Steve Selengut
Steve Selengut
sancoservices.com
valuestockbuylistprogram
Professional Portfolio Management since 1979
Author of: "The Brainwashing of the American Investor: The Book that Wall Street Does Not Want YOU to Read", and "A Millionaire's Secret Investment Strategy"
sancoservices.com
valuestockbuylistprogram
Professional Portfolio Management since 1979
Author of: "The Brainwashing of the American Investor: The Book that Wall Street Does Not Want YOU to Read", and "A Millionaire's Secret Investment Strategy"
Contact Information
Articles by Steve Selengut
November 09, 2011
Clearly, the MPT creators were once Mutual Fund investors, looking for something better after years of disappointing investment returns. True, mutual fund managers rarely beat the markets --- but why? And also true, private, individual, portfolio managers rarely fail to beat the market averages over significant time periods.
November 09, 2011
Volatility is a function of supply and demand for the common stock of a finite number of dirty, evil, greedy, polluting, congress corrupting, job creating, product and service providing, innovation and wealth developing, foundation supporting, gift giving, tax-collecting corporations to finance their growth and development.
October 09, 2011
At the same time, every time, without exception, while the financial markets plummet out of control down the most recent "Double Black Diamond" Wall Street favorite, the few investors who practice Market Cycle Investment Management are collecting IGVSs in their cash rich shopping carts, preparing for the next "Silver Bullet" up the mountain.
August 29, 2011
Call it foresight, or hindsight if you want to be argumentative, but a long-term view of the investment process eliminates the guesswork and points pretty clearly toward a trading mentality that keys on the very natural volatility of the hundreds of investment grade value stocks out there for your portfolio building attention. Market Cycle Investment Management makes market volatility your Very Best Friend
July 28, 2011
The future is uncertain, for certain. No numbers of any variety, in any combination or with any correlation or probability, will ever achieve the alchemy needed to reliably, even consistently, change leaden reality to golden certainty.
July 27, 2011
That's right. In one fell swoop we can reduce employee and employer taxes, increase personal disposable income, eliminate thousands of government jobs and replace them with private sector employment. It just doesn't get any easier than this.
May 12, 2011
Unlike many things in life, "shock market" realities need to be dealt with quickly, decisively, and with zero hindsight. Because amid all the uncertainty, there is one indisputable fact that reads equally well in either market direction: there has never, ever, been a rally or correction that has not given way to the next correction or rally.
April 18, 2011
How much financial bloodshed is necessary before we realize that there is no safe and easy shortcut to investment success? When do we learn that most of our mistakes involve our very own greed, fear, and unrealistic expectations? How do we create a confidence inspiring stock selection universe?
April 11, 2011
The S & P 500 contains 165 more stocks than the IGVSI, but less than half are Investment Grade Value Stocks. Although it is more broad based, it is also more speculative, and has not done as well as the DJIA. Still 14.7% below the 2007 high, it would need to gain another 17.2% just to claw back to its 2007 level.
March 21, 2011
These ETFs have a basis in IGVSI quality equities, and could be excellent trading vehicles. Certainly, they can be expected to track the IGVSI and the more popular (but totally manipulated) DJIA and S & P 500 averages.
But traded they must be, or they are just another "buy 'n hold" archaism. ETFs are actually not managed at all. The "passive management" referred to is merely the readjustment of holdings to mirror the weightings in a separate and totally unmanaged index.
March 10, 2011
Notice how income investing has taken a back seat to all this discussion about the stock market! Surprisingly, this is the area where investors make the most critical errors. In any event, no investment portfolio should have less than a 30% commitment to income securities.
March 08, 2011
Unlike most investment strategies, the Market Cycle Investment Management Methodology includes a selling-for-profit discipline that (incredulously) seems to be a unique investment model. Over the past 40+ years, MCIM users have taken profits during every market upswing and repurchased Investment Grade Value Stocks during every down bubble. Any feel for what the results must have been?
February 09, 2011
To most investors, the DJIA provides all of the information they think they need, and they worship it mindlessly, thinking that this time tattered average has mystical predictive and analytic powers far beyond the scope of any other market number. It's Wall Street's rendition of 'The Emperor's New Clothes'.
January 12, 2011
"Hey 'Deep Pockets', what were you doing on October 19th, 1987", the Wall Street Jungle reporter asked? "Well, son, I was gritting my teeth, shaking more than just a little, palms sweaty but placing dozens of individual orders for the best NYSE, dividend-paying, companies --- at prices that nearly everyone thought would drop even further.
December 17, 2010
After forty years of investing, a few things become clear: you need to focus on quality securities, diversify properly, and develop a lifetime supply of income. Income portfolio management is a puzzle in its own right, and the major problem is focus --- income is king. Losing market value and losing money are two totally different things.
December 10, 2010
So now you know why closed-end income fund prices, particularly for tax-exempt issues, have weakened. I look at it as a double Holiday bonus (or "gelt", for those of you who know). Whether it is profit taking by MCIM aficionados, or loss taking by window-dressers; whether it is irrational "priceaholism" or simple issues of supply and demand --- history tells us what to do about it.
November 30, 2010
The fact that your holdings move (forgive the use of this emotionally charged, designed to make you lose money unnecessarily, buzz word) "underwater" while the stock market corrects is irrelevant so long as they retain their quality, profitability, dividend payout, etc. You need tools that allow you to make this determination. The S & P monthly stock guide comes to mind.
November 09, 2010
It's time to walk away from the products, gimmicks, scams, hedges, and theories that have made Wall Street rich at your expense. It's time to reboot your onboard computer with some old-fashioned investment programming designed to protect your portfolios from the excesses brought about by fear, greed, and Wall Street panacea purveyors.
July 30, 2010
Errors occur most frequently when judgment is rocked out of the boat by emotion, hindsight, and misconceptions about how securities react to waves of varying economic, political, and hysterical circumstances. You are the commander of your investment fleet. Use these ten risk-minimizers as lifeboats:
July 30, 2010
Risk minimization requires the identification of what's inside a portfolio. Risk control requires decision-making by the owner of the investment assets. Risk management requires a selection process from a universe of securities that meet a known set of qualitative standards.
July 30, 2010
Risk is compounded by ignorance, multiplied by gimmickry, and exacerbated by emotion. It is halved with education, ameliorated with cost-based asset allocation, and managed with disciplined: selection quality, diversification, and income rules--- The QDI.
July 13, 2010
The ultimate investment portfolio hedging strategy is one that only requires simple to understand investment techniques like the portfolio income "hedge" described above--- part of the Working Capital Model's QDI, and the centerpiece of the Market Cycle Investment Management methodology.
June 21, 2010
We need to give it a try, and there would be added benefits: (a) we would be collecting taxes from all of those folk who earn incomes that are just not reported at all, (b) the products we try to sell in world markets would be more competitive, and (c) all of us would have more money to spend on stuff that could actually become lower in price.
June 13, 2010
A Closed End Fund (CEF) is a publicly traded investment company that invests in a variety of securities such as stocks, bonds, preferred stocks, real estate, mortgages, oil and gas royalties, etc. The variety of sectors, classifications, and geographical representation is every bit as confusing as i...
June 05, 2010
Just how much do you know about investing, or perhaps a better question: is there any "know" in the investment vocabulary? So many terms, ideas, and strategies; so little time and money! Here's a list of thirty mostly-true or mostly-false comments for you to kick around with your buds.
May 30, 2010
Without a wider distribution of new ideas based on old wisdom, Wall Street as usual remains Wall Street as usual and the average investor remains uninformed and ill advised about the dangers of the financial markets. The biggest investment mistake generators are cleverly ignored by most of the books I've read about investing--- even compounded by them.
May 25, 2010
The Stock Market is a dynamic place where investors can consistently make reasonable returns on their capital if they comply with the basic principles of the endeavor AND if they don't measure their progress too frequently with irrelevant measuring devices. Five simple concepts of Asset Allocation, Investment Strategy, and Psychology are summed up quite nicely in "The Investor's Creed".
May 07, 2010
A correction is a beautiful thing, simply the flip side of a rally, big or small. Theoretically, even technically I'm told, corrections adjust equity prices to their actual value or support levels. In reality, it's much easier than that. Here's a list of ten things to think about doing, or to avoid doing, during corrections of any magnitude:
March 29, 2010
The key to successful Investment Management is Asset Allocation, the process of dividing the available investment dollars into two, and only two, buckets: Equity and Income Investments. All investment grade securities fit within one of these two classifications, based solely upon the primary purpose for their ownership. There are several key issues involved in successful Asset Allocation
March 14, 2010
Investing is as fascinating as it is frantic, as scary as it is exciting, and as intimidating as it is satisfying. But perhaps the most interesting thing about it is how educationally unprepared most individual investors are for the adventure!
February 22, 2010
Corrections are as much a part of the normal Market Cycle as rallies, and they can be brought about by either bad news or good news. Investors always over-analyze when prices become weak and over-indulge when prices are high, thus perpetuating the "buy high, sell low" Wall Street lunacy.
February 16, 2010
Income portfolios should have a stable market value. In thirty-five years of investment management, I've determined that the single biggest error investors make is their focus on the market value of income securities. Stable income yes; stable market value – not! Roughly 25% of you incorrectly put this one in the "True" column.
January 29, 2010
Yes, we are still in a rally, and the longer that we experience slow improvement over longer than monthly analytical periods; the less likely it is that the next correction will be as devastating as the last. But there absolutely will be another correction, and remember---
January 09, 2010
The Bargain Stock Monitor is reporting that a 52-week high has been achieved in Investment Grade Value Stock market values, but it is predicting nothing. What matters now is what you do with the paper profits that the past ten months' rally should certainly have provided for you.
January 06, 2010
Once again The Wizards will attempt to debug the market cycle and create an upward only future for the masses. Try not to be abused again--- the markets aren't broken, just the market shakers. Your portfolio should be up in market value--- and not by just a little for the "dismal decade".
December 28, 2009
During the past sixty years, most economic, market, and interest rate cycles have lasted from two to five years, peak-to-peak. Rarely have any of the cycle-tracking market indices moved in tandem, and none of the cycles are considered to be particularly predictable.
Individual securities (the stu...
December 10, 2009
So let's all take a minute to show our appreciation to those businesses and professionals out there who don't torture us with telephone menus and rude employees. Let's give a firm pat-on-the-back, a verbal standing ovation, even, to those we have done business with lately who remember what fair, and personalized service is all about.
November 18, 2009
Class warfare politics is America's shame. The majority of Americans want the opportunity to succeed at something, to become rich and famous, even. We don't want free; we want affordable. We want to be in control of our own destinies. We want jobs, world-class education, and healthcare that doesn't have to look over its shoulder for ambulance chasers.
October 22, 2009
These investors are taking pretty much for granted the fact that their investment portfolios had more than merely survived the most severe correction in financial market history. They had recouped all of their market value, and maintained their cash flow to boot. The market averages remain 40% below their 2007 highs.
October 15, 2009
Both parties are mired in a type of class warfare that stifles all forms of productive debate. Tax cuts don't just benefit the rich. In fact, they provide the opportunity for everyone to attain greater wealth. Demand directs resources far better than punitive taxation. Money in consumer hands will fuel social and environment friendly change.
September 30, 2009
The fewer IGV stocks at bargain prices, the stronger the market, and the more profit taking WCM methodology investors should be experiencing. The most important thing most investors fail to do during rallies is to prepare for their "supplantation" by the next correction.
September 17, 2009
The current methodology is simple: it takes money out of our pockets (and our employers) puts it though governmental blenders, and spits out a meager benefit at retirement. Why not let the private sector provide pension benefits to all employees under the direction of a trimmed down Social Security bureaucracy?
September 08, 2009
Today, employers are reluctant to create jobs because the mandated non-productive "overhead" associated with each worker adds significantly to the cost of running the business--- worker's compensation, unemployment insurance, OSHA compliance, liability insurance, social security contributions, minimum wage/union pay scales, etc.
September 01, 2009
Whether you go the discount route through Schwab, Ameritrade, Fidelity, etc., or enjoy a higher level of service through an independent like LMK Wealth Management, you should never be surprised by the market values reflected on your monthly account statement. You should know what to expect.
August 26, 2009
Golfers will spend thousands on instruction, gadgets, machines, clinics, magazines, lessons, drivers, and putters. Investors love the gimmicks, shortcuts, and expert recommendations, but they seem allergic to anything really educational. They must see it as a sign of weakness. Golfers should be better investors. Investors need to introduce themselves to some basic education.
August 19, 2009
If President Obama owned the New World Order Health Insurance Company, he would not be willing to insure an applicant with brain cancer nor would he be willing to pay an unlimited lifetime benefit to all insureds--- not without a premium that reflects the risks to his personal bank account.
August 12, 2009
Obviously, this scam artist (the now indicted Wayne C. Scott a/k/a Chris Harper) was able to paint a believable picture by trading on the good names, reputations, and achievements of well-known people in the financial industry. I would guess that I'm not the only one who has been unknowingly abused by such con artists.
August 05, 2009
The IGVSI tracks a portfolio of approximately 400 stocks--- and less than half of them are likely to be found in the S & P 500 average. This new market index was developed in late 2007 to provide a benchmark for the equity portion of investment portfolios managed without open-end mutual funds, index funds, or any of the other popular speculations and hedges that are included in most professionally managed portfolios.
July 08, 2009
Before Wall Street conned investors into thinking of calendar quarters as "short-term" and single years as "long-term", market cycles were used to test investment strategies. Performance analysis was a test of management style and overall methodology, not a calendar year horse race with one of the popular averages. Bor-ing, yes--- but meaningful.
June 30, 2009
The Dark Side of investing beckons like a Siren's song, luring the majority of professional advisors away from the safety and simplicity of The QDI. Institutional propaganda, projections, predictions, and hype have the same affect on unsuspecting boatloads of speculators who most often become shipwrecked on the derivative rocks.
June 15, 2009
The Working Capital Model is a boring, conservative methodology for lowering the slope rating of the most diabolical wealth accumulation courses. Market hazards are avoided with reasonable expectations, and retirement approach shots that grow the annual income chip by chip, throughout the wealth accumulation period.
June 03, 2009
Favorite foursome conversations provide clues to the particular fundamental that just failed you, as your duck-hooked tee shot comes to rest at the base of the dead pine tree, and possibly, just beyond the white stake. "Have you weakened your grip?" comments Larry. "Nah, he was lined up that way; went right where he aimed it," Curley offers.
May 22, 2009
For an endless variety of reasons "tin cup" amateur investors bring on their own demise by failing to minimize risks using well known basic techniques that are thoroughly documented and supported by sand traps full of statistical evidence. They hit driver with every selection--- it's the only club in their bag.
April 23, 2009
The Working Capital Model looks at investment performance differently, less emotionally, and without much concern for short-term market value movements. Security market values are used for buy/sell decision-making. Working capital figures are used for asset allocation and diversification calculations. Working capital growth numbers are used to evaluate goal directed management decisions over shorter periods of time.
April 22, 2009
In fact, the market value line is expected always to track south of working capital. If market value breaks through, it means there are unrealized capital gains in the portfolio--- you'll want to avoid that scenario. This line is increased by dividends, interest, deposits, and realized capital gains and decreased by withdrawals and realized capital losses.
April 15, 2009
The reality of corrections is one of the few certainties of the financial markets, a reality that separates the men from the boys, if you will. If you fixate on your portfolio Market Value during a correction, you will just give yourself a headache, or worse.
April 01, 2009
And the real crime is this: investors as naive as the wet-diapered E-Trade spokesbaby can push a button and buy operational hedge funds more bizarre and sophisticated than any ever imagined buy the rich and famous. If an ETF harbors a hedge fund, but doesn't call it a hedge fund, is it really not a hedge fund?
March 24, 2009
The arrogance of the financial institutions, the mad scientists they employ to manipulate the rules and rule makers, and the Emperor's New Clothes (trust me they're safe) marketing tactics they employ really do need to be regulated--- by the government, sure; by corporate boards of directors, absolutely. In a Working Capital Model world, there would be no financial crisis.
March 16, 2009
KGIS brings small groups together on-line to learn how to overcome their fear of the markets and to rebuild their personal or self-directed retirement programs--- more safely. KGIS sells education, filling the gap between making money and protecting retirement nest eggs.
March 09, 2009
Appreciating Basic Risk Minimization Techniques. a) Understanding the purpose and use of Asset Allocation; b) Developing appropriate security selection criteria; c) Establish diversification and income rules; d) Adopting downward flexible profit taking guidelines.
February 27, 2009
The purpose of IBOR is to protect financial markets and to create self-sufficient investors who produce economic growth instead of government deficits. IBOR standards create transparent financial markets, regulate speculation, and protect retirement portfolios. Here's a Summary---get involved.
February 21, 2009
For homeowners: Cut the interest rate on all mortgage loans by 50 basis points and extend the payment schedule by three to five years. Convert all variable rate loans to fixed, at prevailing rates, and extend the payment schedule by six to ten years. No fees, points or charges tolerated.
February 13, 2009
How can I get you to stop fixating on monthly market values and to focus on the purpose of the securities within the portfolio? Most of us are trained to deal with seasons, fashion trends, biological changes, waning sports dynasties, sunspots, etc. Instinctively, we expect, and prepare for change effectively--- but not when it comes to investing, where planning and preparation is only talked about.
February 04, 2009
All investors need to become intimate with both the content of their portfolios and the workings of the various cycles that impact on security market values. They need to expect, even anticipate cyclical changes in the market values of their securities by taking reasonable profits in either classification willingly, gleefully, and without hindsight.
January 29, 2009
"As I approach retirement in a few years, I'm very encouraged by the cash flow my portfolio can generate. If I can generate nearly 8% cash flow in the worst bear market in 70 years, and with minimal capital gains, I'm feeling pretty good about the future."
January 26, 2009
Get rid of SFAS 157, which works something like this: While my bank owns my mortgage, it's worth full value. As part of a Ginny Mae--- still full value. But once it crosses over into the ether of CDOs and other multi-level Frankensteinesque monstrosities, my paid in advance mortgage becomes indistinguishable.
January 16, 2009
Unfortunately, investors are a lot like teenagers. They know everything; expect instant gratification; take unnecessary risks; fall in love easily; ignore voices of experience; prefer the easy approach. Lessons of the past just can't apply to what's going on now. Duh, dude!
December 29, 2008
Crash! The 2007 thru 2008 financial crisis halved 401(k), IRA, and Mutual Fund values in a matter of months. For many, retirement dates had to be pushed back; for others, new jobs had to be found. The tragic flaw? No income allocation in the investment program. Market value builds egos; income pays the bills.
December 26, 2008
Most people enter the investment process tip first. They hear something, grab an idea from a popular blog, accept a Cramerism or some motley foolishness, and think that they are making investment decisions. Rarely, will the right-now, instant-gratification, Internet-generation speculator think in terms that go beyond tomorrow's breaking news.
December 17, 2008
Every new American-made car buyer would receive a debit card along with his ownership papers. The card could be used for anything other than the car purchase itself. Card amounts would vary from $6,000 for "smart" cars, through $3,000 for fuel-efficient sub-compacts, $1,000 for other borderline greenies.
December 03, 2008
It's smart cash because it is created by the operation of the portfolio and ready for reinvestment. If it remains uninvested while new investment opportunities exist, it loses IQ points rapidly. If you've ever turned an unrealized gain into a realized loss, if you've ever sold mutual fund shares to deal with monthly expenses, if you've ever been unable to take advantage of low prices for lack of income, this is an approach you need to consider.
November 24, 2008
The SSRIA is a personal retirement program, funded by a much smaller, yet flexible, payroll deduction, and it is designed to be the foundation of a retiree's total retirement package... a benefit floor. It is a new and improved version of the ancient Deferred Fixed Annuity Contract... a boring but guaranteed retirement benefit vehicle.
November 17, 2008
Always keep in mind that (a) Wall Street has no respect for your intelligence and (b) the media "talking heads" are entertainers, not investors. Institutions must paint a picture of brilliance in their annual glossies. This year, a panic-stricken Main Street is helping them with their annual "sell low" hypocrisy.
November 11, 2008
Dr. Ghilarducci has presented a socialist solution to a problem that could easily be dealt with using rudimentary controls that would limit the amount of risk allowed inside these tax deferred savings devices. She also ignores the fact that most self-directed money lies in voluntary, privately sponsored, employee benefit programs--- emphasis on voluntary and private.
October 29, 2008
Investors have a right to be emotional, irrational, fickle, stubborn, confused, fearful, inexperienced, hindsightful, and greedy. Nothing the most thoughtful and caring professional can say or do will prevent the errors that many of us look back on with a frown and a headshake.
October 29, 2008
Corporate executive compensation needs to be brought down to a significantly lower "competitive level", and more of the corporate profit needs to be "spread around" to owners and employees, applied to debt reduction, and placed in reserves for contingencies. It is unlikely that there would be a shortage of qualified CEO applicants at a mere four or five million per year in salary.
October 28, 2008
Buffet, Bogle, Gross, Schwab, and Deep Pockets offer sound advice--- don't run and hide, it's time to hit the Wall Street Mall and go shopping! They've seen the indicators; they've been there before. So have many of you. Clearly, it's time for action.
October 27, 2008
The "hierarchy-of-risk" tool compares the risk vs. reward characteristics of a laundry list of investment securities from lowest-risk, investment grade, through highest-risk, speculation. A risk level "tier" system has been created. If it looks and feels like a bond, it better not be a currency futures speculation.
October 24, 2008
We the securities investors of the United States, in order to form more transparent financial markets, establish effective regulations, defend against destructive speculation and manipulation, promote financial well-being, preserve working capital, and protect retirement income...
October 09, 2008
A cocktail of credit market laxatives is working its way into a constipated world economy. Relief is on the way. Today's prices may well be looked at as the lowest of the next ten years! Here's a list of things to think about or to do while Investment Grade value Stock prices are at ten-year lows:
October 07, 2008
Brokerage firm monthly statements are designed to promote either fear or greed, depending on the current market environment. Nowhere on your statement can you find numbers that report your net investment, your total working capital, or your true asset allocation. Current and projected income numbers are given little attention
October 01, 2008
Today's Congress is ignoring its role as the primary creative force in today's problems. This transfusion is needed because: bad laws have obscured the values on financial institution balance sheets, and have created a clot in the credit arteries that keep the economy alive.
September 26, 2008
More than 95% of Americans are making their mortgage payments right on schedule, yet there is no market for the financial products that contain these mortgages. Consequently, balance sheets reflect trillions of dollars less than the maturity value of the securities held by the financial institutions.
September 23, 2008
Both presidential candidates want to crucify SEC Chairman Cox for failing to control our creative financial institutions. But rumor has it that Congress specifically excluded the devilish derivatives from SEC purview. Let's fire the right bunch of "poips" for a change!
September 11, 2008
Big publishers want to sell already big names; discovering new ones is not in their wheelhouse. Are they responsible for the problems in the financial markets? Of course not, but they do have a perverse, if indirect, impact--- they contribute to the brainwashing.
September 05, 2008
Employer provided pension plans, Social Security, and (always much too expensive) fixed annuity contracts, are retirement income providers. They are monthly income machines that you have paid dearly for but which may not be adequate to cover your retirement expenses--- most of us will need more income than our guaranteed benefits will provide.
August 27, 2008
Still, the 401(k) plan deserves to be every bit as popular as it has become. It, and the vast array of complicated IRAs, could help save Social Security, improve the economy, and create jobs--- all those good things that neither of the presidential candidates have a chance of achieving. Just two simple strokes of an Oval Office ballpoint get it done:
August 17, 2008
Don't let such uniformed thinking sabotage your retirement program; don't let the selfish advice of a product sharpshooter send you chasing rabbits when IRE (interest rate expectations) or other temporary market conditions shrink the market value of your income portfolio. Feed your head; feed---your---head.
August 06, 2008
Losing money on an investment may not be the result of a mistake, and not all mistakes result in monetary losses. Your own misconceptions about how securities react to varying economic, political, and hysterical circumstances are your most vicious enemy. Step away from calendar year, market value thinking. Avoid these ten common errors to improve your performance:
July 17, 2008
Admittedly, even if your asset allocation has been fine tuned for years, lower portfolio market values in this area make stock market valuation shrinkage feel even worse. But the value of stable cash flow becomes painfully clear for investors who misguidedly depend on capital gains for their spending money. Properly asset allocated portfolios contain enough base income generators to pay the bills.
July 17, 2008
As Investors, we represent the single biggest voter block in the country. We must respond in one voice to the endless political drivel with a resounding "Money Talks, BS Walks". We want decision makers who design laws that aid economic freedoms, not lawmakers who make decisions that restrict them.
July 17, 2008
As Investors, we represent the single biggest voter block in the country. We must respond in one voice to the endless political drivel with a resounding "Money Talks, BS Walks". We want decision makers who design laws that aid economic freedoms, not lawmakers who make decisions that restrict them.
July 05, 2008
How do we create a confidence building Stock Selection Universe? Simply operating on blind faith with one of the common definitions may be too simplistic, particularly since many of the numbers originate from the subject companies. Here are five filters you can use to come up with a listing of higher quality companies:
July 05, 2008
Politicians have never been shy about dictating proper behavior to individuals or hesitant in shamelessly picking the pockets of businesses to fund their projects. Self-employed business owners, for example, pay a minimum 35% Federal Income Tax, State and Local taxes of various kinds, and the usual Workers Compensation, Medicare, and double Social Security Taxes.
June 25, 2008
Why aren't the wizards of Wall Street assuaging our nerves by explaining the cyclical nature of the markets and pointing out that similar crises have always preceded the attainment of new all time highs? Right, because the unhappy investor is Wall Street's best friend. Why can't politicians address economic problems with capitalist-economic solutions?
June 19, 2008
What if, instead of donating 7.6% of your salary (15.3% if you are self employed) to support the war de jour: (a) you could choose to deposit from 3% to 5% of your salary in a guaranteed retirement program maturing anytime after age 60, (b) the lifetime benefit is totally income tax free, and (c) your employer uses his savings to either create jobs, raise non-executive salaries, reduce prices, or increase shareholder dividends.
June 10, 2008
Similarly, taxing gasoline production and delivery organizations is not going to bring down the price per barrel of crude oil. But "taxing" the cartel that fixes the prices instead of bribing them with protection from their enemies could work almost as well as tapping into our own abundant supply and adding some long-needed refining capacity.
June 05, 2008
Real Estate investing is not nearly as legally complicated, financially burdensome, or time consuming as you might think. You buy these securities for the income, but always recognize that you have the bonus capability of selling your shares when they rise to an acceptable profit level... so when it comes to Real Estate, think: no attorneys, no debt, and no maintenance equal no problem.
May 29, 2008
Investment portfolio mixology doesn't take place in the smiley faced environment that brought us the Cosmo and the Kamikaze, but putting an investment cocktail together without the risk of addictive speculations, or bad after tastes, is a valuable talent worth finding or developing for yourself.
May 13, 2008
Options are bets about the future price movement of exchange-traded securities--- it's just that simple. The prospect of unusually high returns always signals unusually high risk. Caveat emptor, in spades. Here are some things to consider before you think about attending that free seminar--- not to mention the basic reality that equities are not at all the proper investment vehicle for an income-generating portfolio.
May 05, 2008
Typically, 401(k) participants buy the higher priced, last-year-best-performing, and hot sector offerings while they sell or avoid the various products they feel have "under performed" the market. Nowhere else in their lives do they adopt such a perverse strategy. And nowhere else in their thinking would they blindly accept the premise that any one number represents what is, or should be, going on in their personal investment portfolios.
April 14, 2008
Wall Street spins reality in whatever manner it can to make most investors unhappy, thus increasing new product sales. Your confusion, fear, greed, impatience, and need for a quick panacea fuels their profit engines, not yours. Learn how to deal unemotionally with Wall Street events and shun the herd mentality.
April 08, 2008
Under the new system, there would be no penalties for early retirement, but tax free annuity payments would begin at age sixty-five whether or not the person continued to work. Participants could voluntarily establish retirement accounts for non-working spouses and children, and could elect to deduct an additional 1% of salary for each account. A new Federal Administration for Social Security (ASS) will select, qualify, and monitor provider companies and their investment portfolios to assure that only high quality, income-generating securities are used to fund benefits.
March 26, 2008
Unfortunately, the stock market never has been able to generate guaranteed levels of income, and sometimes fails to move higher just because we think it should. Serious problems occur when mutual funds are packaged with annuity contracts and the critical differences between them are either overlooked or undisclosed, perhaps innocently, perhaps not.
March 12, 2008
The Working Capital Model (WCM) approach to portfolio performance evaluation eliminates the tears and fears because it is based on more than the current market value illusion of wealth--- a number that won't sit still long enough to ever be meaningful. Market value, within the WCM, is used only to determine what to buy and/or when to take profits
March 12, 2008
"The Brainwashing of the American Investor" is direct, hard-hitting and brutally honest--- The title implies a strong message, and the book does not let the reader down. Once Steve Selengut debunks the notion that Wall Street is on your side, he tells you how to take control of your own investments. His strategy is easy to understand and takes the guesswork and emotion out of investing.(
March 12, 2008
The market has never and will never be a one way ticket to ride (smile Beatles fans). None of the important aspects of the voyage (advances, declines, speed, beginning, or end) are predictable, by anyone, no matter how overpaid or well credentialed. Sooner or later, some gutsy financial gurus will declare the stock market oversold and full of bargains.
February 28, 2008
90% of all Americans are investors and, as such, there are issues that we need to hear about from the man who would be king. None of our could-be leaders are addressing the issues that would allow us to achieve our financial goals. This is my short list for the presidential candidates. Where they stand on these issues will certainly influence our economic future. Which of these is most important?
February 24, 2008
Many investors are beginning to think that income investing is every bit as risky as equity investing, but nothing has really changed in the relationship between these two basic building blocks of corporate finance. What has changed in recent years is the nature of the derivative products created by the wizards of Wall Street to deliver both forms of securities to investors.
February 17, 2008
Steve Selengut
http://www.sancoservices.com
http://www.investmentmanagementbooks.com/
Author: "The Brainwashing of the American Investor: The Book that Wall Street Does Not Want YOU to Read" and "A Millionaire's Secret Investment Strategy".
February 17, 2008
It matters not what lines, numbers, indices, or gurus you worship, you just can't know where the stock market is going or when it will change direction. Too much investor time and analytical effort is wasted trying to predict course corrections... even more is squandered comparing portfolio Market Values with a handful of unrelated indices and averages.
February 17, 2008
Trading does not have to avoid the income securities that are so important to the long-term success of an investment portfolio. No more worries about liquidity and hidden markups. No more cash flow positioning or laddering of maturities. And best of all, no more calls of your highest yielding paper when interest rates fall.
February 17, 2008
Asset Allocation is an investment planning tool, not an investment strategy... few investment professionals understand the distinction. Investment strategies are used to implement the asset allocation formula that investment planning produces. Many investors incorrectly believe that investment planning and financial planning are one and the same.
January 30, 2008
The Investor's Eye view of politics is a simplistic, practical, dot-connecting approach to sorting things out so that win/win change can be considered. Real World politics is not concerned with such things, and that is one of the most serious problems facing investors today. As outlined in Investme...
January 22, 2008
Steve Selengut
http://www.sancoservices.com
http://www.valuestockindex.com/
Professional Portfolio Management since 1979
Author of: "The Brainwashing of the American Investor: The Book that Wall Street Does Not Want YOU to Read", and "A Millionaire's Secret Investment Strategy"
December 19, 2007
Perhaps this (totally ignored by the media) snippet will pique your attention: on December 18, 2007, nearly 50% of all Investment Grade Value Stocks were down an average of over 30% from their 52-week highs... the Dow and the S & P 500 had fallen just 7%!
One would think that there would be a p...
November 28, 2007
Sweet November... well, not really: The war lingers on for purposes unknown to most and oil prices continue to rise. Credit woes dominate the financial headlines, and value stocks seem intent on extending their correction into a seventh month. Investors want a stronger dollar while lower interest r...
November 28, 2007
As I write this, the markets are getting ready to open after closing down the previous day. The Dow Jones industrial average has fallen nearly 240 points and the headline in the local paper is screaming "Wall Street suffers another big hit." Serious-faced announcers on cable-TV are saying the Dow is...
October 28, 2007
Growing up at Lake Hopatcong in Northwest Jersey, the most popular entertainment around was the rickety old Roller Coaster at Bertrand Island Park. The excitement would build as you ascended the first peak, anticipating the breathtaking plunge; eyes wide open (or shut), screaming from the thrill wit...
October 17, 2007
There are two extremely good reasons why your portfolio may not be "performing" (whatever that means) either as well as you would like or as well as your buddies say that they have been doing... since last May anyway. But let's define our terms before digging any deeper. Most of the time, investors ...
August 16, 2007
Every correction is the same, a normal downturn in one of the Markets where we invest. There has never been a correction that has not proven to be an investment opportunity. You can be confident that the Federal Reserve, as hypnotized as it is with keeping inflation under control, is not going to ca...
August 10, 2007
During every correction, I encourage investors to avoid the destructive inertia that results from trying to determine: "How low can we go?" and/or "How long will this last?" Investors who add to their portfolios during downturns invariably experience higher values during the next advance. Yes, Virgi...
July 18, 2007
How many of you remember the immortal words of P. T. Barnum? Of Yogi Berra? On Wall Street, the incubation period for new product scams may be measured in years instead of minutes, but the end result is always a lopsided, greed-driven, gold rush toward financial disaster. The dot.com melt down spawn...
May 18, 2007
It's likely that either curiosity or skepticism led you to this article, and I would agree that, for most individual investors, trading is approached in a totally speculative manner. Stock trading, in its more popular forms (Day Trading, Swing Trading, Penny Stock Speculating, etc.) includes none of...
April 25, 2007
The Investor's Eye view of politics is a simplistic, practical, "dot-connecting" approach to sorting things out so that positive (win/win) change can be considered. Real World politics is not concerned with such things, and that is one of the most serious problems facing investors today. As outlined...
April 25, 2007
The parade of promises is marching down Main Street. For too many months to come, politicians of all descriptions, parties, and ideologies will be courting our votes... they have the cure for all that is wrong in the world, they tell us. With crystal clear hindsight, every candidate criticizes the d...
March 29, 2007
Although it may be hard to believe, there is more going on in the world than the NCAA Basketball Tournament. And even though it's not nearly as exciting as an expanded sports page, you will soon receive your March (Investment) Tournament Program... in the form of Brokerage Firm Statements. What is t...
March 17, 2007
A correction is a beautiful thing, simply the flip side of a rally, big or small. Theoretically, even technically I'm told, corrections adjust equity prices to their actual value or "support levels". In reality, it's much easier than that. Prices go down because of speculator reactions to expectatio...