Morningstar has some suggestions for investing newcomers looking for diversification, especially if you don't have a lot of money to get started.
http://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/article.aspx?articleid=102876&categoryid=5&refsource=newsletter
N.B. I am not a financial advisor
Most financial advisors are little more than leeches, telling you whatever they think you want to hear so they can earn their commissions. Learn to invest for yourself. You can do it. Hopefully this blog will contribute to that a little bit.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
There's been some negative press about ETFs. This article is about why ETFs (and ETPs - exchange traded products) are a good investment choice.
http://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/article.aspxarticleid=102268&categoryid=5&refsource=newsletter
http://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/article.aspxarticleid=102268&categoryid=5&refsource=newsletter
Labels:
ETFs,
financial advice,
personal finance
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Ten Commandments of ETF Investing
What began as a handful of securities seeking to replicate widely-known stock and bond indexes has grown into a lineup of more than 1,000 funds, offering exposure to nearly every asset class, region, and investment strategy imaginable. While this impressive growth has enhanced the arsenal of securities available to ETF investors, it has also created the potential for misuse and made finding the right ticker symbol a bit more challenging.
And while ETFs offer countless potential advantages relative to strategies that revolve around mutual funds and individual stocks, there are some potential pitfalls along path to enhanced cost and tax efficiency. Below, we offer up ten pieces of advice that will help to maximize the benefits of exchange-traded products for all types of investors, including tips on minimizing expenses, avoiding potential pitfalls, and picking the right fund for your portfolio.
And while ETFs offer countless potential advantages relative to strategies that revolve around mutual funds and individual stocks, there are some potential pitfalls along path to enhanced cost and tax efficiency. Below, we offer up ten pieces of advice that will help to maximize the benefits of exchange-traded products for all types of investors, including tips on minimizing expenses, avoiding potential pitfalls, and picking the right fund for your portfolio.
Labels:
asset class,
ETFs,
investing,
pitfalls
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Huffington Post: DAN SOLIN: Mega-Deficits and Your Investment Portfolio
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
DAN SOLIN: Investing USA Style
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Finance Formulas for Everyone
![](http://www.financeformulas.net/Graphic%20Pics/Header-Finance-min2.jpg)
Whether you are dealing with compound interest, annuities, stocks, or bonds, investors must be able to effectively evaluate the level of value or merit in their financials. This is done by estimating future profits and calculating them against present values or equivalent rates of return.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
How to Pick the Right Mutual Funds
We recently covered the why and how of purchasing a mutual fund, but you were probably left wondering what exactly you should be looking for when choosing which funds to buy. It’s a great question and can often be a daunting one for a beginning investor. In reality, it’s relatively easy to research and find good mutual funds. Once you’ve done it a few times, you may actually begin to enjoy the thrill of the hunt!
Labels:
index fund,
investing,
mutual funds
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
NYTimes: Financial Crisis Was Avoidable, Inquiry Finds
From The New York Times:
Financial Crisis Was Avoidable, Inquiry Finds
A Congressional inquiry said bankers and regulators could have seen the 2008 crisis coming and stopped it.
Get The New York Times on your iPhone for free by visiting http://itunes.com/apps/nytimes
Saturday, January 22, 2011
NYTimes: With Retirement Savings, It’s a Sprint to the Finish
From The New York Times:
YOUR MONEY: With Retirement Savings, It's a Sprint to the Finish
You can save all your life, but those last years before you retire will determine the result.
Get The New York Times on your iPhone for free by visiting http://itunes.com/apps/nytimes
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Financial Investments and Economic Investments...
Rich Republicans want very much to believe that the money they put into 'savings' or 'investments' is doing all kinds of wonderful things for the economy. Unfortunately, this belief is based on little more than wishful thinking. To understand why they are so very wrong, people need to understand the difference between financial investments and economic investments.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Hu Highlights Need for U.S.-China Cooperation, Questions Dollar
Hu Highlights Need for U.S.-China Cooperation, Questions Dollar - WSJ.com
http://www.stumbleupon.com/to/s/2vP9H3
http://www.stumbleupon.com/to/s/2vP9H3
Sunday, January 16, 2011
whistleblower Rudolf Elmer plans to hand over offshore banking secrets of the rich and famous to WikiLeaks
He will disclose the details of 'massive potential tax evasion' before he flies home to stand trial over his actions
http://m.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/16/swiss-whistleblower-rudolf-elmer-banks?cat=media&type=article
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Forbes Investment Guide 2011
As a new year dawns, investors are heaving sighs of relief. A semblance of sanity has crept back into world financial markets. At home stocks posted 10% gains through mid-November 2010. Bonds did nearly as well. Is this the new normal— with little of the panic that prevailed in late 2008 or of the euphoria that chased it the following year? What 2011 has in store nobody can say. However it turns out, this Investment Guide offers strategies aimed at helping you increase your wealth, protect it, stretch it into retirement and pass it on to loved ones, or to worthy causes, in ways that will continue doing good for generations to come.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Global investing trap: Economic growth as red herring
First of a three-part series on misconceptions about international investing.
It seems a simple proposition: If you had a choice between investing in a country with an economy that promises rapid growth, or investing in one with flat or stagnant growth—such as the two economies depicted in the chart showing gross domestic product (GDP) growth —which would you choose?
Labels:
Brazil,
China,
emerging markets,
GDP,
growth,
investing,
stock market,
strategy
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Japan Income Taxes and Tax Laws
Taxation of an individual's income in Japan is progressive.
In other words, the higher the income, the higher the rate of tax payable.
The tax rate for an individual in 2009 is between 5% - 40% There are reduced rates of tax for certain income earners.
Japan corporate tax in 2009 is currently fixed at 30% and, again, there is a reduced rate of tax for certain corporations it is important to point out that the effective tax, for individuals and corporations, is higher as a result of the other local taxes that exist in Japan.
In other words, the higher the income, the higher the rate of tax payable.
The tax rate for an individual in 2009 is between 5% - 40% There are reduced rates of tax for certain income earners.
Japan corporate tax in 2009 is currently fixed at 30% and, again, there is a reduced rate of tax for certain corporations it is important to point out that the effective tax, for individuals and corporations, is higher as a result of the other local taxes that exist in Japan.
Labels:
income tax,
japan,
tax
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