| 2008 Economic and Investment Outlook by Bill Byrnes |
| The decline in the value of existing homes is what will cause the 2008 recession and cause it to be the most severe recession since the early 1980s (although not all that bad by historical standards). The bulk of the average American's savings is in their home and their net worth is decreasing. |
|
| Surviving A Recession by Bill Byrnes |
| Investors face two challenges right now. If the economy is headed into a recession, where do I put my money? And, if the economy avoids a recession will I be in the right investments? The stock market anticipates the future. It will decline prior to the US entering a recession and it will start going up prior to the end of the recession. |
|
| A Euro, A Yen, A Buck Or A Pound-Currency Fluctuation Explained by Bill Byrnes |
| Global diversification is an essential part of your investment strategy. Like every other investment, you need to do your homework and understand how much, and what, risk you're taking. |
|
| Danger: Recession Ahead Proceed with Caution by Bill Byrnes |
| Housing, and related, jobs account for 10% of our total employment. Single family housing starts fell 7.3% in October and permits dropped 6.6%, to the lowest levels in 15 years. (You can see the ripple effect on the earnings of Home Depot and Lowes.) |
|
| The CIA's Guide To International Investing by Bill Byrnes |
| A good mutual fund investor would be wise to have at least 25% of his or her assets invested outside the US. |
|
| Making Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) Work for You by Bill Byrnes |
| Exchange traded funds are index funds which have advantages over open-end index mutual funds. ETFs trade all day long on the stock exchanges, may be purchased through any broker, have lower fund expenses than mutual funds, and have less likelihood of generating unwanted taxable gains than mutual funds. |
|
| The ABCs of Exchange Traded Funds by Bill Byrnes |
| Every investor should consider Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). The younger brother of open-end index mutual funds is growing up fast and showing greater versatility. |
|
| Investing In Energy Funds by Bill Byrnes |
| China, India and the other new economies also consume more energy each year. Political instability in Nigeria, Iran, and Venezuela could limit supply. And, there's only so much oil (natural gas and coal) in the ground. I'm not suggesting we'll run out but it will become more expensive to extract it. |
|
| Indexing for Passive Aggressive Investors by Bill Byrnes |
| Since their beginning, index funds have expanded their breath. You can find a fund which tracks any of the major indices and most industry sectors, such as health care and technology. The first cousin of index funds, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), do the same thing-they track indices. |
|
| Recession Investing And The Housing Market by Bill Byrnes |
| Housing market problems are not limited to new home sales. The value of your home and the market for sales of existing homes is falling. By how much and for how long is the big question. |
|
| International Investing in The Age of Turbulence by Bill Byrnes |
| Alan Greenspan writes extensively about the global economy in The Age of Turbulence. He believes there are common dominators to economic success. One is a cultural desire for growth, which includes government integrity, the acceptance of a certain amount of income inequality, incentives to take risk and the willingness to let market forces determine supply and demand. |
|
| Mr. Greenspan's Investments by Bill Byrnes |
| In 2030, Mr. Greenspan forecasts the real U.S. GDP will be 75% greater than today. That may sound like a big number but it's only 2.5% annual compound growth, well within historical norms. |
|
| The Economic Crises of 2008 by Bill Byrnes |
| Given the run up in housing prices, a 10% correction is not out of the question but it could put the economy into a tailspin. Why? Homeowners have been taking out the increase in the value of their homes through home equity loans and/or refinancing with higher principal balances. |
|
| Sector Funds: More Than Meets The Eye by Bill Byrnes |
| Sector funds have their place in your portfolio, not as core holdings, but as a diversified way of making targeted investments in selected niches. |
|
| AI: Alpha and Index Funds by Bill Byrnes |
| Alpha and index fund investing makes a great deal of sense. You know what to expect in terms of risk and return when you invest in an index fund. Having a portion of your portfolio in index funds leaves you free to concentrate your investment time and energy (think alpha waves) on those investments which can make a difference. |
|
| Dont Let Your Investments Control You by Bill Byrnes |
| The key to building a strong investment portfolio is to set your goals and diversify but not have so many investments you cant follow and to avoid investments which are too small to be meaningful. |
|
| Gut Check Time-How To Invest and Not Lose Sleep by Bill Byrnes |
| Investing is not an emotional decision, it takes hard work and discipline, but if you worry too much about an investment, it isn't right for you. |
|
| Speculate For Growth, Not For Income by Bill Byrnes |
| Funds that invest in bank loans, junk bonds, and other low-rated or unrated debt instruments, or employ leverage to enhance their returns are too risky for the average investor. |
|
| Breaking Down the Financial Breakdown by Bill Byrnes |
| The housing market was headed for a correction regardless of the events taking place in the subprime market. New home starts were running at twice the historical average during 2003-2006. |
|
| Yielding to Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) by Bill Byrnes |
| Income is hard to come by these days. Treasuries are yielding less than 5%. Have you considered Real Estate mutual funds? Many have current yields in the 5-8% range (primarily REIT-Real Estate Investment Trust-funds). |
|
| Portfolio Turnover: Should You Care? by Bill Byrnes |
| Many mutual fund screening tools have portfolio turnover as one of their filters and you can usually find a fund's turnover (expressed as a percentage) on the fund's snapshot page or by doing a little digging on the fund's website. |
|
| Leverage Land Mines by Bill Byrnes |
| Simply put, leverage magnifies your gain or loss and, since you're borrowing money which must be repaid, you can lose more than your entire investment (the investment and the loan amount). |
|
| Too Much Income Can Be Hazardous to Your Financial Health by Bill Byrnes |
| A discussion on investing in stocks and bonds. |
|
| A Good Long Term Strategy by Bill Byrnes |
| Planning your your long-term financial future. |
|
| ETFs: New Wave or Riptide? by Bill Byrnes |
| ETF trend and investment information. |
|
|
