Gold has been used for countless centuries as an indication of wealth, power and honor, but it has also been a fantastic investment choice. Why? Well, because it is what has essentially set the standard throughout monetary history. Here are ten reasons that you should consider gold as a part of your investment portfolio:
1. Of all precious metals, gold has traditionally been the first choice for hedging inv ... Tags:Business, Finance, Investing
There are two extremely good reasons why your portfolio may not be "performing" (whatever that means) either as well as you would like or as well as your buddies say that they have been doing. But let's define our terms before digging any deeper. None of you have done as well in the equity market as investment grade value stock investors.
The Dow Jones Industrials --- A Blue Chip Average No More By: Steve Selengut | - In addition to a well thought out investment plan, successful equity investing requires a feel for what is going on in the real world we refer to as "the market". To most investors, the DJIA provides all of the information they think they need, and they worship it mindlessly --- thinking it has mystical predictive and analytic powers far beyond the scope of any other market number.
Income Investing Articles --- An Anthology By: Steve Selengut | - After forty years of investing, a few things become clear: you need to focus on quality securities, diversify properly, and develop a lifetime supply of income. The investment puzzle becomes easier to solve if you have a handle on all the pieces.
But income portfolio management is a puzzle in its own right, and the major problem is focus --- income is king.
Income Security Prices Tank: What, Me Worry! By: Steve Selengut | - Whoa! Stop! Hang on a minute. There is absolutely nothing unusual going on in the income securities markets. There is nothing to be particularly concerned about or afraid of. Relax, take a few deep breaths, and read on.
Falling income security prices are all the buzz in the financial media these days, but why does this translate into such fear and confusion? I saw a news report the other day that encouraged investors to abandon their income ship and sail away on a stock market steam ... Tags:income investing, CEF, media, securities, fixed, equities, Wall Street, markets, interest, Fed, government, taxes, yield curve, index
Mcim Portfolios Rally To Three-year High Levels By: Steve Selengut | - KIAWAH ISLAND, SC, December 13, 2010 Kiawah Golf Investment Seminars (an investment education enterprise located near the Kiawah Island Golf-Tennis-Beach resort) proudly reports estimated investment performance results for a sampling of Market Cycle Investment Management (MCIM) portfolios. Thus far in 2010, MCIM (70% Equity vs. 30% Income) portfolios are up roughly 16%.
Financial Advisor Designations: Spotlight On Estate Planning Specialist By: Cory Bowman | - There are a variety of financial advisor designations out there to choose from when deciding on a program or certificate that will enhance your business practice or simply grow your personal knowledge. One financial advisor designation that can be very useful is the designation of estate planning specialist. An estate planning specialist, (someone who is Board Certified in Estate PlanningTM) understands the basics of estate planning and is well-versed in real-world examples.
Income Investing: Selecting The Right Things By: Chowdhury Shahid-uz-zaman | - When the 3 percent is better than the 6 percent? Yes, we all know the answer, but only until the prices of values that are beginning to fall. Then, mathematical logic and acumen disappear and be sensitive to all kinds of special cures for the periodic onset of higher interest rates. He told us to sit in cash to stop the fee increase, or sell the securities we own now, before it loses more of his precious market value. Other gurus will suggest the purchase of short-term bonds or CDs (ugh) to stem ... Tags:income investing, investment shares, investment guidelines,
Basics Of Investing: Cruise Control Hedging By: Steve Selengut | - Most people enter the investment arena thinking that "Risk" is a board game they played in college. Today, I would guess that the majority of investors have never owned an individual share of common stock or a Municipal Bond.
The popularity of investment products has heightened the risk for all investors and has indirectly led to many of the policy errors that threaten both capitalism and the economic fabric of America. Individual equity market prices are increasingly and inappropr ... Tags:Risk, asset allocation, investment, stock market, financials, money, asset allocation, market value, profits, diversification, Wall Street, equities, fixed incom
Hedging Your Investments 1-2-3 By: Steve Selengut | - The first page of search engine research tells you that: "Investors use hedging strategies when they are unsure of what the market will do"--- isn't that always? Further along you learn that there are many different kinds of strategies, nearly all of which rely upon some sort of derivative betting mechanism.
But what is hedging all about in the first place?
Conspiracy theorists have their hands in the air. What's that? Portfolio hedging strategies were created to expand ... Tags:Hedge fund, hedging, market, stocks, bonds, money, Wall Street, profits, income, trading, market value, cycles, strategy, portfolio, invest, interest rates,
Managed Cefs --- Solid Income Investments In Liquid Form By: Steve Selengut | - A Closed End Fund (CEF) is a publicly traded investment company that invests in a variety of securities such as stocks, bonds, preferred stocks, real estate, mortgages, oil and gas royalties, etc. The variety of sectors, classifications, and geographical representation is every bit as confusing as it is with traditional funds, but the advantages are easy to understand.
The Market Cycle Investment Management (mcim) Program By: Steve Selengut | - During the past sixty years, most economic, market, and interest rate cycles have lasted from two to five years, peak-to-peak. Rarely have any of the cycle-tracking market indices moved in tandem, and none of the cycles are considered to be particularly predictable.
Investment Performance Expectations And Broker Account Statements By: Steve Selengut | - As impossible as it is to predict the future of the markets, it's relatively easy to anticipate what you are going to experience when you view your next brokerage account statement.
Whether you go the discount route through Schwab, Ameritrade, Fidelity, etc., or enjoy a higher level of service through an independent like LMK Wealth Management, you should never be surprised by the market values reflected on your monthly statement.
May The Investment Force Be With You By: Steve Selengut | - Investment markets got you down, Bunkie? Been blown away by derivative stun guns? When will portfolio market values move back to 2007 levels--- and then what will you do about it?
It's time to overthrow the evil Masters of the Universe and deactivate their weapons of financial destruction. Let's outlaw the brainwashing that has changed how average investors look at and value their investment portfolios.
Hedge Funds: An Under The Radar Crisis By: Steve Selengut | - The other day, with the market giving up about a third of its March gain in DJIA points, I went looking through my favorite market stats to see if any remaining profits could be pounced upon. Typically, profit possibilities can be identified quickly on NYSE lists of the largest dollar and percent gainers.
Alarmingly, 75% of the largest percent gainers were ETFs, and many of those operate using the same strategies as classic hedge funds--- most owned no common stock at all! At the ... Tags:Hedge funds, derivatives, equities, ETFs, CEFs, RFN, FAZ, EDZ, UOY, FXP, DJIA, short, options, futures, risk, casin
Filling The Investment Education Void With Web Workshops By: Steve Selengut | - Now more than ever, you can appreciate the need for comprehensive investment education. All of a sudden, fifty percent of your nest egg has disappeared--- and the bad news? There never was a plan for income generation. Ouch!
Dwelling on coulda's, woulda's, and shoulda's isn't going to rebuild your portfolio. Attempting to become proficient in the speculation of the month will do little to decrease the long-term pain. Casting blame on government regulators and Wall Street scam arti ... Tags:Investment, Educatiostocks, bonds, CEFs, Wall Street, asset allocation, diversification, dividends, interest
Investment Performance Expectations: Wcm Fine Tuning By: Steve Selengut | - Contrary to popular belief and Wall Street propaganda, investing is not a competitive event. Rather, it is a uniquely personal, goal-directed activity that individuals must organize and control for themselves. Too few appreciate that it is a long-term enterprise and only a handful, at best, have discovered that DJIA and S & P 500 numbers are only useful at their extremes.
Igvsi Performance Expectations - Wcm Portfolios By: Steve Selengut | - No investor should ever be surprised by the changes in market value that appear on his or her monthly brokerage account statements. In general, media noise throughout the month should lead to a feel for what has been going on and investors should understand that the market prices of investment securities are constantly changing.
Crisis Investing - Three-pronged Wcm Strategy By: Steve Selengut | - One of the great things about being a professional investor is the opportunity one has to apply his or her long-term experience to the investment environment that is unfolding (or coming unglued) in the present.
If nothing else, most successful investors develop a consistent strategy that allows them to take advantage of short-term changes and the opportunities that they create in a somewhat unemotional manner. You can always tell a "newbie" by a "let's see how you do for a year" ... Tags:Crisis, cycles, strategy, finance, WCM, investor, working capital, investment, products, long-term, Wall Stree
The Investment Gods Are Angry By: Steve Selengut | - The Working Capital Model (WCM) is an historically new methodology, but with roots deeply imbedded in the building blocks of capitalism, and financial psychology--- if there actually is such a thing.
The earliest forms of capitalism sprung from ancient Roman mercantilism, which involved the production of goods and their distribution to people or countries around the Mediterranean.
Wcm-investing Rules Of Engagement-the Qdi By: Steve Selengut | - Crash! The 2007 thru 2008 financial crisis halved 401(k), IRA, and Mutual Fund values in a matter of months. For many, retirement dates had to be pushed back; for others, new jobs had to be found. The tragic flaw? No income allocation in the investment program. Market value builds egos; income pays the bills.
Few employers cautioned Savings Plan participants that 401(k)s are just not defined benefit programs. Few mutual fund distributors suggested to benefit departments that their ... Tags:Crash, financial crisis, WCM, working capital, investment, 401(k), IRA, mutual fund, CEF, ETF, QDI, index fund,
Value Stock Investing - The November Syndrome On Drugs By: Steve Selengut | - Every fall, especially in opportunity rich markets like this, I encourage investors to think about some year-end strategies that make the final calendar quarter a special time in all markets. Several forces are at work, all of which have links to conventional Wall Street wisdom; none of which promote good long-term investment decision-making.
Making 401(k)s And Iras More Like Pension Plans By: Steve Selengut | - Who's confiscating your 401(k) and IRA? Dateline Raleigh, NC, November 6, 2008: Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives discuss confiscating our 401(k)s and IRAs, by Carolina Journal Online reporter Karen McMahan.
This shocking pronouncement is certainly an attention grabber, which if even partially true, would have an impact on nearly every employed and retired American. The basis for the report is testimony before the House Committee on Education and Labor in ea ... Tags:401(k), IRA, democrats, House, Ghilarducci, New School, retirement accounts, SSRIA, socialism, capitalism
Wall Street Garage Sale Produces Closed End Fund Bargains By: Steve Selengut | - There's a bright light at the end of the tunnel--- finally. Most of the really well respected, long term investors are advising their audiences to hang in there, to stop the panic selling, and to look for the great companies that have withstood the economic downturns of the past.
Buffet, Bogle, Gross, Schwab, and company offer sound advice--- don't run and hide, it's time to hit the Wall Street Mall and go shopping! They've seen the indicators; they've been there before. So have m ... Tags:Closed end, mutual fund, CEF, ETF, sale, Wall Street, Buffet, Bogle, Gross, Schwab, Jaffe, investor, MarketWatch
