Investing Like A Pro
Free Investment Information, Articles!
Better Sales Article:
A Safe Port For Mutual Funds But Not You!
Soft dollars, a form of legal kickback, is a sly way you can get ripped off by mutual fund managers. Full service brokers give these kickbacks to non-indexed mutual funds in the form of a "rebate" to purchase research, software, and even computer equipment.
You pay for these soft dollars! In recent years, the SEC estimated that soft-dollar deals exceeded $1 billion. Typically, $1 accrues for every $1.60 of brokerage commissions paid. Congress made these kickbacks legal in 1975 when it passed the "safe harbor" law. The legislation allows fund managers to pay more in commissions than is necessary, as long as the excess comes back in the form of services or research that benefits investors.
The problem is that this has created an opaque system that can be abused. In 1998, the SEC found that some money mangers were using soft dollars to pay for salaries, office rent, and even vacations! Think about this. You sweat every day at work to make a living. You buy a mutual fund to secure your retirement. Then the person who is supposedly protecting your retirement is sipping Margaritas in Cancun discussing with his or her buddies where to buy their next mansion with your retirement dollars!
The second problem is that many funds are not taking advantage of cost saving efficiencies in their operations just so that they can keep the soft-dollar spigot open. Think about this as well. If you had enough money to not have to work you would spend a considerable amount of time looking for safe places with a good return for your money. You would not waste money on things your family did not want and hence did not need. Why give your money then to a mutual fund managers who could care less if they waste some of your retirement dollars; its no skin off their back! The best way to avoid these losses altogether is to restrict your purchases of mutual funds to your 401(k) and try to only buy indexed mutual funds such as the Vanguard 500 (VFINX).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Scott Brown, Ph.D., a.k.a. "The Wallet Doctor", is a successful futures trader, real estate investor, and stock investor. Dr. Brown holds a Ph.D. in finance from the University of South Carolina. His 1998 articles in Technical Analysis of Stocks and Commodities were prophetic in predicting an impending stock market crash. He has helped many people become profitable investors by teaching them to look out over many years to spot stocks that are low and primed for rise in the new bull market. His second article met with approval by Dr. Bob Shiller of Yale University. Dr. Shiller is the economist that Alan Greenspan most highly regards who coined the term "Irrational Exuberance." In 1998 he shouted to the world to "get out" of the stock market but now he is shouting to everyone that it is time to "get in!" The Wallet Doctor is not only sought after for investment advice and coaching in stock investing but also in futures trading and real estate investing. Visit Dr. Brown's site at http://www.BonanzaBase.com or sign up for his investment tips at http://www.WalletDoctor.com
Related Investing News and Articles From ezinearticles.com
If you have been following the news then you probably know that we are in an economic crisis of global proportions. Banks are collapsing, the housing market is in a bad way, and the economy is in a bad state.
You have $1 million that you want to invest, but you're not quite sure how you're going to do that. You don't want to lose everything, but you really want that money to grow. You want that $1 million to turn into $2 million and so on.
When attempting to compound money, the key is not spending your profits. This is a problem that occurs when individuals are trying to make their money grow for them. They simply cannot seem to hang onto their profits.
Are you worried about making the next house payment? Afraid the car is going to be repossessed? You are home with the kids, how can you possible get a job, a baby sitter along with the expense of going to work will take more money than you could possibly make.
Do you want to know where to invest money? If you do, what is something that is important to you? What is your reason for investing? You see, everyone has a reason to invest. They either want to make an income or they want to save for retirement. It is entirely up to you. Unfortunately, not everyone is aware of what they want.
You Can Own This Website!
This website is an example of a new product called article site manager developed especially for people who wish to own Adsense sites or sites to promote their own websites and products but do not have the technical ability to own or maintain a website.
Details about this site and other article sites in different categories can be found at the link below. Prices start at $259 for a complete website like this!
Related Investing Articles:
Quit and Retire Three Years Earlier!
For most people, there is a direct correlation between how worried they are about retirement income, and how much they can actually do about it. This is because the more worried you are, the closer you probably are to retirement, and the less time you have to do anything - like save up. Effective 'saving up' requires time. Time so your money can grow. Save an extra $200 a month, three years before retirement (at age 62), and you'll amass a grand total of $7,887 (averaging 6% growth). Not likely to have a big impact on your retirement lifestyle.
Investing Psychology Today Requires All Traders to Awaken Their Speculator Minds
Stock trading strategies are as rampant today, as they were during the Great Bull Market. Yet, can you truly master the stock market like so many investing books propose?
The word 'investments' is one that most of us are familiar with hearing in financial context. For many of us, it may make us thing of big business and vasts sums of money, but there's much to the world of investments than multi-million dollar deals.
Use this Simple Trick its to Buy $100 Bills Direct from your Bank for only $97
Most People just don't understand the power of using their home as a Wealth Creation Tool. How many people do you know who have lived in the same house for 10, 15 or more years and have virtually no mortgage, You know the Type 'House Rich Cash Poor'. There are strategies these homeowners can use to put that House Rich Part to work Building Wealth.
To Retire Rich, Save and Invest Early
If you want to retire rich, start saving investing early. The most powerful tool when it comes to retiring rich, is compounding your returns on money saved when you are young. Through the power of compound interest, cash invested today has a massive impact on your wealth level when you retire.