Finance Articles

How To Find An Investment Advisor

Do you think you need an Investment Advisor? Hold on before you answer because this is sort of a trick question. Also, I am definitely biased because I am an Investment Advisor. Nonetheless, I think I can assist you in looking at this issue in a way that will serve you.

Working with a fair number of investors over the last nearly 20 years, I have observed that while most are intelligent people, and many are fairly knowledgeable about the market, they are, as a group, not terribly successful with their investing.

Why should they be? More likely than not they have made their living doing something other than investing, so why would they think they can do what a professional does better than a professional? (After all, they go to professionals for health care or for car repairs when needed!)

Most investors-even some professionals-tend to be "off" in their timing: they buy things when they are hot, not when they are cold. But for the greatest benefit, it should be the opposite. The media doesn't help much when it comes to this buying approach, and let's face it; greed and fear play a large part in most peoples' investment decisions.

I truly believe the majority of people would be better of (that is, they would end up with more money at the end of the day) if they used professional money managers to advise them on their investing. Specifically I am referring to Registered Investment Advisors with proven track records of performance in investing in stocks, bonds, mutual funds

Let me burst one myth right off the bat: You don't have to be a millionaire to engage the services of a topnotch advisor. Some people think you need to start an account with $50,000 or more to get a really good advisor. Well, you may have more choices if you're at that level, however you can find very successful Investment Advisors who will accept opening accounts for as little as $5000.

There are literally thousands of Registered Investment Advisors in the US. Just what do they do-what service do they provide you? They do the legwork; the research and analysis. Maybe more importantly, they keep their primary focus on the markets, and specifically on their specialty area like individual stocks, mutual funds, or bonds.

Because they spend the bulk of their time and energy researching, considering, and analyzing, they naturally have a greater sense of the market and its movements than those of us who don't put this kind of attention into it. So, with the right advisor, you can keep your focus on what you want-like your business or your retirement or whatever-and still get the information you want and need to invest wisely.

How Do You Find The Advisor for You?

Since there are good Investment Advisors and bad ones, how do you find the former and avoid the latter? Good question, and there are some keys. Most large brokerage firms list the Investment Advisors they work with and maintain information about their past performance. This is not a foolproof resource, though, since they tend to recommend the Investment Advisors who invest in their products or clear their business with the firm. So if you pursue this avenue, you need to watch for conflict of interest issues.

You can always subscribe to one of the numerous database services that include information, and sometimes rankings, on Investment Advisors. These services tend to be fairly pricey, though, so they may not be your best choice. Another option is to find articles (yes, like this one) or free newsletters written by Investment Advisors. If you find one or several that make sense to you, check out the IA and see if there's chemistry between you.

When checking out advisors, here are some things to keep in mind:

Investment Strategy: The Investor's Creed
Fascinating, isn't it, this stock market of ours, with its unpredictability, promise, and unscripted daily drama! But individual investors are even more interesting. We've become the product of a media driven culture that must have reasons, predictability, blame, scapegoats, and even that four-letter word, certainty. We are a culture of investors where hindsight is rapidly replacing the reality-based foresight that once was flowing in our now real-time veins... just like downhill racing, grouse hunting, and Super Bowls.

Wedding Loans: Perfect Finance Option for a Perfect Wedding
After seeing each other for years and being tagged as 'in love' since eternity, you desire to bring this to a logical end. You are wrong if you think I am suggesting a divorce even before you are actually married.

MEDIA GLOBO To Entrust UBS With Its Global Banking
MEDIA GLOBO capital assets allotted for UBS Financial Services.

Real Estate: Getting Finance To Purchase Your First Home
If time has arrived for you to start thinking about purchasing a property of your own, you may soon be discouraged due to not knowing how to get the funds to do so. Financing the purchase of real estate is not such a complicated task but you still need to know where you stand and thus, you have to gather some information regarding what financial products can assist you in your undertaking.

Mortgage Lead Company, Not an Easy Choice
Choosing a mortgage lead company that will give you the best return on your investment is a tough choice for any mortgage broker or loan officer.

Using SAP to automate the Accounting function
While ERP software is generally thought of as an enterprise wide application, one overlooked use of this type of software is to provide a specific solution for a specific business function. In this article I will explain how SAP software (which is usually implemented enterprise wide) can be used to automate your company's accounting function.

Business Intelligence Links Customer Loyalty and Profitability in Banking, Says Cognos Industry Expert
Retail banks can use business intelligence to leverage disparate customer data sources into detailed profiles of high-value customers and help them build customer-focused solutions.

An Online Car Finance Calculator Will Help You Learn The Cost Of Your Loan
When taking out a loan to finance your new or used car then of course you will want the best deal possible with the cheapest rates of interest. You could choose to look around yourself using one of the popular search engines but a far easier way is to go to a specialist and make use of an online car finance calculator.

What Length Mortgage Is Right For You?
You've found the home that is right for you, and now you need to do the same thing for a mortgage. There are several options for people out there, each one designed for a different type of buyer.

Investment Property-Three Ways To Spot A Money-Making One
You work hard to earn and invest your surplus in the hope of a higher return. Investment property is the ideal choice because you receive regular inflows of rental income and benefit from capital appreciation over time.

Kiosk Virtual Stores Opens Fair Tax Kiosk to Benefit the Americans for Fair Taxation
Kiosk Virtual Stores announced the opening of the Fair Tax Kiosk today, put in place to benefit the Americans for Fair Taxation, a non-profit organization formed to build a grassroots effort to support the enactment of the Fair Tax Bill (HR 25 / S 25).

New PR Week / Barkley Study Reveals Cause Marketing an Effective Business Investment
The 2007 PR Week / Barkley Cause Survey reveals that philanthropic activities can drive business success. In fact, 72% of consumers say that they have purchased a brand because it supports a cause they believe in. Furthermore, corporate respondents say they see positive PR (65.3%), an increase in sales/retail traffic (26.7%) and an enhanced relationship with their target demographic (52%), as a result of their cause marketing efforts.

Personal Finance Author Starts Scholarship Fund in Honor of a VT Alumnus
Columbus, Ohio, local author donates $5,000 to create a "living endowment" at Franklin University, asks others to give online or by mail.

Discover The Best Value Mortgage For Your Money.
A mortgage or loan varies according to: