8/12/2009

Bonds - Value of U.S. Treasury Bills

The current value of a U.S. Treasury Bill can be found using the Wall Street Journal. Look in the WSJ in the issue dated the next business day after the valuation date you want, specifically in the "Money and Investing" section under the headline "Treasury Bonds, Notes, and Bills". There you need to look for the column titled "TREASURY BILLS". Scan down the column for the maturity date of your bill. Then examine the "Bid" and "Days to Mat." values. The necessary formula:

Current value = (1 - ("Bid" / 100 * "Days to Mat." / 360)) * Mature Value

For example, a 13-week treasury bill purchased at the auction on Monday June 21 appears in the June 22, 1994 WSJ in boldface as maturing on September 22, 1994 with an "Asked" of 4.18 and 91 "Days to Mat.". Its selling price on Wedesday August 31, 1994 appeared in the September 1, 1994 Wall Street Journal as 20 "Days to Mat." with 4.53 "Bid". A $10,000 bill would sell for:
(1 - 4.53/100 * 20/360) * $10,000 = $ 9,974.83
minus any brokerage fee.

The coupon yield for a U.S. Treasury Bill is listed as "Ask Yld." in the Wall Street Journal under "Treasury Bonds, Notes and Bills". The value is computed using the formula:

couponYield = 365 / (360/discount - daysToMaturity/100)

Discount is listed under the "Asked" column, and "couponYield" is shown under the "Ask Yld." column. For example, the October 21, 1994 WSJ lists Jan 19, '95 bills as having 87 "Days to Mat.", and an "Asked" discount as 4.98. This gives:
365 / (360/4.98 - 87/100) = 5.11%
which is shown under the "Ask Yld." column for the same issue. DaysToMaturity for 13-week, 26-week, and 52-week bills will be 91, 182, and 364, respectively, on the day the bill is issued.

Price-Earnings (P/E) Ratio

P/E is shorthand for the ratio of a company's share price to its per-share earnings. For example, a P/E ratio of 10 means that the company has $1 of annual, per-share earnings for every $10 in share price. Earnings by definition are after all taxes etc.

A company's P/E ratio is computed by dividing the current market price of one share of a company's stock by that company's per-share earnings. A company's per-share earnings are simply the company's after-tax profit divided by number of outstanding shares. For example, a company that earned $5M last year, with a million shares outstanding, had earnings per share of $5. If that company's stock currently sells for $50/share, it has a P/E of 10. Stated differently, at this price, investors are willing to pay $10 for every $1 of last year's earnings.

P/Es are traditionally computed with trailing earnings (earnings from the past 12 months, called a trailing P/E) but are sometimes computed with leading earnings (earnings projected for the upcoming 12-month period, called a leading P/E). Some analysts will exclude one-time gains or losses from a quarterly earnings report when computing this figure, others will include it. Adding to the confusion is the possibility of a late earnings report from a company; computation of a trailing P/E based on incomplete data is rather tricky. (I'm being polite; it's misleading, but that doesn't stop the brokerage houses from reporting something.) Even worse, some methods use so-called negative earnings (i.e., losses) to compute a negative P/E, while other methods define the P/E of a loss-making company to be zero. The many ways to compute a P/E may lead to wide variation in the reporting of a figure such as the "P/E for the S&P whatever." Worst of all, it's usually next to impossible to discover the method used to generate a particular P/E figure, chart, or report.

Like other indicators, P/E is best viewed over time, looking for a trend. A company with a steadily increasing P/E is being viewed by the investment community as becoming more and more speculative. And of course a company's P/E ratio changes every day as the stock price fluctuates.

The price/earnings ratio is commonly used as a tool for determining the value the market has placed on a common stock. A lot can be said about this little number, but in short, companies expected to grow and have higher earnings in the future should have a higher P/E than companies in decline. For example, if Amgen has a lot of products in the pipeline, I wouldn't mind paying a large multiple of its current earnings to buy the stock. It will have a large P/E. I am expecting it to grow quickly.

PE is a much better comparison of the value of a stock than the price. A $10 stock with a PE of 40 is much more "expensive" than a $100 stock with a PE of 6. You are paying more for the $10 stock's future earnings stream. The $10 stock is probably a small company with an exciting product with few competitors. The $100 stock is probably pretty staid - maybe a buggy whip manufacturer.

It's difficult to say whether a particular P/E is high or low, but there are a number of factors you should consider. First, a common rule of thumb for evaluating a company's share price is that a company's P/E ratio should be comparable to that company's growth rate. If the ratio is much higher, then the stock price is high compared to history; if much lower, then the stock price is low compared to history. Second, it's useful to look at the forward and historical earnings growth rate. For example, if a company has been growing at 10% per year over the past five years but has a P/E ratio of 75, then conventional wisdom would say that the shares are expensive. Third, it's important to consider the P/E ratio for the industry sector. For example, consumer products companies will probably have very different P/E ratios than internet service providers. Finally, a stock could have a high trailing-year P/E ratio, but if the earnings rise, at the end of the year it will have a low P/E after the new earnings report is released. Thus a stock with a low P/E ratio can accurately be said to be cheap only if the future-earnings P/E is low. If the trailing P/E is low, investors may be running from the stock and driving its price down, which only makes the stock look cheap.


How to Invest in Turkey?

I. How does legal framework of the FDI regulated under the Turkish Law?

The legal framework of the Foreign Direct Investments are regulated by the Law numbered 4875 and dated 17.06.2003 (hereinafter &quotno. and dd."). This law is structured as a legal guideline for investors, which consists of 7 Articles and regulates general rules and principles about FDI. Additionally, the &quotMutual Protection and Promotion of Investments Agreements" (hereinafter &quotMPPI) are applicable to the Foreign Direct Investments. Turkey has signed MPPI agreements with 80 countries and 64 of these agreements entered into force.

II. How does &quotForeign Direct Investors" and &quotForeign Direct Investments" defined by Turkish Law?

In a brief definition, foreign investment can be defined as the transfer of movable and immovable assets from one country to another for the profit of multinational companies under partial or complete supervision of asset owners by means of contributing welfare of the invested country.
The concept of foreign investors classified into two groups in the Article 2 of FDI Law. The first group consists of real persons who possess foreign nationality and Turkish nationals who are residents abroad. The second group is foreign legal entities established under the laws of foreign countries and international institutions.

In Paragraph (b) of Article 2 of Law no. 4875 regarding foreign direct investment, the concept of foreign direct investment is classified under two main topics: instruments that are transferred from abroad and instruments that are provided by domestic market.

Instruments that are transferred from abroad are defined as follows:
• Cash capital in the form of convertible money that is bought and sold by Central Bank of Republic of Turkey (hereinafter &quotRepublic of Turkey" shall be referred as &quotTR"),
• Company securities (with the exception of Government bonds)
• Machinery and equipment
• Industrial and property rights.
Instruments that are provided domestically are defined as follows:
• Reinvested earnings, revenues, financial claims, or any other investment-related rights of financial value,
• Through economic values such as rights regarding the exploration and extraction of natural resources;
i. Establishment of a new company or a branch,
ii. To participate in a current company using acquisition of shares outside securities stock markets or acquisition from securities stock markets that provides at least 10% share rate or voting rights at the same rate.

III. What are the fundamental principles that Foreign Investors shall be subject in Turkey?

The fundamental principles, which foreign investors shall be subject to, are regulated under the title of &quotPrinciples Regarding Foreign Direct Investments" in Article 3 of Law no. 4875.
1. Freedom of investment and national treatment principle:
According to sub-paragraph (a) of Article 3 of Law no. 4875, firstly the freedom of investment and principles of equal treatment are regulated. Accordingly, unless otherwise stipulated by international agreements and provisions of specific laws, foreign investors are free to invest directly in Turkey, and they are subject to equal treatment with domestic investors.
2. Expropriation and nationalization restriction:
In the regulations regarding expropriation and nationalization, it is stipulated in sub-paragraph (b) of Article 3 of Law no. 4875 that the direct foreign investments cannot be expropriated and nationalized unless required by the public interest and their considerations are paid in accordance with the current legislation. With the regulation included in the Law, it is assured that the general regulations and principles on expropriation and nationalization specified in Articles 46 and 47 of the Constitution of Republic of Turkey are also applied to foreign investments without exception.
3. The principle of free transfer:
Another principle, stated in sub-paragraph (c) of Article 3 of Law no. 4875, is the principle of free transfer. In line with this principle, foreign investors can freely transfer the followings abroad through banks and special financial institutions: the considerations of net profit, dividend, sale, liquidation and indemnity; amounts arising from license, management and similar agreements; and foreign credit capital and interest payments arising from their business and activities within Turkey.
4. Regulations on the principle of access to real estate:
The regulations concerning access to real estate in Turkey can classify into 3 categories.
a) Regulation on foreign real persons:
b) Regulation on Foreign Companies outside the Context of FDI Law no. 4875:
c) For companies with Foreign Direct Investor status under Law no.4875;
In paragraph (d) of Article 3 of Law no. 4875, freedom of access to real estate was granted for foreign investors. Also the condition of access to real estates regulated under Deed Law no. 2644, Article 35. The legal and de facto conditions are taken as basis for the determination of the reciprocity. According to these provisions, in the context of real estate acquisition, it is essential that where land property right is not entitled to the citizens of a country, foreign state entities to the citizens of the Republic of Turkey the same rights that it entitles to its citizens. It is a fact that ; after the decision of Constitutional Court regarding the real estate access it should
5. Principles to be applied for resolution of disputes:
It is stipulated that one can resort to national or international arbitration or other dispute settlement methods besides recourse to appointed and authorized courts for the regulation drawn up for the resolution of disputes of a foreign nature and disputes arising from investment contracts subject to private law as well as investment disputes arising from public service privilege stipulations and agreements between foreign investors and administration, provided that the conditions specified in the relevant legislation occur and the parties mutually agree.
6. Value assessment of non-cash capital:
Another principle concerning the foreign investments is about value assessment of non-cash capital. The value assessment of non-cash capital is done within the scope of the provisions of Turkish Commercial Law. In case the stocks and bonds of companies established in foreign countries are used as investment instruments, the assessments of authorities entitled for the value assessment in accordance with the legislation of country of origin or experts assigned by courts of country of origin or international assessment institutions are taken as basis.
7. Employment of foreign personnel:
In case of employment of foreign personnel, the work permits for the personnel with foreign nationalities to be employed at companies, branches or organizations that have been established within the scope of Law no. 4875 are granted by Ministry of Labor and Social Security. More information on this subject shall be addressed in the following sections.

The last principle regarding foreign investments that is included in the Law is about liaison offices. According to this principle, The Undersecretaries of Treasury is authorized to permit foreign companies that are established under the laws of foreign countries to open liaison offices, provided that they do not engage in commercial activities in Turkey.

IV. Which company types are commonly used in Turkey?

According to Article 9 of Implementation Regulation for Foreign Direct Investments Law which has come into force by being published in Official Gazette no. 25205 and dd. 20.08.2003, the companies which can be established or affiliated to by foreign investors are the companies stipulated in TCL (Commercial Code) and unincorporated companies stipulated in Obligations Law .

The partnerships which have been established by contractual agreements under names such as incorporated partnership consortium, business partnership, joint venture and partnerships that do not bear the specific qualities of the companies stipulated in TCL are deemed as unincorporated companies as far as the application of the Law is concerned. The Joined-Stock-Company and Limited Liability Partnership are the most commonly used company types in Turkey.

A Joint-Stock-Company is a commercial company which is founded by at least five people to deal with a particular economical subject and purpose through a contract under a title and whose capital stock is stated and divided into shares, and which is liable for its debts only with its amount of assets, limited with the capital that the partners subscribed liability, has legal identity and limited capacity. Joint-Stock-Companies are stipulated by Articles 269 etc. of TCL.
A &quotLimited Liability Company is a company established by two or more persons, real or legal, under a commercial title, the liability of the partners of which is limited with the capital they have undertaken to provide and the capital stock of which is certain.&quotAccording to Article 504 of TCL, the number of partners in a limited liability company cannot be less than two and more than fifty.
V. How do legal conditions regulated concerning mergers and acquisition under Turkish Law?
According to Article 146/1 of TCL it is defined as follows: &quotMerger is the establishment of a new commercial company by combination of two or more commercial companies or accession of one or more companies to another commercial company." If we are to describe merger in more detail:
&quotBy legal means, a merger is the transfer of the assets of one or more commercial partnerships to one of the partnerships or to a newly incorporated partnership, without liquidation, either automatically or through full subrogation, and thereby merging their assets and automatic obtainment of partnership shares as the consideration of the assets past by the partners of the dissolved partnership in accordance with a calculated exchange rate."
There are two types of mergers by using the definition of merger. The first type is merger by way of new establishment and the second type is merger by way of transfer.

VI. How does legal procedure regulated for Foreign Direct Investors to attribute the privatization process in Turkey?

In Turkey, legal framework regarding privatizations is regulated by Law on Privatization no. 4046 and dd.24.11.1994. Within the scope of the Law, High Board of Privatization, Directorate of Privatization Administration, relevant administrative and organic structure is regulated in detail for carrying out privatization activities in Turkey. In Article 18 of Law no. 4046, methods of privatization are defined. Accordingly, privatizations should be implemented by following ways:
• Sales
• Rent
• Transfer of operating rights
• Establishment of in corporeal rights on property
• Revenue sharing model

In practice, it is seen that foreign investments in Turkey are mainly made by the methods of affiliate to privatization or merger and takeover. There is a regulation for foreigners to affiliate to privatization in Article 14 of the Law no. 4046. The followings are stated in this Article: &quotSales and transfer of real estate to foreign real persons and legal entities, within the framework of implementation of privatization according to the provisions of this Law, are subject to the provisions of applicable legislation by taking principle of reciprocity into consideration."

In Turkey, it is seen that eccentric regulations are made for foreign investors in implementations of privatization which have close relation with national security and strategic public service from time to time. High Board of Privatization determines the procedures and bases of privatization of establishments subject to privatization program; and decisions for this purpose are implemented by Directorate of Privatization Administration. Hence, we believe that it would be useful for foreigners, who are intending to invest in Turkey by affiliate to privatizations, to follow up decisions and announcements made by High Board of Privatization and Directorate of Privatization Administration .

VII. How does working permit issue for foreigners regulated in Turkish Law?

With a view to the legislation in Turkey, it is seen that foreigners can have same rights and responsibilities that are enabled to its own citizens. In the same legislation, however, it is stated that these rights and responsibilities can be limited. The rights which are stipulated in TR Constitution under the title of &quotFundamental Rights and Responsibilities" applied to citizens as well as foreigners equally. As it is stipulated in Article 16 of TR Constitution, however, these rights and responsibilities for foreigners can be limited in accordance with international law. In the legislation in force in Turkey, these limitations are especially stand out for the issues concerning employment of foreign personnel.

Work permits of foreigners, which were regulated by different laws and executive orders, are endeavored to be collected under the same umbrella by Law no. 4817 put into effect. Since the permissions issued by different institutions cause unsound comments about foreign employees and inability of supervision of these workers in Turkey, Law on Work Permits For Foreigners has been prepared for the purposes of preventing unfair competition and unemployment in Turkey, bringing the unrecorded earnings in our economy and because of the necessity of concentrating work permits at a single center in order to fight against employment of illegal workers in terms of economical status and labor market in Turkey as well as to fulfill our international commitments.

VIII. What type of tax practice applicable in Turkey?

1. Corporate Income Tax:
2. Personal Income Tax:
3. Value Added Tax (VAT):
4. Private Consumption Tax (PCT):
5. Banking and Insurance Transactions Tax:
6. Stamp Duty:
7. Legacy and Inheritance Tax:
8. Estate Tax:

IX. Which regulations on exemptions and incentives are applicable to the Foreign Direct Investors in Turkey?

The incentives provided by the government have contributed greatly to the development of private sector in Turkey. There are some attractive incentives in Turkey concerning Foreign Direct Investments such as interest support, tax exemptions, investment funds, technology development scenes etc. Additionally, Turkey has bilateral prevention of double taxation agreement with 68 countries. Also various exemptions and incentives can be benefited from depending on the region to be invested in. If we are to examine these regions separately;

1. Advantages of Investing in Free Zones: The legal framework of free zones in Turkey regulated by Law of Free Zones numbered 3218.
• Exemption of Corporate Tax: The companies in the free zone are exempted from the corporate tax they are obliged to pay in Turkey at the end of the period.
• Income Tax Exemption: The revenues and earnings of real and legal persons as a result of their operations conducted in free zones are not subject to Income Tax.
• Withholding Payments exemptions: Since income tax for the staff is not paid a cheaper labor at the rate of 25-40 percent can be maintained.
• VAT Exemptions: Since the goods and services provided to the free zone are deemed as exports such goods and services are exempted from value added tax.
• Customs Tax exemption: Free Zones are deemed to be outside of customs line and the goods entering the zone are exempted from the customs tax.
• Additionally the operations in the Free Zones are exempted from all kinds of duty, fee, fund, bank handling taxes.

2. Supports for Technology Development Regions:
The support for technology development regions regulated by Law No. 4691.Supports for Technology Development Regions can be listed as income and corporation tax exemptions for the revenues obtained from software and R&D based production, VAT exemption for the delivery of some of the products produced in the region; income tax exemption for the salaries of the staff working in the region; exemptions regarding the revenues obtained from software and R&D based production.
3. Advantages Granted to Developing Regions:
Some advantages such as income tax stoppage support, insurance premium support are provided to people who shall invest in such regions.
There are some sectoral, provisional and project based incentives to be introduced, which are in the process of preparation, soon in Turkey. That is why we recommend investors to check out relevant regulations in the actual term of investment.

X. Is Turkish FDI Law system is convenient and compatible with international standards for Foreign Direct Investors?

It is a fact that the process of Turkey's accession to EU has deeply affected Turkish legal system, and crucial amendments are made since 2000. These revisions and amendments are concluded in the field of FDI Law as well. In particular, the new principles which are introduced by new FDI Law such as freedom of investment and national treatment, access to real estate, expropriation and nationalization restrictions, applicability of ADR and arbitration etc. are very effective and positive provisions to attract and protect Foreign Direct Investors in Turkey. Moreover, newly structured public institutions are mindful and fruitful to support investors during the bureaucratic term of investment. As a result of new legal system and efforts of administrative organizations, quality and quantity of FDI has been rapidly increasing in Turkey since 2000. The actual situation and economical/statistical indicators are available at: http://www.invest.gov.tr

Logos Merging Small Business to the Business Owner

When designing a logo for a new client there are a few standard questions that most designers ask to establish what direction the design should take. Many of these questions focus on the type of business being run and the type of clients they are trying to reach.

Though these questions are all necessary to the design process, I have learned one valuable aspect that is just as important to not only the success of the logo, but to the success of the small business as well. Determining what the logo says about the business owner is essential to make the logo and business a success.

Recently I was hired by a community service program to help design a logo and brochure for a new local business. Upon joining the meeting, I learned that the son was actually taking over an established family business but was taking the clientele up a notch.

The topic of their business name was fairly heated because the community program thought the business needed to change their name to fit the clientele. The father was visibly upset about this and the son was caught in the middle.

After weeks of pushing and prodding, the son was unable to pick a new name and decided to keep the established one.

This caused a stir within the agency due to the “hometown” feel of the name, but after only two meeting with the client I knew exactly why he didn’t change it.

He’s a “hometown” guy! He likes softball and beer. He wore tee shirts and baseball hats. He may have a skill that reaches the upper class, but I could definitely see that promoting his business in any other fashion then “true to himself” was not a comfortable situation for him.

So, I took matters into my hands and ended the debate. I explained that his business is established and we should respect that. I also felt that I could design a logo that would merge the business name and the clientele together. I was given the green light and we moved ahead rather quickly after that.

I designed a fun logo that kept the name he wanted and allowed him to promote his business in a way that made him comfortable, yet would not be overlooked by upper income clients. The result will benefit the owner, his family and the client base.

As a small business owner, you know your business better than anyone else. Even if other “professionals” may tell you that you are wrong, be true to yourself in designing a logo. Tell the designer about your business, but be sure to tell them about yourself as well. Look at all options, but in the end find a fit that will promote you and your business in the most comfortable and profitable way.

How to invest like Warren Buffett


My book on Warren Buffett, "The Midas Touch", has just been published in Britain. It contains most of his favourite investing principles. Although time has passed since its original appearance, his ideas today are much the same.

Here is a handful of the central ones. They aren't easy: this is a competitive game.

1. The key to investing is found in this rule: buy a share as though you were buying the whole company.

To do that, you have to know what the enterprise is worth. Therefore, the investor should live in the world of companies, never of mathematical formulae.

In the latest annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett's company, his partner Charles Munger put it this way: "The worst decisions are often made with the most formal projections. They look so professional that you begin to believe the numbers are reality.

"You are taken in by the false precision. Business schools teach this stuff because they have to teach something."

2. A recent heresy is that market volatility equals risk. Quite the contrary!

For a serious investor, volatility creates opportunity. To use my own language, investment opportunity consists of the difference between reality and perception. High volatility increases that difference, and thus increases opportunity for the knowledgeable investor.

Mr Buffett says sardonically that he favours the dotty "efficient market theory" because it creates more opportunities for him.

3. As to growth versus value, Mr Buffett observes that "value" should include projected growth, notably "growth at a reasonable price" or Garp.

He looks for companies with a business "moat" around them that should have steady, reasonably predictable growth.

Perhaps a better phraseology for the growth versus value dichotomy might be "high growth" versus "bargain hunting". The analytical techniques, and investor temperaments, in the two approaches are quite different. One calls for a futurologist, the other for an accountant.

That said, for a taxpaying investor long-term growth is more convenient and more tax-efficient than seeking one bargain after another.

4. High technology, most emerging markets, leveraged buyouts, real estate and other hard to appraise exotica might as well not exist for Mr Buffett.

He follows the safest approach: stick to what you know best. However, many approaches are valid. Your advantage will be the extent to which your knowledge of a valid situation exceeds the market's.

It makes little difference how broad your knowledge is. One correct investment decision is as valuable as another. Mr Buffett says that one should only seek a handful of really big ideas in one's investing career. The key is to be right when you do decide, not to flutter about spreading yourself thin.

5. Investing in bad industries, or turnarounds, usually doesn't work.

A skilled surgeon can excise a tumour but to revive a moribund patient requires a magician. The princess hopes that when she kisses the toad a beautiful prince will spring up. In fact, alas, she will probably end up awash in toads.

6. Businesses that generate cash that they can reinvest at high rates of return over long periods are particularly attractive holdings.

Low-margin businesses that periodically call for more cash from their investors, which they can only invest at a modest rate of return, are a dismal affair. Differently put, if all else is the same, feel free to marry an heiress rather than a pauper.

7. Don't sell a great stock just because it has doubled.

It could be better value afterwards than it was before. The greatest stocks may go up 20 or even 100 times in a generation or two.

Peter Lynch, who built up Fidelity's Magellan fund, points out that the deluded policy of "rebalancing" more or less automatically because a stock has risen is a lot like pulling out the flowers in the garden and watering the weeds. Don't do it!

8. A grave corporate folly is offering your own underpriced stock for the fully valued stock of an acquisition candidate.

In that scenario, instead of paying 50p for £1 of value, you are paying £1 for 50p of value. Lunacy! Still, such situations are often generated by the megalomania of chief executives.

9. Avoid long-term bonds.

"We are bound to have inflation, given current policies. There are a lot of incentives for politicians in all countries to inflate their currencies," Mr Buffett says.

10. To do superlatively well, an investor, like a company manager, must be a fanatic.

By relentless concentration, Mr Buffett has moved billions of dollars from other people's pockets into his own. Alas, he doesn't enjoy what money can buy. He's a miser.

Once, offered a glass of good wine at a dinner, he said: "Just hand me the money." So, it may be helpful in business terms to be that focused, but not necessarily in human terms.

Still, to preserve capital, which is difficult, one should understand the principles, and Mr Buffett's are all good ones.


How to Invest and Diversify

If history repeats itself, over the long term investors should earn about 10% a year in stocks, over 5% in bonds and about 3% in safe money market securities (like T-bills) or savings in the bank. If you invest in stocks, bonds and the money market equally across the board you would average about 6% a year overall based on the above returns. You would also be diversified and have a conservative portfolio.

Based on the above average historical investment returns, an investment portfolio of 60% stocks and 40% bonds would produce average yearly earnings of 8% over the long term, at a higher, yet moderate level of risk.

If you squirrel all of your money away at 3% you have safety, but it takes more than 23 years to double your money. Put all of your money in stocks at 10% and you can double in 7 years, but your risk is heavy.

I suggest that most average investors shoot for an average yearly return of about 8% at a moderate level of risk. At this rate it takes 9 years to double your money. Now, the question is how to invest and how to diversify to accomplish this.

Mutual funds are the simplest way to diversify your investments, and they come in all 3 of the types you will need: stock funds, bond funds and money market funds. By holding a combination of all three, you can tailor an investment portfolio to fit your own personal risk profile.

In order to average 8% a year, stock funds should be your largest holding and amount to about 60% of your investment portfolio. The rest of your money is then split between bond funds and money market funds. If you want to lean toward the conservative side, invest about the same amount in each. If you want to be more aggressive favor bond funds over the high safety of money market funds.

If you include money market funds in your portfolio, how do you make up for the lower average earnings that they will likely contribute? You either accept a slightly lower overall rate of return, or you learn the ins and outs of how to invest.

Remember, 10% is what stocks have earned on AVERAGE per year over the long term. An investor who knows how to invest can do better than average. There are many varieties of stock funds to choose from. Get familiar with them. Examples include: growth funds, small-cap funds, international funds, and specialty funds like real estate and natural resources funds.

There is also a simple investment strategy you can use to help keep your risk moderate while boosting long term returns. REBALANCE your investment portfolio periodically. Example: you decide to go with 60% stock funds, 20% bond funds and 20% money market funds. Keep these figures in line by moving money from one area to another whenever the percentages change by more than a couple of points.

For example, after a couple of years you see that stock funds now account for 65% of your investment assets with bond funds at 20% and your money market fund at just 15%. To rebalance you simply move money from stock funds to your money market fund to get back to 60% ... 20% ... 20%.

Good money management requires a sound understanding of diversification and investment strategy. Putting it all together will require that you learn to invest in bonds, stocks and money market securities. The simplest way to do this is with mutual funds.

A retired financial planner, James Leitz has an MBA (finance) and 35 years of investing experience. For 20 years he advised individual investors, working directly with them helping them to reach their financial goals.

Jim is the author of a complete investor guide, Invest Informed, designed for average investors or would-be investors of all levels of financial background and experience. To learn more about investments and investing and his new financial guide go to www.bank-credit-guru.blogspot.com

8/09/2009

INVESTING for succes: PART 1


Strategies for advancing your business through practical reinvestment

Every outdoor power equipment dealer wants a successful, profitable business. They see to the business's daily operations, ordering equipment and parts inventory, supervising the staff and servicing the customers. When the year is done, and all the hard work and dedication has hopefully paid off, what now? What do you do with any profit dollars you accrued?

For some dealers, the decision is made before the profit is even earned. Developing an annual business plan is something strongly encouraged by Steve Hoctor, a business development manager for SCOTSCO, an Oregon-based distributor. As part of the company's dealership training, they assist dealers in developing and refining their business plans, including where and how to invest their profit dollars.

With the numerous factors that influence the success of the seasonal dealership business, it may be difficult to forecast profit earnings. Without specific forecasting, planning for business reinvestment may also be a challenge. It should, however, not be too difficult for a dealer who is very involved in the day-to-day operations of their business to know where it needs investment most Many distributors, consultants and dealers advise investing money in similar segments of the business.

INVESTING AND BORROWING

Before deciding what to invest in, how much will you invest?

"Dealers should be putting 20 percent of their profit right back into their business," suggests Hoctor. "The minimum they should invest each year is five percent"

Mike Marks, from the Indian River Consulting Group, warns dealers not to invest too much too fast "Many more people go out of business than people think because they have grown too fast," says Marks. "After a good year they invest to grow their business, but they run out of dough and can t keep up with it-and it kills them." Dealers should be cautious when growing and be sure to only invest as much as they can maintain.

Marks suggests making small investments here and there instead of putting all of the investment dollars into one big investment idea. "Make lots of small bets," says Marks. "You can lose a lot of small bets and still be here tomorrow."

The actual dollar amount invested by a dealer depends on how much revenue is earned each year. Many times a large investment may not be entirely necessary or practical. At other times, a larger investment is needed than profit dollars will allow. When this happens, a dealer should consider the possibility of borrowing from a financial institution.

"We try to make a profit of between five and 10 percent of sales," says Charles Winstead of Land & Coates, a five-location dealership located in the Virginia Beach area. "If we have lots of profit, we will definitely use it to reinvest. If the reinvestment is really necessary, we would borrow the money if sufficient profits were not available."

Ideally, a dealer's relationship with a financial institution should be built before the actual planning for reinvestment occurs. Having already built a relationship with the banker or financial institution has the potential to benefit the dealer greatly.

Stan Grader, of Grader Distributing in Marble Hill, MO, has sat on a bank board for 20 years, and has gotten to know how banks and lenders think. "I would really encourage dealers to get to know their bankers," Grader advises. "The more familiar a loan officer is with your total operation, the better the terms you will get and the more likely it is they will approve the loan."

Grader explains that dealers should begin to build those ties with the bank by setting up corporate checking accounts as well as lines of credit for purchasing inventory. However, building a relationship with the bank is only the first step in gaining their trust, ultimately leading to approval on a business loan. Grader warns that dealers should be prepared to prove to their bank that they are able to responsibly and effectively handle the finances of their business.

"Dealers are used to talking about how many trimmers they sold or what advertising they did," explains Crader. "They talk about when their next open house will be, not their return on assets. But a banker will ask those tough financial questions." Dealers should be prepared to talk to lenders about their return on assets as well as their profitability over the past few years. Crader advises dealers to prepare several accurate, detailed profitability and cash flow statements on a regular basis to prove they have a strong handle on their business.