Tuesday, April 25, 2006

HOWTO: Buy an HDTV

HOWTO: Buy an HDTV

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Rebalancing Strategy for 2006

He said

Aronson said it's time for a little rebalancing. Get "back to 40% in domestic equities (last year's weights; add a few percentage points, especially to S&P 500). And much less in international, back down to 30% (from nearly 44%, the current weight after the strong performance in 2005). Spread it out equally among emerging markets (10%), Pacific (10%), and Europe (10%)."
The "international stocks' performance is too good to be true, or at least too good to continue," says Aronson. "Over the past three years the emerging markets index fund is up almost 38% annually, compounded. Pacific fund compounded at a 'mere' 26%. As the late Herb Stein said, if something is too good to go on forever, it won't."
Aronson reminds us that in his day job, he's "a bottom-up stock picker and benchmark hugger." Once the portfolio's domestic equities and fixed income are back to 40% and 30% respectively, "leave well enough alone."
So going into 2006, he has a new, bigger cash position. Cash is his "buffer, a hedge. Investors should be prepared to act when things look the gloomiest." And while he says he doesn't expect a crash, "there could be a one (rates spike up, emerging markets melt down, small-cap value loses lead to small-cap growth ...). If any of these categories crash, the cash should be deployed earlier than a year from now."
Aronson warns: "All this implies a 20% turnover, certainly far from buy-and-hold. But portfolio rebalancing is a sure-fire way to limit risk and improve return even though there will be capital-gains taxes involved. By definition, the best performing investments rise in influence in a portfolio. So when the inevitable reversion to the mean (fancy way of saying, what goes up comes down) occurs, the exposure is amplified, and the pain worse. Think March 10, 2000!"

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Business Lunch Etiquette

She Said

I was just reading an interesting (and as a woman in the business world), very useful article about the Do's and Don'ts of hosting a business lunch

Some of the Highlights

* Have an idea of what you want as the outcome of the meeting

* Dress Appropriately

* Stay Sober

*Keep a strict hands off poilcy (substitute a hug with a handshake)

*Mind your language!

The article goes into details.But I think it will prevent some of the awkwardness and confusion that sometimes comes with meeting clients over a meal.