How (NOT) to Buy Mutual Funds

When it comes to mutual funds, there is a lot more to success than just finding a good one. Sad investment stories like the following are all too common. I hope my sharing it with you will help you avoid making the same devastating financial mistake one of my former clients made.

This story begins during the height of the investment madness in 2000, just prior to the bear market. I had been managing an IRA account for "Bob" for around six years, with a better than average record of success. So I was surprised when Bob sheepishly called in July, 2000 to let me know he was transferring his IRA account, which had done particularly well during our latest Buy cycle going into the year 2000.

However, his tax preparer, a long time personal friend of Bob's wife's, was now also offering investment services, having recently received his Registered Representative's license.

Fast forward to the end of September. It had become increasingly clear to me that the Bull market had run its course. So, in accordance with the Sell signal from our trend tracking methodology, we sold all of our mutual fund positions on October 13, 2000 and went 100% into money market. (See my article "How we eluded the Bear in 2000" at http://www.successful-investment.com/articles12.htm). From our safe haven we watched the market crash and burn, causing most other investors to sustain double digit losses eventually reaching as high as 50 - 60% of their assets.

In 2002 Bob unexpectedly stopped by my office. As it turned out, things had not gone well at all with his IRA investments. As most advisors would have done, his tax preparer/advisor had quickly moved all of Bob's assets into a variety of "load funds."

Of course, being newly licensed he was clueless (as were many licensed advisors) as to market behavior or analysis of any kind. The end result was that Bob's portfolio lost in excess of 50% over the next 2 years. (Not to gloat, but my clients' losses in the same period were non-existent.)

Unfortunately, the degree of loss Bob sustained was experienced by many investors who did not follow a disciplined and methodical approach.

What I find particularly distasteful is that Bob's tax preparer misused his position of trust. He made financial decisions that he was not qualified to make, though his license implied that he did know enough to make them. So now we know what a piece of paper is worth.

This is no different than letting a newly graduated medical student with a fresh MD behind his name perform heart surgery. Or, hiring a new MBA grad to Chief Financial Officer of a Fortune 500 company. Yet the financial services industry allows someone to get a license (after a fairly short course) and to immediately start making incredibly important and far reaching financial decisions for anyone he or she can sell their service to.

This is a worrisome trend in this industry. A CPA friend confirmed that he has been approached many times by firms wanting him to offer investment services.

Why? It's easy money! Accountants and tax professionals have a great business base. They are in a unique position of trust, because of the information their clients disclose to them. Whether they are employed by a company or they maintain an individual practice, there is probably no other person (other than your spouse) who knows as many intimate details of your financial life as your accountant/tax preparer.

To abuse this trust for personal gain-no matter how noble the motive may appear-is a total conflict of interest and a huge betrayal.

The bear market of 2000 has shown that investing must be a disciplined endeavor. Even most professionals have failed to recognize this. What busy accountant, in the middle of tax season, can put the necessary time and attention to a volatile investment market that may require action at a moment's notice?

As for Bob, he's still with his accountant, and in the same investments that brought his portfolio down. He's hoping for a miracle recovery. As of this writing, the stock market is engaged in something of an upswing and Bob, I'm sure, is getting his hopes up that he will recover some of his losses. However, I shudder to think that this rally may come to an end and the bear market resumes. Where will Bob be then?

At 58 years old Bob is still playing Russian roulette with his retirement. He's apparently unable to make a decision to move to someone who has the ability to make sense of market trends and the discipline to follow the signals they communicate. This is a decision that will have a profound affect on his financial future-and will determine whether his story has a happy or sad ending.

About The Author

Ulli Niemann is an investment advisor and has been writing about objective, methodical approaches to investing for over 10 years. He eluded the bear market of 2000 and has helped countless of people make better investment decisions. To find out more about his approach and his FREE Newsletter, please visit: www.successful-investment.com; ulli@successful-investment.com




More Resources

    Investing:Mutual-Funds Articles from EzineArticles.com



  • Using The Google Mutual Fund Screener
    The Google mutual fund screener is an important asset for potential investors. Before investing in mutual funds, there are several variables that must be considered. The Google mutual fund screener can help you to determine whether the mutual fund you have in mind is really a safe bet.
    Read more

  • Determining Mutual Fund Prices Today
    Mutual fund prices today are rarely the same as they were the day before, and are highly unlikely to remain the same tomorrow. The best place for you to find mutual fund prices today is going to be the Internet, and after that, the finance section of your local newspaper.
    Read more

  • Know More About Sector Funds
    Sector funds are mutual funds that concentrate on a particular sector. Such funds have their own share of investors in the market. Are these funds the right investment choice for all? The article below gives more information about sector funds.
    Read more

  • An Intro To Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Mutual Funds
    An investment that helps prevent inflation are Treasury Inflation Protected Securities mutual funds. The US Treasury has been issuing them since 1997, and there is a world of difference between them and a regular US Treasury Bond.
    Read more

  • A List Of The Top Rated Mutual Funds For 2012
    When it comes to investing, everyone wants to be as sure as possible that they're making a good decision. One thing that can help is an analysis of the current market, including the investments that are yielding the highest returns for investors. The following article includes the top rated mutual funds for 2012.
    Read more

  • Tips To Getting Started With Mutual Funds
    So, you're considering taking on your very first investment. With all the options there are out there, just how exactly will you choose? Mutual funds are a great option for beginning investors, as they include a financial advisor to be there by your side the entire way through.
    Read more

  • What Are Mutual Funds And How Do They Work?
    Mutual funds can be a difficult concept for people to grasp. However, when it's put simply, the idea is much more accessible. An open-ended fund that an investment company shares with stockholders, who invest in stocks, money-market instruments, and bonds, is a mutual fund.
    Read more

  • Do You Know The Basics Of Mutual Funds?
    Are you aware of what you should know walking into investing in mutual funds? What about which company to even go to? Doing your research can make a huge difference in the fate of your mutual fund. The following is some information to help you get started.
    Read more

  • Striving For Diversity In Mutual Funds
    When it comes to investing your money, you don't want to take any risks that aren't totally necessary. Understand, however, that there are natural risks involved just in the act of investing alone. Because of this, it's important that an investor knows about the best available mutual funds in their area.
    Read more

  • How To Successfully Invest In Mutual Funds Online
    When it comes to investing in mutual funds online, you're going to want to have the fastest Internet connection you can get your hands on. Several accounts and brokers offer information about trading in within milliseconds of it becoming important.
    Read more

  • Ideas For Good Investments In ETFs or Exchange Traded Funds
    This is a list of the best ETFs to use for your investment accounts. They are cheap, liquid, and efficient.
    Read more

  • Deciding On The Best Kind Of Mutual Fund For You
    The mutual funds that perform the best might not have received the best score from Morningstar; those that receive the highest ratings could still sink out in the financial market. The way a mutual fund has performed in the past and the way it will in the future are two totally separate things.
    Read more

  • Mutual Funds Basics - What They Are And How They Are Categorized?
    All mutual funds are is a collection of bonds and stocks. Instead of a single investor owning the entire collection from a company, their portion is merely a single part of a portfolio. This portfolio is made up of different kinds of financial instruments from more than one firm.
    Read more

  • Diversification - How To Do It
    Quite simply, it is about not putting all your eggs in one basket. There are many places to invest your money from low return, low risk investments such as cash and fixed interest investments to growth assets such as property and shares, both domestic shares and international.
    Read more

  • The Nature Of Equity Diversified Funds
    Do you have an understanding of the nature of equity diversified funds? What about the kind of person who invests in them?
    Read more

  • More Information From The Asset Advisor

  • Related Articles

    The I Word is Coming to a Town Near You
    Hello Inflation, it has been awhile, I see you on your way back again. Inflation? What inflation? Oh things like; Energy, diesel fuel, Aviation Fuel, Gasoline, Natural Gas, Milk, Wheat, Corn, Beef, Poultry, Hogs, Soy Beans, Building materials, paper, housing, Auto Prices, Health Care, Insurance, etc.

    Stock Analysis
    I receive emails from Morningstar. This company provides statistics and analysis of just about every publicly traded stock company you can think of as well as voluminous information on mutual funds around the world.
    Being Wrong Buying Stock is Okay
    Being wrong is OK, but let's not carry it to extremes. That applies to everything, but let's limit our discussion here to the stock market.
    Discover the Retirement Breakthrough the Federal Government Created for You - The Roth IRA!
    If you don't know what a Roth IRA is then stop everything, print this article and read it carefully as this will certainly be the most valuable information you read this year. This next retirement account is to your net worth what light bulb was to electricity.
    The Value of Stocks of a Company
    The debate rages all over Eastern and Central Europe, in countries in transition as well as in Western Europe. It raged in Britain during the 80s: Is privatization really the robbery in disguise of state assets by a select few, cronies of the political regime? Margaret Thatcher was accuse of it - and so was the Agency of Transformation in the Republic of Macedonia.
    Defining a Long-Term Investment in the Stock Market
    For some "long term" would mean holding a stock position over the weekend. For others, it may mean holding a security for at least 1 year for the purpose of declaring a long-term capital gain, thus saving on taxes.
    Trading Tips No 6: The High Cost of Low Cost Stock Market Information
    It has been said that low cost or even free stock market information or trading advice can be the most expensive advice you can get. The meaning is clear.
    Exchange Traded Funds Primer
    Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are a group of passive index funds that trade on an exchange like an individual stock. At the time of writing there are 162 ETFs with $220 billion in assets under management trading on U.
    Stock Market Investing Odds
    The greatest stock market myth is the idea that investing in stocks is a form of gambling!The financial markets are often compared to a casino. Put some money on X stock and you might as well be playing craps!If that's your impression, and it's keeping you out of the markets, consider this: If investing is organized gambling, it's one of the rare kinds where the odds are stacked in your favor!Why is that?Corporate profits are the key to understanding the investor's edge.
    Low Expense Ratio
    One of the big advertising kicks today from mutual funds is to tell how low their expense ratio is and that you will make a great deal more money if you buy and hold with them. Partly true, but that is not the whole story.
    Moving Averages
    Every day on CNBC-TV they show a 200-day moving average line superimposed on the stock price history. It seems they give great credence to this manufactured line as it represents 10 months of price action.
    Swing Trading Strategies
    Using Swing Trading Strategies and Technical Analysis when Trading Stocks to Make Consistent Trading Profits.This article is one small part of a series of lessons using Swing Trading Strategies and Technical Analysis developed by WD Gann which are designed to show how anyone can build a profitable Stock or Commodity trading business from scratch.
    How Much Money Can I Make With Trading? What Account Size Do I Need To Start?
    What account size do I need?How much money can I make with trading?First of all, let's clarify a common misunderstanding: You never risk your full account size. You always have a "catastrophic stop", and it is important to define the "ruin" before you start trading.
    It Cant Be Done
    Wouldn't it be nice if you were only in the stock market when it was going up and have everything transferred to cash while it is going down? It is called 'market timing' and your broker or financial planner will tell you "it can't be done". What that person just told you is he doesn't know how to do it.
    Dont Lose All Your Money
    That sounds like good advice doesn't it? Don't lose all your money.After all what is an investor without funds in the brokerage account? Hint: BROKE!On the subject of investing, this means getting out of a trade when it goes against you.
    The Stock Market Investor's Worst Enemy
    Every stock market investor faces one primal enemy. An enemy so perverse, it will drive thousands of investors from the stock market through its ability to defeat even the most practiced investment strategy.
    Selection Vs Direction
    As I have said many times before in this column it really doesn't make any difference what you buy - stocks, funds or indexes - it takes smarts to know when to sell. Direction of the general market is more important than selection of any equity.
    Pension Plans
    If you have a pension plan at work you will want to read this and if you don't you will still want to because it affects your retirement account.There are two kinds of formal retirement plans that are set in place by employers.
    Trading Systems
    To become a successful trader you must have some kind of method or system to follow that will keep you on track. You may be buying and selling on tips, the weather or phases of the moon (there is a system like that).
    Trade Stocks for Real
    I read a comment by a forum member on another site earlier today that suggested that every investor should back test their system for at least twenty years. I disagree and will now tell you why.

  • Advertising