Categories
Archives
Search
“I’m new to the ’sell the put’ strategy and there’s something I don’t understand: If ABC is falling and you don’t wish to own the stock, you can come up with some more money and buy yourself out of the puts you sold and be done with it for a small loss.”
“Can you give an example of this?”
Here goes:
When you sell a put, you are giving the market the right to “put” the underlying stock to you at a specified price. So, say ABC is trading at $70 and looking strong. The stock seems like it’s going to continue higher. The 65 puts were a buck fifty, and you sold 10 contracts of them. So, you took in $1500. Now what you have done is given the market the right to force you under contract to buy ABC “at” 65 bucks, even if it falls to 60.
Granted you sold those puts because you believe that ABC is going to either continue higher or at least stay where it’s at. If it does that, you take in the $1500, the options expire, and you made money. But what if it does’t rise. The SEC says there is fraud, whatever. The bottom line is that it is falling instead of going up. Now, if it stays above 65, you have no worries. But what if it looks like it might fail 65 dollars? Well you’ve entered into a contract saying you’ll buy it at 65. If you do nothing, that stock will be “put to you”.
So, the way to get around buying 1000 shares of ABC, is to “buy back” the puts you sold. When you buy back your sold puts or calls, the contract is cancelled out. The play is over. So what’s the catch? The catch is that you sold the puts for a buck and a half, but now they are say $7. So, you have to make a decision. Would you rather pay $7000 and get out of this trade, or do you want to buy 1000 shares of ABC at 65?
Some will be happy taking the stock. That’s why it’s a pretty good way to get stock a bit cheaper if you really want them. If a stock is $70.50 and you sell the 70 put and take in $2, if it falls to 69.90 and gets put to you, great! You wanted it anyway, and you got paid to take it. If however you were selling the puts as a profit play, then of course you have to manage that position.
Just like using stops on a stock play, you never want your options play to get away from you. If you took in say $1.50 on selling the puts, maybe you decide that if they rise in value to $3 you will buy them back. Everyone has their own strategy for this, but you do need to go into a put sale with an idea of what sort of risk you are going to allow yourself.
For a FREE report on How To Trade Fast, enter your email address at:
http://lb.bcentral.com/ex/manage/subscriberprefs?customerid=12826
One day back in 1985, I received an unexpected phone call at my office from a man named Gordon Carl (not his real name - but whose real name I’ll never forget). The thing that initially struck me the most about the polished Mr. Carl was his heavy New York accent, like something you might hear in a gangster movie. The purpose of his call: to offer me a “great deal” in rare coins. As a result of that conversation, I agreed to purchase five 1943 Walking Liberty half dollars Mr. Carl described as MS-65 specimens. Furthermore, he guaranteed that his firm would buy the coins back from me at any time of my choosing, paying 5% less than the “Grey Sheet” bid price. As an unmarried “yuppie” (now there’s a word you don’t hear much anymore), I calculated that I could afford the $1375 required to make the purchase. Perhaps more than anything, greed clouded my judgment, and like a fool, I trusted Mr. Carl and dropped a check in the mail the next day.
Later in 1985, Mr. Carl’s company changed names. Rather than interpreting this as a flashing red warning signal, I eagerly sought to add more coins to my portfolio. Being a gregarious sort of fellow, I attempted to establish a friendly rapport with Mr. Carl and his associates. Looking back after all these years, what has irritated me perhaps more than anything is how this shyster must have smirked every time he heard my voice, for what a gullible, willing dupe I was.
In 1989, I decided it was time to cash in my coins, so I called Mr. Carl. Not surprisingly, the company was operating under yet another name. I couldn’t get through to Mr. Carl, but ended up talking to his brother, Maurice, with whom I had never spoken. I informed him that I wanted to liquidate my Walking Liberty half dollars in accordance with the buy-back policy under which I had purchased them. Much to my disgust, he coldly declined, indicating his organization was not affiliated with those earlier companies, and was under no obligation whatsoever. In fact, he insinuated that he had never even heard of these outfits before, despite the fact that his brother, Gordon, factored prominently in these businesses. At that moment, the fog was finally lifted from my eyes: I had been scammed! Not knowing what else to do, I politely said goodbye, and hung up. I sat there, staring at the phone for what seemed like an eternity, in stunned disbelief.
Several days later, I took my 1943 Walkers to a local coin dealer, the first step in submitting them to a third party grading service. I didn’t expect them to grade out as MS-65, but if they came back as MS-60 or MS-63, I could at least begin there to cut my losses. The dealer studied a couple of the coins closely under magnification, and then sadly declared the coins were damaged due to improper cleaning. He advised me not to have them professionally graded, because the cost of grading probably exceeded the value of the coins. With few options left, I put the tainted Walkers in storage, vowing never to repeat this experience.
Let’s now flash forward to the present time. Normally, I don’t like antagonizing myself, so it was with some reluctance that I fired up the computer to play the game “What If?” That is, what if I had spent my $1375 with a reputable dealer in 1985 to purchase Walking Liberty half dollars? What kind of value increases would I be enjoying today had I been smarter back then? To answer this question, I first retrieved the historic value trend tables I researched in late 2005 for Walking Liberty half dollars. For each date, mintmark, and condition, I noted their values in 1985, and placed them next to their corresponding values in 2005, for a “before and after” comparison. In all, there were about 450 such comparisons. Next, I calculated an annual compounded percentage return rate for each data pair, and sorted them from highest to lowest. I then listed the top 20 for closer examination:
Date………..Condition……..1985 Value……..2005 Value……..Annual ROR
1917-D Obv….MS-65……….…..$3000……………..$27500………….…..11.13%
1921-S…………F-12……….…….$30.00……..…….…..$250………….…..10.62%
1919-D…….…..MS-65…………$15000…………..$115000……….…….10.19%
1917-S Obv….MS-65……………$5250……….…….$35000………………..9.45%
1918-S…………MS-65……………$3000………..……$17500………………..8.76%
1916-S…….…..VG-8………..…..$30.00………….……..$150…………….…..7.97%
1917-S Rev…. MS-65……….…..$3500……………..$17500………………..7.97%
1921-S…….…..VF-20………….…..$200…………..…..$1000…………..…..7.97%
1921-S…….…..XF-40…………….$1000…………..…..$5000………….…..7.97%
1921-S…….…..MS-65……..…..$22500…………..$110000…………..…..7.85%
1918-D…….…..F-12………………..$8.50……………..$40.00…………..…..7.65%
1918-D…….…..MS-65……………$5500…………….$25000…………..…..7.48%
1921-S…………VG-8…………….$17.50………….…..$75.00…………..…..7.18%
1921-D…….…..MS-65……….…..$6500………..…..$27500…………..…..7.11%
1916-D…….…..VG-8………..…..$12.50………………$50.00…………..…..6.82%
1938-D…….…..F-12……………..$25.00………………….$100…………..…..6.82%
1938-D…………VG-8………..…..$20.00………….…..$80.00…………..…..6.82%
1920-S…………MS-65……….…..$3750……………..$15000………………..6.82%
1917-D Rev….VF-20……….…..$45.00…………….…..$175…………..…..6.68%
1938-D…………VF-20……….…..$32.50…………….…..$125………..……..6.62%
The Walker with the best return since 1985 is the 1917-D (MM on Obverse) in MS-65 condition. At $3000, it was well beyond the $1375 available to me to spend on numismatics in 1985, as were all nine MS-65 coins appearing on the above Top 20 list. However, the remainder of the Top 20 represented coins in circulated grades, and all were within my price range. Had I directed my hard-earned cash toward the purchase of a legitimate example of each of these coins, I would have spent $1421, just barely above what I forked over to Mr. Carl. Today, those same Walking Liberty halves are cumulatively worth more than $7000. In pure financial terms, this increase computes to an annual compounded return rate of nearly 8.00%. If only I had known then…
Take note that all 11 of the Walkers that I wish I had added to my collection in 1985 are recognized as key and semi-key dates in the Walking Liberty half dollar series. The fact that they are for well-circulated specimens (typically not the object of affection for promoters and speculators) suggests that what has propelled these coins to ever-increasing heights over the years is fueled by consistent collector demand. We can expect to see similar patterns in the future. If I were to conduct this same study in the year 2025, comparing retail values then to what they were in the year 2005, the Top 20 would probably strongly resemble the Top 20 in 2005.
What became of the 1943 Walking Liberty half dollars Mr. Carl suckered me into buying? Well, I still have them, squirreled away in a bank deposit box. I haven’t even looked at them in a decade or so. As I was writing the final words of this article, it finally dawned on me to ask one more question: how would my investment have performed had these been bona-fide MS-65 specimens? Taking the same body of data used to derive the Top 20 above, I started thumbing down the list… going down, down, and down some more. Finally, I came across the 1943 in MS-65 condition, on line 419. The annual rate of return of this coin since 1985 is a dismal -2.13%. That’s a NEGATIVE 2.13%. Ironically, even had Mr. Carl been an honest businessman, it still would have been a lousy investment for me.
There are two lessons to be learned here: (1) If interested in seeing your coins increase substantially in value in the years ahead, purchase coins that have already demonstrated a long record of consistent price advancements, which usually are the key and semi-key dates for a given series, and (2) Deal only with reputable people.
So what ever happened to the slimy Mr. Carl and his band of thieves? Well, perhaps there is some justice in this world, after all. In late 1989, about the time I discovered I was being victimized, the United States Postal Inspection Service began an undercover sting operation of the company. Apparently, I wasn’t the only unhappy customer, but my losses were minimal compared to the sums bilked out of others. In February, 1991, postal agents stormed the “boiler room” outfit, executing a federal search warrant based on a complaint involving the alleged fraudulent selling of coins through the mail. Mr. Carl and others were arrested and led away in handcuffs.
Postal authorities publicized that anyone with grievances against the company was encouraged to contact them, to help bolster their case against the defendants. Since I kept meticulous records, I had no trouble assembling incriminating documents and forwarded everything to the Inspector’s office, tied together by my personal story. I never heard exactly how the case was resolved, but it seems almost certain these crooked telemarketers got what they deserved. As for me, I won a small measure of satisfaction, knowing that I provided evidence to help expose them. Now, if I could just figure out what to do with those defiled 1943 Walkers…
Daniel J. Goevert is the webmaster of US Coin Values
Advisor, specializing in coin value trends and listing bullish US coins. The site also includes detailed coin collecting advice and an illustrated history of the US Mint.
BPH, or benign prostate hyperplasia, is a standard medical term frequently used for an enlarged prostate gland. In layman’s terms this means that the prostate, a mass which wraps around the urethra and lies beneath the bladder, enlarges and may reduce or potentially stop the stream of urine. As men mature, the prostate grows and can engender complaints such as micturition problems, a weak flow, and even the retention of urine within the bladder. Too frequent urination during the night and inflammation of the urinary pathway can also be caused by a swollen prostate.
Enlarged Prostate - What Does that Mean?
Males over 60 commonly have benign prostate Hyperplasia. Current recommendations are that males over 50 be examined by their doctors each year, even should no problems seem to be observed, to aid in maintenance of better prostate health. Look For medical intervention straightaway if blood appears in the urine or if unable to urinate. Surgical procedures or the use of drugs are standard treatments for benign prostate hyperplasia. Unfortunately, surgery can lead to more troubles such as impotence and incontinence. An alpha blocker or medicines which reduce the enlarged prostate gland can also be suggested to improve prostate function, however, medications often result in negative side effects so what alternatives are indicated? Prostate Enlargment Symptoms? Find Alternative Answers to Reach a More Healthy Prostate
To aid in the relief of any symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate gland and in addition to encourage better prostate fitness, various therapies are indicated. African pygeum reduces inflammation, offering a marked reduction of the symptoms. Made from the fruit of an African evergreen tree, African pygeum has been used extensively by the Europeans for many years as a treatment to promote better prostate health. Dietary factors such as decreasing the intake of fats may improve symptoms, so will excercising more, pressure in the prostate should also be alleviated thru ejaculating more often, and trying to avoid sitting for a long time. Problems are often aggravated through taking antihistamines and decongestants purchased over the counter, use these with this in mind. Additional recommendations include to cut back on any drinking within a couple of hours of bedtime in reducing frequent urination overnight, and reducing alcoholic drinks and coffee intake can reduce symptoms. Prostatic function may be also be improved with other supplements specifically saw palmetto extract, starflower oil, the element selenium, and also lycopene, a chemical extracted from tomatoes. Before you start any holistic treatment regime don’t forget to check with a doctor.
There has been a significant negative response to the Budget announcement in which Alistair Darling claimed the government would offer up financial support for the roll-out of the Digital Britain Universal Service for broadband obligation.
Broadband industry expert, Charles Trotman, head of rural business development of the
“He’s confused. We’re confused,” Trotman exclaimed, speaking to The Guardian. “It was only when I went through the full financial statement it was clear he was talking about money coming from underspending from the digital [TV] switchover - and we won’t know how much that is until the Digital Britain report comes out later this summer.” Giving caution that the money left over from the digital switchover campaign may be less than the £250 million predicted in the Budget Report, he added: “We don’t know how much that’s going to be. I mean, you can’t take something of a pot until you’ve fulfilled its original objective.”
Already a controversial project, the target of providing homes nationwide with broadband connection speeds of at least 2Mb is seen by many as being too slow.
Commenting on the Budget promises, Oliver Johnson, chief executive of broadband analysis company Point Topic, said: “The US is putting in $9bn, Australia has announced a A$22bn programme - the numbers here are relatively small. And there isn’t enough detail in what I’ve seen. I’ll wait and see what’s in Lord Carter’s final report.”
Purchasing and offering lands on auctions should be straightforward and useful for equally sellers and buyers. Locate auctions although is not straightforward procedure. Particulars as regards the home offered on a public auction can be published in the dedicated and national newspapers, or on most specialised web sites. Local property agencies frequently hold details of house to be auctioned too. Nevertheless one system of locating public auctions is to take note of the contact numbers of any “For Sale by Auction” notice.
There’s generally a fee to be on the auctioneers mailing list and for receiving a catalogue complete of photos and facts related to the estates. Free of charge catalogues are habitually worthless.
You’ve only got nearly one month to know what’s imminent on at public auctions, so action is required as soon as possible.
The variety of home largely sold are the one-offs that are tricky to assess or to put on the market, but that possess development promises.
Public sales are also interesting for the repossession properties offered for auction by mortgage lenders, which normally are cheaper and hold little reserve value. Previous to the public sale pay a quick visit and hold a look at the property. Look into the region and, most important make plans for with your experts to complete the compulsory scrutiny - like an official survey and a professional estimation. However if you are looking to buy property overseas, find superb property for sale in Croatia online, try sites that deal directly with local agencies and owners.
It’s very prudent to set your budget, and very important, dispose the mortgage to pay a often 10 per cent on the public auction day, and the outstanding 90 % within twenty-eight days thereafter. If your bid is victorious, you have to set down the ten per cent to the auctioneer the same day and the seller’s agent has to underwrite the Memorandum of Agreement. Penalties for disappointment to meet the fixed price are harsh.
Bear in mind that if you lose the bid you will lose the money you have invested on the assessment plus the legal amount, but it is a good idea informing the mediator of the amount you can be prepared to spend for the exclusive assets that has been withdrawn; you never know, in most of the cases the seller may be willing to consider your offer.
The sale promise is the same to exchange of contracts in the usual sale by restricted contract. This also signifies that the purchaser cannot be rejected by higher offers and the trader will not bothered of last-minute fee renegotiations.
Graduation Hats
Graduation ceremonies are important part of the students’ life, since it marks the end of one thing and the start of something new. The students should look their best during such ceremonies. The graduation attire will not be complete without the graduation hats. The type of hats worn depends on the field of study the graduate is graduating from. The type of graduation hats worn by graduates in elementary, high school, universities as well as those who have received home schooling, depends on the color of gown worn. Most education institutions prefer that graduates wear black gowns and hats. However, the color of the hats will depend on the school’s requirements. The hats are normally square in shape with a tassel attached at the center.
The graduation hats also depend on the type of degree one is receiving. In universities, graduates receiving masters or doctorate degrees wear different hats from those graduating with bachelor degrees. Hats worn by undergraduates are in one color while those worn by those graduating with advanced degrees have more than one color. The hat is also available in different sides depending on the tradition of the school. One can be able to buy four, six, or eight sided hats.
GraduationSource, a leader in graduation regalia products since 1960.
I have been investing in HYIPs for a while now and I have
become quite successful at it. Today, i would like to share
a part of my strategy with you.
The key to having successful investments is to build a safe,
diversified portfolio and to extract your own money as
quickly as possible. This will limit risk to your capital because
if one programme closes, you will still have the others to fall
back on.
Before investing in any programme, you should do a little
research on it. HYIP scripts are easily to get a hold of and
this makes it easier for con artists to operate. One of the
things to look for is the programme’s reputation (if they are
paying consistently). There are a few other things that i look
for, but i won’t go into that here.
When investing, my aim is to extract my money as quickly as
possible. This is because i want to be able to invest using the
profit i made from the programme to protect my own capital.
For example, a typical investment could be $100 then, after 30
days, i would extract my own money and re-invest the profits
so that i am making risk free money using “other people’s money”.
To explode your profits from your investments, you will need to
make use of referral systems. This is when you recommend
someone to the programme and you recieve commission for it.
This usually creates residual income for you which means you can
invest more of “other people’s money” to make even more cash.
However, please do not promote programs to others which do not
look trustworthy. This is immoral and should not be encouraged.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this and i wish you the very best
of luck in your investments.
Find Out More:
http://MaximumProfits.nmegames.com
That is a very grand title for a newsletter. But, I kid you not, what I am going to discuss this month is a rather overlooked but massively important factor in the success or failure of an investment strategy.
Every serious investor has thought through this element of ‘the game’. Quite simply, if they have not, they are not.
So what can be this important?
SELLING.
Simple, huh?
Of course it is. When it comes down to it, most things in life are really quite simple. So is this. But, oh-so overlooked.
If you begin to study investment as either a hobby, an intellectual pursuit or a profession, you will find massive quantities of books that can guide you. I know, I have quite a few of them. However, the majority will help you to choose an investment. Stock or fund picking is a vital element in the investment process.
But, selling is where the profits are. After all, if you never sell, you never really make a ‘real’ profit, it is just a theoretical one. And theoretical profits do not pay the bills.
Years ago, I used to know a semi-retired farmer in the UK. He was a nice guy who had sold a pig farm whilst it was profitable and was living on his large ‘capital’. He found investing to be more regular as an income source! (At least that is what he said.) Without trying to be mean, he wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer and his investments backed my theory up.
The first time I was invited to his house he delighted in firing up his pc to show off his investment software and display to me his ‘portfolio’. At the time he had holdings in about 100 different UK listed companies. But, about 70% of these holdings were losing money! I was amazed. He had boasted to me that he had ‘never made a loss on a share’. Being unable to resist, I quizzed him relentlessly that evening until I found an answer I believed.
The truth was that he had bought all these shares but had NEVER actually sold one. He had not made ‘a loss’ because he didn’t turn the shares back into cash. It also meant that he had never actually made a profit either but he neglected to mention that…
As you might be realising, this did not make him a good investor. He had not figured out how to either buy or sell shares. It was all pure dumb luck either way! When you also consider that I am talking about perhaps 1996 or 1997, towards the end of the greatest share bull market of all time, he was doing worse than pure dumb luck!! During the world’s most profitable period for investment EVER, he had found a way to lose money consistently. That takes real skill.
Most people that invest money will never make the kind of errors of judgement that this man made. Most people will never have the money available to lose and it not alter their lifestyle. That may be a blessing in disguise!
With hindsight, as I got to know him better, I began to realise that he was actually a gambler at heart … horses, cards, shares, spoof (though I never figured out the rules to that) and I’m sure more that I wasn’t aware of.
However, most of us are not gamblers. We have some spare money and we want to invest it for the future. Hopefully, it will grow into something more substantial for when we need it. Perhaps it will pay for a child’s education or our retirement. Whatever.
The issue that you need to think about when making an investment is when to sell up. The reason is quite simple, it is all about discipline. Even the best companies go through bad times. The course of a business cycle virtually guarantees this. We however, want to be selling during the good times for a profit, not holding on until it is too late for a loss.
Some investors have a preset figure in their mind - when the price is xx I’ll sell. Others use a stop-loss system, or better yet, a trailing stop-loss. Each has a place in the investment world.
Alas, we can’t all behave like Warren Buffett and buy with the intention of holding ‘forever’. Firstly, he is better at this than us. Secondly, he tries to buy a business whole, which is probably out of your reach (I know it is out of mine!). And lastly, though I know he will hate to make a loss more than most other people, if it all goes wrong, he can afford it. His life will not be ruined by losing money (and he has been so successful that even his reputation is unlikely to be ruined).
Just remember that the simplest formula for making money in an investment is to ‘Buy low and sell high’. Easy stuff. But when things are high, you need to remember to sell. Don’t let greed get the better of you.
It has happened to me and probably every investor who ever lived. He or she held on too long and turned a decent profit into a sickening loss.
Stuart Langridge is a financial adviser to expatriates in the Benelux region. To subscribe to his free monthly financial newsletter and receive a free 70 page ebook about financial planning, click on the following link: http://www.freefinancialguide.com/dt/t.php?cid=31&ad=AD_NAME_HERE&cpc=0
The questions below will help you interview and evaluate a financial planner to see if they are the right one for you. You will want to select a competent, qualified professional with whom you feel comfortable whose expertise and business style suits your financial planning needs.
1. What experience do you have?
Find out how long the planner has been in practice and the number and types of companies with which they have been associated. Ask the planner to briefly describe past work experience and how it relates to their current practice. If your financial planner will be offering you investment advice, it is advisable to work with someone who has been through a recession or down stock market.
2. What are your qualifications?
The term “financial planner” is used by many financial professionals. Ask what qualifies him to offer financial planning advice and whether he holds a designation such as the Certified Financial Planner or Chartered Financial Analyst marks. These professional designations show dedication to the profession and the ability to pass detailed examinations. Determine what steps the planner takes to stay current with changes and developments in the financial planning field. If the planner holds a financial planning designation or licenses, check on his background with the NASD AIMR , SEC or other relevant professional organizations.
3. What services do you offer?
The services a financial planner offers will depend on a number of factors including credentials, licenses and areas of expertise. Financial planners cannot offer insurance or securities products such as mutual funds or stocks without the proper licenses, or give investment advice unless registered with state or Federal authorities. There are some planners who offer financial planning advice on a range of topics but are not licensed and do not sell financial products. Others provide advice only in specific areas such as estate planning or on tax matters.
4. Are you Independent of financial product sponsors?
Product sponsors include stock brokerage firms (discount and full service), insurance companies and banks. Ask the financial planner about the type of clients and financial situations he or she typically likes to work with. Some planners prefer to develop one plan by bringing together all of your financial goals. Others provide advice on specific areas. Make sure the planner’s viewpoint on investing matches your own and is not too cautious or overly aggressive for you. Some planners require you to have a certain net worth before offering services.
5. Will you be the only person working with me?
The financial planner may work with you himself or have others in the office assist with your activities. You can meet everyone who will be working on your investments or plan. If the planner works with professionals outside his own practice (such as attorneys, insurance agents or tax specialists) ask to get a list of their names to check on their backgrounds.
6. How will I pay for your services?
As part of your financial planning agreement, be sure you see in writing how they will be paid for the services provided. Planners can be paid in several ways:
a salary paid by the company for which the planner works. The planner’s employer receives payment from you in fees or commissions to pay the planner’s salary.
fees based on an hourly rate, a flat rate, or on a percentage of your assets and/or income.
commissions paid by a third party from the products sold to you to carry out the financial planning recommendations. Commissions are usually a percentage of the amount you invest in a product.
a combination of fees and commissions whereby fees are charged for the amount of work done to develop financial planning recommendations and commissions are received from any products sold.
7. How much do you charge for your services?
While the amount you pay the planner will depend on your needs, the financial planner should provide you with an estimate of possible costs based on the work to be performed. Such costs include the planner’s hourly rates, flat fees or the percentage he would receive as commission on products you may purchase as part of the financial planning recommendations.
8. How are you licensed?
Many financial planners offer advice in securities or insurance when they are not licensed in these areas. Some states may not require licensing but consumers may want their advisor be properly regulated and licensed. Licensed persons pass examinations and have many hours of continuing education annually. However, there are some licensed advisors who are are merely salesmen in an advisors suit.
Ask the planner to provide you with a description of her conflicts of interest in writing. For example, financial planners who are employees of banks, insurance companies or investment firms often favor their own company products, even when less competitive. The planner may also have relationships or partnerships that should be disclosed to you, such as business he or she receives for referring you to an insurance agent, stockbroker, accountant or attorney for implementation of planning suggestions.
9. Have you been publicly disciplined for any unlawful or unethical actions in your professional career?
Several government and professional regulatory organizations, such as the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), your state insurance and securities departments, and the CFP Board keep records on the disciplinary history of financial planners and advisers. Ask what organizations the planner is regulated by, and contact these groups to conduct a background check. All financial planners who have registered as investment advisers with the Securities and Exchange Commission or state securities agencies, or who are associated with a company that is registered as an investment adviser, must be able to provide you with a disclosure form called Form ADV or the state equivalent of that form. Many financial planners do not hold securities or insurance licenses.
10. Can I have it in writing?
Before handing over any money, ask the planner to provide you with a written agreement that details the services that will be provided. Keep this document in your files for future reference.
Check List For Interviewing A Financial Planner
Planner Name:
_______________________________________
Company:
_______________________________________
Address:
_______________________________________
Phone:
_______________________________________
Date:
_______________________________________
1. Do you have experience in providing advice on the topics below?
If yes, please indicate the number of years.
* Retirement planning ________
* Investment planning ________
* Tax planning ________
* Estate planning ________
* Insurance planning ________
* Integrated Planning ________
* Other________________________________________
2. What are your areas of expertise and how do your qualifications in those areas compare to others?____________________________________________
__________________________________________________
3. How long have you been offering financial planning advice to clients?
* Less than one year
* One to four years
* Five to 10 years
* More than 10 years
4. Briefly describe your work history:
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
5. What are your educational qualifications? Give area of study.
Undergraduate Degree _________________________
Advanced Degree _____________________________
Other ______________________________________
6. Which planning or investment management designation(s) do you hold?
* Certified Financial Planner or CFP
* Certified Funds Specialist (CFS)
* Certified Public Accountant - Personal Financial Specialists (CPA-PFS)
* Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)
* Other_________________________________________
7. How many financial planning related continuing education requirements do you fulfill? ______hours every______
8. What licenses do you hold?
* Insurance (Life, Health, Disability, Long Term Care)
* Securities (NASD Series 7, 24, 63)
* Other ______________________________________________________
9. A. Are you personally licensed or registered as an Investment Adviser with the:?
State(s)?
_________________________________
Federal Government?
If no, why not?
_________________________________
B. Is your firm licensed or registered as an Investment Adviser with the:
State(s)?
_________________________________
Federal Government?
If no, why not?
_________________________________
C. Will you provide me with your disclosure document Form ADV or its state equivalent form?
* Yes
* No
* If No, why not _________________________________________
10. What services do you offer?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
11. Describe your approach to financial planning.
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
12. A. Who will be working with me on my plan?
Planner __________________________________
Associate(s)_______________________________
B. Will the same individual(s) review my financial situation?
* Yes
* No
* If no, who will? _________________________________________
13. How are you paid for your services?
* Fee
* Commission
* Fee and commission
* Salary
* Other________________________________
14. What do you typically charge?
A. Fee:
Hourly Rate $_____@ hour
Flat fee (range) $_____ to $________
Percentage of assets under management _______ percent
15. A. Are you employed by any company whose products or services you recommend?
* Yes
* No
* Explain
_________________________________________
B. Can you implement the plan by making transactions for us or do we have to find a properly licensed person?
* Yes
* No
Explain _________________________________________
C. Do professionals and sales agents to whom you may refer me to send business, fees or any other benefits to you?
* Yes
* No
Explain _________________________________________
D. Are you regulated by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD)?
* Yes
* No
E. Do you have oversight specifically for your insurance recommendations (i.e. licensed with the State Insurance Commissioner)
* Yes
* No
Explain _________________________________________
16. Do you provide a written client engagement agreement?
* Yes
* No
Explain _________________________________________
Roger Sorensen
America’s Financial Guide can be found at ==>http://www.Slave2Work.com Subscribe to Money Basics via http://www.slave2work.com/ezine.html
Slave2Work.com - Are you ready for financial freedom?
Numerous implant recipients who experienced zimmer durom recall applied in their hip cup replacement surgical operations are determining that there are complications that far surpass the typical expectations for recuperation. These implant recipients are feeling a lot of additive pain for lengthier periods of time, facing revision surgical processes and elevated medical costs, and losing revenue by not being able to work at their regular businesses. Although Zimmer Holdings, Inc. is claiming that that their hip replacement implant in no way defective and not to be held accountable for the faililng hip implants, numerous people are filing lawsuits against them and encountering settlements.
In October, 2008 Zimmer declared that it had reserved $47.5 million to compensate for lawsuits that had been filed against them. Many docs are not positive that the hip device is good to go and without problems. In fact, when Zimmer provided online education to physicians in order to teach them what was supposedly more correct methods for performing the implant surgical operation, roughly 1/2 of the docs refused to take part. Thus, the entire situation continues to be bothersome for all patients participating, but none more than the hundreds of unfortunate people who are facing revision surgical procedure because of the issues with their implant experiencing looseness from the socket.
These tormented individuals definitely deserve some aid and restitution which is the reason product liability lawyers are encouraging them to start the lawsuit process. durom cups has been resolving these claims before they go to court. However, even if the settlement they are being offered sounds like alot to them, in numerous cases people are resolving too quickly and without provision or allowance put in place for ongoing issues if pain returns. Without waiting to find out what cases are actually going to be worth, people may find themselves paying thousands of dollars out of pocket when more medical issues exist or surface.
For anyone who believes they probably have a claim against Zimmer needs to start looking into it. If you think you could qualify, you should visit a lawyer to be certain. Try to find a lawfirm that operates nationwide and centers their attention on litigation against faulty medical devices. This law firm has done the extra work and setup a special section to do due diligence and process claims against Zimmer and obtain nice sized settlements for their customers.
If your orthopedic MD lets you know that you require a revision surgical procedure to repair your Zimmer Durom hip replacement device, get in touch with an lawyer right away.