THE BUY AND HOLD STRATEGY

There are ways to make money in the stock market, as long as you are patient. The stock market is the best place to try and make money, because it offers many diverse companies (varying in size and sector) in which to invest. And while there will always be stories of those people who made their money in the market very quickly, the majority of successful investors are those patient people who employ a buy-and-hold tactic.

If you chose to employ this strategy for your investments, be sure to research not only the mutual fund you will be using it for, but the manager as well. Although I do tend to look at past performance of a mutual fund as part of my research, I also pay close attention to the fund manager. Often times there are new, or newer, funds that don’t have any type of track record to go by. These same funds may have the same fund manager as another, successful fund. While this doesn’t guarantee that the new mutual fund will enjoy the same success that the other fund did, it will help calm those fears of investing in an unproven mutual fund. Chances are, the new fund will be subject to the same rigorous standards and practices that the other fund is. You also want to take a look at what the manager is doing with his or her funds. If the market is overpriced, as it was during the last few years of the 1990s, then you want to see that the mutual fund manager is taking steps to make sure that a market correction is not going to hurt the fund. However, knowing if that’s the case is not as easy as it sounds, since mutual funds are protected by the Securities and Exchange Commission and aren’t required to disclose what their positions are in their underlying equities at all times. The most recent information will either be in the fund’s annual report and prospectus or on the fund family’s Web site.

Whatever the market conditions are, though, you want to feel confident that your mutual fund manager will be able to react appropriately to help protect the mutual fund and its shareholders. Sometimes, funds will have a limit on what the managers can do. These limits will be listed in the fund’s prospectus. The more limits, the less action the manager can take and vice versa. Ideally, you want to see that there are few limits placed upon the fund manager. If there are few limits, the fund manager needs to have a lot of experience to deal with whatever the market throws at investors. The buy-and-hold strategy should be used the most during bear markets simply because it’s not a smart idea to be trading a lot when the market is down. Try not to be too worried about what happens during a down market. It’s just a time when investors aren’t buying a lot of equities. However, for many people it is the perfect time to jump in, which is why the market will go back up.

You should hold onto your securities because no one can predict the market, and thus, you won’t know when the market will begin to rebound. You don’t want to miss out on any potential growth just because you couldn’t wait for the markets to go back up. My advice for surviving bear markets? Don’t look. Don’t look at your statements, don’t look at how the markets are doing on a daily basis, and try to concentrate on other things. I know that is tough. I have many clients who are guilty of watching and charting their investments on a daily basis. These same people want to get out of their investments when the market goes down and then reinvest when the market begins to go back up. As I’ve said before, you don’t know when this will happen and by pulling out of the market, you may miss out on potential growth before you reenter it. (Again, please refer to Table 8.1 for a comparison of what happens when you miss some of the market’s best-performing days.)

Special note: Don’t be afraid to sell a mutual fund, stock, or other investment that is not performing very well and hasn’t been performing very well. Sometimes investments don’t come back from their poor performance, and sometimes they will. However, there are occasions when you need to evaluate your portfolio and cut your losses.

Online Stock Trading

The Benefits Of Online Stock Market Trading

Regardless of whether you are an experienced stock trader or new to trading stock, you may never have experienced the joy of stock trading online. If that's the case, and you are currently thinking of trading online, you may want to know what all the fuss is about! To help you understand, the following are just some of the benefits of online stock market trading:

Commissions
One of the biggest, if not the biggest, benefit of trading stocks online is the reduced stock broker commissions you�ll be expected to pay. In most cases, when trading stock online, brokers will charge you a commission of between $7 and $10 per trade. However, if you trade in sufficiently large enough volume, it is possible for you to negotiate with your broker so that these brokers� fees can be as low as $0.01 of the transaction value.

Control
When you use a broker in the real world you may find that your broker will not agree to execute a trade, believing your decision to buy or sell the stock in question is flawed. When you trade stock online this is no longer a problem, your broker has no input as to when you buy and sell stock � you do!

Portfolio
In the real world some brokers will not buy certain stock � for example, some penny stocks. This may limit the stock you are able to have as part of your investment portfolio. However, when you trade online, subject to availability, you can trade in any stock - on any stock exchange - you want!

Information
With the use of computer software programs, you can use stock charts, technical indicators and real time stock prices to help you make the investment decision you want to make, when you want to make it.

Time
One of the essential elements about trading stock is the time it takes to execute the trade, as this can mean the difference between making a profit and making a loss. In the real world you have to phone your broker and ask him to sell/buy the stock. The broker then phones the trader, who gives the broker the price. The broker than tells you the price and you either agree to buy/sell or not to. If you agree to buy/sell, the trader then phones the order through to the trader. Online you push your mouse over a cursor and press buy/sell. A much quicker sell!

Volume
Assuming you are happy paying the commission, you can trade as large or small as you want over the Internet. In the real world, most brokers require a minimum buy/sell that is out of the reach of most individual traders.

Finally�
All in all, online stock trading is about �you�. It provides you with the opportunity to trade in stocks without having to pay large commissions while keeping control over your investment decisions.

Do You Need Another Home Loan? How Much Can You Borrow Out of Your Home?

Home equity loans allow you to borrow up to 100% of your home�s value. They are perfect for the homeowner who needs quick cash to consolidate debt, make home repairs, or pay for expenses like college tuition or medial bills.

Do You Need Another Home Loan?

Home equity loans have many advantages. You can borrow large sums of money, while benefiting from a typically low interest rate. Plus, home equity loan payments usually come with certain tax advantages. If you do need another home loan, a home equity loan may be your best option.

How Much Can You Borrow Out of Your Home?

Most home equity loan lenders allow you to borrow up to 100% of your home�s value. To find out how much you can borrow out of your house, have the house appraised and equity then subtract the amount of money that you owe on your current mortgage. For example, if your house is appraised at $100,000 and equity you only owe $70,000, you have $30,000 in home equity.

No Equity? No Problem!

Many home equity loan lenders offer no equity home equity loans. Sometimes called high loan-to-value plans, these loans allow you to borrow more than your home is worth. In some cases you may be able to borrow 125% of your home�s value. If you need fast cash, but have low equity or no equity in your home, a no equity home equity loan could be the answer.

A Final Thought on Home Equity Loans

Home equity loans are a wonderful source of credit. However, before applying for a loan, make sure that you take time to compare lenders and equity research the type of home equity loan that is right for you.