Friday, June 19, 2009

Stock Market Diversification

In one of my previous articles (Investing in the stock market -9 powerful tips), tip number one was:

1. Do not spread your money too thin.

My friend has a little over $200,000 invested in the stock market through 27 different Mutual funds. In my opinion, 27 Mutual funds is 27 too many collecting load fees, management fees, commission fees, operating and advertising fees. Diversity is important, but just as important is over-diversification. Also, in my opinion, $200,000 should not be put into more than 12 stocks, let alone 27 different Mutual funds.

If I may, I would like to explain where I’m coming from by stating that tip.

On October 16, 1990 the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded 3 men each a third of the Nobel Peace Prize for their work in the theory of financial economics – Harry Markowitz, Merton Miller and William Sharpe.

Harry Markowitz’s work involved the theory of portfolio choice. (This in layman’s terms was the introduction of a diversified portfolio to help offset the uncertainty and risk of investing in the stock market. Harry Markowitz has been labeled the ‘Father of Diversification’.

William Sharpe used Markowitz’s model from an individual investment theory to a market analysis theory based on price formation for financial assets. This formulation is called Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM). From what I understand about this model is that it places a “beta value” on a share, the higher the beta value, the higher the risk. By knowing the ‘beta value’ of each stock in a portfolio, the portfolio can be adjusted to either involve more or less risk.

Merton Miller’s work involved dividends supplied by companies to a shareholder and its effect on stock market value and the effects of taxes. Miller’s theorems are used for theoretical and empirical analysis in corporate finance.

Markowitz received his award for an essay published in 1952, “Portfolio Selection” and for his book in 1959, Portfolio Selection: Efficient Diversification.

Harry Markowitz, in his Nobel lecture given in 1990 says: “an investor who knew the future returns of a security with certainty would invest in only one security, namely the one with the highest future return’.

Nowhere could I find that an investor should own 27 different mutual funds.

For more excerpts from the book ‘The Stockopoly Plan’ please visit http://www.thestockopolyplan.com



By : Charles M. O’Melia
Charles M. O’Melia is an individual investor with almost 40 years of experience and passion for the stock market. The author of the book ‘The Stockopoly Plan – Investing for Retirement’; published by American-Book Publishing. To order a copy of the book: http://www.pdbookstore.com/comfiles/pages/CharlesMOMelia.shtml

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Stock Market Retirement Investment Plan

For a successful in the retirement investment plan in stock market to work, some ‘reasonably sure’ assumptions would have to be made:

The retirement investment plan must take into consideration the one prevailing constant in any stock market security – risk and uncertainty. Understanding that risk and uncertainty are the key factors that propels the return on investment in the stock market far beyond the returns of Passbook Savings Accounts, CD’s or Bonds are a start. The plan’s key factor would be to use the risk and uncertainty of a stock market security to its advantage.

The retirement investment plan should be founded on the belief that no one can successfully retire without financial freedom. Therefore, the retirement investment plan’s main role would be to supply you with income during your retirement years, while also taking into consideration the risk of inflation. This should be accomplished without having to touch the principle. The retirement investment plan would require discipline to accomplish its goal. The goal should be clear and specific, and the discipline necessary to accomplish the goal, just as clear and specific. Also, the retirement plan should not be financially out-of-reach, allowing as little as 100 dollars to begin, with as little as 10 dollars a quarter to continue.

The retirement investment plan’s return on investment should be aimed toward providing income, and the income from the holdings in the plan should accelerate every week of the year, until retirement. This should be the case, no matter what the price of the security at any given time in the market place. The retirement investment plan should be proven to you. Once proven, you must have the confidence in yourself to carry the plan forward. This do-it-yourself confidence means that the retirement plan’s ROI benefits only you and your family and no one else. A no-fee plan enhances the return on investment, allowing every cent put into the plan to work for you.

Companies owned in the retirement investment plan should have a historical record of raising their dividend every year. Therefore, a future dividend increase for the 10th or the 35th consecutive year in a row can be ‘reasonably sure.’ The guide for the selection of each security is its historical performance of rising dividends every year.

To receive the best return in the retirement investment plan, all companies in the plan would be purchased commission-free. All dividends from the companies would purchase more shares of each company commission-free. Therefore, every cent earned in ever-increasing cash dividends every quarter and any extra cash put into the retirement plan would work toward increasing the cash dividend.

Why bother beginning a retirement plan is best expressed, in my opinion, by a quote by Charles Kettering:

“I expect to spend the rest of my life in the future, so I want to be reasonably sure of what kind of future it’s going to be. That is my reason for planning.”

To read the PREFACE from the book ‘The Stockopoly Plan – Investing for Retirement’ visit http://www.thestockopolyplan.com



By : Charles M. O’Melia
Charles M. O’Melia is an individual investor with almost 40 years of experience and passion for the stock market. The author of the book The Stockopoly Plan – Investing for Retirement; published by American-Book Publishing. The book can be purchased at http://www.pdbookstore.com/comfiles/pages/CharlesMOMelia.shtml
 
Clicky Web Analytics