement that investors need to invest at least 50% of their stock portfolio in U.S. stocks if they wish to grow their portfolios exponentially.
How are they going to grow their portfolios exponentially with more than half of their stocks in a stock market (the U.S.) that has NEVER been the best performing market in the past 25 years (even among developed stock markets)? How will they grow their portfolios exponentially by buying stocks in market that trades in what is quite possibly the worst currency on earth among developed markets (the U.S. dollar)? Yes I know that when the U.S. dollar shows a brief spike in strength as is likely to happen soon (I’m writing this article in April, 2007), that many people will question what I am saying, but this is only again because they are victims to the mass deception mind-games of the investment industry. I suppose if planning to earn better than subpar returns in your stock portfolio is engaging in risky behavior as Chief Investment Officers of various firms claim, then yes, I whole-heartedly endorse engaging in risky behavior.
And because so many people, yes, even those considered quite wealthy, fall victim to the preaching of investment industry demagogues, there is a second mistake that many rich investors will soon make.
Another survey of wealthy U.S. investors uncovered that a large percentage of investors with investment assets of over a million do not employ any type of investment advisor but plan to do so soon giving the increasingly gloomy nature of the U.S. stock markets. To that, this is what I have to say. Making money in difficult markets is ten times more difficult than making money in bull markets. If investors believe that it will be increasingly more difficult to make money in U.S. stock markets, but yet top investment firms in the U.S. continue to preach that more than half of your portfolio should be in U.S. stocks (mostly to cover their respective firm’s inadequate coverage of emerging markets), how is the hiring one of these men possibly going to improve these investors’ future performance outlook?
But there is an EXTREMELY important distinction to be made here. What I’ve written above applies to the behavior and mindset of some of the richest people in America, but not THE very richest people in America. The very richest people in America, those you might categorize as the world’s ultra-rich, possess a very different mindset and behavior set than those that are just rich. The ultra-rich have positioned their portfolios extremely differently from how the rich people discussed above have positioned their portfolios. The reason why articles regarding their behavior and investment decisions are virtually non-existent is because they don’t grant interviews and they don’t want people to know what they are doing. But I’ve investigated what they are doing, and trust me, it is nothing remotely similar to the behavior of wealthy investors described by Northern Trust and other investment firms.
If you would like to find out why the ultra-rich always manage their own money or able to find the 1 in a million consultant truly capable of providing them the returns they desire, consult our resource of “101 Reasons Why Managing Your Own Money is the Only Way to Build Wealth.” Even if the ultra-wealthy have someone managing their money for them, the only way they were capable of finding this 1 in a million financial consultant was due to the fact that if they had to, they could manage their own money successfully as well. Only be first fully understanding the most successful investment strategies themselves could they identify an advisor capable of employing such strategies. However, a great majority of ultra-wealthy continue to handle and make their own investment decisions.
Stock Market Investing Guide > Day Trading Like a Pro - Mastering Your Trades
By.- http://www.StressFreeTraders.com
It’s no secret that online trading can be a very lucrative, yet highly competitive field, and the truth is that the stock market doesn’t care if you are an experienced or a beginner trader.
The rules and the opportunities are the same for everyone, so either you are going to make money when you pick a stock and make a trade or you are simply going to lose it in favor of the more seasoned ones.
As a stock trader your homework is all about studying and testing different market strategies that can help you take advantage of stocks while at the same time protect your gains.
Just always keep in mind that a good strategy is simple and practical. Complicated stock systems will always make you slow in your decision making process or confuse you from the start.
A trader must always read as much as he can. There is simply no other way to prepare one self for this difficult yet incredibly rewarding activity, but to read and put into practice as much ideas as you can, at least by paper trading first.
The are a lot of books on the subject that pretend to help you, however many of them where written 6 or 8 years ago and that kind of makes them obsolete in this constantly changing field.
Fortunately there are some practical stock trading sites on the web where you can access proven trading strategies that are easy to implement. One of those sites is http://www.StressFreeTraders.com
They focus on stock trading methodologies that can help you identify and take advantage of certain stocks with momentum, while limiting your risk.
Visit them today and improve your stock trading potential in 2009.
It’s no secret that online trading can be a very lucrative, yet highly competitive field, and the truth is that the stock market doesn’t care if you are an experienced or a beginner trader.
The rules and the opportunities are the same for everyone, so either you are going to make money when you pick a stock and make a trade or you are simply going to lose it in favor of the more seasoned ones.
As a stock trader your homework is all about studying and testing different market strategies that can help you take advantage of stocks while at the same time protect your gains.
Just always keep in mind that a good strategy is simple and practical. Complicated stock systems will always make you slow in your decision making process or confuse you from the start.
A trader must always read as much as he can. There is simply no other way to prepare one self for this difficult yet incredibly rewarding activity, but to read and put into practice as much ideas as you can, at least by paper trading first.
The are a lot of books on the subject that pretend to help you, however many of them where written 6 or 8 years ago and that kind of makes them obsolete in this constantly changing field.
Fortunately there are some practical stock trading sites on the web where you can access proven trading strategies that are easy to implement. One of those sites is http://www.StressFreeTraders.com
They focus on stock trading methodologies that can help you identify and take advantage of certain stocks with momentum, while limiting your risk.
Visit them today and improve your stock trading potential in 2009.
Investment Corner Part 2
Different Types of Investments:
As we said last time, owning a stock is like owning part of a company. As the company rises or falls in value, so does the price of it’s stock. A key distinction is that the value of the stock is not only driven by the fundamental value of the company, but by other factors as well. These factors may include overall stock market trends, domestic versus foreign trade issues, business sector climate, etc. Owning a bond, is like owning part of a loan to a company or institution, like the State of Texas. Bonds typically pay a fixed amount of dividend as the loan is repaid. The bond’s value is determined by the interest rate on the underlying loan, and the current interest rates and trends in the marketplace. For example, who would not want own a 10% bond right now, when the money markets or bank passbook savings accounts are paying 3%? Should the institution or company fail or default on the loan, you could lose all or most of your bond’s value. Large companies or institutions usually issue bonds; so the risk is greatly reduced over owning a company’s stock share.
A stock mutual fund, is a group of stocks owned by a fund company to achieve certain investment objectives. Likewise a bond mutual fund is a group of bonds held to achieve a certain investment objective. Mutual funds, in both stock and bond types exist in many styles and forms. Fundamentally they are a savvy collection of stocks or bonds assembled and professionally managed for a specific or combination of investment aims. These typically diversify your investments so that no one particular company can sink your entire investment. The converse is that no one single stock can shoot your mutual fund up to a huge return.
Typically each mutual fund focuses upon growth, income, value, large, small or mid-capitalization companies, or a combination of these objectives. There are thousands of different funds and dozens of fund families to choose from. There are also companies that rate mutual funds, like Morningstar (www.morningstar.com ). Some mutual funds use a management team to select and prune stocks in the portfolio, some use certain methods, and some follow the leadership of a single fund manager. You should check these out before investing in a particular fund.
An oft-overlooked mutual fund consideration is the management fee or what are referred to as 12b-1 fees. Most fees are in the range of 1 to 2%. Be wary of any fund outside that range. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission can help unravel some of these issues for you. A good starting point is their investor section on mutual fund performance, specifically www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/mperform.htm . They also have a fund cost calculator to help take into account the fund management fees. Some funds are no-load mutual funds because they do not pay a sales person any commissions for selling fund shares. These are typically lower in cost, and if you own them for a long time, they can make a difference in the net return on your mutual fund investment. Conversely, there are loaded funds, which charge a commission when you invest in their fund. These vary widely in amounts, so ask for exact details before investing. Some require you to pay the sales commissions; others add that to the fund expenses. Either way it’s a cost to you. The Vanguard Funds (www.vanguard.com ) are often mentioned as a leader in creating no-load, low cost mutual funds. You will find compelling arguments at their website for owning no-load funds. You should check carefully on overall fund performance including fees when evaluating fund choices.
Measuring Risk:
Most mutual fund and stock tables and resources will list something called the beta or volatility of the items listed. Beta is a measure of the risk of the security listed associated with variation of the security when compared to the overall stock market. If beta is 1, then the stock or mutual fund varies about the same as the general market index. If less than 1, then the security is less volatile than the general index of comparison, with higher than 1 meaning more risk.
Measuring Risk-adjusted Returns:
There is also parameter called alpha, which is the market-adjusted return of the security. If alpha is positive, then the security earned a higher return than the relative market index of comparison. If alpha is negative, then the security earned less than the market did.
Minimizing Overall Risk:
Risks in the future may be reduced in the present only through preparation, planning and actions!
We discussed preparation and planning for the future in the last Investment Corner, which is a key risk-reduction strategy.
Risk reduction for investing is typically achieved through:
• Diversification,
• Portfolio Allocation,
• Pre-determined buying and selling prices, and
• Adherence to personal investing rules.
Now let’s look at the first part of risk reduction strategy for investing.
Diversification:
Diversification is spreading out your investments across several areas to reduce risk and capture growth in multiple places. Diversification is typically done at several levels. At the uppermost level, we typically diversify investments across different investment vehicles, such as cash, stocks, bonds and real estate. By doing this, we reduce several important risks. Inflation can reduce the value of cash on hand over time, which is why smart folks do not keep their life savings in cash hidden in a mattress! On the other hand, inflation can drive down the value of fixed dividend investments like bonds as well. Real estate may rise or decline with inflation, depending upon the health of both the local and the greater economies. Fixed hard assets like precious metals funds (gold) will usually rise on inflation or fears of inflation. Other risks include stock market declines, individual company bankruptcies, and so on…. By not “placing all the eggs in one basket” we lower our exposure to risks through diversification. During broad stock market declines, many folks move assets from stocks to cash or bonds. And of course the opposite during bull market runs.
Another diversification notion is that of slicing up your investment by specific growth sectors. Within a specific type of investment vehicle, say Mutual Funds, we diversify across the available growth and income sectors. Typically this is large, medium and small companies, as well as high dividend or high growth type stocks. You also could look into diversifying into domestic or international companies such as Asia-Pacific.
At the lower levels of investment diversification are multiple choices within a specific growth target. Most advisors strongly recommend diversification within a stock or bond market holding. If you feel for example that the Internet’s growth will continue or expand soon, buying stock in several companies who offer Internet products would help lower risk of any one company not doing too well. Diversification across several stocks is usually done in simple form through equal partitioning. If for example you had $10,000 to invest, how would you do it? You could place 20% of your total investment amount in each of 5 different Internet stocks as in Table I:
Table I –Stock Investment Diversification
Stock Name Current Price 90 Day High 90 Day Low Amount Invested ~ Shares
Company A $25 $28 $20 $2000 80
Company B $40 $40 $20 $2000 50
Company C $60 $60 $20 $2000 33
Company D $300 $300 $198 $2000 7
Company E $8 $9 $3 $2000 250
By looking at the trading ranges across the 90-day history, you can estimate the risks or volatility of each stock. Do the stocks have the same risks? Do they all have the same growth potential?
One approach would be to allocate risks equally, as opposed to allocating investment equally. You would be to use the information in the range of stock trading prices to assess risk and re-allocate your investments as this diversification calculator shows below in table II:
Table II – Risk Diversification Calculator
Risk Diversification Calculator
Investment Amount $10,000
Stocks 5
Stock_1 Stock_2 Stock_3 Stock_4 Stock_5
90-day Max $28 $40 $60 $300 $9
90-day Min $20 $20 $20 $198 $3
Cur. Price $25 $40 $60 $300 $8
Trade Rnge 32% 50% 67% 41% 100%
Eq. Amt $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000
$$ at Risk $640 $1,000 $1,333 $819 $2,000
Risk Ratio 1 1.5625 2.083 1.28 3.125
Risk-Red. $2,000 $1,280 $960 $1,562 $640
Adj. Inv.$3,104 $1,987 $1,490 $2,425 $993
If you do not want to do the research and monitoring required for several individual stocks or bonds, choosing a mutual fund may be the wisest choice, with a smaller but usually acceptable return on your investment. The key question you need to answer is not “Should I diversify?”, but rather “How will I diversify my investments?”
About YOU
The primary things you should know about yourself before selecting among the different types of investments are:
I. How much of my time is available to monitor/manage my investments?
II. How often do I want to change my investment choices?
III. Do I want help and advice from investment professionals?
These are important questions you need to answer for yourself. All investment requires some time commitments to monitor and manage. When stock markets or life situations begin to change, you may need to change your investment choices. If your experience level does not warrant it, getting professional help may increase both your results and comfort level.
I. Time to manage your investments: Your time is worth money! At least if you can put it to good use in managing your investments… but do not become obsessive with it. Investments take time to grow. Every investment portfolio must be watched and pruned from time to time. You wouldn’t want to look back after 5 years and find that right after your investment choices were made, that the business climate changed and those choices had become poor performers.
Two typical uses of your time applied to investment managing:
• Weekly, monthly or quarterly checking for:
o Stock movements
o Business climate changes,
o Company news
• Annual or quarterly allocation changes
o Re-planning or shifting your plans
o Pruning and re-diversification
o Reallocation of investment amounts
Weekly or Monthly Check-ups
If you buy individual stocks and bonds, these will need monitoring more often than if you had purchased mutual funds. However, stock and bond funds need attention too, just less often.
Some questions you should answer for yourself are:
• Can I afford time each week to check investments (Friday night or Saturday morning)? This is important for individual stocks and bonds.
•Am I disciplined enough to check my investments periodically? This is critically important, as the business environments are constantly changing.
• Can I put this on a monthly calendar and stick with it? Monthly checkups are important no matter what your investments may be…
• If I get an automatic e-mail sent will I read it? Many investment houses will do this for all accounts above a certain size limit. You can pool your investments under one roof, usually with savings in cost plus perks for research, quotes, e-mails, etc. Both Fidelity and Schwab are good examples of these services once you reach certain size limits.
Quarterly or Annual Check-ups
If you are only into mutual funds as investment vehicles, then you need check them only quarterly or annually. After all you are giving up some small amount of income to pay for professionally managed investments, right? You may want to keep up with monthly or weekly news on the investment fund management team, however, as management team shakeups there could cost you. The key thing is disciplined reviews and setting a schedule that you can stick to. Ignorance in this case can be dangerous, so do it together with your spouse or a family member that you trust. As you get good at it, the time required to do these should drop from several hours to perhaps an hour to review all your investments. If you have been keeping tabs on things, it can be shorter still.
“Even if you’re on the right track you will get run over if you just sit there!” - Will Rogers.
II. Changing your investment choices:
The challenge when deciding to change investments is often the emotional content. “We had a return of say 7%, when the broader markets got only 5%”. How did the overall group for your investment vehicle do? Morningstar provides good index comparisons, as do other groups. If your choices did not perform above the class average for 1 or 2 quarters in a row, it’s probably a good idea to consider other alternatives. That may require all the same diligence of researching an investment as you did originally. If you are seriously concerned and need to act quickly, you can always sell and put the proceeds into cash or a money market for a short time while you do the research.
III. Getting help from professionals:
I have often found the larger funds and investment houses to be a plethora of information via the Internet. They have how-to guides, acronym explanations, and in general some great advice. If however, these seem to complex for you, or you would prefer to seek out a single person with whom to deal, then find a Certified Financial Planner. The best ones should be able to provide references, a track record, and a good deal of services all at your doorstep. These services do not come free and can be in the thousands of dollars to set up your initial plans. Be certain to check 3 to 5 references and interview several planners before deciding. Determine what you pay exactly and what you get exactly after your selection is made. Be certain that they are certified, a place to begin is: http://www.cfp.net/ .
Summary
We’ve covered a lot of ground in this topic of stock and bonds versus mutual funds. Primarily remember that individual stocks require more monitoring, but can yield higher returns. The same applies somewhat to individual bonds. Newer investors to these may want to start with mutual funds, Money magazine has an annual issue every February that is very helpful and is usually available at public libraries. Finally remember to lower your risks by diversification, no matter what investments you make. Ask yourself the questions we reviewed about your time commitments and discipline for monitoring as part of the investing process. And of course, read-up on the Internet and some of the books listed below.
Next time – Portfolio Allocation, Pre-determined trigger points, and Personal investing rules …
Self-Study:
Some great resources to continue your journey are located on the web.
Try visiting these sites:
•http://www.greatcompaniesgreatcharts.com/archives/001864.html
•http://www.rightline.net/home/gate_rm.html
•http://www.investorguide.com/stockfaq.html
•http://www.pascoresearch.com/int_alpha.asp
•http://www.stockbook.com/Evaluator/
Or read these well known authors and books:
• William J. O’Neil: How to Make Money in Stocks
• John Boik: Lessons from the Greatest Stock Traders of All Time
• John C. Bogle: Common Sense on Mutual Funds : New Imperatives for the Intelligent Investor
Additional info from this author may be found at http://www.sbtionline.com
As we said last time, owning a stock is like owning part of a company. As the company rises or falls in value, so does the price of it’s stock. A key distinction is that the value of the stock is not only driven by the fundamental value of the company, but by other factors as well. These factors may include overall stock market trends, domestic versus foreign trade issues, business sector climate, etc. Owning a bond, is like owning part of a loan to a company or institution, like the State of Texas. Bonds typically pay a fixed amount of dividend as the loan is repaid. The bond’s value is determined by the interest rate on the underlying loan, and the current interest rates and trends in the marketplace. For example, who would not want own a 10% bond right now, when the money markets or bank passbook savings accounts are paying 3%? Should the institution or company fail or default on the loan, you could lose all or most of your bond’s value. Large companies or institutions usually issue bonds; so the risk is greatly reduced over owning a company’s stock share.
A stock mutual fund, is a group of stocks owned by a fund company to achieve certain investment objectives. Likewise a bond mutual fund is a group of bonds held to achieve a certain investment objective. Mutual funds, in both stock and bond types exist in many styles and forms. Fundamentally they are a savvy collection of stocks or bonds assembled and professionally managed for a specific or combination of investment aims. These typically diversify your investments so that no one particular company can sink your entire investment. The converse is that no one single stock can shoot your mutual fund up to a huge return.
Typically each mutual fund focuses upon growth, income, value, large, small or mid-capitalization companies, or a combination of these objectives. There are thousands of different funds and dozens of fund families to choose from. There are also companies that rate mutual funds, like Morningstar (www.morningstar.com ). Some mutual funds use a management team to select and prune stocks in the portfolio, some use certain methods, and some follow the leadership of a single fund manager. You should check these out before investing in a particular fund.
An oft-overlooked mutual fund consideration is the management fee or what are referred to as 12b-1 fees. Most fees are in the range of 1 to 2%. Be wary of any fund outside that range. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission can help unravel some of these issues for you. A good starting point is their investor section on mutual fund performance, specifically www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/mperform.htm . They also have a fund cost calculator to help take into account the fund management fees. Some funds are no-load mutual funds because they do not pay a sales person any commissions for selling fund shares. These are typically lower in cost, and if you own them for a long time, they can make a difference in the net return on your mutual fund investment. Conversely, there are loaded funds, which charge a commission when you invest in their fund. These vary widely in amounts, so ask for exact details before investing. Some require you to pay the sales commissions; others add that to the fund expenses. Either way it’s a cost to you. The Vanguard Funds (www.vanguard.com ) are often mentioned as a leader in creating no-load, low cost mutual funds. You will find compelling arguments at their website for owning no-load funds. You should check carefully on overall fund performance including fees when evaluating fund choices.
Measuring Risk:
Most mutual fund and stock tables and resources will list something called the beta or volatility of the items listed. Beta is a measure of the risk of the security listed associated with variation of the security when compared to the overall stock market. If beta is 1, then the stock or mutual fund varies about the same as the general market index. If less than 1, then the security is less volatile than the general index of comparison, with higher than 1 meaning more risk.
Measuring Risk-adjusted Returns:
There is also parameter called alpha, which is the market-adjusted return of the security. If alpha is positive, then the security earned a higher return than the relative market index of comparison. If alpha is negative, then the security earned less than the market did.
Minimizing Overall Risk:
Risks in the future may be reduced in the present only through preparation, planning and actions!
We discussed preparation and planning for the future in the last Investment Corner, which is a key risk-reduction strategy.
Risk reduction for investing is typically achieved through:
• Diversification,
• Portfolio Allocation,
• Pre-determined buying and selling prices, and
• Adherence to personal investing rules.
Now let’s look at the first part of risk reduction strategy for investing.
Diversification:
Diversification is spreading out your investments across several areas to reduce risk and capture growth in multiple places. Diversification is typically done at several levels. At the uppermost level, we typically diversify investments across different investment vehicles, such as cash, stocks, bonds and real estate. By doing this, we reduce several important risks. Inflation can reduce the value of cash on hand over time, which is why smart folks do not keep their life savings in cash hidden in a mattress! On the other hand, inflation can drive down the value of fixed dividend investments like bonds as well. Real estate may rise or decline with inflation, depending upon the health of both the local and the greater economies. Fixed hard assets like precious metals funds (gold) will usually rise on inflation or fears of inflation. Other risks include stock market declines, individual company bankruptcies, and so on…. By not “placing all the eggs in one basket” we lower our exposure to risks through diversification. During broad stock market declines, many folks move assets from stocks to cash or bonds. And of course the opposite during bull market runs.
Another diversification notion is that of slicing up your investment by specific growth sectors. Within a specific type of investment vehicle, say Mutual Funds, we diversify across the available growth and income sectors. Typically this is large, medium and small companies, as well as high dividend or high growth type stocks. You also could look into diversifying into domestic or international companies such as Asia-Pacific.
At the lower levels of investment diversification are multiple choices within a specific growth target. Most advisors strongly recommend diversification within a stock or bond market holding. If you feel for example that the Internet’s growth will continue or expand soon, buying stock in several companies who offer Internet products would help lower risk of any one company not doing too well. Diversification across several stocks is usually done in simple form through equal partitioning. If for example you had $10,000 to invest, how would you do it? You could place 20% of your total investment amount in each of 5 different Internet stocks as in Table I:
Table I –Stock Investment Diversification
Stock Name Current Price 90 Day High 90 Day Low Amount Invested ~ Shares
Company A $25 $28 $20 $2000 80
Company B $40 $40 $20 $2000 50
Company C $60 $60 $20 $2000 33
Company D $300 $300 $198 $2000 7
Company E $8 $9 $3 $2000 250
By looking at the trading ranges across the 90-day history, you can estimate the risks or volatility of each stock. Do the stocks have the same risks? Do they all have the same growth potential?
One approach would be to allocate risks equally, as opposed to allocating investment equally. You would be to use the information in the range of stock trading prices to assess risk and re-allocate your investments as this diversification calculator shows below in table II:
Table II – Risk Diversification Calculator
Risk Diversification Calculator
Investment Amount $10,000
Stocks 5
Stock_1 Stock_2 Stock_3 Stock_4 Stock_5
90-day Max $28 $40 $60 $300 $9
90-day Min $20 $20 $20 $198 $3
Cur. Price $25 $40 $60 $300 $8
Trade Rnge 32% 50% 67% 41% 100%
Eq. Amt $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000
$$ at Risk $640 $1,000 $1,333 $819 $2,000
Risk Ratio 1 1.5625 2.083 1.28 3.125
Risk-Red. $2,000 $1,280 $960 $1,562 $640
Adj. Inv.$3,104 $1,987 $1,490 $2,425 $993
If you do not want to do the research and monitoring required for several individual stocks or bonds, choosing a mutual fund may be the wisest choice, with a smaller but usually acceptable return on your investment. The key question you need to answer is not “Should I diversify?”, but rather “How will I diversify my investments?”
About YOU
The primary things you should know about yourself before selecting among the different types of investments are:
I. How much of my time is available to monitor/manage my investments?
II. How often do I want to change my investment choices?
III. Do I want help and advice from investment professionals?
These are important questions you need to answer for yourself. All investment requires some time commitments to monitor and manage. When stock markets or life situations begin to change, you may need to change your investment choices. If your experience level does not warrant it, getting professional help may increase both your results and comfort level.
I. Time to manage your investments: Your time is worth money! At least if you can put it to good use in managing your investments… but do not become obsessive with it. Investments take time to grow. Every investment portfolio must be watched and pruned from time to time. You wouldn’t want to look back after 5 years and find that right after your investment choices were made, that the business climate changed and those choices had become poor performers.
Two typical uses of your time applied to investment managing:
• Weekly, monthly or quarterly checking for:
o Stock movements
o Business climate changes,
o Company news
• Annual or quarterly allocation changes
o Re-planning or shifting your plans
o Pruning and re-diversification
o Reallocation of investment amounts
Weekly or Monthly Check-ups
If you buy individual stocks and bonds, these will need monitoring more often than if you had purchased mutual funds. However, stock and bond funds need attention too, just less often.
Some questions you should answer for yourself are:
• Can I afford time each week to check investments (Friday night or Saturday morning)? This is important for individual stocks and bonds.
•Am I disciplined enough to check my investments periodically? This is critically important, as the business environments are constantly changing.
• Can I put this on a monthly calendar and stick with it? Monthly checkups are important no matter what your investments may be…
• If I get an automatic e-mail sent will I read it? Many investment houses will do this for all accounts above a certain size limit. You can pool your investments under one roof, usually with savings in cost plus perks for research, quotes, e-mails, etc. Both Fidelity and Schwab are good examples of these services once you reach certain size limits.
Quarterly or Annual Check-ups
If you are only into mutual funds as investment vehicles, then you need check them only quarterly or annually. After all you are giving up some small amount of income to pay for professionally managed investments, right? You may want to keep up with monthly or weekly news on the investment fund management team, however, as management team shakeups there could cost you. The key thing is disciplined reviews and setting a schedule that you can stick to. Ignorance in this case can be dangerous, so do it together with your spouse or a family member that you trust. As you get good at it, the time required to do these should drop from several hours to perhaps an hour to review all your investments. If you have been keeping tabs on things, it can be shorter still.
“Even if you’re on the right track you will get run over if you just sit there!” - Will Rogers.
II. Changing your investment choices:
The challenge when deciding to change investments is often the emotional content. “We had a return of say 7%, when the broader markets got only 5%”. How did the overall group for your investment vehicle do? Morningstar provides good index comparisons, as do other groups. If your choices did not perform above the class average for 1 or 2 quarters in a row, it’s probably a good idea to consider other alternatives. That may require all the same diligence of researching an investment as you did originally. If you are seriously concerned and need to act quickly, you can always sell and put the proceeds into cash or a money market for a short time while you do the research.
III. Getting help from professionals:
I have often found the larger funds and investment houses to be a plethora of information via the Internet. They have how-to guides, acronym explanations, and in general some great advice. If however, these seem to complex for you, or you would prefer to seek out a single person with whom to deal, then find a Certified Financial Planner. The best ones should be able to provide references, a track record, and a good deal of services all at your doorstep. These services do not come free and can be in the thousands of dollars to set up your initial plans. Be certain to check 3 to 5 references and interview several planners before deciding. Determine what you pay exactly and what you get exactly after your selection is made. Be certain that they are certified, a place to begin is: http://www.cfp.net/ .
Summary
We’ve covered a lot of ground in this topic of stock and bonds versus mutual funds. Primarily remember that individual stocks require more monitoring, but can yield higher returns. The same applies somewhat to individual bonds. Newer investors to these may want to start with mutual funds, Money magazine has an annual issue every February that is very helpful and is usually available at public libraries. Finally remember to lower your risks by diversification, no matter what investments you make. Ask yourself the questions we reviewed about your time commitments and discipline for monitoring as part of the investing process. And of course, read-up on the Internet and some of the books listed below.
Next time – Portfolio Allocation, Pre-determined trigger points, and Personal investing rules …
Self-Study:
Some great resources to continue your journey are located on the web.
Try visiting these sites:
•http://www.greatcompaniesgreatcharts.com/archives/001864.html
•http://www.rightline.net/home/gate_rm.html
•http://www.investorguide.com/stockfaq.html
•http://www.pascoresearch.com/int_alpha.asp
•http://www.stockbook.com/Evaluator/
Or read these well known authors and books:
• William J. O’Neil: How to Make Money in Stocks
• John Boik: Lessons from the Greatest Stock Traders of All Time
• John C. Bogle: Common Sense on Mutual Funds : New Imperatives for the Intelligent Investor
Additional info from this author may be found at http://www.sbtionline.com
How To Invest Successfully
There are several different types of investments, and there are many factors in determining the success of your investment.Before you get there,remember that all success story began with researching the various available types of investments, determining your risk tolerance, and determining your investment style along with your financial goals.
Do Your Homework - If you were going to purchase a new car, you would do quite a bit of research before making a final decision and a purchase. You would never consider purchasing a car that you had not fully looked over and taken for a test drive. Investing works much the same way.You will of course learn as much about the investment as possible, and you would want to see how past investors have done as well. It’s common sense!
As a potential investor, you should read anything you can get your hands on about investing but start with the beginning investment books and websites first. Otherwise, you will quickly find that you are lost.
Learn From The Experts - Learning about the stock market and investments takes a lot of time but it is time well spent. There are numerous books and websites on the topic, and you can even take college level courses on the topic which is what stockbrokers do.
Test Run - While the person who sold you your brand new car or ipod will provide you with a 30 day money back warranty, there is no such thing as money back warranty in stock investment.
Once the money’s gone,its gone forever and that could be your life savings!
With access to the Internet, you can actually play the stock market with fake money to get a feel for how it works.Do a search with any search engine for “Stock Market Games” or “Stock Market Simulations.” This is a great way to start learning about investing in the stock market.
Speak with a Financial Planner - Finally, speak with a financial planner. Tell them your goals, and ask them for their suggestions, this is what they do.A good financial planner can easily help you determine where to invest your funds, and help you set up a plan to reach all of your financial goals. Many will even teach you about investing along the way,make sure you pay attention to what they are telling you!
Different Types of Investments - Overall, there are three different kinds of investments. These include stocks, bonds, and cash. Sounds simple, right? Well, unfortunately, it gets very complicated from there. You see, each type of investment has numerous types of investments that fall under it.
There is quite a bit to learn about each different investment type. The stock market can be a big scary place for those who know little or nothing about investing. Fortunately, the amount of information that you need to learn has a direct relation to the type of investor that you are. There are also three types of investors: conservative, moderate, and aggressive. The different types of investments also cater to the two levels of risk tolerance: high risk and low risk.
1.Conservative Investors - Conservative investors often invest in cash. This means that they put their money in interest bearing savings accounts, money market accounts, mutual funds, US Treasury bills, and Certificates of Deposit. These are very safe investments that grow over a long period of time. These are also low risk investments.
2.Moderate Investors - Moderate investors often invest in cash and bonds, and may dabble in the stock market. Moderate investing may be low or moderate risks. Moderate investors often also invest in real estate, providing that it is low risk real estate.
3.Aggressive Investors - Aggressive investors commonly do most of their investing in the stock market, which is higher risk. They also tend to invest in business ventures as well as higher risk real estate. For instance, if an aggressive investor puts his or her money into an older apartment building, then invests more money renovating the property, they are running a risk. They expect to be able to rent the apartments out for more money than the apartments are currently worth or to sell the entire property for a profit on their initial investments. In some cases, this works out just fine, and in other cases, it doesn’t. It’s a risk.
Before you start investing, it is very important that you learn about the different types of investments, and what those investments can do for you. Understand the risks involved, and pay attention to past trends as well. History does indeed repeat itself, and investors know this first hand!
The Importance of Diversification - “Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.” We have all probably heard of this advice and when it comes to investing, it is very true. Diversification is the key to successful investing. All successful investors build portfolios that are widely diversified, and you should too!
Diversifying your investments might include purchasing various stocks in many different industries. It may include purchasing bonds, investing in money market accounts, or even in some real property. The key is to invest in several different areas not just one.
Diversification May Bring Better Returns - Over time, research has shown that investors who have diversified portfolios usually see more consistent and stable returns on their investments than those who just invest in one thing. By investing in several different markets, you will actually be at less risk also.
For instance, if you have invested all of your money in one stock, and that stock takes a significant plunge, you will most likely find that you have lost all of your money. On the other hand, if you have invested in ten different stocks, and nine are doing well while one plunges, you are still in reasonably good shape.
Diversification Plans - A good diversification will usually include stocks, bonds, real property, and cash. It may take time to diversify your portfolio. Depending on how much you have to initially invest, you may have to start with one type of investment, and invest in other areas as time goes by.
Lower Your Risk - If you can divide your initial investment funds among various types of investments, you will find that you have a lower risk of losing your money, and over time, you will see better returns. Experts also suggest that you spread your investment money evenly among your investments. In other words, if you start with $100,000 to invest, invest $25,000 in stocks, $25,000 in real property, $25,000 in bonds, and put $25,000 in an interest bearing savings account.
Do Your Homework - If you were going to purchase a new car, you would do quite a bit of research before making a final decision and a purchase. You would never consider purchasing a car that you had not fully looked over and taken for a test drive. Investing works much the same way.You will of course learn as much about the investment as possible, and you would want to see how past investors have done as well. It’s common sense!
As a potential investor, you should read anything you can get your hands on about investing but start with the beginning investment books and websites first. Otherwise, you will quickly find that you are lost.
Learn From The Experts - Learning about the stock market and investments takes a lot of time but it is time well spent. There are numerous books and websites on the topic, and you can even take college level courses on the topic which is what stockbrokers do.
Test Run - While the person who sold you your brand new car or ipod will provide you with a 30 day money back warranty, there is no such thing as money back warranty in stock investment.
Once the money’s gone,its gone forever and that could be your life savings!
With access to the Internet, you can actually play the stock market with fake money to get a feel for how it works.Do a search with any search engine for “Stock Market Games” or “Stock Market Simulations.” This is a great way to start learning about investing in the stock market.
Speak with a Financial Planner - Finally, speak with a financial planner. Tell them your goals, and ask them for their suggestions, this is what they do.A good financial planner can easily help you determine where to invest your funds, and help you set up a plan to reach all of your financial goals. Many will even teach you about investing along the way,make sure you pay attention to what they are telling you!
Different Types of Investments - Overall, there are three different kinds of investments. These include stocks, bonds, and cash. Sounds simple, right? Well, unfortunately, it gets very complicated from there. You see, each type of investment has numerous types of investments that fall under it.
There is quite a bit to learn about each different investment type. The stock market can be a big scary place for those who know little or nothing about investing. Fortunately, the amount of information that you need to learn has a direct relation to the type of investor that you are. There are also three types of investors: conservative, moderate, and aggressive. The different types of investments also cater to the two levels of risk tolerance: high risk and low risk.
1.Conservative Investors - Conservative investors often invest in cash. This means that they put their money in interest bearing savings accounts, money market accounts, mutual funds, US Treasury bills, and Certificates of Deposit. These are very safe investments that grow over a long period of time. These are also low risk investments.
2.Moderate Investors - Moderate investors often invest in cash and bonds, and may dabble in the stock market. Moderate investing may be low or moderate risks. Moderate investors often also invest in real estate, providing that it is low risk real estate.
3.Aggressive Investors - Aggressive investors commonly do most of their investing in the stock market, which is higher risk. They also tend to invest in business ventures as well as higher risk real estate. For instance, if an aggressive investor puts his or her money into an older apartment building, then invests more money renovating the property, they are running a risk. They expect to be able to rent the apartments out for more money than the apartments are currently worth or to sell the entire property for a profit on their initial investments. In some cases, this works out just fine, and in other cases, it doesn’t. It’s a risk.
Before you start investing, it is very important that you learn about the different types of investments, and what those investments can do for you. Understand the risks involved, and pay attention to past trends as well. History does indeed repeat itself, and investors know this first hand!
The Importance of Diversification - “Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.” We have all probably heard of this advice and when it comes to investing, it is very true. Diversification is the key to successful investing. All successful investors build portfolios that are widely diversified, and you should too!
Diversifying your investments might include purchasing various stocks in many different industries. It may include purchasing bonds, investing in money market accounts, or even in some real property. The key is to invest in several different areas not just one.
Diversification May Bring Better Returns - Over time, research has shown that investors who have diversified portfolios usually see more consistent and stable returns on their investments than those who just invest in one thing. By investing in several different markets, you will actually be at less risk also.
For instance, if you have invested all of your money in one stock, and that stock takes a significant plunge, you will most likely find that you have lost all of your money. On the other hand, if you have invested in ten different stocks, and nine are doing well while one plunges, you are still in reasonably good shape.
Diversification Plans - A good diversification will usually include stocks, bonds, real property, and cash. It may take time to diversify your portfolio. Depending on how much you have to initially invest, you may have to start with one type of investment, and invest in other areas as time goes by.
Lower Your Risk - If you can divide your initial investment funds among various types of investments, you will find that you have a lower risk of losing your money, and over time, you will see better returns. Experts also suggest that you spread your investment money evenly among your investments. In other words, if you start with $100,000 to invest, invest $25,000 in stocks, $25,000 in real property, $25,000 in bonds, and put $25,000 in an interest bearing savings account.