...unless the stocks you own ARE beating the market!
There is no way on earth you could ever beat the market if the stocks you hold are not keeping up with the market. And hopefully, staying ahead of the market.
But yet, that's what lots of people try to do. They'd rather keep all the dogs in their account and maybe �take a flyer� on one stock, hoping for a miracle. It's like trying to win a NASCAR race with your Ford Taurus. It just ain't gonna happen.
But hey, maybe you don't want to beat the market overall. Maybe you just want to own the BEST semiconductor stocks, or the best retailers, or the best utilities.
Seriously, how would you even KNOW if your stocks or mutual funds are beating the market, or are the best names to own in their group? Well, I can tell you this...
the best indicator I've ever seen in twenty-plus years in the business has been relative strength.
What is relative strength? It is simply the measure of how your mutual fund or stock is doing, compared to a group of other stocks, funds or indexes...or the market overall.
Perhaps you want to compare Intel with other semiconductor stocks. Maybe you want to compare Microsoft with the S&P 500 Index. Maybe you want to compare your mutual fund against the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.
This is a very easy calculation. Here is how you do it: Simply divide the price of your stock or mutual fund against whatever yardstick you choose. You'll get a fractional number as the result. But slide the decimal over so you can work with whole numbers. Then we begin plotting that result daily on a point & figure chart.
These relative strength charts move much slower than a typical chart. Anything going up over time will be in a column of X's. Anything going down will be in a column of O's. If you want to significantly improve your chances of beating the market, the index (or whatever yardstick you choose), it MUST be in a column of X's and preferably be giving buy signals.
Why is this so? Well, if your stock or mutual fund is climbing in a column of X's against the market (or a group of its peers), it HAS to be outperforming the yardstick, right? It cannot go higher unless it is rising faster than the market overall.
Now, if your stock or mutual fund is going down against the yardstick you are using, it means your stock or mutual fund has poor relative strength compared to the index you are plotting it against.
Poor relative strength is something to be avoided.
Here's why: When the market starts falling apart and things look bad, stocks and mutual funds with poor relative strength (or on a relative strength SELL signal) will usually fall further, faster than the rest of the market.
Now, stocks on a relative strength BUY signal can also fall with the market. But our experience has shown that stocks with good relative strength (or on relative strength buy signals) usually don't fall as far as the market overall. They are also are the first names to bounce when the market recovers.
About the Author:
Thomas Mullooly, President of Mullooly Asset Management, works one on one with individuals so they can regain control of their investments. Tom's popular email alerts help folks to reduce the risks in their portfolios. To learn how to stop making simple investing mistakes and to sign up for Tom's email alerts, visit http://www.mullooly.net, today.
Read more articles by: Thomas Mullooly
This article is distributed by: www.iSnare.com
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Your Guide To Retirement Planning
In life, nothing is permanent in this world. Everything that comes will definitely go. That is why it is best to put our best foot forward and save more for the future. The best thing that you have to start with is to have a retirement plan.
Some wait to long before they decide to plan for their future. This is not a good idea because we can never tell what lies ahead. So, here's how and when to start retirement planning:
1. The retirement year.
First, decide on what year you would like to retire. It is always best to start something with a goal in hand. This will keep you focused and determined to push it through.
2. Do your homework.
The best way to help you start making your retirement planning is to consult your �employer-sponsored 401(k) or IRA,� or to any of your retirement schemes and investigate on the objective date of your mutual funds and see if it matches your target date of retirement. If it does, then start funding your nest egg immediately.
3. Backups.
There are many instances where your plan can backfire. So, it is best to have backups.
So, when making a retirement plan, better include a backup that will serve as a fallback in case your nest eggs fails or if something else goes wrong. It is best that you do not depend entirely on your funds because sometimes there are circumstances that are beyond our control.
3. Opt for annuities.
When doing a retirement planning, you should take note also of the different retirement planning strategies that will surely make your plan work. One good example of a retirement planning strategy is the annuities.
Basically, annuities are adaptable indemnity bonds that are exclusively patterned to bestow additional wages at the same time assist you accomplish �long-term� saving goals.
These annuities are the �long-term' items recommended by most insurance companies, though, there are brokers and other financial establishments that provide this kind of service. They will help you set-up a specific goal and aim for it.
There are two types of annuity: the immediate and the tax-deferred annuity.
In the immediate annuity, you start your retirement planning by giving a hefty amount of money to the insurance company or any financial institution for that matter. After which, your payment scheme will start at once. This type of annuity is usually applicable to those who are already 60 years old and above.
On the other hand, the tax-deferred annuities you may choose whether you will pay the retirement amount instantly or make a monthly disbursement until the time you reach your target date.
This is usually appropriate to those who start their retirement planning early, generally those who are 20 years old at the least.
4. Consider the Modified Endowment Contracts.
Annuities had been heading the limelight for so many years now. Most people would go for annuities, as this is the most popular retirement planning strategy. However, like most plans, it is still vulnerable to problems and crisis. That is why, it is best to make an alternative option when making a retirement planning.
The next best retirement planning strategy is the Modified Endowment Contract or the MEC. This is, basically, one kind of �insurance policy.�
In reality, MEC is similar to annuity, especially the tax-deferred annuity, in terms of the preliminary premium rates. Though, they differ in terms of tax codes.
In annuity, the tax code appears to be very unfavourable especially when the benefactor dies while the �annuity accumulation� stage is in full force. This, in turn, makes the deferred wage taxes on development suddenly becomes payable.
In contrast, the MEC resolves this problem by providing the benefactor or the beneficiaries with an �insurance rider� included in the agreement. The �insurance rider� is made to hand over the full amount to your recipients absolutely free from any taxes.
Moreover, MECs can give you the suppleness of choosing between the variable and fixed account preferences. This, in turn, will make your retirement planning relatively easier.
Nevertheless, whatever retirement planning strategy you choose, the bottom line is that it is really important to save for your retirement as soon as possible.
Most often than not, people linger on a little longer before they start making their retirement planning. This should not be the case because you can never tell what will happen next.
As they say, life is suspense; you will never know what it can offer you until the end. So, the best time to do retirement planning is now.
About the Author: For more great relocation info and advice check out: http://www.relocation-advisor.com
Source: www.isnare.com
Some wait to long before they decide to plan for their future. This is not a good idea because we can never tell what lies ahead. So, here's how and when to start retirement planning:
1. The retirement year.
First, decide on what year you would like to retire. It is always best to start something with a goal in hand. This will keep you focused and determined to push it through.
2. Do your homework.
The best way to help you start making your retirement planning is to consult your �employer-sponsored 401(k) or IRA,� or to any of your retirement schemes and investigate on the objective date of your mutual funds and see if it matches your target date of retirement. If it does, then start funding your nest egg immediately.
3. Backups.
There are many instances where your plan can backfire. So, it is best to have backups.
So, when making a retirement plan, better include a backup that will serve as a fallback in case your nest eggs fails or if something else goes wrong. It is best that you do not depend entirely on your funds because sometimes there are circumstances that are beyond our control.
3. Opt for annuities.
When doing a retirement planning, you should take note also of the different retirement planning strategies that will surely make your plan work. One good example of a retirement planning strategy is the annuities.
Basically, annuities are adaptable indemnity bonds that are exclusively patterned to bestow additional wages at the same time assist you accomplish �long-term� saving goals.
These annuities are the �long-term' items recommended by most insurance companies, though, there are brokers and other financial establishments that provide this kind of service. They will help you set-up a specific goal and aim for it.
There are two types of annuity: the immediate and the tax-deferred annuity.
In the immediate annuity, you start your retirement planning by giving a hefty amount of money to the insurance company or any financial institution for that matter. After which, your payment scheme will start at once. This type of annuity is usually applicable to those who are already 60 years old and above.
On the other hand, the tax-deferred annuities you may choose whether you will pay the retirement amount instantly or make a monthly disbursement until the time you reach your target date.
This is usually appropriate to those who start their retirement planning early, generally those who are 20 years old at the least.
4. Consider the Modified Endowment Contracts.
Annuities had been heading the limelight for so many years now. Most people would go for annuities, as this is the most popular retirement planning strategy. However, like most plans, it is still vulnerable to problems and crisis. That is why, it is best to make an alternative option when making a retirement planning.
The next best retirement planning strategy is the Modified Endowment Contract or the MEC. This is, basically, one kind of �insurance policy.�
In reality, MEC is similar to annuity, especially the tax-deferred annuity, in terms of the preliminary premium rates. Though, they differ in terms of tax codes.
In annuity, the tax code appears to be very unfavourable especially when the benefactor dies while the �annuity accumulation� stage is in full force. This, in turn, makes the deferred wage taxes on development suddenly becomes payable.
In contrast, the MEC resolves this problem by providing the benefactor or the beneficiaries with an �insurance rider� included in the agreement. The �insurance rider� is made to hand over the full amount to your recipients absolutely free from any taxes.
Moreover, MECs can give you the suppleness of choosing between the variable and fixed account preferences. This, in turn, will make your retirement planning relatively easier.
Nevertheless, whatever retirement planning strategy you choose, the bottom line is that it is really important to save for your retirement as soon as possible.
Most often than not, people linger on a little longer before they start making their retirement planning. This should not be the case because you can never tell what will happen next.
As they say, life is suspense; you will never know what it can offer you until the end. So, the best time to do retirement planning is now.
About the Author: For more great relocation info and advice check out: http://www.relocation-advisor.com
Source: www.isnare.com
Your Worst Enemy To Successful Investing - The Media
How do you make your investment decisions and where do you get your information? If you're like most of the people I know, you look to the experts.
That's fine, however it's important to be aware that for every expert, there's an opinion and for every opinion there's an expert. I have a friend who says that opinions are like noses: everyone has one but you wouldn't live in anyone else's nose!
Around the first of the year, along with the New Year's resolutions, come the New Year predictions for what will be hot and what will not. As if that isn't enough to produce a massive case of information indigestion, now we have the cable financial shows with pretty much the opinion of the hour.
What this is producing is a frenzy of buy and sell activity for stocks in general, and now for mutual funds as well. I don't think this approach serves either the investors in particular or the funds in general.
The big problem with this for mutual fund investors is that all the experts are recommending different funds. It might be one thing if experts had a solid basis for their perspective. If they did, then you would think their recommendations would line up and they'd all be touting the same thing.
But they don't and they aren't. Oh sure, each one of them can make a good case for their pick. But so can the next "expert." And usually both of them won't be right (if either of them is). So, where's the value in this for you? Beats me.
Another problem with this approach is that many experts recommend different funds at different times, and, in an effort to be in the hot fund, investors keep moving from fund to fund.
In the same breath, the experts are telling us to invest for the long term. Well, I can't figure out how to do both: be in the latest hot fund, and hold what I've got for the long haul.
The downside of all of this for the funds is that sometimes a fund touted as the hot one to be in attracts so much investment attention (i.e., money) that it grows beyond its original intention. At that point, it loses its direction and the very thing that made it strong is sacrificed. And guess what happens to the performance?
So, in the midst of all the hawking and hype for this fund or that, what's an investor to do to make intelligent choices?
For myself and my clients I use a trend tracking methodology, which identifies long-term trends in various markets. I research funds for stability and reliability as well as current performance. Then, when our trend indicator signals a Buy, we select our mutual funds based on momentum figures for various time periods to arrive at the most promising fund(s) to use for this cycle.
This gives us a head start and sometimes, weeks after we've bought a fund, I see it written up in financial papers as being one of the best performers.
Does this approach always put us in the number one fund? Maybe not. But we are almost always in funds that are doing very, very well. And do we get in at the bottom and out at the very top? Again, maybe not.
However, I can tell you that, using this methodology, my clients and I followed the sell signal we got in October, 2000, and were safely invested in solid money markets when the stock market crashed and burned.
Is this approach for you? It depends on how much adrenaline rush you like when you watch your investments. Personally, I fulfill my thrill quotient with other things in life and enjoy sleeping at night when it comes to my investments.
Ulli Niemann is an investment advisor and has been writing about objective, methodical approaches to investing for over 10 years. He eluded the bear market of 2000 and has helped hundreds of people make better investment decisions. To find out more about his approach and his FREE Newsletter, please visit: http://www.successful-investment.com
ulli@successful-investment.com
That's fine, however it's important to be aware that for every expert, there's an opinion and for every opinion there's an expert. I have a friend who says that opinions are like noses: everyone has one but you wouldn't live in anyone else's nose!
Around the first of the year, along with the New Year's resolutions, come the New Year predictions for what will be hot and what will not. As if that isn't enough to produce a massive case of information indigestion, now we have the cable financial shows with pretty much the opinion of the hour.
What this is producing is a frenzy of buy and sell activity for stocks in general, and now for mutual funds as well. I don't think this approach serves either the investors in particular or the funds in general.
The big problem with this for mutual fund investors is that all the experts are recommending different funds. It might be one thing if experts had a solid basis for their perspective. If they did, then you would think their recommendations would line up and they'd all be touting the same thing.
But they don't and they aren't. Oh sure, each one of them can make a good case for their pick. But so can the next "expert." And usually both of them won't be right (if either of them is). So, where's the value in this for you? Beats me.
Another problem with this approach is that many experts recommend different funds at different times, and, in an effort to be in the hot fund, investors keep moving from fund to fund.
In the same breath, the experts are telling us to invest for the long term. Well, I can't figure out how to do both: be in the latest hot fund, and hold what I've got for the long haul.
The downside of all of this for the funds is that sometimes a fund touted as the hot one to be in attracts so much investment attention (i.e., money) that it grows beyond its original intention. At that point, it loses its direction and the very thing that made it strong is sacrificed. And guess what happens to the performance?
So, in the midst of all the hawking and hype for this fund or that, what's an investor to do to make intelligent choices?
For myself and my clients I use a trend tracking methodology, which identifies long-term trends in various markets. I research funds for stability and reliability as well as current performance. Then, when our trend indicator signals a Buy, we select our mutual funds based on momentum figures for various time periods to arrive at the most promising fund(s) to use for this cycle.
This gives us a head start and sometimes, weeks after we've bought a fund, I see it written up in financial papers as being one of the best performers.
Does this approach always put us in the number one fund? Maybe not. But we are almost always in funds that are doing very, very well. And do we get in at the bottom and out at the very top? Again, maybe not.
However, I can tell you that, using this methodology, my clients and I followed the sell signal we got in October, 2000, and were safely invested in solid money markets when the stock market crashed and burned.
Is this approach for you? It depends on how much adrenaline rush you like when you watch your investments. Personally, I fulfill my thrill quotient with other things in life and enjoy sleeping at night when it comes to my investments.
Ulli Niemann is an investment advisor and has been writing about objective, methodical approaches to investing for over 10 years. He eluded the bear market of 2000 and has helped hundreds of people make better investment decisions. To find out more about his approach and his FREE Newsletter, please visit: http://www.successful-investment.com
ulli@successful-investment.com
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