News about

May 13, 2013: Preparing To Take A Loss

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:35:16 -0400

Preparing for a loss in the coming correction: we would rather do it proactively and getting psychologically prepared before it happens.

The hidden risks of frontier-market investing

Tue, 07 May 2013 15:07:49 -0400

Any discussion of frontier markets is incomplete without discussing risk. Many frontier markets are relatively small countries so liquidity and lack of transparency are significant issues.

May 6, 2013: High Dividend ETF Portfolio Construction

Tue, 07 May 2013 10:01:43 -0400

One can use a tactical strategy to construct a high dividend ETF portfolio by carefully including a well selected candidate ETFs with high yields. A 6% to 7% yield portfolio is possible.

April 29, 2013: Goal Based Financial Planning And Investing

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:30:43 -0400

Goal based financial planning helps you to classify your needs into several categories. You then setup your investment portfolios based on these goals.

April 22, 2013: Portfolio Rebalance – Ease of Use

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 09:33:22 -0400

We review portfolio rebalances for both ETF, mutual fund brokerage accounts as well as 401k accounts. We further show FolioFn's one-click basket rebalance feature.

ETF Chart of the Day: Frontier Markets

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:42:46 -0400

Many market participants tend to associate Emerging Markets based ETFs with “Frontier Markets” products based on the higher beta nature of the countries involved, and the historical tendency of the two to trend together in reference to longer term performance. However, with EEM (iShares MSCI...

April 15, 2013: What Happened To Gold And Commodities?

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:36:13 -0400

Gold and commodities are down. But for a long term investor, this is just a natural part of the whole process. At some point, they will have positive effect on portfolios.

April 8, 2013: First Quarter Review: Trends Are In Place But Can They Sustain?

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:50:41 -0400

We review our asset allocation strategies for some typical portfolios. Overall, we are pleased with the performance of the three strategies (SAA equal weight, SAA Optimal and TAA). They have done exactly as what they were supposed to do.

Long Term Bonds Surged Amid Stocks Consolidating

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:05:07 -0400

The latest trend scores of major asset classes show that long term bonds (IEF, TLT) surged even US stocks and international stocks are hanging tough. In the meantime, US REITs is making new high post the financial crisis. This indicates that high yield stocks are favored. Assets Class Symbols 04/04Trend Score 03/28Trend Score Direction [...]

April 1, 2013: Momentum Over Stocks, Sector And Style Funds

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:28:52 -0400

We present performance results on momentum based stock funds, sector rotation and style rotation. We further make observations on the effectiveness of momentum based investing in various categories.

March 25, 2013: New Feature: Advanced Static Portfolios & Lazy Portfolio Asset Allocations

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 09:20:42 -0400

A new feature allows users to use their allocations to create portfolios for a list of funds (such as a 401k plan or a brokerage recommended funds such as Fidelity Fund Picks or Schwab OneSource Select Funds) and receive monthly or quarterly rebalance emails.

March 18, 2013: Are Bond Investors Doomed?

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 09:30:05 -0400

Fixed income bond investing is still full of opportunities.

March 11, 2013: How To Evaluate Investing Strategies

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 09:30:44 -0400

Understand the nature of a strategy and setting up the right expectation is the key in investment success. Current situation calls for extreme cautions.

Major Asset Class Trends: Bonds & Commodities Are Laggards

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:56:58 -0400

For the week ending on 3/8/2013, the following the major asset trends: Assets Class Symbols 03/08Trend Score 03/01Trend Score Direction International REITs RWX 11.77% 11.73% ^ US Stocks VTI 8.23% 6.5% ^ International Developed Stks EFA 7.51% 5.46% ^ US Equity REITs VNQ 6.93% 6.65% ^ Emerging Market Stks VWO 3.77% 2.37% ^ US [...]

March 4, 2013: Systematic Investing vs. Market Noises

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:02:55 -0500

Review of all weather portfolios including permanent portfolios, four pillar foundation based and risk parity based Bridgewater's portfolios.

If The Market Falls, Try These Low Beta ETFs

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 18:27:36 -0500

After two strong up days, stocks wilted into the close Thursday with selling pressure intensifying late in the day. Maybe it is a sign of things to come. Then again, maybe it isn't, but there are indications that this rally is getting tired.

Price retrenchment in junk bonds, disappointing performances

February 25, 2013: Risk Parity All Weather & Permanent Portfolio Review

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 09:28:27 -0500

We performed asset class scenario analysis and see how it impacts on asset allocation portfolios.

Surprising Global ETF Sources of Yield

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:07:06 -0500

Investors have an increasing number of ETF options for generating income and finding decent yields.

The proliferation of dividend ETFs and scores of new bond funds has certainly helped matters.

No longer are investors forced to view the 2.07 trailing 12-month yield on the SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE:

February 18, 2013: Dividend & Income Funds In Asset Allocation

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 09:48:38 -0500

Dividend and income funds are good substitutes for asset allocation portfolios.

February 11, 2013: Asset Class Scenario Analysis

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 09:48:17 -0500

Day to day portfolio management tips and techniques matter.

February 4, 2013: Day To Day Portfolio Management

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 09:25:12 -0500

Day to day portfolio management tips and techniques matter.

Frontier Market ETFs: Get in on the Ground Floor

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 14:45:42 -0500

Frontier markets are economies that are in the beginning stages of capital market growth. Focused exchange traded funds give investors exposure to the growth spurt as the economies begin industrializing. “Frontier funds’ 24 percent average return last year compares with 14 percent for U.S....

Time for Frontier Markets ETFs? – ETF News And Commentary

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 12:04:01 -0500

These markets offer compelling investment opportunities and are worth a look.

January 28, 2013: Valuation Matters

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 09:30:06 -0500

We are value investors at heart but pragmatists in spirit. Valuation does matter.

January 21, 2013: Year End Review Of Brokerage Specific ETF and Mutual Fund Portfolios

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 09:30:44 -0500

We review 2012 performance of brokerage specific ETF and mutual fund portfolios.

Ultimate Guide To FM

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 07:00:59 -0500

Emerging markets have long been popular investment destinations, as these countries generally offer considerably greater growth potential than more mature markets. Given the lack of emerging market listings on major U.S. exchanges and the difficulties of direct investments in many of these countries, ETFs have become a compelling means of achieving diversified exposure to these markets. For anyone looking to geographically diversify their portfolio, the MSCI Frontier 100 Index Fund deserve consideration as a go-to option in emerging market ETF investing [see Free Report: How To Pick The Right ETF Every Time]. In A Nutshell This ETF is linked to the MSCI Frontier Markets 100 Index, which is designed to select the 100 largest and most liquid offerings of the MSCI Frontier Markets Index. Since inception in September of 2012, FM has accumulated over $22.3 million in total assets and has exhibited relatively solid daily liquidity. Frontier markets can be thought of as “the other international stock,” [...]

Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com.

January 14, 2013: Year End Review Of Advanced Portfolios

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 09:33:36 -0500

We review 2012 performance of various advanced portfolios including our benchmark tactical portfolios and conservative and fixed income portfolios.

January 7, 2013: Year End Review Of Featured ETF Portfolios

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 09:32:28 -0500

Tactical and Stategic Asset Allocation Portfolios for Featured ETF plans are reviewed for their 2012 performance.

December 31, 2012: New Year Resolutions

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 11:18:44 -0500

Our New Year resolutions are better investment process amid the best and the worst of our time!

December 24, 2012: Season’s Greetings

Tue, 25 Dec 2012 09:30:36 -0500

Looking beyond emerging markets to ‘frontier’ economies

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 11:20:42 -0500

By John Wasik (Reuters) – With China, Brazil and India hitting icy patches on their economic growth paths, investing in even younger emerging markets looks promising. The so-called “frontier” economies offer diversification and profit opportunities as big global investors look for low-cost labor and resources. Most of these 25 or so countries won’t appear on most individual [...]

December 17, 2012: Financial Repression: What To Do With Your Investments

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 09:39:10 -0500

ETF Options For 3 Most Employed Countries

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 07:00:54 -0500

The evolution of the ETF universe has spawned dozens upon dozens of innovative offerings that make it easy and cost-effective to tap into strategies and asset classes that were previously out-of-reach for mainstream investors, including global markets. When picking which countries to invest in, those with high employment rates may be an appealing option, as these economies often exhibit high productivity levels and lower poverty rates. Though some of these countries may not always be the first options that come to mind, their rather impressive track records certainly warrant a closer look by investors [see Free Report: How To Pick The Right ETF Every Time]. The following countries have some of the highest employment rates and offer a variety of ETF options for the global investor: Qatar Oil and gas have not only made Qatar one of the highest per-capita income countries ($36152.67, almost 300% higher than the world average), but also home to [...]

Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com.

December 10, 2012: How Asset Allocation Strategies Performed In Secular Market Trends

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 09:29:42 -0500

We look at the longest history relative strength based asset allocation portfolio to understand how strategic and tactical perform in various secular markets.

Why ETF Names Can Be Misleading

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 10:57:42 -0500

When it comes to investing in exchange traded funds, don’t judge a book by its cover. ETF names can be misleading and may ultimately miss the target on describing what the tool is tracking. Investors who pay attention to the name of an ETF and little else can be left in the dark about what...

December 3, 2012: Asset Trends & Correlations For Portfolio Construction

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 09:30:23 -0500

We discuss how asset trends & correlations can be used for portfolio construction.

November 26, 2012: College Savings 529 Plan Investment Portfolio Management

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:30:30 -0500

College savings 529 plans have many tax advantages and some serious drawbacks. We discuss and review some of portfolio management styles for this kind of plans.

November 26, 2012: College Savings 529 Plan Investment Portfolio Management

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:30:30 -0500

November 19, 2012: Asset Trends & Correlations

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 09:32:25 -0500

Asset trends and their correlations can serve as good indicators for short and long term major asset behaviors. They are useful references and can be also important educational materials to help reinforce diversification and risk management concepts.

November 12, 2012: Multiple Portfolios As Another Diversification Dimension

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 09:32:45 -0500

Using multiple portfolios and/or strategies can increase diversification effect and better your investment behavior.

November 12, 2012: Multiple Portfolios As Another Diversification Dimension

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 09:32:45 -0500

November 5, 2012: 401K Investment Portfolio Management

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 09:28:24 -0500

This newsletter discusses 401K investment portfolio management issues including asset allocation and how to handle regularly added new money from salary deduction.

October 29, 2012: Sharpe, Maximum Draw Down And Sortino Ratios

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 09:48:15 -0400

We discussed Sharp ratio, maximum drawdown and Sortino ratio, all of which are important metrics for portfolio behavior measurement.

October 22, 2012: Income And Conservative Portfolio Review

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:48:31 -0400

We review conservative and bond investing portfolios: fixed income investors can still achieve reasonable returns through diversification and active management of various bond segments.

Dividend and International ETFs for the U.S. Fiscal Cliff

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 14:03:54 -0400

The equities market and stock ETFs are in for a potential rough patch as the political uncertainty over the U.S. fiscal cliff could throw the markets into turmoil. Nevertheless, investors can hold onto dividend-paying stocks and diversify into international holdings to help weather any storm. As...

October 15, 2012: Performance From Asset Allocation And Fund Selection

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 09:31:04 -0400

Asset allocation is the key factor for portfolio returns and risk. Fund selection should be oriented around the target asset allocation and funds' correlation with their asset classes.

October 8, 2012: Asset Allocation Strategies Have Cycles Too

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 09:30:50 -0400

Strategic allocation portfolios have out performed their tactical counterparts for the last 3 years? Is it the time to ditch the tactical portfolios? Not so fast, we argue.

ETFs To Play 9 Markets In Limbo

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 07:00:20 -0400

The FTSE Group, one of the leading indexing firms, recently announced the results of its Annual Country Classification Review, the process by which global equity markets are classified as Developed, Advanced Emerging, Secondary Emerging or Frontier using a scale of 21 “Qualities of Market” criteria. There were no reclassifications this year, but a couple more additions to the “watch list” of countries that are being considered for promotion or demotion between FTSE’s market classifications. Below we profile the countries living on the edge, as well as the ETF options available to play them [sign up for the free ETFdb newsletter]: 1. Argentina: Possible Demotion From Frontier Argentina, which was demoted from Secondary Emerging to Frontier only two years ago, is once again being considered for possible demotion. The continuing stringent capital controls imposed on international investors and the lack of an independent regulatory authority to protect the rights of shareholders has put [...]

Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com.

October 1, 2012: Strategic Asset Allocation Optimized

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:36:07 -0400

We released Strategic Asset Allocation - Optimal strategy for basic subscribers. This strategy complements with TAA to form solid core satellite portfolios.

Everything You Need To Know About Frontier ETFs

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 07:00:06 -0400

With the ETF industry expanding at its rapid pace, issuers have gradually began venturing into more unconventional markets in order to differentiate new products from those already on the market. Many industry leaders have set out to offer greater levels of diversification, particularly in hard-to-reach developing economies. But when it comes to this type of exposure, most investors turn only to the most popular emerging markets to round out their international equities component. But for those looking to add yet another layer of diversification to their portfolios, frontier markets provide some of the most unique and lucrative opportunities [see Free Report: How To Pick The Right ETF Every Time]. Frontier markets can be thought of as “the other international stock,” covering economies that are even less developed than the Chinas and Indias of the world. These markets are flush with risk (including potentially significant political risk) but offer tremendous long-term potential as well. Think of these [...]

Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com.

News about

May 13, 2013: Preparing To Take A Loss

The hidden risks of frontier-market investing

May 6, 2013: High Dividend ETF Portfolio Construction

April 29, 2013: Goal Based Financial Planning And Investing

April 22, 2013: Portfolio Rebalance – Ease of Use

ETF Chart of the Day: Frontier Markets

April 15, 2013: What Happened To Gold And Commodities?

April 8, 2013: First Quarter Review: Trends Are In Place But Can They Sustain?

Long Term Bonds Surged Amid Stocks Consolidating

April 1, 2013: Momentum Over Stocks, Sector And Style Funds

March 25, 2013: New Feature: Advanced Static Portfolios & Lazy Portfolio Asset Allocations

March 18, 2013: Are Bond Investors Doomed?

March 11, 2013: How To Evaluate Investing Strategies

Major Asset Class Trends: Bonds & Commodities Are Laggards

March 4, 2013: Systematic Investing vs. Market Noises

If The Market Falls, Try These Low Beta ETFs

February 25, 2013: Risk Parity All Weather & Permanent Portfolio Review

Surprising Global ETF Sources of Yield

February 18, 2013: Dividend & Income Funds In Asset Allocation

February 11, 2013: Asset Class Scenario Analysis

February 4, 2013: Day To Day Portfolio Management

Frontier Market ETFs: Get in on the Ground Floor

Time for Frontier Markets ETFs? – ETF News And Commentary

January 28, 2013: Valuation Matters

January 21, 2013: Year End Review Of Brokerage Specific ETF and Mutual Fund Portfolios

Ultimate Guide To FM

Related Posts:

January 14, 2013: Year End Review Of Advanced Portfolios

January 7, 2013: Year End Review Of Featured ETF Portfolios

December 31, 2012: New Year Resolutions

December 24, 2012: Season’s Greetings

Looking beyond emerging markets to ‘frontier’ economies

December 17, 2012: Financial Repression: What To Do With Your Investments

ETF Options For 3 Most Employed Countries

Related Posts:

December 10, 2012: How Asset Allocation Strategies Performed In Secular Market Trends

Why ETF Names Can Be Misleading

December 3, 2012: Asset Trends & Correlations For Portfolio Construction

November 26, 2012: College Savings 529 Plan Investment Portfolio Management

November 26, 2012: College Savings 529 Plan Investment Portfolio Management

November 19, 2012: Asset Trends & Correlations

November 12, 2012: Multiple Portfolios As Another Diversification Dimension

November 12, 2012: Multiple Portfolios As Another Diversification Dimension

November 5, 2012: 401K Investment Portfolio Management

October 29, 2012: Sharpe, Maximum Draw Down And Sortino Ratios

October 22, 2012: Income And Conservative Portfolio Review

Dividend and International ETFs for the U.S. Fiscal Cliff

October 15, 2012: Performance From Asset Allocation And Fund Selection

October 8, 2012: Asset Allocation Strategies Have Cycles Too

ETFs To Play 9 Markets In Limbo

Related Posts:

October 1, 2012: Strategic Asset Allocation Optimized

Everything You Need To Know About Frontier ETFs

Related Posts: