BUSINESS
By Liz Pulliam Weston and Liz Pulliam Weston,LOS ANGELES TIMES | April 1, 2001
My lovely daughter is a high school senior and about to enter college. My broker moved some of her college fund into bonds, but I'm wondering, with the markets as they have been lately, whether we should move a little bit more out of stocks. We have enough money in her fund to cover all four years. What would you suggest? Hear that whooping sound? That's the fire alarm that says, "Get out now!" It's been going off for some months now - and would have been whether or not the stock market tanked.
BUSINESS
By Julius Westheimer | August 18, 2000
WHAT ARE the main principles of investment success? Family Money, Sept.-Oct., runs a cover story, "The Only Things You Must Know To Make Money in Stocks." Summary: Systematic investing improves results dramatically. You develop discipline to stay in the market for the long term rather than pull out when it heads south. Most important: Don't put all your eggs in one basket because if your stock lags, you won't have others to offset your losses. Long-term, growth stocks are your surest bet. Companies with strong earnings growth are easier to spot than promising "value" stocks.
BUSINESS
By JULIUS WESTHEIMER | March 3, 2000
Do you want to know how to make -- or lose -- money in stocks? From H. Bradlee Perry, former chairman, David L. Babson & Co., are ways to make money: Invest in established businesses with superior growth and profitability. Focus on high-quality companies, especially those with strong competitive positions. Concentrate on the long term. Be willing to go against the consensus. Diversify your holdings. Perrys ways to lose money: Buy the most popular stocks. Try to time the market. Become mesmerized by dividend yield.
BUSINESS
By Julius Westheimer | February 11, 2000
"YOU CAN MAKE your child a millionaire," says Family Circle magazine, Feb. 15. "Let's say you give your 12-year-old weekly chores around the house: cleaning his or her room, taking out the garbage, doing the dishes, washing the car. In exchange, you pay your child $20 a week, or $1,040 a year. But instead of giving the money outright, put it in a Childhood IRA for your son or daughter." In a Childhood IRA that's invested in good growth mutual funds, and if the funds grow at an average rate of 10 percent annually, the child's IRA will be worth $16,575 in 10 years, the article says.
BUSINESS
By Julius Westheimer | September 29, 1999
IN THIS volatile market, are you worried about your 40l(k) and other investments?"Every major study shows that asset allocation -- how your money is divided among stocks, bonds and money funds -- accounts for 90 percent of your long-term investment success," says Ted Benna, president of the 401(k) Association."In the weeks ahead, re-examine your mix. Aggressive investors should have 90 percent of their money in stocks, moderate investors 50 percent and conservative investors 20 percent. The balance should go into bonds, bond funds and money market funds."
BUSINESS
By Julius Westheimer | September 10, 1999
NOTES AND QUOTES from magazines, newsletters, etc., that piled up during a brief vacation:"Buy TIPS, or Treasury inflation-protected securities. They pay a fixed coupon, but their principal value is adjusted to the consumer price index." (Fortune)"Keep losses small, selling any stock where your loss exceeds 20 percent. Let your profits run." (Cabot Market Letter)"From 1990-1998 the annual large-firm CEO compensation rose from $1.8 million to $10.6 million -- almost a 500 percent increase."