Market Timing?

Author: Al Thomas

Source: articleage.com



The recent criminal fiasco in the mutual fund industry is being used by Wall Street to persuade investors that market timing is a bad thing. The late trading by Janus, Bank America and several other well known mutual funds is falsely being called market timing.Wall Street, better known as Maul Street to most investors, does not want to you to find out about market timing. The reason is very simple. If you learn to sell you might take your funds and do something intelligent with them.First let's understand, Mutual FundBest Mutual Fund Investment, what market timing is. Very simply it is a proven method that gives signals to buy and another signal to sell. Many of these methods are associated with stocks and mutual funds yet there are those that signal overall market conditions. We are on the verge of another sell signal for the general market and several market timers have already given those signals to sell. There are many excellent systems and they all beat the Wall Street lie of Buy and Hold. The key to all market profits is selling not buying.The criminal acts of the mutual funds had nothing to do with this method. The hedge fund managers knew the stock holdings of the mutual funds in question and AFTER the market closed companies would make announcements of their earnings, new products approved by the FDA, legal actions, etc. that would definitely impact upon the stock price the NEXT day. If it was good news the fund would allow big money players to place their orders after all official trading stopped. That's 4:00PM New York time.The fund price might be $20 per share, but depending upon the amount of stock in their portfolio it might make the settlement price the next day as much as 5% higher. That doesn't seem like much, but if you had shown a purchase of 10 million dollars on the close that day and sold it out the next day you would have a profit of $500,000. That is money removed from the fund that belongs to the shareholders. This is NOT timing. This is fraud and the, Best Mutual Fund Investment, parties should not only repay all those stolen monies to the fund, but should also see jail time and be banned from the industry for life.If you want to find out more about market timing type in 'market timing' on your computer and do a search. There are scores of them, but you must do your due diligence to be sure that what they are telling you is true. Always ask for references. Make them prove what they say. Don't bother to ask your broker as he will tell you the Wall Street lie that it doesn't work.Because of the precarious nature of this market I encourage you to look into this NOW.Al Thomas' book, "If It Doesn't Go Up, Don't BuyIt!" has helped thousands of people make moneyand keep their profits with his simple 2-stepmethod. Read the first chapter athttp://www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he's the man that Wall Streetdoes not want you to know.Copyright 2005al@mutualfundstrategy.com; 1-888-345-7870

Mutual Fund Investments - Investing and Making Money

Author: Bryan Burbank

Source: ezinearticles.com



There are many opportunities when investing in mutual funds. If you do not have a lot of time to research specific stocks then let somebody else do it for you. When you purchase this type of investment a fund manager will handle researching and investing in specific stocks for you. There are, Mutual FundBest Mutual Fund Investment, a large number of mutual funds that you can invest in so you want to do a little research to see which one fits your needs the best. Basically a mutual fund is a combination of stocks in one portfolio that is handled by a manager. The benefit is you do not have to research individual stocks yourself.A mutual fund is a great way to invest in the stock market but let somebody else handle the research side of it for you. Before making your initial investment you want to check and see what the mutual funds investment objective is. Also it's a good idea to see what their track record is over the past five years. Once you have found a mutual fund that you feel comfortable with you should invest with confidence that you will be making a great investment. It is important to remember that with this type of investment there are always ups and downs in the market so you have to determine if you are in it for the short-term for the long haul.Remember that investing, Best Mutual Fund Investment, in mutual funds can be a very profitable way to make money. It is important that you do your research before choosing which fund you want to invest in. There are many options available to you so make sure you check out the fund's past performance over the last five or 10 years.A mutual fund is a great way to invest in many stocks in a certain sector so that you hedge your bet and make a lot of money.

How to: Trade Mutual Funds.

You Can: Get Rich Trading.

Bryan Burbank is an expert in the field of Finances and Investing in Stocks.

Online Electronic Day Trading -- 3 Basic Tips

Author: Ben Ehinger

Source: download



Are you ready to start day trading online? Online electronic day trading is becoming more and more popular and there is a lot of money to be made day trading. Are you ready to begin trading online and making money? Here are my 3 basic online electronic day trading tips.Day trading tip #1 - Balance your portfolio.I know, Best Mutual Fund Investment, you have probably heard this over and over again. It is very true though. You must have a balanced portfolio. You need to think about the money you are going to be making today and the money you are going to want to make in the long future.Balance your portfolio by using mutual funds, currency trading, stocks, and bonds. Use both short term and long term investing. It is a good thing to have a few long term investments with large stable companies that split on a regular basis.Day trading tip #2 - Don't be, Mutual FundBest Mutual Fund Investment, afraid to take a few chancesMost successful day traders have taken a few losses here and there, but they are not afraid to take a chance. Even if you take a loss every once in a while the gains you can experience when you take a chance will outweigh your losses.Day trading tip #3 - Do your research and know your investmentsIn order to take chances and make smart investments you should always do full research of the companies you are investing in. Look into their past, present, and their future plans. You need to know what you are investing in and what type of management team the company has.Use these three tips, that I have given you to start making money day trading. Remember to always be studying the market and the companies you want to invest in. The better you know your investments and possible investments, the better your decisions will be, and the more money you will make.Are you ready to start making money day trading? Do you want to invest some of your money in stocks, bonds, currency, and mutual funds? Go to the following website for more information.http://www.ready-repair-my-credit.com/forex.htm

Prospering with Mutual Funds: How anyone can Afford an Investment Advisor

Author: Ulli G. Niemann

Source: free-articles



Recently I was invited to appear on a live CNNfn television show to discuss my article How to evaluate Load vs, Best Mutual Fund Investment, . No Load Mutual Funds. (You can read that article on my website http://www.successful-investment.com/articles21.htm)As the producer and I were working out the logistics of my appearance, she mentioned in passing that most people can't afford an investment advisor.While that wasn't the time or place for me to discuss this, I realized that many people might have a similar misconception. Had conditions allowed, I would have pointed out the following to her.There are only two ways an individual can invest in mutual funds: Selecting and investing themselves or using outside help. If they use outside help they'll have a couple of choices again: A commissioned salesperson (broker, financial planner or Registered Representative) or a fee-based investment advisor. Most people don't know the difference and often start with a broker who charges about 6% commission off the top to purchase a mutual fund. The fund is usually from a limited selection of fund families the broker has a relationship with. He, of course, would never recommend a no load fund or an exchange traded fund (ETF), since it is not in his best interest -- although it might be in yours.Having a fee-based investment professional handling your portfolio will get you as close as possible to receiving advice that is based on nothing but the advisor's best knowledge and evaluation of the market. They advise only what they consider top performing funds since sales commission is not a consideration and does not create any conflict of interest for them. But, how can you "afford" an advisor? First off, the advisor's fee is usually in the range of 1% to 3% per year depending on portfolio size. This amount is billed in advance on a pro-rated quarterly basis and charged directly to your investment account. This creates an initial savings right off the bat.Most fee-based advisors offer complete service as far as your portfolio is concerned. That means that they don't simply sell you a mutual fund and disappear until you call again. Since investors evaluate advisors based on the performance of their portfolio, advisors are keenly interested in maximizing your bottom line. In the long run, your gain should outweigh their fee.Many advisors utilize an investment discipline or methodology that keeps you not only invested during upswings in the market, but also in the appropriate funds for the current economic environment. For example, at one time, tech funds were hot. Now, generally, they're not. An advisor watching market trends could have been able to assist you in avoiding the bursting bubble. (In fact, my clients were advised to pull out of the market and into the safety of money markets in October, 2000, just before the market plummeted. What they didn't lose because of this will more than cover my fees for the rest of their lives!)Most advisors don't have lengthy agreements and you usually can cancel by giving 2 weeks notice. The advisor never has access to your money because he is affiliated with a custodian who handles the money, the monthly statements and fulfills the proper legal reporting requirements. With this arrangement an advisor can actually save you money. How? 1. The advisor will use only no load funds. Because of his affiliation with a custodian (often a major brokerage firm), he'll have access to some 10,000 mutual funds, not just to one or two fund families as most commissioned brokers do. This allows him to pick the best available, which potentially means a higher return for his clients.2. At times there are superior load funds available, especially in the international arena. I have used a couple of those in my own practice because they were available to me as load waived funds and my clients got the advantage without paying a sales commission.3. Custodians many times also offer Advisor only funds. These are usually high performing mutual funds where the fund family wishes, for whatever reason, to deal only with investment professionals, so they set high minimum dollar requirements.Such was the case in my practice during our most recent buy signal (4/29/03). I purchased the NAMCX fund, which was only available to advisors through my custodian. This fund rewarded us with a cool 47% over the following five months. Most independent investors would not have had access, Mutual FundBest Mutual Fund Investment, to such a fund on their own.Keep in mind that markets fluctuate and starting with an advisor in the middle of a downturn will not likely yield high profits at first. However, over time, an advisor will most likely produce results better than what you would reasonably expect yourself to do, even with the advisor's modest fee. Choosing the right advisor and watching how your portfolio performs with their advice will almost always prove that it doesn't cost you to have an investment advisor, it pays.Ulli Niemann is an investment advisor and has written about methodical approaches to investing for over 10 years. Heavoided the bear market of 2000 and has helped countless people make better investment decisions. Subscribe to hisfree newsletter: www.successful-investment.com

Roth IRA Strategies

Author: Britt Gillette

Source: ezinearticles.com



Once you understand the basic fundamentals of a Roth IRA Basics, you need to choose a Roth IRA investment strategy which is suitable to your financial position as well as your tolerance for risk. Take note of the latter part of that last sentence - "suitable to your financial position as well as your tolerance for risk." Don't choose an investment strategy which calls for you to contribute $100 per month to your Roth IRA if you have delinquent bills or no savings. Make sure you have at least six months of living expenses tucked away before you begin committing to a long-term investment strategy. Also, don't make any long-term investments which will cause you to lose sleep at night. If you're scared silly by the prospect of losing everything in the stock market, avoid a lot of unwarranted stress by simply not investing in the stock market to begin with.



In this article, we'll cover three (3) primary, non-exclusive investment strategies:



1) Investing in your own area of expertise
2) Investing in managed funds
3) Investing in individual stocks



These strategies are non-exclusive because you can engage in one, all three, or any combination of the three as you see fit. But in most cases, at least one of these strategies will apply to you.



Choosing Your Roth IRA Investment Vehicle(s)



There's an almost countless array investment vehicles you can hold in your Roth IRA, such as:



a) Common Stocks
b) Bonds
c) Mutual Funds
d) Certificates of Deposit (CDs)
e) Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)
f) Money Market Accounts
g) Savings Accounts
h) Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPs)
i) Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
j) Platinum, Gold, and Silver Coins



Some things you can't hold in a Roth IRA include:



a) Collectibles (Priceless art, classic autos, antiques, stamps, etc.)
b) Cash Value Life Insurance



In a nutshell, this covers your list of investment options for a Roth IRA. Take a good look, then continue reading.



Your Comfort Level



To decide what to invest in and how, you should start by asking yourself a series of questions. For instance, are you already familiar with the stock market? Do you have a certain level of comfort investing in one asset class over another? Perhaps you have an intimate familiarity with commodities due to your current job and you think this gives you special insight, Mutual FundBest Mutual Fund Investment, into the world of commodity investing.



Whatever your reasons for being more comfortable with one asset class over another, it's generally a good idea to stick with what you know best.



Your Roth IRA Financial Goals



Regardless of your familiarity with an asset class, you need to make sure the one you choose can realistically help you meet your financial goals. For instance, if a comfortable retirement requires that you receive a 6% annual compound rate of return on your investment portfolio, then you probably don't want to invest everything in U.S. Treasuries yielding 2% annually - even if you consider yourself an ultra-conservative investor. Take a look at some Roth IRA calculators to help determine the annual rate-of-return you need to achieve.



Remember, your Roth IRA is a long-term commitment. If you want to grow your savings into a large nest egg by retirement, you need to do more than simply receive a return of a few percentage points per year. You need to receive a return of a few percentage points per year plus inflation. This is a key point to remember, because if your investment returns can't outpace inflation, then your investment principal will become worth less and less over time. You want it to be more and more!



Historically, the best inflation-beating, Best Mutual Fund Investment, financial returns can be found in one place: the stock market.



Strategy #1 - Investing In Your Own Area Of Expertise



But if the stock market is not one of your desired investment vehicles, feel free to go about doing your own thing, make sure you keep an eye on fees and other costs which can eat into your Roth IRA returns.
For the rest of you who are still interested in investing in the stock market, we're just beginning, so keep on reading.



Investing In The Stock Market



As a general rule, you can only invest in the stock market in one of two ways:



1) You can pay someone to manage your stock market investments
2) You can choose your own individual stock market investments



You should only choose method #2 if you're dedicated to investing the time and energy necessary to properly inform yourself on your investment options. So let's take a look at those options.



Strategy #2 - Investing In Managed Funds



When it comes to paying someone to manage your stock market investments for you, you generally have two options - mutual funds and index funds.



Mutual Funds - Mutual funds are actively-managed investment pools with multiple investors which are managed by an investment professional. Most mutual funds have a stated goal or an investment theme denoting the focus of their investment strategy. For instance, a "large cap" mutual fund will focus its investments on the largest publicly traded companies as measured by market capitalization, while a "small cap" mutual fund will focus its investments on the smaller publicly traded companies as measured by market capitalization. Mutual funds charge management fees (and sometimes other fees) depending on the individual fund.



Index Funds - Index funds are non-actively managed investment pools which attempt to mimic the investment performance of a market index such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the S&P 500. By definition, index funds won't consistently beat the market averages they mirror, but they also shouldn't under perform them either. Another benefit of index funds is that the fees they charge are generally much lower than those of actively managed mutual funds.



Strategy #3 - Investing In Individual Stocks



For those who think they can select a stock portfolio which consistently beats the market averages as well as the returns of actively managed funds, investing in individual stocks may be the choice for you. Just remember, this is not a decision to be made lightly. Making your own individual investment decisions in regard to individual stocks takes a lot of time and effort and the returns you generate need to consistently beat the market averages for the invested time and effort to be worth your while.



Consistently beating the market averages is an elusive goal for mutual fund managers who must contend with numerous restrictions, such as government-enforced restrictions on portfolio diversification, institutional demands for short-term success, and untimely shareholder redemptions. But with the proper time, effort, and emotional control, beating the market averages is an obtainable goal for most individual investors.



Before choosing Strategy #3, make sure you can answer "yes" to each of the following questions:



Are you willing to invest the time and energy to research your own investments?
Do you understand, or are you willing to learn, the basic concepts of the stock market?
Do you understand, or are you willing to learn, the basic concepts of running a business?
Do you understand, or are you willing to learn, the basic concepts of evaluating the worth of a business?
Do you have the emotional control and power of conviction to follow through on your decisions?
Do you have the emotional control to do nothing when the situation demands it?



If you can answer "yes" to each of these questions, then you're ready to move on and learn more about making your own individual stock investment decisions. Choose the strategy you're most comfortable with, and begin investing in your Roth IRA today!

About the Author
Britt Gillette is the founder of Your-Roth-IRA.com, a personal financial website focused on Roth IRAs. Visit Your-Roth-IRA.com to read more articles about Roth IRA strategies and other Roth IRA tips.

How to Select a Mutual Fund

Author: Tony Reed

Source: articleage.com



One of the most common ways of selecting a mutual fund is to invest with the crowd in today's hot funds. Unfortunately, jumping from one winning fund to another is a recipe for disaster, Best Mutual Fund Investment, . The mutual funds that the crowd follows typically have had a hot recent performance and tend to gather all the new mutual fund sales.



Investors as a whole are primarily allocating their new investments to a small number of mutual funds and to a smaller number of mutual fund companies. Investors have invested over $400, Mutual FundBest Mutual Fund Investment, billion in the 2843 different mutual funds, but one-third of those assets are invested in only 50 of those funds and one-half of those assets are invested in the largest 100 funds.



There are benefits to following the market leaders. Larger mutual fund companies and larger funds have the ability to reduce costs and attract the best professional money managers. However, the biggest limitation is that today's better-selling mutual fund may not be tomorrow's winner. This is true for any mutual fund but it seems to plague the best seller, and the one that garners the most attention, the most often.



So buying the equity fund that was yesterday's best-seller isn't a strategy that produces excellent returns. You do not have to go fully in the opposite direction and ignore these hot funds, but you should understand their limitations and strengths. They became best-selling funds because they have merit, but you have to access that merit within your own well-diversified portfolio, and not the crowd's current investment trend.