Tag Archives: retirement
From Russia with…
Fund of the decade posts a 1,524% return!
The best-performing funds over the past 10 years have capitalized on emerging markets in Eastern Europe and Russia.
In light of the news that we’re ending the worst decade ever for stocks, maybe it’s a good time to look at the best-performing fund in that period.
A Stockholm-based equity fund has produced a 1,524% return over the past decade, EFinancialNews.com reports. How? By betting heavily on emerging-market stocks.
The East Capital Ryssland fund specializes in Eastern Europe and Russia, according to EFinancialNews. If you had handed $10,000 to this fund in 2000, you’d have about $152,400 by now.
Here are the other funds in the top five, according to data from Morningstar:
2: Russian HQ Rysslandsfond, with a 962% return
3: FIM Russia, a Finnish fund with a 906% return
4: Baring Russia, with an 839% return
5: Odin Maritime, a shipping specialist run out of Norway, with an 832% return.
You’d think an Asian fund would have been on that list, but the top Chinese equity fund, Invesco PRC, achieved only a 466% return in the period, EFinancialNews reports.
I have not done quite that well with my fumbled returns but I have done OK. I will be posting a review of my year soon enough.
Meanwhile, I wonder what the next 10 years will bring?
Who Ya Gonna Call?
For investment advice?
Yeah, I know, you feel that they have all your money and bank accounts already but…
How about the Federal Government.
The SEC to be exact.
It seems that the SEC has a new investment site called investor.gov up and running which is really pretty good.
It’s not flashy. It has the look and feel of a monolithic government building.
But it does provide really good basic information, in a well organized and “one-stop” format, on the following:
How to start planning.
How to choose good investments, firms, and brokers.
How to keep what you got.
In other words avoid scams, fraudulent investments and advice.
In light of all the recent economic downturns, investment schemes, and news about people loosing life savings; it is nice to see the SEC provide a site filled with valuable information and education regarding savings and investments.
They even have a section dedicated to retirements and seniors.
And it’s all free. With no sign up, registration or anything except an Internet connection and your thirst for knowledge required.
The idea is simple.
The site well thought out and easy to navigate.
And fits in perfectly with their posted mission statement.
The mission of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is to protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation.
As more and more first-time investors turn to the markets to help secure their futures, pay for homes, and send children to college, our investor protection mission is more compelling than ever.
Which is exactly what the SEC is supposed to do.
Well done.
Happy Trick or Treating !!!
Money Jars…And Curses…
I have been at the same company for almost eight years now.
Over that period of time I have seen lots of “money jars”.
There is the ever popular swear jar.
And the happy hour fund.
A variation on the swear jar…
My team and I; We have “The Retirement Fund”.
This is the jar that we all throw spare change into on a fairly regular basis.
It is not for any of the reasons listed above. It is used for whenever the lottery gets really big. Such as now….
Over $200 Million.
What is funny is, sometimes the jar gets full before a really huge jackpot. And folks think that turning in the jar for the basic $12 million starting jackpot is , somehow , not really worth it.
Huh? Come on guys. OK, so $12 million divided by 8 is 1.5 million for each of us!
Maybe, not quite enough to retire comfortably on… Maybe…
After all its only like someone coming up to you on the street and handing you a check for $900,000 tax free.
As Jeff Foxworthy would say… “that sure would put a dent in the ol’ Pinto payments”.
So, now it is my turn to collect the jar and turn in the coins for lottery tickets.
Instead of going to the local 7-11 counter and having the poor lady behind the register count out all those coins, I go to the Coinstar machine and get the cash. Sure it costs 8% fee, but I throw in an extra dollar to help cover that cost.
After this fun and amazing stop at coinstar, I make my way over to the previously mentioned 7-11 and wait in line to get my tickets.
After all this just happens to be lunch hour and there are lots of folks buying 7-11 hot dogs, Nachos, beer, and soda…
Hmmm, this get me to thinking two things…
A) Maybe it is not the Health Care System we should be looking to reform…
B) I notice the other VA lottery game called Win for Life!
Now, I know this game from the commercials. If you win the jackpot, you get $1000 a week for Life!
Pretty cool. So while I was waiting for the guys to finish buying out the 7-11 supply of dogs, chips, and beverages for their crews, I got into reading the particulars of the Win for Life Lottery.
The fine print says the grand prize is $1,000 a week for 10 years.
What?
Do they know something I don’t?
Is this a cruel curse? Like Congratulations! you win the jackpot! And don’t worry about the only 10 years to live stuff…
I know, maybe the game started in 2002 and it is a funny ploy on the 2012 end of the world scenario…
Nope, it started in 2006 (I looked it up later on the internet)
Then I noticed that, like other big jackpot drawings, they have a one time cash out option. You can get $1,000 a week for 10 years or you can get a one time $520,000 payment.
Normally I would choose the one time pay out option because the same amount of money now is worth a lot more (hopefully) than the same amount 10 or 20 years from now.
But with the “for life” option thrown into this seemingly innocent lottery game, I find the whole thing rather uncomfortable…
So this means that one can earn an extra $1,000 a week and you get 10 years to live.
or
$520,000 to throw one hell of a party before tomorrow.
I think I will stick with the standard Mega Millions Drawing…
10 tickets please…
Thank you.
Fumbled Returns 