There are very few points that everybody in this world agrees upon. And the stock market unpredictability is undoubtedly one of them. Even people with several years of experience are not always able to track the stock market dynamics, thus falling prey to faulty decisions. Watertight stock market investing strategy is something that people consider to be elusive. It is something that can be chased, but probably can never be achieved.
But is it a correct notion? Are things like fate, luck, chance, etc., are the only deciding factors in the stock market investments? Or is there any way to approach the stock market in a speculative manner?
The answer to the above question probably lies in the Systematic Investment Plan or SIP (a.k.a. "Periodic Payment Plan" or "Contractual Plan").
Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) Unlike the one-time investment plans, SIP entails regular payments for a fixed period. It allows investors to garner shares of a mutual fund by contributing a fixed (which is often small) amount of money on a regular basis. And it offers the following advantages readily attractive to any investor.
Reduced pressure on your purse – Through SIP you can enter the stock market even with a paltry investment. Your inability to invest a more-or-less fat amount might have kept you away from investing in the stock market. SIP is an ideal solution for your problem.
Building for the future – We have certain needs that can be addressed only through long-term investments. Such needs include children’s education, buying a house of your own, post-retirement emergencies, etc. And SIP offers precious help in this regard. It helps you to save a small amount on a regular basis. And in due time it turns into a substantial amount.
Compounds returns – SIP not only helps you reach a substantial amount after a certain period of time. Rather it helps you to reach that amount at an early age, depending when you start investing. You can amass a notable amount at 70 if you start investing at 35. An earlier start at 25 can enable you achieve the same amount by 60.
Lowering the average cost – In SIP you experience low average cost, courtesy dollar-cost average. You invest the same fixed dollar amount in the same investment at regular intervals over an extended period of time. You are buying more shares of an investment when the share price is low. And you are buying fewer shares when the share price is high. And it may result in you paying a lower average price per share.
The dollar-cost averaging strategy does not try to time the market. Rather it reduces the risk of investing a larger amount in an investment at a wrong time. And it does the same by spreading your investments out over a period of months, years, or even decades.
Market timing irrelevance – The previous two paragraphs tell you that SIP makes the market timing irrelevant for you. The stock market unpredictability and volatility often play a deterrent for wannabe investors like you. In SIP, you are completely free from this problem of wrong timing.
The SIP’s mode of function
A typical SIP entails monthly investments over a period of 10, 15 or 25 years. You are generally allowed to start your investment with a modest sum.
You do not have direct ownership of the funds. Rather you own an interest in the plan trust. The plan trust invests the investor's regular payments, after deducting applicable fees, in shares of a mutual fund.
Things that you should make clear before investing in an SIP
You should make certain things clear to yourself before going for an SIP investment. They include the following –
a. You should be confident about continuing to make payments for the term of the plan. Withdrawal in the mid way will almost certainly make you lose your money unless you are eligible for a full refund.
b. Check the fees charged by the plan. Also check the circumstances under which the plan waives or reduces certain fees.
c. Study the plan’s investment objectives. Take a note of the risks of investing in the plan. And check whether you are comfortable with them.
d. Check your statutory rights to a refund in case you cancel your plan.
Showing posts with label Investing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Investing. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Why You Should Buy No-Load Funds
Load is defined as the fee or the commission that an investor pays to a mutual fund at the time of purchasing or redeeming the shares of the mutual fund.
If the commission is charged when the investor buys the shares, it is known as a front-end load. On the other hand if the commission is charged when the investors redeems his shares, it is known as a back-end load.
Certain funds apply back-end loads only if the shares are redeemed within a specific time period after being bought.
The argument for applying loads on mutual fund transactions is that these loads will discourage investors from trading frequently in mutual funds. If the investors quickly move in and out of mutual funds, the funds have to maintain a high cash position to meet these redemptions, which in turn decreases the returns of the funds.
Also frequent trading means the expenses of the mutual funds go up.
There are various arguments against load funds:
-The fees that the mutual funds collect as loads are passed on to the fund brokers. The loads do not provide any incentive for the fund manager for better performance of the funds. In other words, a load fund has no reason why its managers should perform better than those of no-load funds.
-In the last few decades, no difference has been seen in the returns of load and no-load funds (if the loads are not considered.) When the loads are considered, the investors of load funds have actually gained less than the investors of no-load funds.
-When a sales person knows that he is going to get a commission from a load fund, he tends to push the load fund more - even when the load funds are performing poorly as compared to no-load funds.
-Loads are understated by mutual funds. If an investor invests $1000 in a fund with 5% front-end load, the actual investment is only $950. Thus his actual load is $50 in $950 investment - a 5.26% load.
If an investor is already invested in a load fund, it doesn’t make sense to exit now. The load has already been paid for. The hold or sell decision should now only be based on what the investor thinks about the future performance of the fund. In a few funds, the exit load depends on the period for which the fund was held. Check the details of the fund prospectus for more information.
In most cases it is better to avoid load funds; however, investors should keep one thing in mind. Sometimes load funds can be a better choice than no-load funds. For example, an investor has a choice of two classes in a fund - class A and class B. Class A has 3% front-end load and Class B has no load. The investor however misses the fine print, which states that Class B has 1% 12b-1 annual fees.
If the fund will make 10% gains each year, its return in Class A (starting with actual amount invested $970) will be
($970) X (1.10) X (1.10) X (1.10) X (1.10) X (1.10) = $1562
For Class B, the returns will be
($1000) X (1.10) X (0.99) X (1.10) X (0.99) X (1.10) X (0.99) X (1.10) X (0.99) X (1.10) X (0.99) = $1532.
Thus the above example is an exception, where in the long run, the load fund will perform better than the no-load fund (with 12b-1 fees).
The fact is that a no-load fund cannot be considered a true no-load fund, if it charges fees from it's investors in the form of 12b-1 and other fees.
If the commission is charged when the investor buys the shares, it is known as a front-end load. On the other hand if the commission is charged when the investors redeems his shares, it is known as a back-end load.
Certain funds apply back-end loads only if the shares are redeemed within a specific time period after being bought.
The argument for applying loads on mutual fund transactions is that these loads will discourage investors from trading frequently in mutual funds. If the investors quickly move in and out of mutual funds, the funds have to maintain a high cash position to meet these redemptions, which in turn decreases the returns of the funds.
Also frequent trading means the expenses of the mutual funds go up.
There are various arguments against load funds:
-The fees that the mutual funds collect as loads are passed on to the fund brokers. The loads do not provide any incentive for the fund manager for better performance of the funds. In other words, a load fund has no reason why its managers should perform better than those of no-load funds.
-In the last few decades, no difference has been seen in the returns of load and no-load funds (if the loads are not considered.) When the loads are considered, the investors of load funds have actually gained less than the investors of no-load funds.
-When a sales person knows that he is going to get a commission from a load fund, he tends to push the load fund more - even when the load funds are performing poorly as compared to no-load funds.
-Loads are understated by mutual funds. If an investor invests $1000 in a fund with 5% front-end load, the actual investment is only $950. Thus his actual load is $50 in $950 investment - a 5.26% load.
If an investor is already invested in a load fund, it doesn’t make sense to exit now. The load has already been paid for. The hold or sell decision should now only be based on what the investor thinks about the future performance of the fund. In a few funds, the exit load depends on the period for which the fund was held. Check the details of the fund prospectus for more information.
In most cases it is better to avoid load funds; however, investors should keep one thing in mind. Sometimes load funds can be a better choice than no-load funds. For example, an investor has a choice of two classes in a fund - class A and class B. Class A has 3% front-end load and Class B has no load. The investor however misses the fine print, which states that Class B has 1% 12b-1 annual fees.
If the fund will make 10% gains each year, its return in Class A (starting with actual amount invested $970) will be
($970) X (1.10) X (1.10) X (1.10) X (1.10) X (1.10) = $1562
For Class B, the returns will be
($1000) X (1.10) X (0.99) X (1.10) X (0.99) X (1.10) X (0.99) X (1.10) X (0.99) X (1.10) X (0.99) = $1532.
Thus the above example is an exception, where in the long run, the load fund will perform better than the no-load fund (with 12b-1 fees).
The fact is that a no-load fund cannot be considered a true no-load fund, if it charges fees from it's investors in the form of 12b-1 and other fees.
Why you should avoid load Mutual Funds
Paying a load is akin to throwing away most or all of the supposed advantage you get from having a salesman choose a fund for you. If it's true that asset allocation accounts for 95 percent of investment results over long periods of time, then only 5 percent is left over as a reward for having the "right" fund and the "right" manager. But even if a salesman could help you pick that "right" fund, paying him a commission of 5 percent wipes out the benefit.
When you pay a 5 percent load you lose the opportunity to invest 5 percent of your money forever. When you buy a load fund, the money that goes to the salesman goes to work for him, not for you. When you invest in a no-load fund, all your money goes to work for you.
And load percentages are always higher than the quoted figures. For example in a $10,000 investment if $500 goes to the sales organization then $9,500 is invested on your behalf. Funds are allowed to call this a 5 percent commission. In fact, you invested only $9,500, and the $500 load amounts to a commission not of 5 percent but of 5.26 percent on your real investment.
Load amounts are higher than they look. The effect of your commission grows over time. If you avoided a $1,000 commission by investing in a no-load fund, over 25 years you would wind up with nearly $11,000 more if your money compounded at 10 percent. In other words, the $1,000 load would, in effect, be an $11,000 load.
The broker who chooses a fund for you may have a reason to prefer that you buy a poorer-performing fund instead of a top-performing one. Studies show that funds operated by brokerage houses (naturally, they are almost exclusively load funds) have poorer average performance than independent load funds. Yet a broker often earns exotic trips and other perks, in addition to a higher percentage of the commission, for selling house funds. So if you buy a load fund from a broker, at least insist on getting one that is not managed by that brokerage house. You'll then get more objective guidance-and hopefully better performance.
On average, load funds charge higher expenses than no-load funds. These are the expenses that all funds take out of their assets, whether their investors pay loads or not. In a study that covered thousands of funds, Morningstar found that the average load fund charges its investors significantly more than the average no-load fund. Expense ratios among equity funds averaged 1.1 percent for no-loads and 1.6 percent for load funds. Among bond funds, the average was 0.6 percent for no-load funds and 1.1 percent for load funds. Those differences may seem small. But unlike a load, a fund's expense charge hits you year after year after year. The longer you own a high-expense fund, the deeper it reaches into your pockets.
What should you do if you already have a load fund?
You shouldn’t necessarily sell that fund. The reasons for avoiding load funds cease to apply once you already own one. The reason is simple: Once you pay the load, your money is gone. Getting out of the fund won't get it back. Therefore, if you are already in that position, there is no particular advantage to sell that fund just because of the load.
You shouldn’t necessarily keep the fund, either. If the fund has a back-end load, that provision may give you an incentive to leave your money in that fund. Sometimes, back-end loads are structured so that the longer you leave your money in the fund, the lower the load. You should study the prospectus to find this out, or have somebody help you with it. Or call the fund and ask about your options.
Don't keep a fund just because of its back-end load. Even if you keep a back-end-load fund long enough to avoid most or all of the load, the salesperson still got paid the commission. The fund found some way to extract that money from you to cover its commission cost. This could account for some of the higher expenses that load funds levy on their shareholders. And, of course, you may be hit with annual 12b1 fees to cover marketing costs. If this is the case, then you may be paying those fees again and again, every year you own the fund.
In summary, the presence of a load is not reason enough to sell or keep a fund. The decision depends on the details of the load, your own circumstances and needs, and the quality of the fund itself.
When you pay a 5 percent load you lose the opportunity to invest 5 percent of your money forever. When you buy a load fund, the money that goes to the salesman goes to work for him, not for you. When you invest in a no-load fund, all your money goes to work for you.
And load percentages are always higher than the quoted figures. For example in a $10,000 investment if $500 goes to the sales organization then $9,500 is invested on your behalf. Funds are allowed to call this a 5 percent commission. In fact, you invested only $9,500, and the $500 load amounts to a commission not of 5 percent but of 5.26 percent on your real investment.
Load amounts are higher than they look. The effect of your commission grows over time. If you avoided a $1,000 commission by investing in a no-load fund, over 25 years you would wind up with nearly $11,000 more if your money compounded at 10 percent. In other words, the $1,000 load would, in effect, be an $11,000 load.
The broker who chooses a fund for you may have a reason to prefer that you buy a poorer-performing fund instead of a top-performing one. Studies show that funds operated by brokerage houses (naturally, they are almost exclusively load funds) have poorer average performance than independent load funds. Yet a broker often earns exotic trips and other perks, in addition to a higher percentage of the commission, for selling house funds. So if you buy a load fund from a broker, at least insist on getting one that is not managed by that brokerage house. You'll then get more objective guidance-and hopefully better performance.
On average, load funds charge higher expenses than no-load funds. These are the expenses that all funds take out of their assets, whether their investors pay loads or not. In a study that covered thousands of funds, Morningstar found that the average load fund charges its investors significantly more than the average no-load fund. Expense ratios among equity funds averaged 1.1 percent for no-loads and 1.6 percent for load funds. Among bond funds, the average was 0.6 percent for no-load funds and 1.1 percent for load funds. Those differences may seem small. But unlike a load, a fund's expense charge hits you year after year after year. The longer you own a high-expense fund, the deeper it reaches into your pockets.
What should you do if you already have a load fund?
You shouldn’t necessarily sell that fund. The reasons for avoiding load funds cease to apply once you already own one. The reason is simple: Once you pay the load, your money is gone. Getting out of the fund won't get it back. Therefore, if you are already in that position, there is no particular advantage to sell that fund just because of the load.
You shouldn’t necessarily keep the fund, either. If the fund has a back-end load, that provision may give you an incentive to leave your money in that fund. Sometimes, back-end loads are structured so that the longer you leave your money in the fund, the lower the load. You should study the prospectus to find this out, or have somebody help you with it. Or call the fund and ask about your options.
Don't keep a fund just because of its back-end load. Even if you keep a back-end-load fund long enough to avoid most or all of the load, the salesperson still got paid the commission. The fund found some way to extract that money from you to cover its commission cost. This could account for some of the higher expenses that load funds levy on their shareholders. And, of course, you may be hit with annual 12b1 fees to cover marketing costs. If this is the case, then you may be paying those fees again and again, every year you own the fund.
In summary, the presence of a load is not reason enough to sell or keep a fund. The decision depends on the details of the load, your own circumstances and needs, and the quality of the fund itself.
Stocks Or Mutual Funds?
If you happen to have some money left over at the end of all the bill payments and you have no need for anymore toys, or even if you are beginning a prudent and fiscally responsible gamble on some wealth that incorporates investment opportunities, you may find yourself wondering whether investing in stocks or purchasing mutual funds will offer the best returns. You might also consider this question when considering how to set up a retirement fund.
In order to help make the decision, it is important to understand what stocks and mutual funds are.
Stocks: Most people believe they have a basic understanding of what stocks are, simply because of their exposure to the term in every day usages. Stocks are individual bits of companies that are available to be purchased by the public in open trading on the stock exchange. Stocks are often sold in bundles, and thus to purchase a stock in a specific company often entails some kind of minimum purchase. Stockholders have a vested interest in the company’s well-being, as the price of their stocks are directly related to a company’s performance. Stocks are divided according to the kind of business they represent, which is known as a sector.
Mutual Funds: Mutual funds are collective investments that pools the money from a lot of investors and puts the money in stocks, bonds, and other investments. Mutual funds are usually managed by a certified professional, as opposed to the individual management of stocks. In essence, mutual funds incorporate many different types of stocks.
The question of whether or not to invest in stocks or mutual funds will primarily come down to the personal expertise and wealth of the individual. Many people will be tempted by the “game” aspect of buying stock, as well as the chance to invest singularly in a company that is well-known or can be easily researched. The fact is, however, that by the time stocks become available on the market they are generally already highly priced, and investing in individual stocks is a highly risky maneuver as your entire process hangs on the well-being of just one company. Even wealthy investors diversify their portfolios by investing in several different types of stock, and this can simply be unaffordable for the average person.
The better bet for the beginning investor is to purchase mutual funds. Mutual funds will pool the costs of many different stocks, lessening the risk of losing your money and raising the chances of gain. Mutual funds may not provide quite the excitement of investing in a lucky stock, but they are good investments for a long-term financial opportunity. In addition, mutual funds are managed by professionals that are well acquainted with the pitfalls and opportunities of the investment sector, which will cut down on both risk and the time it would take to pick individual stocks through research and appointments. Mutual funds will also distribute the risks among several investors, and it is all managed by someone who likely has contacts within the financial world.
For the individual with some extra money, who does not have the time or the expertise to properly “play” the stock market, mutual funds will prove the better option.
In order to help make the decision, it is important to understand what stocks and mutual funds are.
Stocks: Most people believe they have a basic understanding of what stocks are, simply because of their exposure to the term in every day usages. Stocks are individual bits of companies that are available to be purchased by the public in open trading on the stock exchange. Stocks are often sold in bundles, and thus to purchase a stock in a specific company often entails some kind of minimum purchase. Stockholders have a vested interest in the company’s well-being, as the price of their stocks are directly related to a company’s performance. Stocks are divided according to the kind of business they represent, which is known as a sector.
Mutual Funds: Mutual funds are collective investments that pools the money from a lot of investors and puts the money in stocks, bonds, and other investments. Mutual funds are usually managed by a certified professional, as opposed to the individual management of stocks. In essence, mutual funds incorporate many different types of stocks.
The question of whether or not to invest in stocks or mutual funds will primarily come down to the personal expertise and wealth of the individual. Many people will be tempted by the “game” aspect of buying stock, as well as the chance to invest singularly in a company that is well-known or can be easily researched. The fact is, however, that by the time stocks become available on the market they are generally already highly priced, and investing in individual stocks is a highly risky maneuver as your entire process hangs on the well-being of just one company. Even wealthy investors diversify their portfolios by investing in several different types of stock, and this can simply be unaffordable for the average person.
The better bet for the beginning investor is to purchase mutual funds. Mutual funds will pool the costs of many different stocks, lessening the risk of losing your money and raising the chances of gain. Mutual funds may not provide quite the excitement of investing in a lucky stock, but they are good investments for a long-term financial opportunity. In addition, mutual funds are managed by professionals that are well acquainted with the pitfalls and opportunities of the investment sector, which will cut down on both risk and the time it would take to pick individual stocks through research and appointments. Mutual funds will also distribute the risks among several investors, and it is all managed by someone who likely has contacts within the financial world.
For the individual with some extra money, who does not have the time or the expertise to properly “play” the stock market, mutual funds will prove the better option.
Mutual funds: protect yourself with segregated funds
Segregated funds were initially developed by the insurance industry to compete against mutual funds. Today, many mutual fund companies are in partnership with insurance companies to offer segregated funds to investors. Segregated funds offer some unique benefits not available to mutual fund investors.
Segregated funds offer the following major benefits that are not offered by the traditional mutual fund.
1. Segregated funds offer a guarantee of principal upon maturity of the fund or upon the death of the investor. Thus, there is a 100 percent guarantee on the investment at maturity or death (this may differ for some funds), minus any withdrawals and management fees - even if the market value of the investment has declined. Most segregated funds have a maturity of 10 years after you initial investment.
2. Segregated funds offer creditor protection. If you go bankrupt, creditors cannot access your segregated fund.
3. Segregated funds avoid estate probate fees upon the death of the investor.
4. Segregated funds have a "freeze option" allowing investors to lock in investment gains and thereby increase their investment guarantee. This can be powerful strategy during volatile capital markets.
Segregated funds also offer the following less important benefits:
1. Segregated funds issue a T3 tax slip each year-end, which reports all gains or losses from purchases and redemption's that were made by the investor. This makes calculating your taxes very easy.
2. Segregated funds can serve as an "in trust account," which is useful if you wish to give money to minor children, but with some strings attached.
3. Segregated funds allocate their annual distributions on the basis of how long an investor has invested in the fund during the year, not on the basis of the number of units outstanding. With mutual funds, an investor can invest in November and immediately incur a large tax bill when a capital gain distribution is declared at year-end.
There has been a lot of marketing and publicity surrounding segregated funds and how much value should be placed on their guarantee of principle protection. In the entire mutual fund universe, there have been only three very aggressive and specialized funds that lost money during any 10-year period since 1980. Thus, the odds of losing money after ten years are extremely low. If you decide you need a guarantee, it can cost as much as 1/2 percent per year in additional fees.
However, with further market volatility these guarantees could be very worthwhile. In addition, most major mutual fund companies also offer segregated funds.
Segregated funds offer the following major benefits that are not offered by the traditional mutual fund.
1. Segregated funds offer a guarantee of principal upon maturity of the fund or upon the death of the investor. Thus, there is a 100 percent guarantee on the investment at maturity or death (this may differ for some funds), minus any withdrawals and management fees - even if the market value of the investment has declined. Most segregated funds have a maturity of 10 years after you initial investment.
2. Segregated funds offer creditor protection. If you go bankrupt, creditors cannot access your segregated fund.
3. Segregated funds avoid estate probate fees upon the death of the investor.
4. Segregated funds have a "freeze option" allowing investors to lock in investment gains and thereby increase their investment guarantee. This can be powerful strategy during volatile capital markets.
Segregated funds also offer the following less important benefits:
1. Segregated funds issue a T3 tax slip each year-end, which reports all gains or losses from purchases and redemption's that were made by the investor. This makes calculating your taxes very easy.
2. Segregated funds can serve as an "in trust account," which is useful if you wish to give money to minor children, but with some strings attached.
3. Segregated funds allocate their annual distributions on the basis of how long an investor has invested in the fund during the year, not on the basis of the number of units outstanding. With mutual funds, an investor can invest in November and immediately incur a large tax bill when a capital gain distribution is declared at year-end.
There has been a lot of marketing and publicity surrounding segregated funds and how much value should be placed on their guarantee of principle protection. In the entire mutual fund universe, there have been only three very aggressive and specialized funds that lost money during any 10-year period since 1980. Thus, the odds of losing money after ten years are extremely low. If you decide you need a guarantee, it can cost as much as 1/2 percent per year in additional fees.
However, with further market volatility these guarantees could be very worthwhile. In addition, most major mutual fund companies also offer segregated funds.
Exchange Traded Funds: Why You Should Never Buy a Mutual Fund Again
Many investors still don't know about Exchange Traded Funds (or ETFs) and their advantages over traditional mutual funds. In this article, we'll examine Exchange Traded Funds, their history, performance and advantages and why you should never buy a mutual fund again.
ETF 101
Exchange Traded Funds can most accurately be described as the happy marriage of a stock with a mutual fund.
Like mutual funds, when an investor buys an ETF, he is buying a pool of securities at one time. For instance, an ETF known as DIA, or "Diamonds." allows the investor to take a position in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Like a stock, an ETF can be purchased through a brokerage account, can be traded throughout the day, can be bought on margin and offers stock-like trading features such as limit orders, stop orders and short selling
ETFs come in many different flavors. They track all the major indexes like the Dow, S&P 500, NASDAQ 100, Russell 2000 and others. They're also available for investors who want to trade sectors like energy, technology, precious metals, financial, health care, emerging markets, interest rates and many more.
Introduced over 12 years ago, ETFs were initially mostly used by professional traders, but in recent years, have experienced rapid growth as a popular investment vehicle with public investors.
ETFs have gained such widespread acceptance and popularity because they provide significant advantages over mutual funds. The advantages of ETFs include:
--Continuous pricing throughout the day compared to end-of-day pricing for mutual funds
--Can be sold short like a stock which isn't possible with mutual funds
--Can be bought on margin
--Can use limit and stop orders so you can exit or enter during the trading day
--Have lower expenses than mutual funds and no management fees
Adding it all up, it's easy to see why Exchange Traded Funds have been growing at a rate of nearly 50% per year since 1993.
Conclusion:
It's easy to see why Exchange Traded Funds have steadily grown in popularity over the last twelve years. By combining the benefits of a mutual fund with the benefits of a stock, they really do offer investors an optimum combination of flexibility and potential profit.
Of course, the large mutual fund companies don't like ETFs but have had to adjust to their new popularity and so many fund families have introduced ETFs of their own in recent years.
For investors, ETFs offer considerable advantages of flexibility, cost and diversity, and therefore, you should never buy a mutual fund again.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
The Credit Advantage: Get Rich Slowly
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The Credit Advantage: Gold: A Solid Investment
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The Credit Advantage: Have You Made A Bad Investment?
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The Credit Advantage: Higher income from high yield bonds
The Credit Advantage: Higher income from high yield bonds: To understand high yield bonds, let's define what a bond is. A bond is an interest-bearing investment that obliges the borrower to pay a...
The Credit Advantage: How Do I Invest For A New Business?
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The Credit Advantage: How Option Trading Profit In Any Market Conditions...
The Credit Advantage: How Option Trading Profit In Any Market Conditions...: All stock market multi millionaires must be able to profit under any kind of market conditions. If you are able to profit only when stock ma...
How Option Trading Profit In Any Market Conditions
All stock market multi millionaires must be able to profit under any kind of market conditions. If you are able to profit only when stock markets go up, then you will find it a gargantuan task to ever have any sustainable success, much less become a stock market millionaire.
Yes! It is possible and easy to profit whether stocks are up, down or sideways using option trading. If the ability to trade all kinds of market conditions is the doorway to becoming a stock market millionaire, then option trading would be the very key.
In this article, I will outline some common ways by which you can profit from all kinds of markets by option trading. For more free option trading information, you may wish to visit .Simple Option Strategies for Up MarketsBuy Call Option - You could buy the same number of equivalent stocks for a fraction of the price using call options and profit when the stock goes up. If the stock should crash, you will lose only the small amount you put towards buying the option instead of the whole amount that you would have put towards buying the stock itself.
Sell Naked Put Option - Instead of buying call options, you could sell short put options thereby pocketing the entire amount you made on selling the put options if the stock should go up. Bull Call Spread - A bull call spread consists of buying call options at the money and selling short out of the money call options of the same month. The benefit of this strategy is that you profit when the stock goes up and profit also when the stock stays sideways!
Simple Option Strategies for Down MarketsBuy Put Option - Instead of shorting stocks and risking a margin call, you could simply buy a put option. Buying a put option is exactly the same as buying call options except that you profit when the stock goes down instead of up.Sell Naked Call Option - Instead of buying put options, you could sell short call options thereby pocketing the entire amount you made on selling the put options if the stock should go down.
Bear Put Spread - A bear put spread consists of buying put options at the money and selling short out of the money put options of the same month. The benefit of this strategy is that you profit when the stock goes down and profit also when the stock stays sideways!
Simple Option Strategies for UP or DOWN MarketsStraddle - A straddle consist of buying a call option and a put option at the same strike price on the same stock. This strategy allows you to profit whether the stock moves up or down and is excellent when you are certain that a stock will move greatly soon but sure which direction that may be.Strangle - Similar concept to a straddle but buys out of the money call option and put option instead of at the money ones in order to reduce the cost of the position.
Simple Option Strategies for Sideways Markets - Covered Call - If you are holding on to a stock that is moving sideways, you could collect "rental" out of it by selling the call option of that stock month after month and pocket the whole amount of the sale should the stock remain sideways.
Short Straddle - Instead of buying call options and put options as described above in a Straddle, you would sell short them instead. In this way, you create an option position which profits when the stock remains sideways.
Are you amazed now at how easy it is to profit in any kind of market conditions by option trading? These are only very few of the many more option trading strategies that you can use to your specific portfolio needs. To learn more about what option trading and stock options are for free, please visit
Yes! It is possible and easy to profit whether stocks are up, down or sideways using option trading. If the ability to trade all kinds of market conditions is the doorway to becoming a stock market millionaire, then option trading would be the very key.
In this article, I will outline some common ways by which you can profit from all kinds of markets by option trading. For more free option trading information, you may wish to visit .Simple Option Strategies for Up MarketsBuy Call Option - You could buy the same number of equivalent stocks for a fraction of the price using call options and profit when the stock goes up. If the stock should crash, you will lose only the small amount you put towards buying the option instead of the whole amount that you would have put towards buying the stock itself.
Sell Naked Put Option - Instead of buying call options, you could sell short put options thereby pocketing the entire amount you made on selling the put options if the stock should go up. Bull Call Spread - A bull call spread consists of buying call options at the money and selling short out of the money call options of the same month. The benefit of this strategy is that you profit when the stock goes up and profit also when the stock stays sideways!
Simple Option Strategies for Down MarketsBuy Put Option - Instead of shorting stocks and risking a margin call, you could simply buy a put option. Buying a put option is exactly the same as buying call options except that you profit when the stock goes down instead of up.Sell Naked Call Option - Instead of buying put options, you could sell short call options thereby pocketing the entire amount you made on selling the put options if the stock should go down.
Bear Put Spread - A bear put spread consists of buying put options at the money and selling short out of the money put options of the same month. The benefit of this strategy is that you profit when the stock goes down and profit also when the stock stays sideways!
Simple Option Strategies for UP or DOWN MarketsStraddle - A straddle consist of buying a call option and a put option at the same strike price on the same stock. This strategy allows you to profit whether the stock moves up or down and is excellent when you are certain that a stock will move greatly soon but sure which direction that may be.Strangle - Similar concept to a straddle but buys out of the money call option and put option instead of at the money ones in order to reduce the cost of the position.
Simple Option Strategies for Sideways Markets - Covered Call - If you are holding on to a stock that is moving sideways, you could collect "rental" out of it by selling the call option of that stock month after month and pocket the whole amount of the sale should the stock remain sideways.
Short Straddle - Instead of buying call options and put options as described above in a Straddle, you would sell short them instead. In this way, you create an option position which profits when the stock remains sideways.
Are you amazed now at how easy it is to profit in any kind of market conditions by option trading? These are only very few of the many more option trading strategies that you can use to your specific portfolio needs. To learn more about what option trading and stock options are for free, please visit
How Do I Invest For A New Business?
Let’s be honest, many of us dream have that one day starting up and successfully running a new business and leaving our miserable jobs behind to become our own bosses.
And whilst many do just that and at least make a go at running a new business there are even more who never quite stop dreaming about it and find the courage to actually do so.
One of the reasons people give for not starting up a new business is a lack of finance. Well firstly that is a very poor excuse, if you believe in yourself and your own abilities to make a success of your venture then that alone is the biggest investment you can make in running a new business. Yes, you are the most valuable asset a new business can have, you and your specialist knowledge, your pride in getting a job done properly and having an absolute belief in your own abilities to make a success of running your new business.
Let’s say it again, ultimately you are the only thing worth investing in for running a new business and you don’t cost a penny, dime or cent. So what are you waiting for?? Running a new business is absolutely free, you don’t actually need to invest in it to get it off the ground because all the investment should come from within you and not from a bank or money-lender.
So once you’ve decided to invest in yourself, first in order to get your new business off the ground you are at some point going to have to think some sort of financial investment. See, eventually money does come into it but it is useless if your business plan is useless or you don’t have the personal wherewithal to actually make a good idea happen and the best place to seek such investment will be your bank.
All banks will have a new business advisory department and they will be more than happy to talk with you of your business plans, so make sure your plan is a good and sustainable one and if it is: they’ll certainly listen and if they like it, they will definitely lend you the money. It should be said that banks exist for you to borrow for things such as investing in a new business, they like people who are prepared to give it a go and if you demonstrate this and a fierce determination they’ll lend you the money to kick-start your new business.
When investing in starting up and running a new business it is vital that you don’t waste your initial investment on fancy cars, flash offices and a menagerie of staff. Basically, don’t walk before you crawl, all these trappings of success will come in time but to start off creating an image of success ultimately will mean you will fail because the best investment you can make at this stage of running a new business is dedication and hard work, that’s how you achieve lasting fulfillment and success and the trappings that go with it. If you just want the trappings without the hard work then don’t bother starting your own business because hard work is a better investment than an unearned top-of-the-range motor.
Reaching to nature for the best metaphor to consider when investing for running a new business, it is a whole lot better to invest in a bag of acorns and watch them grow, yield and flourish than it is to buy a lot of old oaks and see them wither and die.
And finally, again, it should said the biggest and best investment for a new business is you, your idea and your desire to succeed. With these, you can’t go wrong!!
And whilst many do just that and at least make a go at running a new business there are even more who never quite stop dreaming about it and find the courage to actually do so.
One of the reasons people give for not starting up a new business is a lack of finance. Well firstly that is a very poor excuse, if you believe in yourself and your own abilities to make a success of your venture then that alone is the biggest investment you can make in running a new business. Yes, you are the most valuable asset a new business can have, you and your specialist knowledge, your pride in getting a job done properly and having an absolute belief in your own abilities to make a success of running your new business.
Let’s say it again, ultimately you are the only thing worth investing in for running a new business and you don’t cost a penny, dime or cent. So what are you waiting for?? Running a new business is absolutely free, you don’t actually need to invest in it to get it off the ground because all the investment should come from within you and not from a bank or money-lender.
So once you’ve decided to invest in yourself, first in order to get your new business off the ground you are at some point going to have to think some sort of financial investment. See, eventually money does come into it but it is useless if your business plan is useless or you don’t have the personal wherewithal to actually make a good idea happen and the best place to seek such investment will be your bank.
All banks will have a new business advisory department and they will be more than happy to talk with you of your business plans, so make sure your plan is a good and sustainable one and if it is: they’ll certainly listen and if they like it, they will definitely lend you the money. It should be said that banks exist for you to borrow for things such as investing in a new business, they like people who are prepared to give it a go and if you demonstrate this and a fierce determination they’ll lend you the money to kick-start your new business.
When investing in starting up and running a new business it is vital that you don’t waste your initial investment on fancy cars, flash offices and a menagerie of staff. Basically, don’t walk before you crawl, all these trappings of success will come in time but to start off creating an image of success ultimately will mean you will fail because the best investment you can make at this stage of running a new business is dedication and hard work, that’s how you achieve lasting fulfillment and success and the trappings that go with it. If you just want the trappings without the hard work then don’t bother starting your own business because hard work is a better investment than an unearned top-of-the-range motor.
Reaching to nature for the best metaphor to consider when investing for running a new business, it is a whole lot better to invest in a bag of acorns and watch them grow, yield and flourish than it is to buy a lot of old oaks and see them wither and die.
And finally, again, it should said the biggest and best investment for a new business is you, your idea and your desire to succeed. With these, you can’t go wrong!!
Higher income from high yield bonds
To understand high yield bonds, let's define what a bond is. A bond is an interest-bearing investment that obliges the borrower to pay a specific amount of interest for a specific period of time and then at maturity to repay the investor the original amount of the loan. High yield bonds are bonds issued by corporations. These companies pay interest rates higher than those of top quality government or corporate bonds to attract investors. Corporate assets back the bonds; in case of default, the bondholders have a legal claim on those assets.
High yield bonds can offer many advantages: 1. As the name implies, high yield bonds frequently have higher yields. They can be called (redeemed) earlier, which is one reason investors receive higher interest payments. In general these bonds have shorter maturities. Downturns in this investment category have not been as dramatic as in other investment categories.
2. High yield bonds have become a large global market and lack of liquidity is not a huge concern.
3. High yield bonds are not perfectly correlated with other investment categories.
4. High yield bonds have to earn higher returns in order to compensate investors for higher risk. High yield bonds tend to combine the higher returns associated with equities and the lower risk associated with bonds.
5. These bonds will fluctuate based on more than just the direction of interest rates; they will also increase or decrease in value as the issuing company improves its financial performance.
During the previous five years, high yield bonds have generated superior returns compared to more conservative bond funds. However, these returns are less than those of some aggressive equity funds. Investors should invest a portion of their portfolio in this investment category to reduce their risk and increase their income and return potential.
High yield bonds play an important role in a well-diversified mutual fund portfolio for both the conservative and aggressive investors. This sector will still incur risk; but the worst downside risk displayed by this investment category was a loss of 8 percent. Investors who want to capitalize on the opportunities of high yield bonds could consider several mutual funds.
High yield bonds can offer many advantages: 1. As the name implies, high yield bonds frequently have higher yields. They can be called (redeemed) earlier, which is one reason investors receive higher interest payments. In general these bonds have shorter maturities. Downturns in this investment category have not been as dramatic as in other investment categories.
2. High yield bonds have become a large global market and lack of liquidity is not a huge concern.
3. High yield bonds are not perfectly correlated with other investment categories.
4. High yield bonds have to earn higher returns in order to compensate investors for higher risk. High yield bonds tend to combine the higher returns associated with equities and the lower risk associated with bonds.
5. These bonds will fluctuate based on more than just the direction of interest rates; they will also increase or decrease in value as the issuing company improves its financial performance.
During the previous five years, high yield bonds have generated superior returns compared to more conservative bond funds. However, these returns are less than those of some aggressive equity funds. Investors should invest a portion of their portfolio in this investment category to reduce their risk and increase their income and return potential.
High yield bonds play an important role in a well-diversified mutual fund portfolio for both the conservative and aggressive investors. This sector will still incur risk; but the worst downside risk displayed by this investment category was a loss of 8 percent. Investors who want to capitalize on the opportunities of high yield bonds could consider several mutual funds.
Have You Made A Bad Investment?
If you are concerned about saving money or making money for the future, or both, then you definitely need to consider making an investment in different stocks, mutual funds, and the like to create a well rounded portfolio that will provide you with returns that benefit you and your investment. There are so many benefits of making an investment in a mutual fund or funds and just a few of them are full time management, access to money, diverse investments, and services.
When you invest in mutual funds you are investing in not only funds but full time management of your funds by knowledgeable brokers. These managers you will take care of all of your investments from buying, selling and trading so all you have to do is sit back and watch your investment grow because the mutual fund mangers handle all of the work for you. Also, your mutual fund manager will make the best possible investments for you because the mutual fund companies are always working with analysts to get the most up to date information on companies and the investment world.
When you invest in mutual funds you will also be able to access your money quickly and easily if you need to. In most cases individuals make an investment for a long period of time, however sometimes emergencies develop where you need money quickly. In these instances you will be able to sell all or most of your shares for the market price and get the money immediately. That is good to know.
Also, when you invest in mutual funds your money will be invested in a wide variety of investments which would be nearly impossible for you to do on your own. The reason it is good to have your money invested in hundreds of different of investments is that the ups and downs of the market do not affect you as much and also your risk of loss decreases. So, investing in mutual funds is really a good option for people who want to make the most of their investment and the return on their money.
In addition to all of these benefits, when you use a mutual fund company to make your investments for you then you will also receive additional services. In general, these benefits include automatic reinvestment, transfer of funds electronically, and other services as well.
If you have investments that are not performing as you would like or are considering making some investments, then go ahead and look into investing in mutual funds. You will be amazed at the ease of investing in mutual funds and the potential growth you will see on your investments. However, make sure you use a credible mutual fund company to make your investments for you.
When you invest in mutual funds you are investing in not only funds but full time management of your funds by knowledgeable brokers. These managers you will take care of all of your investments from buying, selling and trading so all you have to do is sit back and watch your investment grow because the mutual fund mangers handle all of the work for you. Also, your mutual fund manager will make the best possible investments for you because the mutual fund companies are always working with analysts to get the most up to date information on companies and the investment world.
When you invest in mutual funds you will also be able to access your money quickly and easily if you need to. In most cases individuals make an investment for a long period of time, however sometimes emergencies develop where you need money quickly. In these instances you will be able to sell all or most of your shares for the market price and get the money immediately. That is good to know.
Also, when you invest in mutual funds your money will be invested in a wide variety of investments which would be nearly impossible for you to do on your own. The reason it is good to have your money invested in hundreds of different of investments is that the ups and downs of the market do not affect you as much and also your risk of loss decreases. So, investing in mutual funds is really a good option for people who want to make the most of their investment and the return on their money.
In addition to all of these benefits, when you use a mutual fund company to make your investments for you then you will also receive additional services. In general, these benefits include automatic reinvestment, transfer of funds electronically, and other services as well.
If you have investments that are not performing as you would like or are considering making some investments, then go ahead and look into investing in mutual funds. You will be amazed at the ease of investing in mutual funds and the potential growth you will see on your investments. However, make sure you use a credible mutual fund company to make your investments for you.
Gold: A Solid Investment
Make no mistake, the currency crisis is coming.
Rather than sitting back and letting it happen, protect yourself and profit from an economic upset that could basically render your dollars about as worthless as the paper they're printed on.
We saw a preview of this kind of debacle quite recently. In early 2006 a currency plunge triggered an avalanche of sell orders in emerging markets from Brazil to Indonesia. The Icelandic krona plunged nearly 10 percent in only two days, dragging down Icelandic stocks and bonds with it and subsequently spread to Brazil, Mexico, Poland and Turkey.
A precursor to this was the Asian Currency Crash of 1997, which sent stocks south like ducks in winter. Banks, insurance companies, real estate and bonds also fled the scene. The only viable option left was gold.
In the event of another such decline in currency values, gold will be worth at least 10 times its current value.
How is this possible?
Simple: Since gold cannot be made or printed at the whim of greedy politicos, it can't be devalued as quickly as the paper money that is printed whenever need arises.
When a currency is backed by gold, $1 in paper money has to be backed by approximately one dollar's worth of gold. Once a currency is no longer backed by gold, governments can print as much as needed. Naturally, most world governments have gone off the gold standard and that is why paper money has no intrinsic value.
As a result, most major institutions only speculate short term between those currencies and associated local values, such as stocks or bonds, and then they convert their profit into gold.
This is where we at Forex Super King excel. We specialize in global trading and diversification.
Our money is made in both currency trading, where we average 1,000 pips (price interest points) per month, and U.S. small stocks that recently acquired dual listings with the European exchange.
As a result, our clients can experience a short-term windfall from 50 percent to 400 percent by tapping into the heavy buying power of European investors with holding time from a day to a month. We then convert half of our profit every month into gold.
We'll show you how to get set up so that you can hold your funds in several currencies, even if you only have $500 to start.
We can also show you how to not only diversify internationally but how to trade the international markets as well as currency markets to realize substantial profit, short term.
Rather than sitting back and letting it happen, protect yourself and profit from an economic upset that could basically render your dollars about as worthless as the paper they're printed on.
We saw a preview of this kind of debacle quite recently. In early 2006 a currency plunge triggered an avalanche of sell orders in emerging markets from Brazil to Indonesia. The Icelandic krona plunged nearly 10 percent in only two days, dragging down Icelandic stocks and bonds with it and subsequently spread to Brazil, Mexico, Poland and Turkey.
A precursor to this was the Asian Currency Crash of 1997, which sent stocks south like ducks in winter. Banks, insurance companies, real estate and bonds also fled the scene. The only viable option left was gold.
In the event of another such decline in currency values, gold will be worth at least 10 times its current value.
How is this possible?
Simple: Since gold cannot be made or printed at the whim of greedy politicos, it can't be devalued as quickly as the paper money that is printed whenever need arises.
When a currency is backed by gold, $1 in paper money has to be backed by approximately one dollar's worth of gold. Once a currency is no longer backed by gold, governments can print as much as needed. Naturally, most world governments have gone off the gold standard and that is why paper money has no intrinsic value.
As a result, most major institutions only speculate short term between those currencies and associated local values, such as stocks or bonds, and then they convert their profit into gold.
This is where we at Forex Super King excel. We specialize in global trading and diversification.
Our money is made in both currency trading, where we average 1,000 pips (price interest points) per month, and U.S. small stocks that recently acquired dual listings with the European exchange.
As a result, our clients can experience a short-term windfall from 50 percent to 400 percent by tapping into the heavy buying power of European investors with holding time from a day to a month. We then convert half of our profit every month into gold.
We'll show you how to get set up so that you can hold your funds in several currencies, even if you only have $500 to start.
We can also show you how to not only diversify internationally but how to trade the international markets as well as currency markets to realize substantial profit, short term.
Get Rich Slowly
Is it hard to get rich? Not really, if you’re young.
Its fun to play with financial calculators and see what might happen.
Assume you have just graduated from college, are about 22 years old and I just started your first real job. If you put $100 a month in an IRA that grows at 10% a year, you will have about $865,000 at age 65. 10% a year compound growth is about what you should exect if the money was invested in a no-load S&P 500 Index Fund.
So for about $23 a week or $3.30 a day you would be close to being a millionaire.
If you contributed the full $4000 a year allowed right now to an IRA (rising to $5000 in 2008), you would have $2,600,000. For about $11.00 a day, you would have a small fortune.
If you didn’t want to take a chance with the stock market because it goes down sometimes, you would still have over $600,000 if you could get a 5% return.
If your grandmother leaves you $10,000 in her will and you invest it for the same 43 years at 10% without adding another cent, you’d also have over $600,000 if you placed it in a tax sheltered account.
Time and the power of compound interest are on your side. So if you’re in you twenties and want to get rich, do whatever you have to scrape together that IRA contribution. Every day you procrastinate is another day your money is not working for you.
However, most people in their twenties need the money for more important things, like new cars and HDTV’s. You also have school loans to pay, children to raise and the new mortgage to pay off. But if you prioritize your life and stick to a budget, $11.00 a day is doable, although you might have to scrimp here and there.
Consider that most people are spending their lives paying the freight for borrowing <i>other people’s money</I>. If you save and invest, other people are paying you to use your money. It’s a lot more fun to see your money working to help you get rich than
having to work yourself.
Think about the effect expenditures have on your financial future. If you bought a late model used car instead of new one, you would probably save $10,000 or more depending on the model. That $10,000 as noted above, would grow to almost $600,000 by the time you’re 65 if invested in tax sheltered accounts.
Now look at it from the opposite angle, the extra money you spend on that new car you yearn for and <b>must have</b> now, will cost you $600,000 by the time you’re 65
and the car has long since been recycled into tin cans.
I’d probably buy the car too, but it’s useful to consider the consequences.
It gets harder to get rich slowly as you get older. If you wait until you’re 32 and put away $4000 at 10%, you would have about $975,000, still a respectable amount.
At 42, you’d only be able to accumulate approximately $350,000. If you’re 50 and
can start putting $5000 away today, you’ll have around $175,000 at age 65.
Everyone knows that Social Security is not going to allow for a comfortable retirement. Even if the plan can continue to pay out forever, which is questionable right now, the money you receive will be far from generous and is subject to taxation. And you might have a good pension plan at work now, but will you be able to hold your current job to
retirement?
If you have a Roth IRA, you can withdraw the money tax free after age 59 ½. Imagine having a million tax free dollars you can play with. It will well make up for the small sacrifices you have to make to get rich.
No matter what your age, start saving what you can now - today. Even if you only amass $100,000, you’ll be better off than most people entering retirement.
Its fun to play with financial calculators and see what might happen.
Assume you have just graduated from college, are about 22 years old and I just started your first real job. If you put $100 a month in an IRA that grows at 10% a year, you will have about $865,000 at age 65. 10% a year compound growth is about what you should exect if the money was invested in a no-load S&P 500 Index Fund.
So for about $23 a week or $3.30 a day you would be close to being a millionaire.
If you contributed the full $4000 a year allowed right now to an IRA (rising to $5000 in 2008), you would have $2,600,000. For about $11.00 a day, you would have a small fortune.
If you didn’t want to take a chance with the stock market because it goes down sometimes, you would still have over $600,000 if you could get a 5% return.
If your grandmother leaves you $10,000 in her will and you invest it for the same 43 years at 10% without adding another cent, you’d also have over $600,000 if you placed it in a tax sheltered account.
Time and the power of compound interest are on your side. So if you’re in you twenties and want to get rich, do whatever you have to scrape together that IRA contribution. Every day you procrastinate is another day your money is not working for you.
However, most people in their twenties need the money for more important things, like new cars and HDTV’s. You also have school loans to pay, children to raise and the new mortgage to pay off. But if you prioritize your life and stick to a budget, $11.00 a day is doable, although you might have to scrimp here and there.
Consider that most people are spending their lives paying the freight for borrowing <i>other people’s money</I>. If you save and invest, other people are paying you to use your money. It’s a lot more fun to see your money working to help you get rich than
having to work yourself.
Think about the effect expenditures have on your financial future. If you bought a late model used car instead of new one, you would probably save $10,000 or more depending on the model. That $10,000 as noted above, would grow to almost $600,000 by the time you’re 65 if invested in tax sheltered accounts.
Now look at it from the opposite angle, the extra money you spend on that new car you yearn for and <b>must have</b> now, will cost you $600,000 by the time you’re 65
and the car has long since been recycled into tin cans.
I’d probably buy the car too, but it’s useful to consider the consequences.
It gets harder to get rich slowly as you get older. If you wait until you’re 32 and put away $4000 at 10%, you would have about $975,000, still a respectable amount.
At 42, you’d only be able to accumulate approximately $350,000. If you’re 50 and
can start putting $5000 away today, you’ll have around $175,000 at age 65.
Everyone knows that Social Security is not going to allow for a comfortable retirement. Even if the plan can continue to pay out forever, which is questionable right now, the money you receive will be far from generous and is subject to taxation. And you might have a good pension plan at work now, but will you be able to hold your current job to
retirement?
If you have a Roth IRA, you can withdraw the money tax free after age 59 ½. Imagine having a million tax free dollars you can play with. It will well make up for the small sacrifices you have to make to get rich.
No matter what your age, start saving what you can now - today. Even if you only amass $100,000, you’ll be better off than most people entering retirement.
Finding Secure Investments
If you're trying to build a nest egg that won't crack, it's important to establish a safe and dependable investment strategy. Yet last year alone, millions of Americans lost their life savings through investments that looked safe. In some cases, people lost both their jobs and their pensions when companies failed.
So, is there a safe place to put your money? Analysts say yes, but it's important to learn a few facts first.
For instance, real estate has long been known as a secure, tangible investment because it generally appreciates over time. But most would-be investors are not real estate experts, and many of us don't have enough money to fund the purchase of an investment property-let alone to fix up a run-down home. However, there is another strategy. It's called cash flow investing and it allows people to benefit from secure and profitable real estate investments without buying or selling properties.
Put simply, a real estate cash flow note is a private mortgage created between two individuals instead of between a buyer and a bank. What many people don't know is that one in 13 American homes is sold this way. Much like banks, which buy previously created mortgages, private individuals can buy cash flow notes to build returns of 20 percent or more. Here's how it works:
Let's say I sold a house for $100,000 and my buyer had $50,000 to use as a down payment. I can draw up a contract that takes $50,000 down and finances the remaining $50,000 over 30 years. I now have a cash flow note that generates monthly payments of $299.78 each month secured by real estate.
As a note holder, I have two options. I can take advantage of the monthly income and interest, or I can sell the note to another investor for instant cash. This is where you, as an investor, come in to make money. Let's say you're an investor with $35,000 to invest. I might not be willing to wait 30 years for my money, so I'll sell you my $50,000 cash flow note for $35,000. Many investors find they can buy notes at great prices just because the original note holder wants to "cash out." Now you're receiving a steady monthly income of almost $300 and you're in a position to make a 30 percent return on your investment-even before interest.
Best of all, unlike stocks and bonds, your cash flow note investment is secured by real estate-one of the most solid investments in the world.
So, is there a safe place to put your money? Analysts say yes, but it's important to learn a few facts first.
For instance, real estate has long been known as a secure, tangible investment because it generally appreciates over time. But most would-be investors are not real estate experts, and many of us don't have enough money to fund the purchase of an investment property-let alone to fix up a run-down home. However, there is another strategy. It's called cash flow investing and it allows people to benefit from secure and profitable real estate investments without buying or selling properties.
Put simply, a real estate cash flow note is a private mortgage created between two individuals instead of between a buyer and a bank. What many people don't know is that one in 13 American homes is sold this way. Much like banks, which buy previously created mortgages, private individuals can buy cash flow notes to build returns of 20 percent or more. Here's how it works:
Let's say I sold a house for $100,000 and my buyer had $50,000 to use as a down payment. I can draw up a contract that takes $50,000 down and finances the remaining $50,000 over 30 years. I now have a cash flow note that generates monthly payments of $299.78 each month secured by real estate.
As a note holder, I have two options. I can take advantage of the monthly income and interest, or I can sell the note to another investor for instant cash. This is where you, as an investor, come in to make money. Let's say you're an investor with $35,000 to invest. I might not be willing to wait 30 years for my money, so I'll sell you my $50,000 cash flow note for $35,000. Many investors find they can buy notes at great prices just because the original note holder wants to "cash out." Now you're receiving a steady monthly income of almost $300 and you're in a position to make a 30 percent return on your investment-even before interest.
Best of all, unlike stocks and bonds, your cash flow note investment is secured by real estate-one of the most solid investments in the world.
Expectations For Trading Or Investing Returns
Clearly, anyone who trades does so with the expectation of making profits. We take risks to gain rewards. The question each trader must answer, however, is what kind of return he or she expects to make? This is a very important consideration, as it speaks directly to what kind of trading will take place, what market or markets are best suited to the purpose, and the kinds of risks required.
Let s start with a very simple example. Suppose a trader would like to make 10% per year on a very consistent basis with little variance. There are any number of options available. If interest rates are sufficiently high, the trader could simply put the money in a fixed income instrument like a CD or a bond of some kind and take relatively little risk. Should interest rates not be sufficient, the trader could use one or more of any number of other markets (stocks, commodities, currencies, etc.) with varying risk profiles and structures to find one or more (perhaps in combination) which suits the need. The trader may not even have to make many actual transactions each year to accomplish the objective.
A trader looking for 100% returns each year would have a very different situation. This individual will not be looking at the cash fixed income market, but could do so via the leverage offered in the futures market. Similarly, other leverage based markets are more likely candidates than cash ones, perhaps including equities. The trader will almost certainly require greater market exposure to achieve the goal, and most likely will have to execute a larger number of transactions than in the previous scenario.
As you can see, your goal dictates the methods by which you achieve it. The end certainly dictates the means to a great degree.
There is one other consideration in this particular assessment, though, and it is one which harks back to the earlier discussion of willingness to lose. Trading systems have what are commonly referred to as drawdowns. A drawdown is the distance (measured in % or account/portfolio value terms) from an equity peak to the lowest point immediately following it. For example, say a trader’s portfolio rose from $10,000 to $15,000, fell to $12,000, then rose to $20,000. The drop from the $15,000 peak to the $12,000 trough would be considered a drawdown, in this case of $3000 or 20%.
Each trader must determine how large a drawdown (in this case generally thought of in percentage terms) he or she is willing to accept. It is very much a risk/reward decision. On one extreme are trading systems with very, very small drawdowns, but also with low returns (low risk – low reward). On the other extreme are the trading systems with large returns, but similarly large drawdowns (high risk – high reward). Of course, every trader’s dream is a system with high returns and small drawdowns. The reality of trading, however, is often less pleasantly somewhere in between.
The question might be asked what it matters if high returns in the objective. It is quite simple. The more the account value falls, the bigger the return required to make that loss back up. That means time. Large drawdowns tend to mean long periods between equity peaks. The combination of sharp drops in equity value and lengthy time spans making the money back can potentially be emotionally destabilizing, leading to the trader abandoning the system at exactly the wrong time. In short, the trader must be able to accept, without concern, the draw-downs expected to occur in the system being used.
It is also important to match one's expectations up with one's trading timeframe. It was noted earlier that in some cases more frequent trading can be required to achieve the risk/return profile sought. If the expectations and timeframe conflict, a resolution must be found, and it must be the questions from this expectations assessment which have to be reconsidered, since the time frames determined in the previous one are probably not very flexible (especially going from longer-term trading to shorter-term participation).
Let s start with a very simple example. Suppose a trader would like to make 10% per year on a very consistent basis with little variance. There are any number of options available. If interest rates are sufficiently high, the trader could simply put the money in a fixed income instrument like a CD or a bond of some kind and take relatively little risk. Should interest rates not be sufficient, the trader could use one or more of any number of other markets (stocks, commodities, currencies, etc.) with varying risk profiles and structures to find one or more (perhaps in combination) which suits the need. The trader may not even have to make many actual transactions each year to accomplish the objective.
A trader looking for 100% returns each year would have a very different situation. This individual will not be looking at the cash fixed income market, but could do so via the leverage offered in the futures market. Similarly, other leverage based markets are more likely candidates than cash ones, perhaps including equities. The trader will almost certainly require greater market exposure to achieve the goal, and most likely will have to execute a larger number of transactions than in the previous scenario.
As you can see, your goal dictates the methods by which you achieve it. The end certainly dictates the means to a great degree.
There is one other consideration in this particular assessment, though, and it is one which harks back to the earlier discussion of willingness to lose. Trading systems have what are commonly referred to as drawdowns. A drawdown is the distance (measured in % or account/portfolio value terms) from an equity peak to the lowest point immediately following it. For example, say a trader’s portfolio rose from $10,000 to $15,000, fell to $12,000, then rose to $20,000. The drop from the $15,000 peak to the $12,000 trough would be considered a drawdown, in this case of $3000 or 20%.
Each trader must determine how large a drawdown (in this case generally thought of in percentage terms) he or she is willing to accept. It is very much a risk/reward decision. On one extreme are trading systems with very, very small drawdowns, but also with low returns (low risk – low reward). On the other extreme are the trading systems with large returns, but similarly large drawdowns (high risk – high reward). Of course, every trader’s dream is a system with high returns and small drawdowns. The reality of trading, however, is often less pleasantly somewhere in between.
The question might be asked what it matters if high returns in the objective. It is quite simple. The more the account value falls, the bigger the return required to make that loss back up. That means time. Large drawdowns tend to mean long periods between equity peaks. The combination of sharp drops in equity value and lengthy time spans making the money back can potentially be emotionally destabilizing, leading to the trader abandoning the system at exactly the wrong time. In short, the trader must be able to accept, without concern, the draw-downs expected to occur in the system being used.
It is also important to match one's expectations up with one's trading timeframe. It was noted earlier that in some cases more frequent trading can be required to achieve the risk/return profile sought. If the expectations and timeframe conflict, a resolution must be found, and it must be the questions from this expectations assessment which have to be reconsidered, since the time frames determined in the previous one are probably not very flexible (especially going from longer-term trading to shorter-term participation).
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