All Things ETF

Do you know that many listed stocks, and even worse for unlisted investments, do not perform well over the short-term or long term. It's incredible how much garbage is out there and is being hyped and sold by investment professionals. I have at least 200 positions that I follow and track on a regular basis and many of those positions just do not live up to their potential. It's an investment minefield out there. A common, but effective investment strategy is the "buy and hold strategy", but the recession that began in 2007, basically blew that theory out of the water. As a matter of fact, a "buy-and-hold strategy" may be dangerous in this market right now. However, here is an article in the Wall Street Journal on a star trader, working for a popular mutual fund , who has been really successful at not trading and basically buying and holding. I thought the article was interesting, but I do not think the article is entirely true. This trader may not trade a...

Our ETF of the day is the SPDR S&P China ETF Fund , (NYSE Arca: GXC ) This ETF trades on the New York Stock Exchange and is currently trading at $67.62. The Pacific/Asia (excluding Japan) market may still hold promise as a great place to invest, while the US markets continue to recover. This exchange-traded fund excludes investments in Japan which I believe gives the fund a slight performance advantage. The fund's total return since inception is  9.27% , and it's one year market return, as of 1/31/2010 is  66.43% . The fund is a little pricey, but I think it's worth a look and a possible investment. Email us with the fund's symbol for more information on how this fund can make you money. Also, with tax season here, take advantage or our low fee Roth IRA and reduce your tax liabilities for 2009. Learn about the tax advantages of a Roth IRA , combined with our set-it and leave-it portfolio service which automatically adjusts your investments based on an asset al...

Vanguard Energy Vipers ETF (NYSE: VDE ). This Exchange-traded fund trades on the New York Stock Exchange and is currently trading at $79.15 per share, which is at or above it's highs for the year. Now, may be a good time to sell some shares or put this ETF on your watchlist for accumulation at a later date. Open a low fee Roth IRA with us today and reduce your tax liabilities for 2009. Learn about the tax advantages of a Roth IRA, combined with our set-it and leave-it portfolio service which automatically adjusts your investments based on an asset allocation model that you select. Invest in target date funds, stocks, mutual funds and ETFs- Traditional IRAs are also available. Email us for more info.

I still haven't posted anything substantial this month. I am still trying to get a feel for where the market is heading. Of course, I've been monitoring and reviewing all of the economic data being released by our government on the economy such as Jobless Claims , Consumer Price Index , Housing Starts and so forth, but I still do not have that strong urgency to buy. It could be that I've become more like the herd, only moving when the herd is moving. But everyone knows that you don't make a lot of money having a herd-like mentality. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal about the liquidity of Exchange-traded funds got me a little excited, but that excitement quickly died after reading the article " Risks Lurks for ETF Investors ", which was in a nutshell, nothing more than a warning against the purchasing of over-priced Exchanged-traded funds. I guess nothing is wrong with being reminded. My asset allocation models currently stands at 30% to 40% cash on...

I am a huge football fan. I just love football. When football season is over, I become sort of depressed until the season starts in the summer. I really felt that the Vikings were going to the Superbowl. I was so freaked-out when Brett Favre threw that interception with 19 seconds left in the game. I was like WTH! I still can't believe it.

Here are the 1 year Total Returns for the Portfolios we track and invest in which includes dividends paid and received for one year. As of 1/2/2010  Conservative 9.722% Moderate Conservative: 8.9% Moderate: 21.1% Moderate Aggressive: 43.1% Aggressive: 30.5% Oil and Gas: -14.9% Healthcare: -1.0% Biotech: 4.9% Alternative Energy: 18.3% Semiconductor: 5.3% By Rick Walter, Financial Advisor

It's a brand new year and it feels great. I have lots of exciting stuff to present this year and I am hoping for the best in 2010, not only for myself, but for existing clients and potentially new clients of our services. Happy New Year Everyone! Now, lets get to work! :-) By Rick Walter