Managing your Financial » fact

Women & Financial Independence

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 04:04:17 +0000

Women and financial independence is quite possible but will be more difficult than a man achieving financial independence. Financial independence indicates that there is no dependence on a paycheck and that basically you are your own boss. Women having the responsibility to raise families often have to put their financial independence on hold until the family unit is feasible for business endeavors. Financial independence does not mean to have a large bank account. Financial independence indicates that the the woman can not has their own businesses.
Very few people has achieved financial independence because of the risks that have to be taken and the financial capital needed for business start ups not only for women but for men as well. . One may say that Warren Buffet the billionaire has financial independence but it appears that he works harder at forecasting the economy than being employed. Most financial independent people are either in real estate or investment banking and have their own business. Women owned businesses can indicate financial independence because they are self supporting which indicates independence and building wealth to be self sustaining.
The term rich and financial independence has been used synonymously but there are rich people who are not financial independent and financial independent people who are not rich. For the sake of everyday terms and for a goal that would put the high achiever in reach of a lucrative income, financial independent is described as owning your own business and not having a boss. Most men achieve this plateau of financial independence than women but that is no indication that there are top producing financial independent women. The numbers are scarce of women and financial independence than men in the same financial status. Being responsible for the sustainability of the business and the longevity of the business along with the customer retention is paramount of women and financial independence.
Women owned business are in the minority and there are less financially independent women than men. A generalized reason for this inequity is the fact that women are most likely wives and mother who takes care of family and supplement income with a part time job or even a full time job. Social norms still places the man as the head of the household and the one responsible for the financial stability of the family. Given this responsibility, it is the man of the household who is most likely seeking to be financially independent. Women are seeking to be financially independent but not on the larger scale as men.
Even in the workforce, a woman’s salary still trails that of a man. If a woman is seeking financial independence, there will be steeper mountains to climb to reach that goal. Venture capital to get started can be more difficult to obtain and most likely the woman would have to to get helpful information on starting a business from the Small Business Administration or the SBA. Recently, investment groups just for woman has sprung up around the country and this is one way to get venture capital to get started on owning a business and becoming financial independent.
Owning a business is a twenty four hours a day job seven days a week and there is never enough hours in a day to work on building a business for financial independence. Most likely the woman can use time management to get tasks done but must be prepared for the hard work and long hours to get a business started even after qualifying for venture capital. A woman can achieve financial independence but the work is hard and the hours are long but worthwhile if financial independence has become a lifetime goal.
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Managing your Own Money

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 03:45:49 +0000

Many investors who manage their own money and their own investments have several tremendous advantages over fund managers. Investors who have bypassed the allure of the fund management industry often come to realize that through diligent research and logic, they can keep up with the returns of the big boys.
My investment business, albeit in the fund management profession, is run along the private investor’s lines. All of the advantages below are practiced by my fund.
While this may appear to be caused by superior market knowledge and over-confidence, there are in fact a number of advantages the small guy has. I advise all amateur and part-time investors to read over these structural advantages and use them to your benefit.
1. You can wait.
Private investors have the luxury of time on their side. If you cannot find anything attractive you can stay in cash. Fund managers do not have this luxury for two reasons. Firstly, they have to invest to their mandate irrespective of current market valuations (for example equity funds must have a certain percentage of their money in equities at all times). Holding cash in the fund is also a risky strategy for fund managers as they run the risk of being left behind by their peers, whom they are compared to on a quarterly, monthly and sometimes even daily basis.
2. You can invest anywhere and everywhere.
Without an investment mandate, you can invest in any type of asset in any country that offers an attractive risk return trade-off, be it corporate bonds, equities, options, real estate etc. As mentioned above, fund managers have to stay within the fund’s investment area. In the case of pension funds, there are even more severe limits that, in my opinion, limit the returns the fund can provide.
3. You can invest in any size
Similarly to investing anywhere, there are no size constraints on your investment. Fund managers are faced with ridiculous restrictions as to how much to “weight” to certain indexes in order to match their performance as closely as possible.
4. You have no benchmark
You only have one goal in mind, and that is to grow your investment portfolio each year irrespective of what the market does. I do not consider it a good year if I have lost 25% while the market has lost 40%. Fund managers are groomed to beat their benchmark and this performance is always viewed in context, irrespective of absolute return.
5. You can focus and ignore
Studying, understanding and applying what has worked in investing is all you need to do to be successful as a private investor. I advocate reading Benjamin Graham classic, The Intelligent Investor. The rest should follow. Pay no attention to market noise, alternate opinions or what the television “talking heads” say. Do your own research and arrive at your own conclusions.
6. No conflict of interest
The individual investor has only their interest to look out for. This is a big advantage when it comes to large fund managers catering to larger institutions. Fund managers have to think of keeping their jobs, increasing their assets under management and keeping clients happy, suggesting that performance is not the most important thing on their minds. Also, clashes between investment banks and fund managers are regular occurrences and sometimes result in inopportune purchases by fund managers.
7. You can have a long view.
According to a study by the New York Stock Exchange the average holding period of shares held has declined from five to six years in the 1950s to 11 months, meaning the average holding period is less than one financial year. It is extremely unlikely and almost impossible that an undervalued company can right itself in such a short period of time. This may be the largest competitive advantage you have: The ability to look at a company solely on valuation and keep it as long as it is undervalued, irrespective of what the competition is doing or market price.
8. No peer pressure.
There is no pressure to buy or sell any investments. Fund managers get compared to benchmark indices and other funds, including the individual fund holdings. If you manage your own money you have none of these problems.
9. You decide.
The private investor is in control of all their decisions. You make the final decision after you have done the analysis. You may be wrong but at least you make the calls either way. Many fund managers are run by committee which leads to inherent clashes. Try telling your boss that his investment ideas are wrong!
10. You don’t have to di-worse-ify!
Every individual should hold only as many stocks as they feel comfortable with. There is no set limit either on the low or high end. However, most mutual funds hold positions in excess of 100 stocks. My business has only 7 positions. While I advise 10 as the optimal, we won’t buy stocks just because we hold seven and need ten!
11. You control the costs
Controlling costs and fees (the friction of investing), is a very important part of realizing superior long-term results. Discount brokers provide ideal services for the private investor, so long as you are not a day trader! Calculated over a period of 20 to 30 years keeping costs low makes a huge difference.
12. You can be fully invested
This is a huge structural advantage you have and is the bane of the fund management business. Fund managers are bound to get redemption requests when markets fall, and to meet such requests either need to be in cash or sell shares. However, as we have seen in 2008 in particular, when markets are falling liquidity drops, sometimes to the point where a fund manager is unable to sell his position. This results in selling pressure on stock prices leading to further market falls, thus triggering more redemptions, and so on.
There are of course a few funds where the drawbacks mentioned below do not apply but they are in the minority, my fund being one of those. The large bulk of fund management companies are focused on growing the amount of money they manage, while the performance of your portfolio is not the utmost concern.
If you do not want to manage your own investments then find a fund manager who is not bound by parameters and can show clearly that the performance of your investment is there foremost concern.

Manage Your Debt and Credit

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 03:35:18 +0000

Credit was once defined as “Man’s Confidence in Man.” But in fact, the definition of credit today is more like “Man’s Confidence in Himself.” Using credit today means you have confidence in your future ability to pay that debt. Forty years ago, your parents may have paid cash for their homes and their cars, a largely unheard-of event today. If they borrowed money at all, chances are it was from a relative or friend, and not a financial institution.
Today debt and instant credit are part of our everyday lives. The convenience of instant credit, however, has taken its toll. Many individuals use credit cards to spend more than they earn, and a few of these people actually build themselves a debt prison from which some never emerge. On the other hand, those who never use credit can be denied a loan or credit when they have a justifiable need or use for it. Using credit establishes a history of financial responsibility: Until you establish a credit history, your chances of qualifying for an important loan, such as a mortgage, are greatly reduced.
What is the balance between using credit wisely and staying out of overwhelming debt? Let’s look at the facts and some pros and cons.
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Installment Debt
Debt comes in many forms, and most types help us in our daily lives — when used responsibly. Most people cannot buy a home without some financial help, and many cannot buy a car (especially a new one) without some sort of financing. The money borrowed to purchase large-ticket items is called installment debt: The debtor pays a portion of the total at regular intervals over a specified period of time. At the end of that time period, the loan with interest is paid off.
Installment debt allows you to purchase items at a competitive interest rate: for example, 5% to 7% for a 30-year home mortgage and 8% or 9% for a car loan. The loan is paid back on an amortizing schedule, monthly payments of a fixed amount that remain constant over the life of the loan. At first, most of the monthly payment consists of interest. In later years, principal begins to be paid down.
Installment debt is easily budgeted and the debt is eliminated on a predetermined date. Even for those who may actually have the cash to purchase the desired item, installment debt can make financial sense if you can earn a higher return (after taxes) on your investment of cash than you must pay on your installment debt.
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Revolving Credit
A revolving line of credit, also called “open-ended credit,” is made available to you for use at any time. Examples of revolving credit are credit cards such as Visa, Mastercard, and department store cards. When you apply for one of these cards, you receive a credit limit based on your credit payment history and income. When you use the credit line, you must make monthly minimum payments based on the total balance outstanding that month. Some lines of credit will also have an annual account fee.
While revolving credit is a convenient way to borrow, it can also become an endless pit of minimum payments that barely cover the interest due. Many cards charge annual rates of interest of 18% or higher. As you pay off your debt, the minimum payment is also reduced, thus extending your payoff period and, consequently, the interest you pay. Paying just the minimum due on a $2,000 credit card loan could mean making monthly interest payments for 10 or more years!
Revolving credit, in addition to being convenient, eliminates the need to carry a lot of cash and can help establish you as a creditworthy risk for future loans. The itemized monthly statements also can help you track your expenses. But some people can easily yield to the temptation that the convenience of credit cards offers. Impulse buying, failing to compare costs, and purchasing large items you can’t afford are all downfalls brought on by always available purchasing power. Spending more than you earn in any given period is a dangerous practice at best, but doing it over an extended period of time can be financial suicide.
Installment Debt vs. Revolving Debt
Lower interest rates and an amortizing repayment schedule can make installment debt a much cheaper alternative to revolving credit.
Installment Revolving
Beginning Balance $2,500 $2,500
Interest Rate 10% 18.5%
Years to Repay 4 30*
Interest Cost $544 $6,500
*Paying 2% minimum monthly payment.
Sources and Costs of Debt
Source Type of Debt Cost
Banks and Credit Unions Personal, secured Low
Personal, unsecured Moderate
Mortgage Low
Credit Card Low to High
Mortgage Companies Mortgage Low
Department Stores Revolving High
Insurance Companies Personal, unsecured High

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Using Credit Wisely
To use credit intelligently, start by examining the terms of the card(s) you are currently using. Keeping track of your cards, their rates, and your current balances will help you to be aware of how you use credit cards. Increased competition in recent years has led some credit card companies to offer enticing features to attract new cardholders, including no annual fees and low interest rates for an introductory period. (And credit card companies sometimes will give their introductory rates to existing cardholders so that they won’t transfer their balances to another credit card company.)
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Eliminating Credit Card Debt
If you think you may have too much credit card debt, begin to address it by honestly evaluating your spending habits. Examine your existing expenses to analyze how your money is spent. You will most likely be able to identify the problem areas where you are more likely to spend too much or too readily with credit cards. Then, based on your current spending practices, create a realistic budget to pay off your credit card debt in the shortest time possible while not adding any more debt to it. For assistance, you may want to turn to your financial advisor, who can help you to allocate your resources wisely to address your credit card debt.
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The Role of Debt
Today, carrying installment debt is almost a fact of life. Mortgages, car loans, or small-business loans (to name a few) are part of almost everyone’s life. On the other hand, carrying credit card debt is usually not a good idea. At interest rates of 16% and up, it’s hard to justify keeping savings that could pay off that 18% department-store credit card in the bank at 2%.
Debt and credit play increasingly important roles in our lives. As the aging Baby Boomers get closer to their peak earning years, many are realizing the need to reduce debt and increase savings. Even though analyzing your spending habits and creating a budget to address your debt may seem a little overwhelming, the simplicity of the philosophy of the Depression era still stands: Never spend more than you earn. Once you have come to grips with this basic fact, managing your debt will become far easier and more rewarding.
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Summary
• Installment debt means the loan is paid off in a specified period of time by making predetermined payments periodically.
• Revolving credit is a line of credit that is instantly available through use of a credit card (and sometimes a check).
• As you pay down your debt in a revolving line of credit, the minimum payment is also reduced, thus extending your payoff period and, consequently, the interest you pay.
• Spending more than you earn in any given period is a dangerous practice at best, but doing it over an extended period of time can be financial suicide.