Posts Tagged ‘mutual funds’

Hedge Funds vs. Mutual Funds

admin | Thursday, June 11th, 2009 | No Comments »

Hedge Funds vs. Mutual Funds

Hedge funds vs mutual funds Hedge Funds vs. Mutual FundsI provided a quote yesterday to Daleela Farina, an author over at BloggingStocks.com. Here is an excerpt from an article she just published on hedge funds and mutual funds:

Has your broker repeatedly sold you on the “safe” investment vehicle, the mutual fund? Investing in a wide variety of prominent companies, with solid, long-term track records, mutual funds have been an easy-to-understand and popular investment choice for decades.

Mutual funds are hugely diversified, holding large stakes in recognizable names such as Google (GOOG), Citigroup (C), Walmart (WMT), Starbucks (SBUX), General Electric (GE), Bank of America (BAC), and Fannie Mae (FNM).

A few years ago, doubting these dominant brands would have been considered foolish. This narrow-minded thinking is representative of our formerly uneducated and naive views on the market. But after last year’s performance, mutual funds’ investment model has now been proven obsolete. Like the dinosaurs. source

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Mutual Fund Performance in 2009 and 2010

admin | Thursday, February 26th, 2009 | No Comments »

Mutual Funds

Mutual Fund Performance in 2009

Mutual Fund Performance in 2009 and 2010I just read a Reuters article claiming that mutual funds may be gaining ground on hedge funds. While mutual funds may have gained market share over the last few months as institutional investors may re-position more actively than retail investors I believe hedge funds will come out ahead once we are a year into a more “normal” market environment. Does anyone have a direct comparison graphs of mutual vs. hedge fund performance or a pie chart on market share?

Here is an excerpt from the article mentioned above:

Hedge funds have gained a increasing share of the investment pie in recent years but the trend could could be reversing, judging by separate comments made by UBS and Deutsche Bank on Tuesday.

Timothy Bell, global head of hedge funds advisory at UBS Wealth Management, said hedge fund assets could fall further to $1.2 trillion this quarter from $1.4 trillion at the end of 2008 and $1.93 trillion at their peak in mid-2008. source

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The Truth About Hede Funds | A Matter of Time

admin | Monday, December 1st, 2008 | No Comments »

The Truth

The Truth About Hede Funds

truth splash The Truth About Hede Funds | A Matter of Time
“All Truth passes through Three Stages: First, it is Ridiculed…
Second, it is Violently Opposed…
Third, it is Accepted as being Self-Evident.”

- Arthur Schopenhauer (1778-1860)

I believe by 2012-2015 that the value of hedge funds will be self-evident. We are living through the ridicule and violent opposition but in the end there is a place for hedge funds and there will always be investors in hedge funds.

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Run on Hedge Funds | Will it Happen?

admin | Thursday, September 25th, 2008 | No Comments »

Run on Hedge Funds

Looming Run on Hedge Funds?

wbankrun Run on Hedge Funds | Will it Happen?I just read this article on how part of this financial crises will involve a run on hedge funds. Any time industry performance is low there will be some redemptions, but I don’t think there will be any massive industry-changing run on individual hedge fund managers. What are you seeing?

Here’s the article:

The next stage will be a run on thousands of highly leveraged hedge funds. After a brief lock-up period, investors in such funds can redeem their investments on a quarterly basis; thus a bank-like run on hedge funds is highly possible. Hundreds of smaller, younger funds that have taken excessive risks with high leverage and are poorly managed may collapse. A massive shake-out of the bloated hedge fund industry is likely in the next two years. Source

Free Daily Hedge Fund Newsletter

Related to Investment Securities/Holding Tool:

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Tags: Run on Hedge Funds, Run on hedge fund industry, run on hedge fund managers, will there be a run on hedge funds?

Financial Planning Software

admin | Monday, August 18th, 2008 | No Comments »

Financial Planning SoftwareThis category of the Financial Planner Service Provider Directory will be for those who are trying to find high quality Financial Planning Software. It will provide links to our online directory of Financial Planning Software providers.

If you produce high quality Financial Planning Software and would like to be added to this directory please email us and we can discuss how to list your firm on our website.

Permanent Link: Financial Planning Software
Tags: Financial Planning Software, Find Financial Planning Software,Personal Financial Planning Software, Enterprise Financial Planning Software,Financial Planner Software,Free Financial Planning Software

Find a Financial Advisor

admin | Monday, August 18th, 2008 | No Comments »

Find a Financial Advisor, How to Find a Financial Advisor, How Do I Find a Financial Advisor, Find a Good Financial AdvisorThis category of the Financial Planner Service Provider Directory will be for those who are trying to find a financial advisor online. It will provide links to our online directory of financial advisors.

If you are a financial advisor and would like to be added to this directory please email us and we can discuss how to list your firm on our website.

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ETF List

admin | Friday, August 15th, 2008 | No Comments »

ETF List

Single Country, Sector and Commodity ETF Articles

The following is a list of articles I have written on ETFs including articles on Single Country ETFs as well as Sector and Commodity ETFs. If you have any resources that you think would be valuable to the Financial Planner Alliance Community I would be glad to add them to the site. Please email us at christopher.hege@gmail.com if you have any to add. Thanks.

Single Country ETF Articles

  • Austria ETF
  • Australia ETF
  • Belgium ETF
  • Brazil ETF
  • Canadian ETF
  • China ETF
  • Chile ETF
  • India ETFs
  • Indonesia ETF
  • Israel ETF
  • Netherlands ETF
  • Russia ETF
  • Singapore ETF
  • South Africa ETF
  • South Korea ETF
  • Spain ETF
  • Sweden ETF
  • Switzerland ETF
  • Taiwan ETF
  • Thailand ETF
  • Turkey ETF
  • United Kingdom ETF
  • United States ETF
  • Sector / Commodity ETF

  • International ETF
  • Gold ETFs
  • Silver ETF
  • Bond ETF
  • Best ETF
  • Permanent Link:ETF List

    Tags:ETF List, List of ETFs, ETF Funds,Single Country ETF, Sector ETF,Exchange Traded Fund,ETFs,ETF

    Thailand ETF

    admin | Wednesday, August 13th, 2008 | No Comments »

    Thailand ETF

    iShares MSCI Thailand Investable Market Index Fund (THD) and other Thailand Investment Options

    Thailand ETFIn 2002 I visited Thailand for about 5 weeks. Most of the time that I spent in the country was in Bangkok, a city that is estimated to have about 15 Million people. It was quite an amazing city to visit. The people that I met in Thailand were so friendly and hospitable! It was an honor to be able to spend some time there amongst such great people.

    In the last couple of months I have started to do a lot of research on Exchange Traded Funds and learned that there is a Thailand ETF that recently became available to investors (inception date of 03/26/2008.) Thailand doesn’t have endless trading vehicles for US investors to use for investing in Thailand, but there are some trading instruments. The iShares MSCI Investable Market Index fund (THD) is one of them. Two other options, (although not ETF funds) for US investors are the Thai Fund Inc. (NYSE: TTF) and the Thai Capital Fund Inc. (AMEX: TF.)

    The iShares MSCI Thailand Investable Market Index Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Thailand Investable Market Index.

    Top Holdings *(Monthly) as of 6/30/2008
    12.18% PTT PCL-NVDR
    11.01% PTT EXPLOR & PROD PCL-NVDR
    10.00% BANGKOK BANK PUBLIC CO-NVDR
    6.91% KASIKORNBANK PCL-NVDR
    4.99% BANPU PUBLIC CO LTD-NVDR
    4.35% ADVANCED INFO SERVICE-NVDR
    4.12% SIAM CEMENT PCL-NVDR
    3.73% SIAM COMMERCIAL BANK P-NVDR
    3.59% BANK OF AYUDHYA PUBLIC-NVDR
    3.04% THAI OIL PCL-NVDR

    *Holdings are subject to change.


    Top Sectors as of 6/30/2008
    5.31% Consumer Discretionary
    4.08% Consumer Staples
    35.68% Energy
    32.07% Financials
    1.27% Health Care
    3.91% Industrials
    3.86% Information Technology
    6.86% Materials
    4.94% Telecommunication Services
    1.96% Utilities

    You may also review the iShares fund fact page for more information. If you would like more fund details you may find a prospectus on the iShares website.

    If you would like to learn more about ETF Funds please see the following ETF Funds Overview. Another great resource is our list of single-country and commodity ETF Funds.

    As always, please consult a licensed financial professional before making any investment decisions. Information within this blog is factual information only and is not a solicitation, promotion of any investment strategy, or form of financial advice in any way. The Financial Planner Alliance does not recommend any investment specifically. It intends to provide education on many financial planning and investment trends and options available to investors today.

    -Chris

    Permanent Link: Thailand ETF

    Tags: Thailand ETF,Thai ETF, ETF,ETF Funds, ETF Fund,International ETF

    Indonesia ETF

    admin | Wednesday, August 13th, 2008 | No Comments »

    Indonesia ETF: Coming Soon?

    indonesia etf Indonesia ETFIt looks as if an Indonesia ETF does not yet exist. Although Indonesia has yet to get its own exchange traded fund (ETF), an alternative would be its closed-end fund (CEF) by the name of Indonesia Fund(IF).

    According to Yahoo.com:

    “Indonesia Fund, Inc. is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched by Credit Suisse Asset Management, LLC. It is managed by Credit Suisse Asset Management Limited (Australia). The fund invests in the public equity markets of Indonesia. It makes its investments across diversified sectors. The fund primarily invests in equity securities issued by Indonesian companies across all market capitalizations. It employs a bottom-up stock selection process to create its portfolio, focusing on global and local political, economic, and industry trends. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Morgan Stanley Capital International Indonesia Index. It was formed on March 9, 1990 and is domiciled in the United States.”

    Chart for Indonesia Fund Inc. (IF)

    We will have to see how the country recovers as it continues to move on from the devastating tsunami of December 2004 that effected every part of its economy.

    According to the food and agriculture organization of the United Nations:

    “… Economic losses from the earthquake and resultant tsunami were severe, particularly on the West Coast. Agriculture and small traders were seriously affected. Infrastructure to support economic activity (was) devastated and its repair is critical to any rehabiliation effort. Current estimates indicate that as many as 92,000 farms and small enterprises (were) partially or wholly destroyed. Prior to the disaster, these enterprises provided employment for approximately 160,000 people.”

    If you would like to learn more about ETF Funds please see the following ETF Funds Overview.

    As always, please consult a licensed financial professional before making any investment decisions. Information within this blog is factual information only and is not a solicitation, promotion of any investment strategy, or form of financial advice in any way. The Financial Planner Alliance does not recommend any investment specifically. It intends to provide education on many financial planning and investment trends and options available to investors today.

    -Chris

    Permanent Link: Indonesia ETF

    Tags: Indonesia ETFs, Indonesia ETF, Indonesia Closed-End Funds, Indonesia CEF,ETF Funds,ETFs,ETF

    United States ETF

    admin | Wednesday, August 13th, 2008 | No Comments »

    United States ETF: IYY and VTI

    United States ETFTwo options for US investors who would like to invest in the US Market via United States ETFs are the Dow Jones U.S. Index Fund (IYY) and the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI).

    Here is a graph comparison of their performance over the last year. As you can see, their performance is nearly identical (as should be expected.)

    Chart for iShares Dow Jones U.S. Index (IYY)

    Like other single-country ETFs, these two funds are a perfect example of how an investor could invest in a large number of sectors of their target country by buying shares in one of these ETFs.

    If you would like more fund information you may find a prospectus on the iShares website. Here are the fund fact pages for IYY and VTI provided by iShares and Vanguard, respectively.

    If you would like to learn more about ETF Funds please see the following ETF Funds Overview. Another great resource is our list of single-country and commodity ETF Funds.

    As always, please consult a licensed financial professional before making any investment decisions. Information within this blog is factual information only and is not a solicitation, promotion of any investment strategy, or form of financial advice in any way. The Financial Planner Alliance does not recommend any investment specifically. It intends to provide education on many financial planning and investment trends and options available to investors today.

    -Chris

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    Tags: United States ETF,ETFs,ETF,Dow Jones ETF, Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF

    United Kingdom ETF

    admin | Wednesday, August 13th, 2008 | No Comments »

    United Kingdom ETF

    iShares MSCI United Kingdom Index Fund (EWU)

    United Kingdom ETFThe only United Kingdom ETF that I could find is the iShares MSCI United Kingdom Index Fund (EWU).

    The iShares MSCI United Kingdom Index Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of publicly traded securities in the British market, as measured by the MSCI United Kingdom Index.

    Here is a chart of the fund’s performance over the last year:

     United Kingdom ETF

    Top Holdings *(Monthly) as of 6/30/2008
    8.11% BP PLC
    6.78% HSBC HOLDINGS PLC
    5.84% VODAFONE GROUP PLC
    5.41% ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC-A SHS
    4.51% GLAXOSMITHKLINE PLC
    4.40% RIO TINTO PLC
    4.11% ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC-B SHS
    3.42% ANGLO AMERICAN PLC
    3.17% BG GROUP PLC
    3.11% BHP BILLITON PLC

    *Holdings are subject to change.


    Top Sectors as of 6/30/2008
    4.99% Consumer Discretionary
    12.13% Consumer Staples
    21.85% Energy
    20.76% Financials
    7.53% Health Care
    4.58% Industrials
    0.33% Information Technology
    14.75% Materials
    7.28% Telecommunication Services
    4.69% Utilities

    If you would like more fund information you may find a prospectus on the iShares website. The iShares MSCI United Kingdom Index Fund (EWU) fund fact page is also available here.

    If you would like to learn more about ETF Funds please see the following ETF Funds Overview.

    As always, please consult a licensed financial professional before making any investment decisions. Information within this blog is factual information only and is not a solicitation, promotion of any investment strategy, or form of financial advice in any way. The Financial Planner Alliance does not recommend any investment specifically. It intends to provide education on many financial planning and investment trends and options available to investors today.

    -Chris

    Permanent Link: United Kingdom ETF

    Tags:UK ETF, United Kingdom ETFs, United Kingdom ETF, International ETF,ETF Funds

    What are Hedge Funds?

    admin | Wednesday, August 13th, 2008 | 2 Comments »

    What are Hedge Funds?I was recently doing some research and wanted to find a good resource to help you as a financial planner know what a Hedge Fund does and how it is structured. When I was searching I found this great Hedge Fund Video by Mike Gasior that talks about what a Hedge Fund is. Enjoy.

    If you know of any other great videos that cover topics like wealth management, private banking, personal financial planning, retirement planning, etf funds or mutual funds I would love to share them with the Financial Planner Alliance community. Please send us an email with a link! christopher.hege@gmail.com

    If you would like to learn more about Hedge Funds you should visit this excellent blog by Richard Wilson.

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    Brazil ETF

    admin | Saturday, August 9th, 2008 | No Comments »

    Brazil ETF

    Brazil ETF: Video Series on Brazil ETF and ETF Funds

    Brazil ETFThe following video series is an interview with Vinny Catalano – Chief Investment Strategist at Blue Marble Research. He discusses the ETF market and his opinions on ETFs as well as the Brazil ETF market. Please note that these are his opinions and should not be taken as advice from the Financial Planner Alliance. Vinny is a US based investor that attempts to find regions and countries that stand a good chance to beat the S&P 500. This video is from May 8, 2008.

    The following Brazil ETF Fund is the only ETF Fund that I could find on the market available to the US consumer. If any of you know of any other ETF Funds available to the US consumer please email us at christopher.hege@gmail.com

    1. iShares MSCI Brazil Index (EWZ)

    If you would like to learn more about ETF Funds, please see this overview of ETF Funds. If you would like to learn more about Brazil you can find more information on Brazil on the CIA Factbook Website.

    As always, please consult a licensed financial professional before making any investment decisions. Information within this blog is factual information only and is not a solicitation, promotion of any investment strategy, or form of financial advice in any way. The Financial Planner Alliance does not recommend any investment specifically. It intends to provide education on many financial planning and investment trends and options available to investors today.

    -Chris

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    Tags:Brazil ETF,Brasil ETF,ETF Funds, ETF Fund,International ETF

    Belgium ETF

    admin | Saturday, August 9th, 2008 | No Comments »

    Belgium ETF

    Belgium ETF

    Barclays Global Investors offers a Belgium ETF listed as EWK on the NYSE.

    Belgium ETFFor people searching to invest in a part of Europe, the Belgium ETF might be an option to consider.

    The iShares MSCI Belgium Investable Market Index Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of publicly traded securities in the Belgian market, as measured by the MSCI Belgium Investable Market Index.

    This fund’s inception date was 3/12/1996.

    As of 06/30/2008 the top sector holdings of the Belgium ETF are the following:

    55.77% Financials
    16.10% Consumer Staples
    10.50% Materials
    7.51% Telecommunication Services
    4.05% Health Care
    1.99% Industrials
    1.46% Information Technology
    0.76% Energy
    0.69% Consumer Discretionary
    0.04% S-T Securities

    As always, please consult a licensed financial professional before making any investment decisions. Information within this blog is factual information only and is not a solicitation, promotion of any investment strategy, or form of financial advice in any way. The Financial Planner Alliance does not recommend any investment specifically. It intends to provide education on many financial planning and investment trends and options available to investors today.

    -Chris

    If you would like to learn more about ETF Funds you can read my Overview of ETF Funds.

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    Tags:Belgium ETF,Brussels ETF, Europe ETF,ETF Funds, ETF Fund,International ETF

    Australia ETF

    admin | Friday, August 8th, 2008 | No Comments »

    Australia ETF

    Australia ETF: iShares MSCI Australia Index (EWA)

    Australia ETFETF Funds that focus on a single country can be found all over the globe. One option for investors today is the Australia ETF listed on the NYSE and formally named the iShares MSCI Australia Index (EWA). This fund is offered by Barclays Global Investors.

    The iShares MSCI Australia Index Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of publicly traded securities in the Australian market, as represented by the MSCI Australia Index.

    Here are the sector holding as of 06/30/2008

    36.89% Financials
    31.50% Materials
    9.02% Consumer Staples
    7.96% Energy
    5.09% Industrials
    3.03% Health Care
    2.44% Consumer Discretionary
    2.09% Telecommunication Services
    0.70% Utilities
    0.49% Information Technology

    It is interesting to note that Australia’s neighbor, New Zealand (go Kiwis!) does not yet have an ETF fund that tracks its country as a whole but it may in the future.

    If you are looking for more information on ETF Funds you can read my overview of ETF Funds. It discusses some basic trends that could help you understand the ETF Funds market.

    As always, please discuss any investment options with a licensed financial professional before making any investment decisions. The information in this article is factual information and should not be construed as a recommendation of any kind.

    Permanent Link: Australia ETF

    Tags: Australia ETF,ETF Funds,Australian ETF,Single Country ETF,Australian ETFs

    Russia ETF

    admin | Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 | No Comments »


    Russia ETF


    Russia ETF: Market Vectors Russia ETF

    Russia ETFOver the last couple of years ETF Funds have become a popular investment. ETF Funds hold a collection of stocks that share certain elements in common. If you as an investor would like to have a stake in the market in Russia it is possible for you to buy an ETF Fund that is based on the country as a whole sector.

    You may have already read about the ETF fund that came available on the NYSE in 2007 called Market Vectors Russia ETF. If so, you know that Market Vectors Russia ETF tracks the DAXglobal Russia+ Index. On the NYSE it is listed as RSX.

    As you might expect, the fund is heaviest in energy, at 40%. The fund also has exposure to telecom, 17%; iron/steel, 12% and electric, 11%. Like most single-country ETFs, RSX has a larger-cap bias. 92% of the fund is large-cap (6 billion or greater.)

    I have not personally invested in an ETF Fund yet but am exploring the idea of investing in Gold or Silver ETF Funds. If any of you have invested in a single-country ETF Fund or sector-focused ETF Funds I would love to hear some feedback as to what you think of the investment and how it has benefited your portfolio. Feel free to leave a comment or email us at christopher.hege@gmail.com if you have any questions about ETF Funds.

    If you would like to learn more about ETF Funds please see the following ETF Funds Overview.

    As always, please consult a licensed financial professional before making any investment decisions. Information within this blog is factual information only and is not a solicitation, promotion of any investment strategy, or form of financial advice in any way. The Financial Planner Alliance does not recommend any investment specifically. It intends to provide education on many financial planning and investment trends and options available to investors today.

    -Chris

    Permanent Link: Russia ETF

    Tags: Russia ETF,Russian ETF, Market Vectors Russia ETF, ETF Funds, International ETF Funds

    Wealth Management Internship

    admin | Friday, August 1st, 2008 | No Comments »

    Wealth Management Internship

    Wealth Management

    Wealth Management Internship Available

    I am pleased to announce the opportunity for two individuals to become interns of the Financial Planner Alliance Blog!

    This could be a great opportunity for a college student that would like to learn more about Wealth Management, Search Engine Optimization and Professional Blogging. This opportunity could also be extended to individuals that are currently working in the Wealth Management Industry but would like to learn more about how to create a Professional Blog. The time period on this internship is flexible.

    If this opportunity intrigues you please send me an email with a cover letter expressing your interest in the internship and a professional resume’ to christopher.hege@gmail.com. If you are selected for an interview, we will discuss more details of the internship at that time.

    Thank you so much for your time and consideration of this opportunity and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

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    How to Pay Off Credit Debt

    admin | Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 | 3 Comments »

    How to Pay Off Credit Debt

    A case study on Debt Stacking

    debt How to Pay Off Credit DebtOver the last year or so my wife and I have been aggressively paying down our consumer debts. The method that we have used (successfully so far) is commonly known as Debt Stacking. The debt stacking method has been made known by the likes of Dave Ramsey, Ron Blue and other popular personal finance gurus that have helped thousands of families get out of debt and invest their money wisely. In the same way that debt can stack up quickly as you purchase more and more with the buy now- pay later mentality, it is possible to pay down your credit debt quickly (or at least a lot quicker than if you kept shopping without the means to pay it back.) There is no easy way to go about it and you must be disciplined in it, but it can happen. Just recently we eliminated our credit card debt completely (about 4-5k) and are now working on paying off our cars, school loans and mortgage.

    There are a few steps to the Debt Stacking method that are necessary if you want to pay down your debt as quickly as possible while saving as much as possible on interest. The steps that we followed were the following.

    1. Made a list of all of the credit debts that we held.
    2. Sorted this list by size of debt (smallest to largest)
    3. Gathered information on the interest rates of all of our debt
    4. Organized high balance debts by their interest rates

    The goal of this evaluation process was to come up with a ‘firing line’ for our debts to pay them off as quickly as possible, while saving the most we could on interest payments. Once we had our firing line we started to eliminate the small debts. Every month we would make minimum payments on every card except for the debt in our firing line (which we would pay as much as possible on). When the first debt was paid off, we would take the amount that we were paying on the first debt and add that to the payment of the 2nd debt and so on.

    Here is an example of how it could possibly work for you – I have made up numbers for this illustration. I will walk through the steps I listed above so that it’s easy to create your own debt stacking plan.

    Step 1.Make a list of all credit debts that you owe (Or whatever debts you would like to have included in your debt stacking – you can even include your mortgage or school loans) including their current balances, their minimum monthly payments and their interest rates.

    Debt #1
    Alaskan Airlines Credit Card
    Balance: $2,500.00
    Interest Rate: 12%
    Minimum Monthly Payment: $85.00

    Debt #2
    Costco Visa Card
    Balance: $400.00
    Interest Rate: %7
    Minimum Monthly Payment:$14.00

    Debt #3
    Sony Credit Card (New Plasma Screen TV)
    Balance: $1,200.00
    Interest Rate: %7
    Minimum Monthly Payment: $42.00

    Debt #4
    Mortgage
    Balance: $275,000.00
    Interest Rate: 6%

    Steps 2, 3 and 4 can all be accomplished in this example at once by sorting your debt list by size of debt (Smallest to Largest) and by interest rate. As you can see in this example, The Costco Visa Card, even though it had a higher interest rate than the Sony Credit Card, had a smaller balance so it was selected to be paid off first.

    Debt #2
    Costco Visa Card
    Balance: $400.00
    Interest Rate: %12
    Minimum Monthly Payment:$14.00

    Debt #3
    Sony Credit Card (New Plasma Screen TV)
    Balance: $1,200.00
    Interest Rate: %7
    Minimum Monthly Payment: $42.00

    Debt #1
    Alaskan Airlines Credit Card
    Balance: $2,500.00
    Interest Rate: 12%
    Minimum Monthly Payment: $85.00

    Debt #4
    Mortgage
    Balance: $275,000.00
    Interest Rate: 6%
    Minimum Monthly Payment: $2,500.00

    Now that the list is in place let’s see how this would practically play out. For this example I am going to assume you have $3,000.00 a month available to pay off expenses ($359.00 more than these debt minimum payments.) The first month you would make the following payments.

    Debt 2: Costco Visa Card – $359.00 + $14.00 (Minimum Payment) = $373.00
    Debt 2: Balance After First Month = $27.00

    Debt 3: Sony Credit Card – $42.00 (Minimum Payment)
    Debt 3:Balance After First Month = $1,158.00

    Debt 1: Alaskan Air Credit Card – $85.00 (Minimum Payment)
    Debt 1: Balance After First Month = $2,415.00

    Debt 4:Mortgage – $2,500.00 (Minimum Payment)
    Debt 4: Balance After First Month = $272,500.00

    Total Payments = $3,000.00

    If you continue this strategy, in the second month you would pay off Debt 2: The Costco Visa card with a $27.00 Payment, and apply the rest of the payment that you made to the Costco Visa card in month one to Debt 3(The Sony Credit Card) for a total payment on the Sony Credit Card of $388.00. You would also continue your minimum payments on the Alaskan Air Credit Card and your mortage for a total of $3,000.00 in Monthly Payments. As you can see, every month you continue to pay as much as you can ($3,000.00) on all of your bills but are doing them in order as to save as much possible on interest and to hopefully pay down your debts much faster than if you just split up the payments evenly!

    For my wife and I it took about a year to pay off our credit card debts but now that they are paid off we will apply the payments we were making on the credit cards to our cars until those are paid off, and then once the cars are paid off apply that payment to our 2nd mortgage and then to our first mortgage! If we stick to this strategy we should have all of our debt paid off by 2019. That is only 11 years from now!

    I hope this article has been helpful to you and I look forward to writing more case studies on personal finances as I learn more and more. If you have utilized the debt stacking method in your own family or personal finances I would love to hear from you and I’m sure your story would benefit those who are trying to pay down their debts. Please leave a comment if you have been successful using this method!

    Also, if you have any questions at all related to debt stacking please email me at christopher.hege@gmail.com and I would be glad to help.

    Permanent Link:How to Pay Off Credit Debt

    Planning For Retirement

    admin | Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 | No Comments »

    Planning For Retirement

    Planning For Retirement: Video Series Part 1

    I found this great video series put on by the National Retirement Planning Coalition that features Ben Stein talking about Planning For Retirement.

    Here is an excerpt, and the video.

    “There are a lot of things to worry about in this world…Terrorism, the Economy, Disease, but of the things we in middle-age worry about most, high on the list is Retirement. It is frankly scary to think about a time in the future when we’re going to have to live without a regular job or a regular paycheck. How do we prepare, how much do we need, what fraction of what we are living on when we are 50 or 55 do we need to live on when we’re 65 or 75? And how do we get that sum saved?”

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    Tags: Planning For Retirement,Financial Planning For Retirement,Planning for Retirement Calculator,Life and Death Planning for Retirement Benefits

    Planning for Retirement Part 2

    admin | Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 | No Comments »

    Planning For Retirement

    Planning For Retirement: Video Series Part 2

    I found this great video series put on by the National Retirement Planning Coalition that features Ben Stein talking about Planning For Retirement. This is part 2 of 3 of the video series.

    Here is an excerpt from Video 2:
    “Generally, with some exceptions, an average couple will need at least 80% of what they have been living on before they retire when they do retire. Afterall, the only large expense they will not have after retirement is saving for retirement. They’ll still need to eat, have a home, dress and travel.”

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    Tags: Planning For Retirement,Financial Planning For Retirement,Planning for Retirement Calculator,Life and Death Planning for Retirement Benefits

    Planning for Retirement Part 3

    admin | Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 | No Comments »

    Planning For Retirement

    Video Series Part 3: Variable Annuities

    I found this great video series put on by the National Retirement Planning Coalition that features Ben Stein talking about Planning For Retirement. This is part 3 of 3 of the video series. In this final video, Ben discusses Variable Annuities in a succint manner that should help you understand what their purpose is as well as their risks and rewards.

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    Tags: Planning For Retirement,Financial Planning For Retirement,Planning for Retirement Calculator,Life and Death Planning for Retirement Benefits

    Chartered Financial Analyst

    admin | Thursday, July 24th, 2008 | No Comments »

    Chartered Financial Analyst

    Chartered Financial Analyst: CFA

    The following article I found on wikipedia gives a great overview of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

    Chartered Financial AnalystThe CFA designation is a qualification for finance and investment professionals, particularly in the fields of investment management, investment banking and financial analysis of stocks, bonds and their derivative assets. The program focuses on portfolio management and financial analysis, and provides a general knowledge of other areas of finance.

    From 1963 (when the CFA designation was first awarded) to 2006, approximately 78,000 people from at least 126 different countries have been awarded the right to use the CFA designation, 68,000 of them in the years since 1990. As of 2006, more than 116,000 more people are currently enrolled to take one of the examinations.

    Please see the Official CFA Institute Website for more information on acquiring the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

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    Tags:Chartered Financial Analyst,Chartered Financial Analysts,Chartered Financial Analyst CFA,Chartered Financial Analyst Institute,Chartered Financial Analyst Exam

    Multi-Family Offices

    admin | Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008 | No Comments »

    Multi-Family Offices

    Multi-Family Offices

    multi-family officesSingle and multi-family offices are exclusive wealth management firms that usually only accept clients with at least $10-$25M of investible securities. They typically have less total clients but spend more time with each client often assisting with tax, estate planning, charitable giving, foundation, and even budget issues in addition to traditional wealth management services. The costs are typically a little higher than a traditional wealth management office but you get more personal comprehensive service and usually a more sophisticated view of portfolio construction with access to alternative investments.

    We will be blogging much more on family offices and their impact on the financial planning industry this upcoming fall/winter as we start to partner more closely with a large family office association in the industry.

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    Tags: Multi-Family Offices, Multi Family Offices, Multi-Family Office Services, Services offered by Multi-Family Offices

    Single Family Office

    admin | Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 | No Comments »

    Single Family Office

    Starting a Single of Multi Family Office

    Starting a Single Multi-Family OfficeI just found this whitepaper on starting a family office. It is a quick read (3-4 pages long) and covers the current state of the family office industry, how much money family offices typically manage and what services that most family office firms currently offer.

    Here is the abstract from this family office startup whitepaper: “Many families who have experienced a significant liquidity event will consider setting up a family office. The purpose of this white paper is to discuss the reasons families consider establishing an office, to describe the typical duties of such offices and to suggest a basic framework for designing and setting up a successful family office.”

    If you are starting up a multi or single family office let us know if we can help connect you with any resources.

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    Tags: Single Family Office, Single Family Offices, Single Family Office Services, Single Family Office Databases, List of Single Family Offices, Directory of Single Family offices

    Personal Financial Advising

    admin | Friday, July 18th, 2008 | No Comments »

    Personal Financial Advising

    Personal Financial Advising

    personal financial advisingMany people are turned off by the ongoing trend of online brokerage and technology-enhanced portfolio optimization and customer service. I have spoken with dozens of well off individuals who would much rather work with someone they trust and know well instead of trusting in a system that is hopefully being kept up to date.

    The recent trend in mainstream media on focusing on several of the quantitative-based hedge funds collapsing has also increased the demand for more personal one-on-one based financial planning.

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