May
George asks…
Is there a site where I can see the cost of living, average incomes, and exchange rates by country?
My personal driver for this question was that I have been wondering if the exchange rate between the EUR/USD was also justified by the comparative ratios between the two countries’ costs of living and average incomes.
However, this seems like it would be an interesting analysis and also a potential investing strategy (long-term arbitrage if factored also with growth rates?).
Anyway, where can I get this information? The CIA Factbook does not have it, which is the first and only place I know to look.
Thanks for your help!
vanessa answers:
You should look for websites related to the UN, this kind of information are published annually by UN. Sorry I do not know any website for that.
About your first paragraph, I believe the costs of living here in the United States is lower than EU countries (Europe Union) and even tho their currency is more valuable now, they do not have enough of that in their pockets, I had a friend in Netherlands and he was complaining about the Euro and how it lowered their purchase power over there.
Steven asks…
Is this a good strategy for investing in an apartment complex?
I have a friend who wants me to start a Corporation with him for the purpose of purchasing an apartment complex (currently housing mostly students). I’m curious if this is a sound strategy:
He wants to get 20% down payment thru the seller financing it by purchasing what in essence would be a corporate bond. We would get a mortgage for the other 80%. So the seller would give us the money for the bond( payable in 10 years at a 8% coupon rate for example), they would receive 80% of the purchase price upfront and would receive 20% of it in 10 years when the bond is due.
With that 20% we would purchase another income property with mostly cash.
If the seller goes along with this (which is a big if in my opinion) does it sound like a good idea?
vanessa answers:
Yea, it may be a good strategy to invest money in an apartment complex, but instead of investing money in that line you should have to invest money in penny stocks market. Because it gives you return quickly with higher amount. I am also investing money in it and getting profit.
Thanks
Sandy asks…
Important question on market investments.?
My husband has his retirement invested through the company he worked for, for 20 yrs. We are not very knowledgeable on the stock market or how to invest to make the best out of our money. These are the options offered through this company.
Small Cap Fund
Growth company Fund
International Equity Fund
Contrafund
S&P 500 Index Fund
Life Strategy Growth Fund
Life Strategy Moderate Fund
Life Strategy Income Fund
Intermediate Fixed Income Fund
Stable Value Fund
At the moment he has 40% vested in Growth company Fund, 30% in Contra Fund, and 30% in S&P 500 Index Fund.
Are these the best investments for his money??? We want our money to grow for our retirement and all it seems to be doing is sitting there and not making much. I would appreciate any suggestions or advice for us we are both in our mid 40′s and need to catch up on our retirement fund. Thanks in advance for any help.
vanessa answers:
Without having more information about your personal information, such as current income and other data such as risk tolerance, and demographics it would be very inappropriate for me or any other responseable person to provide specific investment information in this type of media
It appears the retirement plan is handled by a mutual fund company. Possibly Fidelity. I strongly suggest that you contact the Fund company, to make an appointment so that they can sit down with you, face to face, and explain everything to you.
There should be no charge for this service, and you may walk away with peace of mind, which at your age is extremly important.
You do not have to make any committment to buy anything, nor should you have to pay for any professional management services.
I strongly suggest you try to educate yourself a little. You can go to the MSN.Money website it has an entire section on mutual funds and Exchange Traded Funds.
Read about the various products and in doing so you will be getting investment ideas and at the same time educating yourself about investing.
Nancy asks…
whats the best bet for long term investing for a 22 yr old? im offered these:?
i already have a 401k with work thats doin awesome!!
so my credit union has investments id like to take advantage of, heres what they offer: what should i choose?
Search funds by: Name Type
Aggressive Growth Fund
Balanced Strategy Fund
Capital Growth Fund
Cornerstone Strategy Fund
Emerging Markets Fund
Extended Market Index Fund
First Start Growth Fund
GNMA Trust
Growth & Income Fund
Growth Fund
Growth and Tax Strategy Fund
High-Yield Opportunities Fund
Income Fund
Income Stock Fund
Intermediate-Term Bond Fund
International Fund
Money Market Fund
Nasdaq-100 Index Fund
Precious Metals and Minerals Fund
S&P 500 Index Fund Member Shares 1
Reward Shares automatic if you qualify.
Science & Technology Fund
Short-Term Bond Fund
Small Cap Stock Fund
Tax Exempt Intermediate-Term Fund
Tax Exempt Long-Term Fund
Tax Exempt Money Market Fund
Tax Exempt Short-Term Fund
Total Return Strategy Fund
Treasury Money Market Trust
Value Fund
World Growth Fund
and im fine with spreading it around in safe-aggressive.
vanessa answers:
Well, if you are interested in investing for retirement, then download my free book at http://www.invest-for-retirement.com and go straight to chapter 23. This goes over some basic guidelines for setting up your portfolio.
In general, I recommend first looking at the fund’s costs to eliminate any poor choices. Stick to funds that have the following characteristics:
- No loads or deferred loads. Loads are for suckers.
- No 12b-1 fees. 12b-1 fees are for suckers.
- Annual expense ratio less than 1%
- Annual turnover ratio less than 40% for stock funds
To find info on mutual funds go to http://www.morningstar.com and type in the Fund’s ticker symbol at the top left of the page to search for it. Then click through the various tabs to get all the info you need.
Just so you know, most banks and credit unions sell load funds with 12b-1 fees. In general, banks are not a good source for investing. Think about it. They have branches all over the place and have to staff them. Where do you think the money comes from to pay this? From customers. Don’t pay their operating expenses. Go to an investment firm that has low-cost mutual funds and keep your investments out of the bank. Check these two firms out:
- http://www.vanguard.com
- http://www.fidelity.com
Sandra asks…
What would be a good investment strategy for me?
I’m 28 years old, I make a little over 200K a year and i have over 300K in liquid cash in separate bank accounts. I don’t know what to invest in because the market is garbage. My goal is to have a million by the time I’m 35 and I hope that with solid investments and some possible continued growth in income, I can accomplish this. Can someone give me some good investment strategies?
vanessa answers:
A number of busy professionals hire the services of a money manager to help them manage their investment portfolio.
Money managers are defined as “A business or bank responsible for managing the securities portfolio of an individual or institutional investor.”
Typically, money managers are qualified professionals whose job is to help you get the best return for your money. They research and select different investment options, monitor the different markets to help you maximize returns.
In return for a fee, your money manager will help you develop an appropriate investment strategy, and buying and selling securities to meet those goals. With fee-based management, as opposed to transaction-based management, you and your advisor are on the same side. You no longer have to question the decisions of a broker to buy or sell your securities.
A professional money manager does not receive commissions on transactions, but are paid either based on a percentage of assets under management, or earn their fees based on returns generated for your portfolio. Therefore, it is in the best interest of both the money manager and client to see the portfolio grow.
Google “money manager” to find a manager that’s good for you.
Good luck and have a nice day!
Http://jsforex.blogspot.com
Mary asks…
Senior Citizen Investment Strategies?
I have a mom who didn’t plan that well for retirement. She is now 80 years old and living off a fixed income from some money her father left for her, which isn’t very much. I am trying to find articles or non-biased advise as to what types and approach she should use to invest this money. Does anyone know of a good website(s) I can direct her to so that she can get educated?
vanessa answers:
It is to late for her to increase the principal. Stocks are for long term investments. She should stick with CD that are secure.
Michael asks…
How should I invest my money–about 8k?
I’m a new professional with money just sitting in my savings account and I want to do something a little more than that so I can start seeing some real returns. I have a good income, have no debt, no trouble paying my rent, bills, etc. and keep accumulating money that ends up my savings account making a miniscule 3% with the way the economy is going. I want to invest most if not all of this for the long term and see some compounding interest, but all the different types of investments and information out there is overwhelming and I end up doubting myself each time I come to a decision because I feel like there is something better I could be doing. How can I get over this hump? I just want to put my money that is guaranteed steady returns–I’m not looking to become a millionaire overnight, but want to accumulate wealth for the future. What are some really good investing strategies, literature, etc. for people like me?
vanessa answers:
If you are young or just startingin your career a general rule is that you should invest more aggressively. Some people have a misconception that you cannot make any money in a bear market. Do a little research of options and defensive stocks. Mutual funds are a good way to go if you dont feel like doing to much research. Bonds will give you a guaranteed return, but if you are young, thats not exactly what you need, they are typically for people in or nearing retirement.
Go to www.fidelity.com
they have all the resources you need… TONS of information, and they are a really good company
DIVERSIFY to alleviate some of the market risk associated with aggressive stocks.
ALL of that money should be in stocks for now until you build it up to a point where you can play around with options. Go for large growth right now and reevaluate later.
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