Pros and Cons of Mutual Fund Investment

Mutual funds have often seemed like a golden investment because what can be a relatively small amount of money ends up being greatly diversified. The core idea of this kind of investment goes back to the basic rule of, don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

 In recent years it has become more apparent that there is no such thing as a guaranteed investment. Companies that appear to be solid from all angles can quickly fall apart no matter how big they are. Because of this you would never want to invest all of your money in one or two companies because no matter how good the investment may seem, anything can happen tomorrow; however, when you invest in hundreds of companies that each look like they will have positive returns then even if a high amount of them fail the others should inevitably make up the difference.

Mutual Funds

 Since so many of us can not afford to build such a diverse portfolio on our own, a mutual fund is a great idea. That alone is perhaps the best pro a mutual fund has over things like stock by stock investments. Of course it is important to know that, even over a long period of time, there is never a guarantee your initial investment will pay off. Mutual funds are by no means immune to mistakes and their chosen stocks are by no means immune to failure.

Put simply, a mutual fund is a pool of money provided by individual investors, companies, and other organizations. A fund manager is hired to invest the cash the investors have contributed. The goal of the manager depends upon the type of fund; a fixed-income fund manager, for example, would strive to provide the highest yield at the lowest risk.

 Advantages 

 1. Mutual Funds Offer Diversification 
The beauty of a mutual fund is that you can buy a mutual fund and obtain instant access to a hundreds of individual stocks or bonds. Otherwise, in order to diversify your portfolio, you might have to buy individual securities, which exposes you to more potential volatility.

 2. Mutual Funds are Professionally Managed 
Many investors don’t have the resources or the time to buy individual stocks. Investing in individual securities, such as stocks, not only takes resources, but a considerable amount of time. By contrast, mutual fund managers and analysts wake up each morning dedicating their professional lives to researching and analyzing current and potential holdings for their mutual fund.

 3. Mutual Funds Come in Many Varieties 
A mutual fund comes in many types and styles. There are stock funds, bond funds, sector funds, target-date mutual funds, money market mutual funds and balanced funds. Mutual funds allow you to invest in the market whether you believe in active portfolio management (actively managed funds) or you prefer to buy a segment of the market with no interference from a manager (passive funds and index mutual funds). The availability of different types of mutual funds allows you to build a diversified portfolio at low cost and without much difficulty.

 4. Mutual Funds Have Low Minimums 
Many mutual fund companies allow investors to get started in a mutual fund with as little as P10,000.

5. Systematic Investing and Withdrawals with Mutual Funds 
It is simple to invest regularly in a mutual fund. Many mutual fund companies allow investors to invest an affordable amount per month directly into a mutual fund. Money can be pulled directly from a bank account and invested directly in the mutual fund. On the other hand, money can be regularly withdrawn from a mutual fund and be deposited into a bank account. There are generally no fees for this service.

 6. Mutual Funds Offer Automatic Reinvestment
An investor can easily and automatically have capital gains and dividends reinvested into their mutual fund without a sales load or extra fees.

 7. Mutual Funds Offer Transparency
Mutual fund holdings are publicly available (with some delays in reporting), which ensures that investors are getting what they pay for.

 8. Mutual Funds Are Liquid
Just like an individual stock, a mutual fund allows you to request that your shares be converted into cash at any time. If you want to sell your mutual fund, the proceeds from the sale are available the day after you sell the mutual fund.

 9. Mutual Funds Have Audited Track Records
A mutual fund company must maintain performance track records for each mutual fund and have them audited for accuracy, which ensures that investors can trust the mutual fund’s stated returns.

 10. Safety of Investing in Mutual Funds
If a mutual fund company goes out of business, mutual fund shareholders receive an amount of cash that equals their portion of ownership in the mutual fund. Alternatively, the mutual fund’s Board of Directors might elect a new investment advisor to manage the mutual fund.

 Disadvantages
 1. Mutual Funds Have Hidden Fees
If fees were hidden, those hidden fees would certainly be on the list of disadvantages of mutual funds. The fee is disclosed in the mutual fund prospectus and can be found on the mutual funds’ web sites. 

2. No Guarantees. 
The value of your mutual fund investment, unlike a bank deposit, could fall and be worth less than the principle initially invested. And, while a money market fund seeks a stable share price, its yield fluctuates, unlike a certificate of deposit. In addition, mutual funds are not insured or guaranteed by an agency of the U.S. government. Bond funds, unlike purchasing a bond directly, will not re-pay the principle at a set point in time.

 3. No Control
Mutual funds also offer very little control. In fact, once you have chosen a mutual fund to invest in your control of your money has pretty much come to an end. With most, of, if not all of, these funds the investor not only has no say in what companies get invested in but they can not even find out what the mutual fund’s portfolio looks like. Aside from the funds being unwilling to divulge all of this information they are also often unable to seeing as the day to day trading is so vast.

 4. Lack of Liquidity
Yes, there are a lot of different mutual funds in the investment world, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are very liquid. With mutual funds, the final transactions aren’t complete until the end of a trading day. It’s not until the final bell when you actual know the price of trades for the fund as a whole. That creates difficulties on days when the market is a volatile time-bomb. You need instant information in order to adjust your trading strategy. Mutual funds do not offer that option.

 5. Fluctuating Returns
Mutual funds are like many other investments without a guaranteed return: there is always the possibility that the value of your mutual fund will depreciate. Unlike fixed-income products, such as bonds and Treasury bills, mutual funds experience price fluctuations along with the stocks that make up the fund. When deciding on a particular fund to buy, you need to research the risks involved – just because a professional manager is looking after the fund, that doesn’t mean the performance will be stellar.

 6. Costs
Mutual funds provide investors with professional management, but it comes at a cost. Funds will typically have a range of different fees that reduce the overall payout. In mutual funds, the fees are classified into two categories: shareholder fees and annual operating fees.

 7. Over Diversification
Although diversification is one of the keys to successful investing, many mutual fund investors tend to overdiversify. The idea of diversification is to reduce the risks associated with holding a single security; overdiversification occurs when investors acquire many funds that are highly related and so don’t get the risk reducing benefits of diversification.

 8. Misleading Advertisements
The misleading advertisements of different funds can guide investors down the wrong path. Some funds may be incorrectly labeled as growth funds, while others are classified as small-cap or income. 

9. Investment style fluctuations
An investor who wants to maintain a certain asset allocation has to rely on the manager of the fund that he or she selects not to deviate from their stated investment styles. Any changes in priorities or investment styles could override and defeat the investor’s asset allocation.

 10. Panic selling 
 During sharp market downturns, investors often have a tendency to panic. When this happens, they look to sell their fund shares. Since the fund managers must redeem the shares, they have no choice but to sell the underlying securities at a time when there are few, if any, buyers. If not for the flood of redemptions, the fund manager would likely not sell the underlying securities. Thus, the professional manager’s expertise, judgment, and objectives are upset and overridden by the actions of the fund’s investors.

 11. No Insurance 
 Mutual funds, although regulated by the government, are not insured against losses.

Conclussion

 When you buy any investment, it’s important to understand both the good and bad points. If the advantages that the investment offers outweigh its disadvantages, it’s quite possible that mutual funds are something to consider. Whether you decide in favor or against mutual funds, the probability of a successful portfolio increases dramatically when you do your homework.

 All of this being said, mutual funds are a diverse investment that allows you to buy in with limited money. Perhaps their best perk is that your money ends up being professionally managed by people who are often amongst the best in the business.

 List of Leading Mutual Fund Companies in the Philippines

 ATR- Kim Eng Equity Opportunity Fund – www.mutualfund.com.ph
 DWS Deutsche Philippine Equity Fund, Inc.
 First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund – www.fami.com.ph
 Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc. – www.philamfunds.com
 Philequity Fund, Inc. – www.philequity.net
 Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc.
 Sun Life Prosperity Phil. Equity Fund, Inc. – www.sunlifefunds.com
 United Fund, Inc.

sources: mutualfunds.about.com, open-ira.com, nasdaq.com, etf.about.com, finweb.com, pinoymoneytalk.com

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Recession Proof Businesses for Expatriates to Start

Many Expatriates are still working abroad away from their family sacrificing because they are afraid to loss their jobs and end up nothing. Many of them spend more than ten years while some still working abroad for more than 20 years because they do not have business to support their expenses if they resign. Like me who has a buy and sell business experience before when I was working in my country, I have second thought of resigning because I don't have concrete business plan about what business to start. Majority of us are afraid to fail.

Well while searching in the Internet I found out that these kind of businesses are good whether the economy is good or bad. These businesses are not easily affected by recession so you have a big chance of success.

Here they are and not in particular order:

Candy, Cosmetics and Contraceptives 

Candy

 If anyone likes a quick pick-me-up, it's the stressed out American worker. If you're lucky enough to keep your job during a recession, then you're probably bracing for the next round of layoffs. While heavy drinking at the office is frowned upon, nearly everyone can get behind a big bowl of jellybeans. Candy consumption in the United States went through the roof during the Great Recession. The New York Times reported that Cadbury's profits were up 30 percent in 2008, and Nestle saw a 10.9 percent growth. Inexpensive, sweet treats provide a necessary break from all of the bad news. Indeed, during the Great Depression, treats like Snickers, Tootsie Pops and Mars Bars were all invented, and are still enjoyed today. Cosmetics and nail-care businesses also do well during recessions as women look for inexpensive ways to pamper themselves. In fact, some economists point to rising lipstick sales as a reliable indicator of a sagging economy. The bedroom is also an excellent (and free, in most cases) treat during the recession. But budget-conscious couples make sure to avoid any unplanned expenses. During the first two months of 2009, contraceptive sales were up 10 percent.

 Luxury Retail

Luxury Retail

Recessions don't affect everybody equally. According to Newsweek, the total number of worldwide billionaires jumped 20 percent in 2008. Forbes counted a record number of billionaires in 2013 — 1,426 — while several parts of the economy were still recovering from the recession. Many of these über-rich live in Russia, the Middle East and Asia and have no problem splurging for a jumbo private jet or their very own sun-soaked island in the Mediterranean. The number of millionaires in India grew 22 percent over 2007-2008 and China witnessed a 15 percent bump in millionaires in 2011. In the U.S., sales of ultra-luxury goods like $1,500 pairs of shoes or diamond-encrusted handbags slumped sharply in early 2009, but companies like Hermès and LVMH more than made up with Chinese sales. As early as 2011, luxury retailers were some of the first to bounce back in the U.S., with brands like Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent boasting a 23 percent increase in sales while more modest retailers were starving for customers. One luxury car dealership in Manhattan specializing in Lamborghini, Bentley and Rolls-Royce models — each retailing in the low six figures — said 2011 was one of its best sales year ever.

 Repossessions and Removals 

Repossessions and Removals

 Some industries act like financial scavengers during a recession, feasting on the rotten remains of the rest of the economy. For the man -- whose job is to repossess vehicles and other property when the owner fails to make payments -- bad news is big business. During the 2002 recession, car repossessions jumped 60 percent over 2001. In 2008, during the worst of the Great Recession, a total of 1.67 million vehicles were repossessed, a 12 percent increase from the year before. Junk removal is another service industry that profits from the misfortune of others. When a bank forecloses on a home, some indebted homeowners skip town and leave all of their possessions behind. For businesses like Miss Junk in Los Angeles, this means monthly revenues of $150,000 during the recession of 2007-2009, 10 times what it earned in its first month in 2007. Bankruptcy lawyers also keep busy during a recession. More than a million individuals filed for bankruptcy in the United States in 2008, prompting 30 percent more bankruptcy lawyers to enter the profession. Even with the economy in slow recovery, 1.2 million individuals filed for bankruptcy protection in 2012, which means there is still plenty of bankruptcy business to go around.

 The Federal Government 

Federal Government

 A report by USA Today found that workers in many federal agencies are more likely to die than lose their job. The federal government job security rate was 99.43 percent in 2010, meaning only about half of 1 percent of the federal workforce was fired or laid off. In the private sector, an average of 3 percent of workers are fired for poor performance each year, and that doesn't include layoffs. And despite the recession and spending cuts, the federal government is actively hiring new employees. In 2012, the government hired about 90,000 people, and there were still nearly 8,000 open job listings on USAjobs.gov, the federal government job board, as of October 2013. A major reason for the hiring boom is a rapidly aging federal workforce; more than 260,000 federal workers are older than 60. State and local government job security is an entirely different story. During the Great Recession consumers cut spending which affected state and local tax revenue. Faced with budget crises, many states enacted steep budget cuts. Even as the economy slowly recovered in the first half of 2010, state and local governments cut 95,000 jobs while the private sector added nearly 600,000. By late 2013, however, local and state jobs appeared to be bouncing back, especially in the education sector. 

Education 

Education

 Public school teachers in the United States -- who are essentially state employees -- have traditionally enjoyed solid job security. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projected a 17 percent growth in demand for kindergarten and elementary school teachers from 2010 to 2020, even in the face of state budget cuts to public education. In the post-recession job market, there is still incredible demand for teachers, but aspiring educators need to go where the jobs are. For example, in 2013 there was a huge shortage of certified math, science and special education teachers nationwide, but a surplus of general elementary school teachers. College students considering a career in education will greatly improve their job prospects, starting salary and job security by focusing on these high-need subject areas. Also, teacher demand is higher in areas experiencing strong population growth like the West and South. Statistics show that college enrollment remained steady before, during and immediately after the Great Recession, making higher education one of the more recession-resistant businesses around. There was a sharp rise in community college admissions during the Great Recession as laid-off workers returned to school to upgrade their skills. However, college enrollment actually fell slightly in 2012-2013 for the first time in two decades, a combination of fewer college-age kids and more adults opting out of school to enter the improving job market.

 Vices 

Vices

 The traditional logic is that sin wins when the economy loses. Like candy, cigarette sales skyrocketed during the Great Depression, and tobacco stocks are still a smart buy in any recession. But in contrast to popular wisdom, people tend to spend less on so-called sin industries like alcohol and cigarettes during recessions. The reason, some experts say, is not that people stop indulging during lousy times, but that they cut back some or downgrade the quality of their favorite vice.For example, the National Restaurant Association reported that wine sales "by the glass" rose sharply as whole bottle sales slumped in 2008. And the Beer Institute said that beer sales in restaurants dropped in 2008, while wholesale beer sales from cheaper stores went up. Tattoo parlors, on the other hand, boom through both recession and recovery. According to a Harris poll, one in five Americans (21 percent) had a tattoo in 2012, up from 14 percent in 2008. People get tattoos during recessions because they are a relatively cheap way to express yourself creatively and boost self-confidence. On the flip side, tattoo removal services also boom during a recession as laid-off workers erase conspicuous ink to appear more professional in interviews.

 Discount Retail 

Discount Retail

 Wal-Mart has more than its fair share of critics. The superstore has spread across the world quickly, knocking off smaller competitors in its path. But no matter what you think of its business tactics, low prices trump politics during a recession. While nearly every other large American retailer suffered significant losses in the first months of 2009, Wal-Mart reported a 5.1 percent increase in profits, more than doubling Wall Street's expectations of 2.4 percent. Not surprisingly, dollar stores and thrift stores also thrive during recessions. The three biggest American discount chains — Dollar General, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree — became Wall Street darlings during the recession as they each added thousands of stores from 2008 to 2012. Thrift stores and trendier "resale" shops also drew in new customers. According to the America's Research Group, 20 percent of people in 2012 said they shopped at thrift stores "regularly," up from 14 percent in 2008.

 Information Technology 

Information Technology

 Despite the bursting of the information technology(IT) bubble that played a key role in the recession of the early 2000s, information technology was the fastest-growing sector in the United States economy during and after the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009. That's because the information technology sector isn't confined to traditional tech companies like software makers and server manufacturers. Among the top growth businesses of 2011 were Voice Over IP providers, wind and solar power manufacturers, video game designers and Internet publishers. The biggest growth areas for IT jobs are in software design and development, networking and systems administration, software implementation analysis, testing and QA, and database administration.Systems analysts and administrators appear to have some of the greatest job prospects, since the nature of the work is more collaborative and more difficult to outsource overseas. One of the reasons information technology continues to be an in-demand job sector is because there's an overall lack of qualified IT workers. As older IT workers retire, there simply aren't enough younger workers to take their place. The percentage of U.S. college students graduating with a computer science degree has declined since 2005 to its lowest level since 1986. That trend has led some analysts to predict a 15 percent decrease in the supply of IT workers between 2008 and 2038, while the demand for experienced workers increases 25 percent.

 Health Care 

Health Care

 For years health care has topped every list of recession-proof businesses. The logic is that people continue to get sick, even in bad economic times. But does that automatically translate into profits for the entire health care sector? Let's take a closer look. From 2008 to 2012, a span that covers the Great Recession and early recovery, health care spending in the U.S. grew at a sluggish 4.2 percent annually. Compare that to the 8.8 percent annual growth experienced from 2001 to 2003 after the early 2000s recession. Analysts believe there is a direct connection between the stagnant overall economy and lower spending on medical services. But the industry still managed to grow during a time when many other sectors saw revenues plummet. Total health care spending in the U.S. — by both individuals and government programs like Medicare and Medicaid — represented 16.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2007 and increased to 17.6 percent in 2012. And this percentage is expected to grow under the Affordable Care Act. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, the health care and social assistance sector will add more than 5.7 million jobs from 2010 to 2020, far and away the largest projected job growth of any industry. The fastest-growing profession is registered nurses, but other areas of nursing are also strong. The BLS predicts a 70 percent growth in demand for both home health aides and personal health aides to serve an aging baby boomer population during 2010-2020.

 Noncyclical Businesses 

 If you're looking for a truly recession-proof business, then there are a few old standards that might not be sexy, but they sure are reliable. These noncyclical businesses survive through good times and bad because they provide basic, necessary services. Funeral services are a good example. Funeral homes see a steady stream of business no matter how the stock market is performing, although funeral directors in every state reported a significant rise in cremation requests — a far less expensive procedure than burial — during the Great Recession. And since we're on the subject of death, we might as well mention the other of life's guarantees: taxes. As long as the IRS keeps things confusing, there will be plenty of work for accountants. One group that struggled during the Great Recession, however, were small, one-man accounting firms that mostly served small businesses. The big national chains were fine. Public utilities like electricity, gas and waste disposal are necessary for the clean and comfortable functioning of society. If a city government tried to save money by only collecting garbage once a month, it would cause a stink, to say the least. Other industries that fall under the noncyclical banner are religious organizations, the military,pharmaceuticals,veterinary services and repair technicians. So if you lose your job as a hedge fund manager, you might consider a career as a vacuum-repairing priest.

I hope you enjoy and find some ideas to what business you will start. 

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Is Global Intergold Scam or Legit

I was called by one of my acquaintances one afternoon and pretending to be concerned by saying that he did not have any news about me for a long time. Chit-chat went from personal to investment and he shared me this Global Intergold. Actually he shared me the Emgoldex before it was known as Global Intergold lately. 

I am not new to this MLM, Binary and alike businesses. I joined the company associated with Aloe Vera products. The only difference is that this company has products which you will get when you register to join. 

When do you say that a company engage in MLM or Binary is a SCAM or legit? Let's face it these companies recruit people to expand. I can say that it is legit when you get something in return when you register your name with them. Example is the products like health products and maybe a service with the right price of course. It should be competitive to the market, not overprice. 

To cut the story short, this Global Intergold has no product but you have to recruit in order to earn money. They said at least two. Wow. Gold is their front or prop.

 Most of these ponzi scheme businesses victimized OFWs and Expatriates with the promise of getting easy money because they knew that they have money to afford. 

The big question is why they changed their name from Emgoldex to Global Intergold? Not approved by SEC in the Philippines. 

"Global InterGold is a regulated EU Company featuring an Online shop for the buying and selling of gold bars from Swiss regulated suppliers. Purchases may be completed outright or the client may elect to defer payment and subscribe to the GoldSet marketing incentives program. GoldSet offers Global InterGold clients a variety of ways to help fund their purchases and maximize their gold purchasing power. 

 Not only does Global InterGold sell investment gold bars, it also provides a buyback guarantee on completion of a Gold Bullion purchase order commitment.
Buyers may elect to hold their physical gold purchases personally or assign them for safekeeping in a certified depository through our licensed gold provider for a small fee. 

 Gold has been traded for over 5,000 years. In fluctuating economies it is a reliable investment that many governments, banks, large and mid-sized corporations as well as high net-worth individuals turn to for increased stability. Now, Global InterGold makes purchasing gold possible for just about anyone."

I have no news what happened to my acquaintance if he get his money back with profit or not but I am certain when the recruiting is saturated everything will fall apart and good luck to the latest member who will bear the consequence.

My advised to everyone, stay way from this type of investment. If they promise big return in a short span of time then be worry. Say NO to this kind of investment. Many investment scam has been brought to the public attention but we Filipinos never learned. It is better to invest in mutual fund and stock market. All you have to do is learned how to do it.

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