Archive for Retirement

Safe High Return Investments Naples

While it can seem very difficult to put money away each month for retirement or savings, not doing so can leave you with a lifetime of living paycheck to paycheck with no possibility of retirement. Just putting the money away, though, is not enough. You have to invest that money in something that will put your money to work for you, earning money on its own. The stock market, retirement plans, mutual funds, and other investment vehicles offered through banks and investment companies are great ways to do this. Be sure to avoid these common pitfalls when considering how to invest that money:
1. Don’t ignore your employer’s 401k plan, if it is offered. Most employers do have such a plan, and many match the funds you put in in some way. By not taking advantage of the 401k, you may be giving up free money, and you are definitely giving up one of the best possible investment vehicles around. If this is available to you, be sure to take advantage of it as soon as you are eligible.
2. Lack of some kind of investment and savings plan. Your age, budget, family situation, and other economic factors will determine how much you can invest each month, and what kind of investments you should make. Familiarize yourself with basic investing philosophies and then invest according to your needs and situation.
3. Being too conservative with your investments. If your timeline to retirement or other financial need is more than 20 years away, you need to consider maximizing your returns through riskier investments. While you may lose some money, at least on paper, in the short term, history has proven again and again that you will make significant returns over the long term. Riskier investments invariably provide higher returns.
4. Taking too much risk with your investments. As you get closer to retirement, you will need to start taking a different outlook on your investing. The name of the game here will be capital preservation, rather than high returns. As a result, you will want to start moving your portfolio to less risky investment vehicles such as money market funds, bond funds, and CDs.
5. Investing too heavily into one sector or type of investment. The best way to preserve capital, while at the same time earning high returns, is to diversify your portfolio. This will allow your money to grow regardless of current economic conditions and keep you from suffering the consequences of knee-jerk market reactions to short-term economic factors.
6. Getting involved in get rich quick scams. Once you’ve established investment accounts, you will be continually bombarded by less-than-honest people trying to get you to buy into their “hot stocks” tip sheets, and other investment advisory information. Don’t fall for it. Chances are, these opportunities are outright fake or just short of impossible to get them to actually work.
7. Hanging on to a hot investment for too long. From time to time, you will find a stock or other investment that pays very high returns. Keep in mind that it will not stay that way, and set a goal to get out before you lose money on it (double or triple your money, whatever makes sense). Once you’re out, don’t look back. Be happy that you made good money on it, not sad that you might have made more.
8. Information overload. You can spend way too much time on analyzing an investment, and by the time you are ready to make a move, it’s too late. Don’t let this happen to you. Lots of money is lost everyday because people were unwilling to make a move in time. Get just enough information to confirm your hunch and then just do it. If you don’t know enough about the investment or the industry, use an investment advisor to limit any mistakes you might make.
9. Investing while being saddled with debt. Your debt will accrue interest charges much faster than your investments will make money. Before investing your first dollar, get out of debt, particularly credit cards and other revolving debt instruments. A mortgage is just fine, as that will likely make you money in the long term, but revolving credit is just not necessary for most people.
10. Paying too much in commission fees. Few things will eat into your investment returns faster than commissions. Unless you are already very rich, and you’re constantly trading in and out of stocks and bonds, you should not be paying high commissions. For most people a discount broker is the way to go. For the cheapest possible commissions, consider using one of the online investment brokers, and be sure to compare commission structures before deciding which broker to use.

For more information about general investing and other personal finance subjects like 401k, CDs, and budgeting be sure to visit http://www.personal-finances-blog.com today.

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Nov
26

Investing With A Conscience

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Interest in Socially Responsible Investing IncreasesMany investors have strong opinions that don’t involve their views on interest rates and stock prices. This might include support for a clean environment or concern for the poor and the disadvantaged – just to mention a few well-known causes.Increasingly, these investors want their holdings to reflect their social, ethical or religious values. They wish to avoid companies that profit from activities they oppose, and support companies that behave in ways they consider appropriate or responsible. At the same time, however, most investors still want or need to earn a reasonable return on their portfolios.Socially responsible investing (“SRI”) seeks to reconcile these two objectives by helping investors create diversified portfolios designed to deliver an acceptable level of performance, while at the same time excluding companies that don’t meet the their ethical standards. SRI investing recognizes that corporate responsibility and societal concerns are an important part of many investment decisions—particularly with the world’s increased focus on sustainability and climate change, among others. SRI investors encourage corporations to improve their practices on environmental, social, and governance issues. You may also hear SRI-like approaches to investing referred to as mission investing, responsible investing, double or triple bottom line investing, ethical investing, sustainable investing, or green investing. Increasing InterestOver the last several decades many investors have shown an increased appetite for social investors. The Social Investment Forum, a nonprofit group that promotes socially responsible investing, calculates the total number of assets under professional SRI management rose from $629 billion in 1995 to $2.71 trillion in 2007. In fact, the Forum estimates that one out of every nine dollars under professional management in the US today—or 11% of the $25.1 trillion in total assets under management tracked in Nelson Information’s Directory of Investment Managers—is involved in socially responsible investing.Why has socially responsible investing gained in popularity? One of the reasons may be that investors posed themselves a question similar to this one: while my number one investment goal will always be to create a properly diversified portfolio based on my personal risk tolerance levels, how can I also do a bit of good for the environment, for the world or to improve the condition of mankind? A second reason for SRI’s popularity is that some of the nation’s most prominent institutional investors have increasingly added a social focus to their investment decisions. These institutions, many with significant assets and often with great public, political and media clout, often carry both a big stick and use a loud voice. Some have become well-known advocates for social issues and this is often carried out through their investments in socially-responsible projects. An example is found in the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), one of the world’s largest public pension funds. CalPers recently announced support for the United Nation’s Principles for Responsible Investment, a menu of possible global actions on environmental, social and corporate issues. A third reason for increased interest in SRI is the simple fact that it’s now much easier to access professionally managed SRI vehicles. Many investment firms have created specific investment processes that exclude companies that, in the investor’s view, focus on non-socially responsible or acceptable activities. Once these decisions have been made, the manager constructs a diversified portfolio within the desired constraints. The goal is to deliver performance consistent with the investor’s return objectives and tolerance for risk. Structuring investments consistent with social, environmental or ethical objectives offer investors a way to align their portfolios to their own objectives. Please call today, for more information on incorporating a socially responsive component into your investment program. Graeme H. Patey is a Financial Advisor located in Cleveland, Ohio and may be reached at 216-523-3015 or www.fa.smithbarney.com/graemepatey. Smith Barney does not provide tax or legal advice, and it is important to consult with a tax or legal advisor before investing.© 2008 Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Member SIPC. Securities are offered through Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Smith Barney is a division and service mark of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and its affiliates and is used and registered throughout the world. Citi and Citi with Arc Design are trademarks and service marks of Citigroup Inc. and its affiliates, and are used and registered throughout the world. Working WealthSM is a service mark of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Citibank are affiliated companies under the common control of Citigroup Inc.INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED • NOT GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE

Graeme H. Patey specializes in developing customized financial strategies. He employs a consultative approach on the financial and investment needs of high net-worth individuals and financial services to businesses.

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Safe High Return Investments Naples

The markets don’t always behave the way we’d like them to: Geopolitical turmoil, natural disasters, interest rates and world events can have a profound effect on market movements. If recent market volatility has you concerned about the economy, you are not alone; this is a confusing time for many investors. Some have decided to stay the course, while others are sitting on the sidelines waiting for the market to rebound. However, since no one can predict how the markets will perform, it’s important to develop an investment strategy that can help you stay on the right track to meeting your long-term financial goals. Here are some strategies that you can implement today, that may help to manage risk during these uncertain times.Work with a Financial Advisor. There are a lot of do-it-yourself investment resources available to investors today. However, none of those resources can replace the experienced, personal service a Financial Advisor provides. A Financial Advisor can offer an understanding of your complete financial picture, not just your investments. Additionally, in periods of market volatility when you need the most support, a Financial Advisor can provide:• Access to important decision-making research and information;• Ongoing monitoring of your investment portfolio, while anticipating your changing needs; and• A comprehensive market-volatility plan.Have a plan. Developing a financial plan is one of the best ways to meet your long-term goals. Your plan should also include an action plan to address market volatility, which should be developed well in advance of a turbulent market. Having a market-volatility plan will help you to set realistic goals and appropriately manage your return expectations.Invest regularly. It may not seem intuitive, but investing regularly—even during market downturns—can help to reduce your overall costs. Dollar cost averaging is one of the best ways to invest regularly, since you’re investing a fixed amount on a fixed schedule, regardless of how the markets perform. Investing regularly can also have intrinsic benefits: It encourages discipline and may also ease the anxiety of daily market fluctuations.Diversify. If you’ve ever heard the saying, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” then you already have a basic understanding of diversification. Diversifying your portfolio can reduce risk and volatility if the assets have little or no correlation to each other.Investing in mutual funds is one way to achieve portfolio diversification, since mutual funds are typically a diversified investment. There are also several other ways to diversify and potentially reduce portfolio volatility:• Within an asset category, such as purchasing different types of mutual funds;• Among asset categories, such as purchasing stocks and bonds; and• Outside of the United States, since some markets move opposite to the US stock market.Put volatility to work for you. Do you think of the glass as half empty or half full? Your perspective can affect the investment decisions you make during market downturns. Investors who view market volatility negatively can make irrational decisions. A down market can be an opportunity for you to build your portfolio and take advantage of lower unit costs.Stay invested. You are probably anxious during times when the value of your investments has decreased. As a result, you may be tempted to move out of the market, sit on the sidelines and wait for the market to rebound. However, since no one knows how the markets will move, how do you know you’re leaving at the right time? Also, how will you know when it is the right time to get off the sidelines and start investing again?If you have worked with a Financial Advisor, your investment strategy was developed to help you meet your long-term goals. Timing the market could potentially jeopardize your financial plan—and your future goals.Be patient. There will always be uncertainty in the markets; market volatility is a natural part of the investment cycle. Although it may take some time, markets do rebound.In the meantime, call your Financial Advisor to help you develop an action plan for market volatility and continue to focus on your long-term investment goals rather than short-term market moves.Graeme H. Patey is a Financial Advisor located in Cleveland, Ohio and may be reached at 216-523-3015 or http://fa.smithbarney.com/graemepatey. Asset allocation and diversification strategies do not guarantee a profit or protect against loss.A periodic investment plan such as dollar cost averaging does not assure a profit or protect against a loss.International stocks are subject to certain risks of overseas investing including currency fluctuations and changes in political and economic conditions, which could result in significant market fluctuations. These risks are magnified in emerging markets.Mutual fund investments are subject to market risk, including the possible loss of principal. They are sold by prospectus only. The prospectus contains the investment objectives, risks, fees, charges and expenses, and other information regarding the mutual fund and variable annuity contract and its underlying investments, which should be carefully considered before investing. Prospectuses are available through your Financial Advisor or at www.smithbarney.com. Read the prospectus carefully before you invest or send money.Smith Barney does not provide tax or legal advice, and it is important to consult with a tax or legal advisor before investing.© 2008 Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Member SIPC. Securities are offered through Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Smith Barney is a division and service mark of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and its affiliates and is used and registered throughout the world. Citi and Citi with Arc Design are trademarks and service marks of Citigroup Inc. and its affiliates, and are used and registered throughout the world. Working WealthSM is a service mark of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Citibank are affiliated companies under the common control of Citigroup Inc.INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED • NOT GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE

Graeme H. Patey specializes in developing customized financial strategies. He employs a consultative approach on the financial and investment needs of high net-worth individuals and financial services to businesses.

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Safe High Return Investments Naples

Recently, I met the owner of a well-known precious metals web site and I popped this question to him: “What do you think about investing in silver?” His reply was both profound and accurate. “David,” he said, “The smart money is moving into gold, but the SMARTEST money is moving into silver!”Investing in silver is a great way to make money, especially if you are looking to secure your future or your retirement. But of course, just like any type of investing, there are no guarantees. You need to know what you are doing and what the silver market is all about before you can get too involved. This is the only way to make sure that you give yourself every possible advantage to benefit from silver investing. That’s the ONE and ONLY reason that I am here today. I want to share with you some tips that will give you direction when you start investing in silver so you can make the most money possible.7 Getting Started in Silver Investing Tips That Will Make You More Money1. Take a close look at the market before you decide that silver investing is right for you. Investing is silver is different than investing in stocks and bonds. 2. Educate yourself. If you are not sure how investing in silver works, touch base with a professional who can help you with the buying and selling process. 3. Complete effective online research. Be careful of the information you find. There’s so much information online about silver investing, but a lot of it is misinformation. You want to learn from experts who are in the trenches tracking the silver market and making investments every day. For example, the information that you will find on http://www.silver-investor.com is based on my experiences and knowledge from following the silver market daily for more than thirty years. 4. Get familiar with the many different ways that you can invest in silver. You can invest in silver mining companies, silver ETFs, silver futures, silver bullion and silver coins. The sure-fire way to invest in silver without the worry is to invest in bullion or coins. This is the place to start– real metal for your future. You don’t have to pay for a mining company’s energy costs. And you don’t have to buy 1000 to 5000 ounces in a futures contract that carries too much risk for a beginning silver investor.5. If you are looking to invest in silver coins and silver bars then you need to know this trick — Find sellers who are actually selling as near the spot price of silver as possible (spot plus a reasonable fee). A general rule is that the more silver you are buying the less percentage of fees you should be expected to pay. When buying coins to invest in their silver content be certain you are not buying coins for their numismatic value (the value to a collector of rare coins).6. Before you invest in silver, make sure you calculate how much you can invest between your IRA rollover funds, cash on hand and other assets that you wish to turn into silver. Be sure to keep your emergency fund mostly in cash for unforeseen expenses. You don’t want to bite off (invest) more than you can chew (afford).7. Stay on top of the market. There are times to buy. And, there are times to sell. Yes, at some point, it may be better to sell some or perhaps even all of your silver holdings for currency, depending on the bull market and your personal investment goals. But the only way you know when to buy or sell is if you have current silver market investing information at your fingertips.Here’s a Bonus Silver Investing Tip For You…Get started now. The time to invest in silver is today! What are you waiting for?Put my tips into action and start investing in silver right away.

Following the silver market for more than 30 years, Silver Investor David Morgan believes NOW is the time for baby boomers who want to retire comfortably and without fear to start investing in precious metals. Now you can discover his Ten Rules of Silver Investing for Baby Boomers, when you sign up for his free newsletter at: http://www.silver-investor.com/joinfreelist.html

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Nov
01

Is Buying a House a Good Investment?

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Intended Audience

Individuals looking to purchase a home for personal use or as an investment. As well, looking into conventional wisdom’s statement that buying a house is one of the best investments someone can make.

Summary Points to Take Away

Analysis

Conventional wisdom states that buying a house is one of the smartest and best investments an individual can make. This article is geared towards challenging this conclusion to see whether this statement rears any truth to it.

Why a House is a Good Investment?

Forced Savings Plan

Most individuals claim that the purchase of their personal home was the best investment they’ve ever made, which is true in most cases because it is the only investment they’ve ever made. The general public struggles with saving for retirement; thus, purchasing a house assists in that problem as it forces individuals to continuously pay down the mortgage (or lose the house in a foreclosure to the bank); therefore, allows the storing of equity for the owners. This built up equity (i.e. market value of home minus remaining mortgage) can be borrowed against during their retirement years or they can downgrad into a less expensive house in order to provide some retirement funds to the owner. If individuals take a disciplined approach to saving, then the benefit of being forced to save in order to pay for a house diminishes

Leverage

Typical real estate purchase require only a 5% deposit, while the remaining amount can be borrowed through bank debt. Few alternative investments outside of real estate can the acquirer obtain such significant leverage, which can enhance investment returns.

Example, suppose that you purchased a home for $200k, for which you made a 5% deposit down ($10k). During the next few years the house appreciates in value and you sell it for $220k (10% higher than the level you purchased it). Though the return on the house is only 10%, the return to the investor based on invested funds sunk into the home ($10k) is 200% ($20k earned over $10k investment) –  that is the power of leverage. On the negative side, more debt means higher fixed monthly mortgage payments; thus, higher risk of being able to make the monthly mortgage payments. As long as cash flow is not a concern and the mortgage payments can be met – investments should be leveraged to maximize returns to the investor. Could you imagine walking into a bank and asking for $100k to invest in equities while only putting 5% down – likely to never happen, this is a major benefit of real estate ownership.

Inflation Resistant

Real estate holds its value during inflationary periods; thus, acts as a hedge against the investors other assets that aren’t protective against inflation (ex. Currency). The asset will continue to hold its buying power (store of value), which is difficult to get outside of investing in precious metals. The reason real estate holds its value is there is the same number of houses that the increased monetary supply of dollars are chasing; thus, it’ll take more dollars to purchase the houses as the supply of houses stays stagnate while the demand rises (due to the increase in the number of dollars in everyone’s hands). This can become critical given the current economic times and numerous expansions of monetary supply across many nations, which will have the aftermath affect of higher inflation.

Capital Gain is Tax FreeIn Canada, every home owner is provided with a capital gain exemption on amounts earned in excess of cost for their principal residence. Only one piece of real estate can be claimed as the principal residence per individual. For example, if you owned a home and a cottage, only one of those houses upon selling could take advantage of the principal residence exemption. No other asset class has such advantageous tax reduction characteristics. Unfortunately this is a onetime event; thus, those holding numerous pieces of real estate can only apply it to one property.

Allows for Control over the Asset

Real estate is typically an investment an individual has control over (assuming you’re the majority owner – which is typically the case) by the means of the owner has the ability to increase the value of the asset, which may not be the case in most other investment opportunities. When purchasing real estate, owners can make capital improvements to the home (ex. Finished basement, new porch, etc.), which will increase the value of the property (capital appreciation) as compared to purchasing stocks or mutual funds as assets where the owner can’t take action to increase the value of those assets (unless they’re a significant owner, greater than 20% – which is typically unlikely). The ability to control an asset adds value to the owner through what is known as a control premium, as a real estate asset may be more valuable in the hands of some individuals over others.

Why a House is a Bad Investment

Lack of Diversification

Average individual thinks the stock market is very risky while investing in real estate is more of a certainty. Purchasing equities allows the owner to conveniently hedge their risk amongst various companies in numerous industries, countries, etc. The purchase of real estate doesn’t provide the ability to diversify risk away as easily unless an investor plans on owning numerous pieces of different types of properties (ex. residential, commercial, resorts, etc) across various markets (North America, Europe, etc) – which is probably very unlikely for the average investor. Purchasing real estate prevents the diversification of risk because it’s dependent on the economic, migration, and regulation trends of the local area.

For example, assume you purchased a home in Oshawa, Ontario – which is a town extremely reliant on the large manufacturing facility of General Motors (GM). Should GM cut back on production or move their facility housing prices would fall sharply as it is the biggest employer in the area; thus, demand from individuals will decline as unemployment rises and real incomes fall. With a decline in demand and supply staying stagnate (as you typically can’t “un-build” a house once it’s constructed) the price will have to shift towards in order to align demand with supply.

Real estate doesn’t allow the investor to diversify away the specific risks in the local area as compared to purchasing equities, which allows the investor to spread risk amongst investments that perform differently during different points along the business cycle. Most individuals when purchasing real estate have all their eggs in one basket.

Maintenance Costs

Transaction and maintenance costs are significantly higher for real estate investments than stocks, mutual funds, etc. When purchasing stocks costs are typically broker commissions ($20 per transaction if using an online discount broker), while when purchasing a home it is typically 2% commission on the transaction value, significantly higher than purchasing equities.

Once you purchase shares, no further cash is required from the investor unlike real estate, which requires constant annual expenditures that continue to increase the investors cash committed towards the property, such as property taxes, insurance, utilities, maintenance and repairs of the asset, etc. These are costs that real estate investors or home purchasers don’t factor into their expected return, but play a significant role as the payment of property taxes (etc.) doesn’t contribute to the value of the property for eventual sale in the hopes of capital appreciation.

Historical Lower Returns Compared to Equities

During any 20 year period throughout history, no other asset class has outperformed equities, which includes real estate. This is from the perspective of asset vs. asset without consideration of leverage and how that may enhance returns (as discussed earlier). While it is true that over the long run real estate prices go up in value, this is typically due to inflation incurred. Recent spikes in housing prices seen in the past 10 to 15 years has been due to changing demographics, specifically the baby boomer generation (who makes up largest segment of the population in North America) go through life stages at the same time (same goes for starting a family and purchasing a home and real estate investment property). The result was a large influx in demand without a corresponding increase in supply as construction requires lead time; thus, leading to rising real estate prices.

Will this high demand continue? That’s where the argument lies. Likely there will be softness felt in overall real estate demand as baby boomers already have their homes and they’re likely to either stay put, move to retirement homes or downgrade into a smaller place in order to obtain some retirement income. Immigration will continue into North America that will prop up demand, but likely not the extent to fulfill the whole in demand left by the baby boomer generation; therefore, the future appreciation in real estate properties is likely to flatten out.

Can’t Take Advantage of Available Opportunities

The purchase of a home or real estate property requires the individual to tie up a significant portion of their net worth into the property (in a lot of cases, all of it). Having all your net worth in real estate is a risky strategy as you’ll be severely impacted by movements in real estate prices as compared to having your cash tied up into several asset classes; thus, less vulnerable to swings in any one asset class. Similar to the discussion had under the “diversification” section of this article.

With the majority of an investors net worth tied up in a real estate property, there isn’t available cash to take advantage of other opportunities that come along; thus, significant opportunity costs are involved in venturing into real estate. This should be considered before purchasing an expensive personal home or making a real estate investment.

Limited Scope

Real estate is a local good, unlike gold for example – which can be bought and sold throughout the year for the same market price. An individual looking to buy a personal home or make a real estate investment doesn’t have access to all available properties as there are physical limitations to contend with. It comes down to wanting to live where you grew up or currently work or not wanting to buy a rental property far from your home in order to reduce logistical issues. For example, if you live in Toronto, Ontario and are looking to make an investment in a rental property, you’re unlikely to consider properties in Paris, France though the opportunities may be better than those surrounding Toronto due to language and logistic issues. Equities (and etc.) are globally traded and available; thus, users can take advantage of opportunities around the world; thus, their scope is not limited to the local area of their current surroundings like real estate is.

Additional Points to consider if you’re purchasing a Home for Personal Use.

Doesn’t Provide Any Cash Flow

An asset typically provides you with cash flow, i.e. puts cash in your pocket. When purchasing a home, cash only flows out (property taxes, repairs, etc.); some would argue that if it appreciates in value then it is an asset. In this instance it is only an asset when converted into cash and if that is the case, where will you live? Likely end up buying a new house, which has also gone up in value similar to your house.  This makes it difficult to realize the value of your personal home appreciation, which acts more like a liability than an asset since it takes cash out of your pocket instead of putting some in there.

Tax Deductibility of Interest

Interest expense paid due to bank loans taken to finance investment properties is deductable against income because the investor is pursuing income and tax legislation allows deduction of any expenses incurred in the pursuit of income. This is not the case for a mortgage taken out to purchase a house for personal use as the individual is not in the pursuit of income; thus, interest expense is paid with after tax dollars, with no tax shelter provided. If those funds had been borrowed to invest in equities or mutual funds, the interest would be deductable because again that would count towards the theme of pursuing income.

Can Get Personal Joy Out of It

Unlike equities and other alternative investments, the investor can’t personally use or get joy out of it as compared to purchasing a home, which the individual can live in and enjoy during the investment process. An investor who purchases shares in General Motors (GM) can’t exactly borrow and test drive cars whenever they please simply because they’re a part owner. This is a qualitative benefit that is difficult to quantify, but should be considered.

Where to go from here?

The main reason to purchase a house is to have somewhere to live and enjoy their life, don’t think of it as an investment. Buying a home isn’t a bad decision; it is the investor’s perception that may be tainted because it is important to realize that there are many arguments against a home as an investment to be considered. Don’t buy real estate property with the mindset that an individual can’t lose and that there is no better investment opportunity than to purchase a home, etc. Beware of conventional wisdom that states there is no better investment than purchasing a house.

THANKS,

SIMON GIANNAKIS

Simon Giannakis is the founder and creator of www.THATSTOCKGUY.NET. He currently is a Senior Accountant within the Assurance and Advisory group at Deloitte & Touche LLP in Toronto, Ontario. He has a BBA degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and is currently pursuing both CA and CFA designations. Simon can be contacted through thatstockguy.net@gmail.com. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE AN ARTICLE TO THATSTOCKGUY.NET, PLEASE CONTACT US.

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