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Brinton Eaton Outlines Eight Moves Investors Should Make in 2012 Firm urges investors to keep the faith in equities, seek out risk-managed investments, and exploit tax-planning opportunities Madison, NJ – Nov. 30, 2011 – Brinton Eaton, a national wealth advisory firm based in New Jersey, today announced its Top 8 Tips for 2012 – eight moves investors should make to preserve and grow wealth. These include keeping the faith in equity investing, holding your emotions in check as markets gyrate daily, and incorporating risk-managed investments. The firm also urges investors to be alert to planning opportunities in advance of potential tax legislation in 2013. “Our resounding message is to invest for the long term,” says Brinton Eaton Chief Executive Officer Robert J. DiQuollo. “It’s a troubling time in terms of geopolitics and global economic change, but be strong in your investment convictions.” Chief Investment Officer Jerry A. Miccolis adds: “Don’t let your emotions dictate your investing behavior. History has shown that investors who shift their investment strategy based on market behavior do significantly worse than those who make a choice — whatever it is — and stick with it.” Brinton Eaton’s Top 8 for 2012 are: #1 - Stick to your guns. Research shows that typical investors will let their emotions rule their financial decisions – letting fear or euphoria prompt them to exit and enter the markets at precisely the wrong times — severely impairing their results. With market and geopolitical uncertainty continuing to roil equities, it’s more important than ever to stick to your guns, maintaining a well allocated and balanced portfolio that reflects sound investment principles and your long-term needs – not your gut reaction to every market whipsaw. #2 - Beware of investments that prey on investor fears. Investors are looking for the silver bullet that will protect them when markets collapse. “Buyer beware” warns Miccolis, “Many investment vehicles that are popular during volatile times are expensive and complex, and sold predicated on fear.” While there are quite a few products that offer risk protection – such as black swan funds, puts and collars – many are limited in the benefits that they provide, and some can have significant adverse effects on portfolios during normal market environments. #3 - Diversify, diversify, diversify. Be diversified in your investments. A proper asset allocation combined with opportunistic rebalancing, to ensure your allocations stay true, continues to be the best way to reduce risk. A well-diversified portfolio that invests across a range of equity sectors, fixed income, and alternative investments is always a good choice. A plethora of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) offer exposure to a wide variety of asset classes. #4 - Invest in equities. Ideally, you should be invested in equities up to your personal risk tolerance level. Remember that you are in it for the long term: Don’t be distracted by the daily news, and don’t let election-year politics and potential gridlock alter your long-term investment strategy. Focus on the fundamentals, such as corporate earnings. Investing in equities is the best defense against the biggest threat to your financial future — inflation. Even if you’re already retired, inflation will likely double or even triple your living expenses over the rest of your life. #5 - Consider investments that incorporate portfolio protection and exploit volatility. Volatility is omni-present in today’s market. One way to combat this is by investing in volatility itself. The trick is to invest in volatility in such a way that the investment does not lose its appreciation when markets and volatility return to normal. Other proactive risk management strategies include momentum-based sector rotation. Any risk management product should work in concert with, not in place of, any carefully designed asset allocation. #6 - Read the fine print before purchasing an annuity. Although fixed annuities promise a steady income stream for life, you are paying a hefty cost for the privilege. By locking up a sizable sum of your money until the day you die, you are restricting your ability to use those funds to participate in any future equities rally or other attractive investment. And, a fixed annuity won’t serve you well in the face of inflation. Variable annuities, which are marketed as investment vehicles, are rarely a good alternative to investing the money in other, lower-cost vehicles. #7 - Take advantage of Roth IRA recharacterization rules. If you converted your IRA to a Roth IRA during 2011, you may want to consider a “recharacterization.” One of the main reasons people recharacterize is a market decline. Let’s say you converted your IRA to a Roth IRA and at the time, the IRA was worth $50,000. If you decided to pay all the tax up front, you paid tax on $50,000. If the account is now worth $40,000, due to a drop in the stock market, it may make sense to recharacterize to a traditional IRA and get back the tax you paid on the conversion. You can always re-convert back to a Roth at a later date and pay tax on the lesser amount. #8 - Proactively prepare for the possible change in estate tax in 2013. In 2013, unless Congress intervenes, estate tax law will revert back to a $1 million exemption and a 55% tax rate. Thus 2012 presents a valuable opportunity to structure your estate plans accordingly. Consider leveraging historically low interest rates to provide low-interest loans to adult children; as well as funding grantor retained annuity trusts (GRATs). “Individuals who fail to plan in advance may wind up giving more money to the IRS than they have to, rather than to their loved ones or favorite charity. This should be a component of anyone’s financial plan,” says DiQuollo. Based in Madison, NJ, Brinton Eaton is a national wealth advisory firm with a long history of serving individuals and their families across multiple generations. For more information, visit www.brintoneaton.com.
The Importance of an Annuity Specialist in Estate Planning
Annuities offer two key advantages when it comes to estate planning: speed and privacy. An annuity specialist can designate one or more beneficiaries for the client's annuity rather than have the annuity made payable to the client's estate. A client's "estate" is the sum of his or her assets, including legal rights and entitlements to property of any kind, not including any current liabilities. Clients may find it beneficial to estimate the dollar value of his or her estate, which can help not only with general planning, but also to predict whether or not the estate will be liable for estate taxes. The value of the estate will most likely be worth a different amount when the client passes away, so determining precise figures is not necessary. At a certified annuity school, financial specialists will learn the specifics of the estate planning process.
The most important decisions that an annuity specialist will help make pertain to which involved party gets what and when they will get them. Although clients may have an idea of who should inherit each of their properties, a number of issues exist that the client should consider, including naming alternate beneficiaries and staggered inheritances. Naming beneficiaries often proves to be less complicated than making an annuity payable to the estate, which will have to pass through the client's will. Every client should have a will, as it is essential to estate planning. The executor named in the will has legal authority to administer the transfer of property covered in the will. Although having a will is highly suggested, there is one main drawback: property left by a will must go through probate.
The annuity specialist and his or her client should not decide what property to transfer by will until he or she has looked at transfer methods that avoid probate. No matter what decisions are made to avoid probate, a will is still needed. At a minimum, a will is a backup device essential to the transfer of any property that somehow was not transferred by other methods, such as property that was overlooked or unexpectedly acquired. In almost all US states, a will is the only document used to name a personal guardian for minors. For some types of property, such as a personal checking account or a vehicle, a will may be the best way to make transfers. If one or more beneficiary lacks the financial sophistication to preserve and manage a large windfall, many annuity specialists will ensure that the client specifies whether one, some, or all of the beneficiaries must receive their share of the annuity proceeds in the form of a series of periodic payments over a specified period of time.
Annuities are subject to income taxes at the time of the client's death, and, if client assets are considerable, they may be subject to estate taxes as well. Aspiring annuity specialists will learn in annuity school that if clients want to maximize what their clients' beneficiaries will receive, they should consider using some of their annuity money to purchase life insurance. Estate planning and will preparation are important for both the specialist and his or her client. Annuities play a large role in estate planning as well as will preparation, and certified specialists are needed to ensure the process runs smoothly for everyone involved.
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Cory Bowman is Director of Ops at the Institute of Business Finance. IBF has helped thousands of members of the financial services industry attain designations. For more information about annuity school, annuity specialist, visit http://www.icfs.com
Tim Sykes
5 Reasons Penny Stock Trading Obliterates Forex Trading
1. The unlimited profit potential in the hugely liquid and leveraged forex market is pure marketing and deception, designed to lure the most desperate and greediest people into playing a game where the odds of success are very low similar to playing the lottery. If you look at the actual statistics, they point to the vast majority of traders not just blowing up their entire account within a few months, but also owing money due to the easy-to-use leverage. Unless you are illiterate and a complete moron, it is extremely difficult to blow up a penny stock trading account, mainly because the trading rules I teach are very conservative, designed to keep traders learning and earning gradually over time.
2. Because Forex is so liquid and leveraged, those who succeed are the smartest, richest and most well informed people on the planet, aka George Soros and his friends. You simply do not have the intelligence, wealth or access to quality information and analysis that they do so why try to compete against them? As evidenced by the recent fraud case against SpongeTech and PennyStockChaser, those promoters and management have the intelligence level of Forrest Gump. I can make a thousand analogies explaining why it's SO much easier to trade against these morons, but after you try out my free video lessons and begin to see it all yourself, you won't need me to teach you anymore, you'll be self-sufficient which is my entire goal!
3. Forex prices move very quickly and the reaction to breaking news happens within seconds and minutes. Because penny stock manipulation takes time to plan and enact and the people trading the stocks are practically illiterate, it takes hours and days for price to fulfill their predictable patterns giving you plenty of time to prepare and participate in each trade. The best analogy is penny stocks are like Little League whereas Forex is the Major Leagues. When you're coming up to bat would you like a 100mph fastball or a floater thrown by a nine-year old?
4. Penny stocks are simpler. While forex prices gyrate wildly due to rumors, news and those anticipating the rumors and news, volatile penny stock chart patterns are truly straight up and then straight down with very little variation. That is the beauty of trading pump and dumps, the chart patterns are like pendulums and you just need to learn how to buy on the way up and short sell on the way down. Or choose one side and specialize in that.
5. Penny stocks have greater odds of success. Sure, sure, it's far less money and you don't get the gambling thrill you do with Forex since down here in the gutter it's more like taking candy from babies (or those who are have the intelligence of babies), but we are winning approximately 75% of the time.
I’ve put together an in-depth (and free) video lesson series that will teach you everything I know about Pennystocks. Rather than just hearing me talk about my strategy and my thoughts, signup to my free video lesson series so you can learn from the specific trades and patterns themselves.
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 Steve Selengut Professional Investment Management from 1979 Author of: "The Brainwashing of the American Investor: The Book that Wall Street Does Not Want YOU to Read,", and "A Millionaire's Secret Investment Strategy" http://www.kiawahgolfinvestmentseminars.com/ |
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May The Investment Force Be With You Investment markets got you down, Bunkie? Been blown away by It's time to overthrow the evil Masters of the Universe and deactivate It's time to exorcize the Wall Street demons and return to stocks Speculating is complicated, even for financial rocket scientists. A return to plain vanilla investing strategies with operating procedures As bad as things have been since this black hole appeared, investment One - Higher lows during market downturns: Equity portfolios managed Constant cash flow, even if not reinvested, places a floor under market Two - Moves to cash or other sectors before bubbles burst: Disciplined Investors feel better when no profits have been left on the table. Three - Maintenance of planned income streams during financial crises: Most financial plans focus so strongly on growing market values that they lose touch with the need for planning a dependable retirement income. They rely on selling equity fund units or inflated indices for cash flow, instead of generating stable income with less exciting cash producing staples. Steadily increasing annual income can be placed on "cruise control" Four - Faster movement to new all time market value highs: When investors have a reasonable understanding of the various cycles impacting their investment portfolios, they develop valid expectations about the market value "performance" of their portfolios. They are less likely to initiate knee-jerk or panic driven transactions and Five - Steady growth in working capital in all market environments: Working capital is measured in terms of cost basis instead of market price. As a result, all income generated from interest, dividends, and realized gains grow working capital regardless of the direction of market prices. A treasury bond generates the same income at $85 as at $115. Most Six - Annual growth in realized "base income" in standard portfolios: WCM portfolios are income machines by design. No security is ever purchased if it does not produce regular dividend or interest payments; at least 30% of all base income should be reallocated to income-objective securities. Similarly, every dollar of capital gains income, and net portfolio additions are partially allocated to income producers--- and the use of a cost based asset allocation formula insures annual income growth. Few financial professionals begin their careers with any encouragement to become comfortable with individual equity securities and the surprisingly large variety of individual, relatively uncomplicated, and generally safe(r) income producers available for their clients. Financial products are far more lucrative for their institutional employers The Dark Side of investing beckons like a Siren's song, luring the majority of professional advisors away from the safety and simplicity of QDI. Institutional propaganda, projections, predictions, and hype have the same affect on unsuspecting boatloads of speculators who most often become shipwrecked on the derivative rocks. Investors and their professionals need to re-evaluate their product orientation and plot a global escape from the Dark Side of investing. Contact the "Skywalker" foundation for emotional and financial support while making the transition--- and may the force be with you. Steve Selengut |
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Three Tips to Help Investors Manage Their Own Portfolios As the federal government bails out “too big to fail” companies like AIG and Merrill Lynch, investors are worried that the big brokerage firms they depended on to safeguard their futures aren’t up to the task anymore. As a result, many investors – big and small – are taking their portfolios away from their advisors and brokers and managing their investments themselves. That’s what John O’Donnell, Chief Knowledge Officer of Online Trading Academy (www.tradingacademy.com) said is happening, based on what he sees as a dramatic influx of people who are taking steps to learn about navigating the markets’ waters themselves. “It’s raining hard and heavy out there, and people are afraid that the people who have been guiding their investments aren’t up to avoiding the deep puddles anymore,” O’Donnell said. “Their 401Ks are turning into 201Ks, and 50 percent of the homes in
Online · Franchise locations are booming – The Company opened 12 new offices during the last 15 months – during the deepest recession in decades. That constitutes a 33 percent increase in the number of locations. · Enrollments – The number of students enrolled at the school has doubled every year for four consecutive years. · Age of enrollees – New students coming in are averaging in the 60-year-old range, a demographic that has traditionally hired brokers or advisors to help manage their money. “The average individual investor has been led to believe that ‘buy and hold’ is the best approach, that mutual funds are a smart investment, and that professionals will do a better job of managing their money,” O’Donnell said. “The most important lesson the market has taught us is that those basic strategies don’t hold water anymore. Buy and hold just isn’t enough. The word ‘trading’ has traditionally been associated with risky behavior, but the truth is the average buy and hold investor has lost more than 40 percent of their life’s savings.” O’Donnell believes that three guiding principles can help investors take control successfully:
“The old rules don’t apply anymore,” he added. “The old rulebook doesn’t work. Down is up and left is right, so people are figuring out the fact that the only way to better invest their money is to know, for themselves, how the markets work and decide independently where they should stake their futures.” ### Alarmingly, 75% of the largest percent gainers were ETFs, and Earlier in March, while we were all sunning ourselves in the What is a hedge fund, and just what does it try to accomplish? Initially, hedging was used as a risk mollifier in the securities markets Naked shorting, shorting baskets of securities, and shorting indices, The new definition of hedge fund speaks of an aggressively managed Hedge funds have never been regulated like their open-end mutual fund cousins--- the rationale being that they cater to a wealthy and Investopedia refers to them as mutual funds for the super rich, but the But regulating the hedge fund is clearly a too late closing of a barn door encrusted with diamonds (no pun intended). A few years ago, the masters of the universe rediscovered, redefined, and complicated the world of closed end mutual funds by creating many different forms of passively managed index/hedge funds. As innocent as these funds may appear, they too have altered the Additionally, many individual stocks fall into several indices, and most Today, it appears that every passive fund has two or three accompanying short/bear ETFs plus an equal number of bull/long funds to choose from. Apparently, the SEC has not taken the trouble to look inside the Wall Street wants all CEFs (index, hedge, bond, equity, real estate, And the real crime is this: investors as naive as the wet-diapered E-Trade spokesbaby can push a button and buy operational hedge funds more bizarre and sophisticated than any ever imagined buy the rich and famous. If an ETF harbors a hedge fund, but doesn't call it a hedge fund, is it Shouldn't the regulators be smart enough (and brave enough) to put an A search at ETF-Connect for US Equity ETFs finds roughly 500 potential speculations that absolutely anyone can buy into. All are self-directed So long as we tolerate Wall Street attorneys circumventing the intent Index ETFs (and the no doubt about it hedge fund casinos they front) The ETF derivative market requires a fresh new breed of big picture aware, loophole fillers --- the Obama team is accepting applications. Whatever happened to stocks and bonds?
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