It appears that I have a dislike for admitting that I could ever get it wrong and this explains why I sometimes can't take a loss. On the other side of the equation: if I was wrong and XYZ was not going to make me a fortune - then what could I do? Okay I spotted one of my stocks in the "Shares" magazine - I confess! I was just reading about all the up-and-coming stars and there was this little snippet asking a question like: "Could this be a new Microsoft?". Now they may not have said that exactly, but it was enough to make me think XYZ was a good news story as its price will testify - at the time(in the 70's ). I mean it was there - it had to have some merit!It was a miner and had a technology company in its portfolio and a percentage of another tech company and was doing very little in the resources area because there was more hype in tech shares at the time. It was a time when many miners were turning into tech companies. Can you visualize the miners making their way to the goldfields?Well I was right into that - so I bought heaps and the crazy part was that I was not going to sell something that had such a great future. Nearly $60 000 went into this company and I've still got it. Not because I am still in love, but because it's nearly worthless. It will be a reminder to me never to do that again!How much is this RULE really worth to me? That's simple - without counting any other stock in my tech-wrecked portfolio, this RULE is worth $59 494.45 saved.If I just add one more, an online retailer, which cost me $69 928.20, my total saving would be $129 422.65. So if someone had given me the above rule to live by, I could have sold out early and kept most of $129 000.The unloved by the market, which included many of my startups have plummeted since the tech boom - some went up like shooting starts, only to be blasted to pieces and fall back to Earth. You won't get directors coming out to say that the market has put an outrageous price on this company or that one, and that really, there is no substance to back up the price. However someone will notice that the king is really naked and when they do there is no mercy from the crowd.I have heard say, "The market is always right", and maybe it's not a bad one to remember. Those that didn't participate in the tech boom will have lost considerable money and those that fell in love with the naked royalty will have lost their shirts.Does it hurt? You bet it does! It hurts every day, but it will get better one day - I hope! It was a great experience, even though it was a painful one. Now it is you, the reader, who stands to benefit from my mistakes; which increases the value of such insights and will make this book probably the most treasured book about the market's affect on individuals' psychology and an awesome reminder of the pitfalls of sharemarket speculation. Do I think that I'm the worst case? NO WAY!! You only have to look back in time to see what companies, underwriters and well-established financial houses paid for software companies and internet security companies - even our beloved Telstra(using the taxpayer's wealth) suffered its billion dollar nightmares, not to mention News Corp's businesses going bust. The bigger they are the harder they have fallen: Enron, Vivendi, Worldcom and others handing over billions as if there was no tomorrow. Well now the penny has well and truly dropped as these huge gorillas fight for their survival under a pile of debt and scandal. Nope...I'm in good company. The scandals and falls since June 2002 have certainly been enough to scare me. We live in hope that we don't end up with a depression and that the losses of up to $US8 trillion at the time of writing, are finally stemmed without bringing the whole financial system to its knees.How many lucky devils bought News Corp at $26 and how many have watched the decent to $8.46? Losing $12 billion in one year only makes people want to own it, pushing the price from below $9.50 back up to above $10.50. The market lurches from drunken stupor to bottomless pit of despair - it's easy to get it wrong on any day!In sharemarket trading you live and die by your trading plan - so experiment by all means but at some stage you will need trading rules to live by. The market can leave you behind. It has a way of changing faster than you can. It does its time as a bull and then becomes a bear and in the same breath will do an about face and scream to a high, leaving your position in the red, when everything you know tells you that the market for that stock should not behave that way. You keep screaming ...BUT IT'S A LOSER!!!!!! Stock punters just ignore you, pushing the dog of a stock higher, after losses counted in billions of Australian dollars and a weaker quarterly profit. Who really cares? Emotion carries the market higher until once again the profit takers come in and sell the highs.If you have enjoyed this discussion...there's more....and the content is not specific to any one country. You can apply these ideas.Please visit: http://www.tutorhelp.com.au/sharemarket.html
Get interactive with our Ezine "Request": 10simplerules@tutorhelp.com.au
Happy Investing,
Joseph SgroThe Author
GET ANY CREDIT CARD YOU WANT
You should have no problem getting any credit card you want if you follow the procedure explained in Report #9005 - ESTABLISH AAA CREDIT IN 30 DAYS. But, there are a few rules to follow to insure you have no difficulties in obtaining your cards:
1) Apply for department store cards first. Purchase something and pay the balance when due;
2) Apply for gasoline credit cards listing your department store cards as references;
3) Apply for bank cards - MasterCard and Visa;
4) Apply for the Travel and Entertainment cards - American Express, Diner’s Club, etc.
from:www.contentmart.com
You should have no problem getting any credit card you want if you follow the procedure explained in Report #9005 - ESTABLISH AAA CREDIT IN 30 DAYS. But, there are a few rules to follow to insure you have no difficulties in obtaining your cards:
1) Apply for department store cards first. Purchase something and pay the balance when due;
2) Apply for gasoline credit cards listing your department store cards as references;
3) Apply for bank cards - MasterCard and Visa;
4) Apply for the Travel and Entertainment cards - American Express, Diner’s Club, etc.
from:www.contentmart.com
CONSIDER ASKING SOMEONE YOU KNOW TO CO-SIGN
A co-signer is soneone who generall has better credit than the person he is co-signing for. He is also the person a creditor will go after first in the event you do not pay off you debt. Why? Because the know that co-signers don’t want their credit ratings ruined and will quickly settle the obligation.
If you are trying to establish or rebuild credit, co-signers can help you achieve that goal. Naturally you wouldn’t need a co-signer every time you apply for credit. After paying off one obligation with a co-signer, it should be much easier to acquire more credit on your own.
Co-signers are usually friends or relatives. When you find someone willing to help they should be offered some compensation agreeable to both of you. Your application for credit will be approved primarily on the strength of your co-signer’s credit.
HOW TO GET A VISA OR MASTERCARD
The tips and techniques described in this report are meant to increase the odds for anyone who is absolutely certain they cannot get a Visa/Mastercard through normal channels. You should make every attempt to clean up your credit report by removing negative items and replacing them with positive items. If you have no credit at all, open an account at a local department store. After a few months apply for your bank card. If you are rejected, find out why and correct the problem. If that doesn’t work, cultivate a relationship with your banker. Open other accounts that are easier to obtain. Increase your income. Buy a home. Make yourself a better credit risk on your credit report. Ask a friend or relative to co-sign. After paying off that debt, reapply on your own. Or, the fastest and easiest way to open a Visa or Mastercard account in your own name, is through a secured account.
SECURED CREDIT CARDS
Secured Visa and Mastercard bank cards are issued by savings and loan associations throughout the U.S. The lender will ask you to open a savings account. The funds placed into the savings account are frozen as long as there is an outstanding balance on the credit card. The savings account acts as security against non-payment of charges made against the credit card. Then, in the event a cardholder doesn’t pay, funds from the frozen account can be used to pay off the debt. This method completely reduces any risk to the lender.
Requirements are often lowered by lending institutions that have this program. So if you couldn’t obtain a card through your regular bank, chances are you will receive one through a secured credit card program without a credit check.
from:www.contentmart.com
A co-signer is soneone who generall has better credit than the person he is co-signing for. He is also the person a creditor will go after first in the event you do not pay off you debt. Why? Because the know that co-signers don’t want their credit ratings ruined and will quickly settle the obligation.
If you are trying to establish or rebuild credit, co-signers can help you achieve that goal. Naturally you wouldn’t need a co-signer every time you apply for credit. After paying off one obligation with a co-signer, it should be much easier to acquire more credit on your own.
Co-signers are usually friends or relatives. When you find someone willing to help they should be offered some compensation agreeable to both of you. Your application for credit will be approved primarily on the strength of your co-signer’s credit.
HOW TO GET A VISA OR MASTERCARD
The tips and techniques described in this report are meant to increase the odds for anyone who is absolutely certain they cannot get a Visa/Mastercard through normal channels. You should make every attempt to clean up your credit report by removing negative items and replacing them with positive items. If you have no credit at all, open an account at a local department store. After a few months apply for your bank card. If you are rejected, find out why and correct the problem. If that doesn’t work, cultivate a relationship with your banker. Open other accounts that are easier to obtain. Increase your income. Buy a home. Make yourself a better credit risk on your credit report. Ask a friend or relative to co-sign. After paying off that debt, reapply on your own. Or, the fastest and easiest way to open a Visa or Mastercard account in your own name, is through a secured account.
SECURED CREDIT CARDS
Secured Visa and Mastercard bank cards are issued by savings and loan associations throughout the U.S. The lender will ask you to open a savings account. The funds placed into the savings account are frozen as long as there is an outstanding balance on the credit card. The savings account acts as security against non-payment of charges made against the credit card. Then, in the event a cardholder doesn’t pay, funds from the frozen account can be used to pay off the debt. This method completely reduces any risk to the lender.
Requirements are often lowered by lending institutions that have this program. So if you couldn’t obtain a card through your regular bank, chances are you will receive one through a secured credit card program without a credit check.
from:www.contentmart.com
ALWAYS BE PERSISTENT AND NEVER GIVE UP!
If you complete an application and are still rejected, the very first thing you should do is be persistent and never give up. There are many reasons why a person may be turned down for credit, but whatever the reason, you have a legal right to ask a creditor what their reason was.
By knowing what some of the main reasons are for denying credit you can put yourself in a position whereby you can make necessary adjustments and avoid negative effects in advance. If you are turned down, you can then of course concentrate on those points when you reapply.
When you are dealing with creditors you will know who is the cooperative sort, and who is not. If an unsecured loan does not appear imminent, turn the conversation to a secured loan. Then all you do is deposit an amount into savings account to serve as collateral for the amount of credit you want to secure. In some cases the creditor may take personal property as security. If you go to one creditor and it’s clear he has no imagination to deal, go to another who is willing.
from:freecontent.com
If you complete an application and are still rejected, the very first thing you should do is be persistent and never give up. There are many reasons why a person may be turned down for credit, but whatever the reason, you have a legal right to ask a creditor what their reason was.
By knowing what some of the main reasons are for denying credit you can put yourself in a position whereby you can make necessary adjustments and avoid negative effects in advance. If you are turned down, you can then of course concentrate on those points when you reapply.
When you are dealing with creditors you will know who is the cooperative sort, and who is not. If an unsecured loan does not appear imminent, turn the conversation to a secured loan. Then all you do is deposit an amount into savings account to serve as collateral for the amount of credit you want to secure. In some cases the creditor may take personal property as security. If you go to one creditor and it’s clear he has no imagination to deal, go to another who is willing.
from:freecontent.com
MORE HOT TIPS ON HOW YOU CAN STACK THE ODDS IN YOUR FAVOR!
1) If you don’t have a telephone get one installed. The alternative is to make an arrangement with the telephone company and a friend or relative, to have your name listed with their phone.
2) If you have more than one job, list the one that provides you with the greatest income.
3) Add up your income from all sources and place the total in your gross income listing. Be prepared to submit a supplement to your application if they want to verify your income with your employer.
4) Many banks will have a list of 'good' and 'bad' reasons for borrowing money. Unless you are applying for a secured loan, you don’t have to spend the money for the reason specified. 'Good' reasons include home improvement, education, loan to establish credit, medical treatment for you or your family, and secured loans for a home, car, boat, and other properties. 'Bad' reasons include loans that create another obligation such as that created when you borrow money for a down payment and then have two payments to make; money to pay aa fine or penaltly; money to consolidate debts, unless you are doing it to get lower interest rates; an unnecessary luxury item; money to finance politics; and money that you will loan to someone else. Use a little common sense in determining what type of loan a creditor may consider bad.
5) Banks use dependent figures to determine what your living costs are. If you have more than two dependents you should indicate how they earn their own way or are self-supporting.
6) If you don’t own your own home, counteract this by showing how stable you are. For example, even though you have only rented in a new location for a relatively short time, you lived at your last residence for many years. You moved to improve yourself in some way.
7) Even job changes can be counteracted if each change increased your salary and improved your position.
8) Don’t ever let a creditor guess as to whether or not you can afford the extra obligation you are asking for. Make it obvious by the amount of your income. If you have more income sources than just your salary, include those amounts
from:www.freecontent.com
1) If you don’t have a telephone get one installed. The alternative is to make an arrangement with the telephone company and a friend or relative, to have your name listed with their phone.
2) If you have more than one job, list the one that provides you with the greatest income.
3) Add up your income from all sources and place the total in your gross income listing. Be prepared to submit a supplement to your application if they want to verify your income with your employer.
4) Many banks will have a list of 'good' and 'bad' reasons for borrowing money. Unless you are applying for a secured loan, you don’t have to spend the money for the reason specified. 'Good' reasons include home improvement, education, loan to establish credit, medical treatment for you or your family, and secured loans for a home, car, boat, and other properties. 'Bad' reasons include loans that create another obligation such as that created when you borrow money for a down payment and then have two payments to make; money to pay aa fine or penaltly; money to consolidate debts, unless you are doing it to get lower interest rates; an unnecessary luxury item; money to finance politics; and money that you will loan to someone else. Use a little common sense in determining what type of loan a creditor may consider bad.
5) Banks use dependent figures to determine what your living costs are. If you have more than two dependents you should indicate how they earn their own way or are self-supporting.
6) If you don’t own your own home, counteract this by showing how stable you are. For example, even though you have only rented in a new location for a relatively short time, you lived at your last residence for many years. You moved to improve yourself in some way.
7) Even job changes can be counteracted if each change increased your salary and improved your position.
8) Don’t ever let a creditor guess as to whether or not you can afford the extra obligation you are asking for. Make it obvious by the amount of your income. If you have more income sources than just your salary, include those amounts
from:www.freecontent.com
Deal With Sellers
DEAL WITH MOTIVATED SELLERS
Your objective as a smart buyer should always be to buy real estate with little or nothing down. Even if a seller has equity, you can work out an arrangement that is to your benefit. For example, a seller may agree to carry all the paper on the transaction. This doesn’t mean that the seller will receive no down payment where there is an equity consideration. What it does mean is that you shouldn’t have to come up with cold cash out of your pocket.
Extending credit to customers is the way creditors make money. If you convince them you are a good risk they will give you what you want. Basically, there are two ways you can achieve that goal.
1) You can bypass the normal scoring methods that are used by impressing the person processing your application that you are sincerek reliable, stable, and have the ability to make monthly payments on a loan or credit card account. 2) You can tailor your answers to the application’s questions and in that manner fit into the right scoring mold of what a good credit risk is, according to the formula they are using.
That doesn’t mean you should lie on your application. It simply means you should be aware that being compatible with certian sterotypes will work in your favor. Remember, a creditor can still verify the information you list in an application. Still, many people will twist the truth to put themselves in a favorable position. For example:
1) Some applicants will list their parent’s, a friend’s, or a relative’s address as their own residence and indicate they have lived there for years, knowing it probably won’t be checked. 2) Provided an applicant has a friend or employer who will go along with them, they can list a position and salary they don’t really receive. Then when the creditor calls to verify employment the friend will support what the applicant has claimed to be true. 3) Another way applicants instantly increase their salary is to set up their own corporation. After issuing themselves private stock with an inflated value, they list the stock as part of their salary.
www.freecontent.com
Your objective as a smart buyer should always be to buy real estate with little or nothing down. Even if a seller has equity, you can work out an arrangement that is to your benefit. For example, a seller may agree to carry all the paper on the transaction. This doesn’t mean that the seller will receive no down payment where there is an equity consideration. What it does mean is that you shouldn’t have to come up with cold cash out of your pocket.
Extending credit to customers is the way creditors make money. If you convince them you are a good risk they will give you what you want. Basically, there are two ways you can achieve that goal.
1) You can bypass the normal scoring methods that are used by impressing the person processing your application that you are sincerek reliable, stable, and have the ability to make monthly payments on a loan or credit card account. 2) You can tailor your answers to the application’s questions and in that manner fit into the right scoring mold of what a good credit risk is, according to the formula they are using.
That doesn’t mean you should lie on your application. It simply means you should be aware that being compatible with certian sterotypes will work in your favor. Remember, a creditor can still verify the information you list in an application. Still, many people will twist the truth to put themselves in a favorable position. For example:
1) Some applicants will list their parent’s, a friend’s, or a relative’s address as their own residence and indicate they have lived there for years, knowing it probably won’t be checked. 2) Provided an applicant has a friend or employer who will go along with them, they can list a position and salary they don’t really receive. Then when the creditor calls to verify employment the friend will support what the applicant has claimed to be true. 3) Another way applicants instantly increase their salary is to set up their own corporation. After issuing themselves private stock with an inflated value, they list the stock as part of their salary.
www.freecontent.com
How to apply for credit card
HOW CREDITORS RATE AN APPLICATION
The first thing you should know is that every system is different. That in itself can work to your advantage. You could be rejected by one company’s scoring system and approved by another. One creditor’s system will give you many points for a good ancwer, and totally ignore a question that gives a negative answer. Another creditor can simply reverse the process.
Keeping in mind that creditors use different scoring systems, we will list only the most important questions and briefly review how a response can affect your total score. The following categories are listed from the highest to lowest points awarded each response.
RESIDENCE - The longer you have lived in one place the better. Stability is given high points.
HOME OWNERSHIP - The best possible housing situation is to own your own home, even if itt is mortgaged. The worst is: renting an unfurnished apartment, living with parents, living in a trailer or motel.
FHA ASSUMABLE HOME LOANS
President Bush signed legislation making credit checks for home mortgages mandatory after December 1989. Prior to that date however, all loans are fully assumable without a mandatory credit check. There are four important factors that will allow you to purchase a home without a credit check and with a minimal down payment:
1) As a home buyer, your application can be pre-approved and your loan without a credit check provided: a) The original VA loan was granted March 1988, or b) The original FHA loan was granted prior to December 2) If the original home buyer made a small down payment on the sale price which was used primarily for closing costs and consequently did not buy any equity at that time. 3) If most of the payments made by the original owner were applied to interest during the first 4-5 years and very little went towards the principal. In that event, very little equity would result from making payments. Or, if there was any equity it would probably have been reduced by depreciation or other home market conditions. 4) The last factor would be low- or no-equity conditions that resulted from low inflation and other economic conditions that can decrease the value of property.
UNDERSTANDING WHAT EQUITY MEANS AS A BUYING FACTOR
In order to understand the buying significance of equity you must understand what it means. Equity is the difference between what real estate sells for (market value), and the payoff amount of the loan to a lender on that property. In other words, if you own a home with a market value or $100,000, but you owe the bank $99,000, your eequity is $1,000. In tens of thousands of cases, VA and FHA homes can be purchased with little or no down payment because no equity has been built up.
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF HOMES ARE AVAILABLE - INCLUDING YOURSS!
If you have been dreaming about owning your own home someday, Dream No More! Right now at this very moment there are tens of thousands of homes for you to choose from that can be purchased with no credit check and no down payment. or with a very modest down payment.
Sounds incredible doesn’t it? But remember, the only reason any seller requires a down payment in the first place is usually to recover the equity in their home. A small amount of equity requires a small down payment. No equity means no down payment!
from :www.contentmart.com
The first thing you should know is that every system is different. That in itself can work to your advantage. You could be rejected by one company’s scoring system and approved by another. One creditor’s system will give you many points for a good ancwer, and totally ignore a question that gives a negative answer. Another creditor can simply reverse the process.
Keeping in mind that creditors use different scoring systems, we will list only the most important questions and briefly review how a response can affect your total score. The following categories are listed from the highest to lowest points awarded each response.
RESIDENCE - The longer you have lived in one place the better. Stability is given high points.
HOME OWNERSHIP - The best possible housing situation is to own your own home, even if itt is mortgaged. The worst is: renting an unfurnished apartment, living with parents, living in a trailer or motel.
FHA ASSUMABLE HOME LOANS
President Bush signed legislation making credit checks for home mortgages mandatory after December 1989. Prior to that date however, all loans are fully assumable without a mandatory credit check. There are four important factors that will allow you to purchase a home without a credit check and with a minimal down payment:
1) As a home buyer, your application can be pre-approved and your loan without a credit check provided: a) The original VA loan was granted March 1988, or b) The original FHA loan was granted prior to December 2) If the original home buyer made a small down payment on the sale price which was used primarily for closing costs and consequently did not buy any equity at that time. 3) If most of the payments made by the original owner were applied to interest during the first 4-5 years and very little went towards the principal. In that event, very little equity would result from making payments. Or, if there was any equity it would probably have been reduced by depreciation or other home market conditions. 4) The last factor would be low- or no-equity conditions that resulted from low inflation and other economic conditions that can decrease the value of property.
UNDERSTANDING WHAT EQUITY MEANS AS A BUYING FACTOR
In order to understand the buying significance of equity you must understand what it means. Equity is the difference between what real estate sells for (market value), and the payoff amount of the loan to a lender on that property. In other words, if you own a home with a market value or $100,000, but you owe the bank $99,000, your eequity is $1,000. In tens of thousands of cases, VA and FHA homes can be purchased with little or no down payment because no equity has been built up.
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF HOMES ARE AVAILABLE - INCLUDING YOURSS!
If you have been dreaming about owning your own home someday, Dream No More! Right now at this very moment there are tens of thousands of homes for you to choose from that can be purchased with no credit check and no down payment. or with a very modest down payment.
Sounds incredible doesn’t it? But remember, the only reason any seller requires a down payment in the first place is usually to recover the equity in their home. A small amount of equity requires a small down payment. No equity means no down payment!
from :www.contentmart.com
HOW TO GET CREDIT CARD WITH NO CREDIT CHECK
HOW TO GET A VISA/MASTERCARD WITH NO CREDIT CHECK
SHAPING YOUR APPLICATION TO FIT THE RIGHT PROFILE
Creditors approve credit to those people who most closely match the right profile. They arrive at those conclusions by assigning point values to various items of information that are included either on your credit application or in a credit report.
Credit card companies like scoring systems because as a large volume creditor, they can replace trained credit personnel with a relatively few employees who can quickly total number columns and determine if an applicant’s point values add up to the right score.
Scoring, of course, is done for one reason. A creditor just wants to know that the odds are high he will get his money back. Scoring systems are fine for those people who fit right into the right profile, but what about those who don’t but could pay off their monthly obligations just as easily and reliably as the next person? If you are one of those people who just doesn’t 'fit the mold,' you’ll simply have to make a few adjustments in your application so that you do fit the scoring profile of what a creditor is looking for in a final total.
continue next post
from :www.contentmart.com
SHAPING YOUR APPLICATION TO FIT THE RIGHT PROFILE
Creditors approve credit to those people who most closely match the right profile. They arrive at those conclusions by assigning point values to various items of information that are included either on your credit application or in a credit report.
Credit card companies like scoring systems because as a large volume creditor, they can replace trained credit personnel with a relatively few employees who can quickly total number columns and determine if an applicant’s point values add up to the right score.
Scoring, of course, is done for one reason. A creditor just wants to know that the odds are high he will get his money back. Scoring systems are fine for those people who fit right into the right profile, but what about those who don’t but could pay off their monthly obligations just as easily and reliably as the next person? If you are one of those people who just doesn’t 'fit the mold,' you’ll simply have to make a few adjustments in your application so that you do fit the scoring profile of what a creditor is looking for in a final total.
continue next post
from :www.contentmart.com
Homemaker Life Insurance
If you're a stay-at-home mom, don't assume that just because you don't "earn an income," you don't need life insurance. You do. But how much do you need?
Figure out what it would cost to replace the services you provide for your family. If you weren't around, how much would it cost to hire a person (or more likely, people) to care for the kids, transport them, do the grocery shopping, act as the family bookkeeper (if that's something you do), etc.? After you figure out how much that would cost each year, increase that number each year by 3 or 4 percent for inflation, and determine how many years you'd need such services. Perhaps until your youngest child is in junior high? Perhaps longer? Also, if your spouse thinks that he would reduce his working hours should something happen to you, you need to factor the need to replace that portion of his income into the equation, as well. The point is, not only are you of critical value emotionally to your family, you're of critical value financially—and you need insurance, too.
Figure out what it would cost to replace the services you provide for your family. If you weren't around, how much would it cost to hire a person (or more likely, people) to care for the kids, transport them, do the grocery shopping, act as the family bookkeeper (if that's something you do), etc.? After you figure out how much that would cost each year, increase that number each year by 3 or 4 percent for inflation, and determine how many years you'd need such services. Perhaps until your youngest child is in junior high? Perhaps longer? Also, if your spouse thinks that he would reduce his working hours should something happen to you, you need to factor the need to replace that portion of his income into the equation, as well. The point is, not only are you of critical value emotionally to your family, you're of critical value financially—and you need insurance, too.
The Rebalancing Game
When you first put together your portfolio, you made a conscientious decision about how much you were putting into stocks, bonds, and cash investments like CDs and money market funds. (Typically, the percentage you want to have in stocks is about 100 minus your age, with the rest split between bonds and cash.) But if you haven't gone back and checked on that allocation for several years, those proportions are probably out of whack. That's why, at the beginning of each year, investment advisors recommend going through an exercise called rebalancing. How does it work?
Take out pencil and paper (or use a personal finance program) and run the numbers.
To realign a portfolio that's overweight in stocks, you can either sell some (start with your losers) or make your next investments in bonds and cash until you catch up.
Take out pencil and paper (or use a personal finance program) and run the numbers.
To realign a portfolio that's overweight in stocks, you can either sell some (start with your losers) or make your next investments in bonds and cash until you catch up.
what matter in retirement
Watching your retirement accounts bounce up and down can make you feel panicky and out of control.
As your life savings shrink, you may be contemplating working longer, saving more and living on less. Even when they bounce back, it can seem a little overwhelming, frightening and unmanageable.
While it's true that no one can control the stock market, let's not forget that there are plenty of other aspects of your future retirement over which you do have some influence.
The real measures of success Robust health, close friends, warm family relationships and engaging activities are what really constitute a happy retirement, says Ralph "Jake" Warner, co-founder of Nolo Press, the legal self-help publisher.
Warner's been singing this particular song for years, but until lately, it was tough to get people to listen.
Not so long ago, Warner said, "everyone with a 401(k) plan was sure that they were about to be rich." Now, after a dose of market reality, Warner senses more people are receptive to his ideas.
"It's as if people figure that since they are unlikely to become filthy rich, they need to move on to retirement plan No. 2," Warner said, "which involves embracing more homely virtues, like having good friends, good health and interesting things to do."
Warner's perspective comes from interviewing scores of contented retirees for his book, "Get a Life: You Don't Need a Million to Retire Well," first published in the mid-1990s and updated not long ago. The interviewees ranged from well-off seniors to some living just on Social Security checks.
Over and over the retirees told him: Money is good, but it takes a lot more to build a fulfilling retirement.
In fact, the single-minded pursuit of money during your working life can actually take the shine off your golden years. The stress, anxiety and single-minded focus, Warner said, can end up undermining your health, relationships and ability to pursue other interests.
So once you've got your financial retirement plan in place -- you've thought about your goals, started saving, created a diversified investment portfolio -- you might want to think about getting your life plan in place as well.
Good health Obviously, some aspects of your health are beyond your control. Disease and accidents can strike the healthiest of us. But you can reduce your chances of serious problems in many ways: Eat right. Get enough exercise. Maintain a healthy weight. Minimize the effects of stress. Go for regular check-ups and health screenings.
Physical health is only part of the picture. Monitoring your mental and intellectual health is important, too.
Getting a real life Warner's book is full of other interesting ideas, such as the notion that brokerages and mutual fund companies are fueling Americans' paranoia about not having saved enough for retirement. He asserts, as the title indicates, that $1 million portfolios aren't necessary for most of us and that many retirees will be able to live on less than 70% of their pre-retirement incomes.
Whether or not you agree with everything Warner writes, his prescription for developing the non-financial side of retirement makes a lot of sense.
So think about what you can do, right now, to bolster your future happiness. And hold on to those thoughts the next time the Dow dips or you start worrying if your retirement funds will ever grow again.
"Who knows? Being a little poorer," Warner said, "may even be good for some people."
As your life savings shrink, you may be contemplating working longer, saving more and living on less. Even when they bounce back, it can seem a little overwhelming, frightening and unmanageable.
While it's true that no one can control the stock market, let's not forget that there are plenty of other aspects of your future retirement over which you do have some influence.
The real measures of success Robust health, close friends, warm family relationships and engaging activities are what really constitute a happy retirement, says Ralph "Jake" Warner, co-founder of Nolo Press, the legal self-help publisher.
Warner's been singing this particular song for years, but until lately, it was tough to get people to listen.
Not so long ago, Warner said, "everyone with a 401(k) plan was sure that they were about to be rich." Now, after a dose of market reality, Warner senses more people are receptive to his ideas.
"It's as if people figure that since they are unlikely to become filthy rich, they need to move on to retirement plan No. 2," Warner said, "which involves embracing more homely virtues, like having good friends, good health and interesting things to do."
Warner's perspective comes from interviewing scores of contented retirees for his book, "Get a Life: You Don't Need a Million to Retire Well," first published in the mid-1990s and updated not long ago. The interviewees ranged from well-off seniors to some living just on Social Security checks.
Over and over the retirees told him: Money is good, but it takes a lot more to build a fulfilling retirement.
In fact, the single-minded pursuit of money during your working life can actually take the shine off your golden years. The stress, anxiety and single-minded focus, Warner said, can end up undermining your health, relationships and ability to pursue other interests.
So once you've got your financial retirement plan in place -- you've thought about your goals, started saving, created a diversified investment portfolio -- you might want to think about getting your life plan in place as well.
Good health Obviously, some aspects of your health are beyond your control. Disease and accidents can strike the healthiest of us. But you can reduce your chances of serious problems in many ways: Eat right. Get enough exercise. Maintain a healthy weight. Minimize the effects of stress. Go for regular check-ups and health screenings.
Physical health is only part of the picture. Monitoring your mental and intellectual health is important, too.
Getting a real life Warner's book is full of other interesting ideas, such as the notion that brokerages and mutual fund companies are fueling Americans' paranoia about not having saved enough for retirement. He asserts, as the title indicates, that $1 million portfolios aren't necessary for most of us and that many retirees will be able to live on less than 70% of their pre-retirement incomes.
Whether or not you agree with everything Warner writes, his prescription for developing the non-financial side of retirement makes a lot of sense.
So think about what you can do, right now, to bolster your future happiness. And hold on to those thoughts the next time the Dow dips or you start worrying if your retirement funds will ever grow again.
"Who knows? Being a little poorer," Warner said, "may even be good for some people."
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