Wednesday, July 22, 2009

How About ETFs?

By Ahmad Hassam

ETFs mean Exchange Traded Funds. ETFs represent an ownership stake in a basket of underlying securities. This basket can represent a specific index like the S&P 500 or the Nasdaq 100, segment of market like the small cap, large growth stocks, sector like semiconductor, energy, travel or foreign currencies like Euro, Yen.

The value of the ETF is determined by the underlying securities. It can also comprise of bonds, gold, silver or other commodities. So you may be thinking this sound like investing in a mutual fund.

The unit price of ETF changes instantaneously unlike the Mutual Funds that are priced at the end of the trading day. ETFs can be brought and sold throughout the trading day like ordinary stocks. ETFs are different from the Mutual Funds in a number of ways.

ETFs can be shorted, traded with a margin account and many trade options. ETFs can be traded using the market, limit and stop loss orders. There is no minimum for ETF purchases. So ETFs offer the diversification advantages of mutual funds and the flexibility of stocks.

One of the main advantages of ETFs is that they offer diversification. Suppose you have a bullish opinion on the oil sector. You will have to analyze dozens of companies in the oil sector and spend hours to select the one that you think is the strongest.

ETFs provide you the benefit of diversification in the same way that mutual funds do to the small retail investors. Instead of investing in a few stocks you can now invest in a particular sector just like investing in a mutual fund. You could choose the Oil Sector ETF that would give you the advantage of mimicking some oil sector index.

However, mutual funds are priced only once at the end of each trading day. The key advantage that ETFs hold over mutual funds is that they can be sold or bought at anytime of the day and their prices keep on changing in relation to the underlying assets.

Another main advantage of ETFs over mutual funds is the fees charged by each. A mutual fund charges management fees and can also charge upfront, backend or other sales loads. Expense ratios for ETFs on average are not more than 0.4%. ETF expenses are low because they are passively managed and generally follow an established index.

Currency trading has become extremely popular among the institutional investors, big companies and hedge funds. Foreign currency trading is not just for gamblers or commodity traders.

Foreign currency has become a respected asset classification. It is so hot that now you can trade Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) on currencies. If you want to hedge or speculate that the U.S. dollar is strengthening or weakening against major foreign currencies and like the idea and concept of ETFs, now there is a pretty good inventory of product to choose from. As with any other product there are advantages and disadvantages of trading ETFs so you need to do your due diligence before making any investment decision. - 23309

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Get A Home Get A Special Deed

By Don Burnham

Nearly everywhere, you can buy real property at an auction. In some states, there is what's called Redemption Laws; the deed or title for this type of purchase is special and has specific rules attached to it. The title you hold is not clear yet, or in simpler terms: temporary. This means that in a matter of months, the former owner from which the property has been auctioned can reclaim the property -the title is defeasible or can be defeated.

Redemption Rights: If you buy the redemption rights from the owner at the time of the auction, you will own the title and the rights and therefore be able to get clear title. A redemption purchase should also be notarized. You should consult a local attorney, because each state differs in the way in which this should be handled.

When purchasing redemption rights, you may be dealing with an owner who is under a great deal of stress and may not be aware of the amount of equity they have in their property. Though they may be able to get more for their redemption rights, the rule of thumb is to offer the owner $1,500. They may ask for more, but you should weigh the amount of equity involved.

Purchasing Property

Acquiring Property:A lot of hopeful homeowners, besides scouting out good property, usually start with getting a loan. A note is the borrowed money, say $200,000. When you use that note to purchase real estate, you are issued a mortgage or deed of trust -this is the security instrument. So when you're paying off your loan, it's called paying off your mortgage. If you, the owner and borrower can no longer pay for your mortgage, your property can be foreclosed -that is repossessed, confiscated, or taken as collateral. Or, depending on certain factors, the lender can see you in court.

The relationship between notes, deeds, mortgages, foreclosures, borrowers, etc:

3 parties are always involved in a deed of trust sale:

Trustor: otherwise known as the Borrower

Beneficiary = Person lending the money (mortgagee)

Trustee = Party handling the transaction

So, in a Deed of Trust state, the Trustee would be the person to file the foreclosure on behalf of the Beneficiary. However, in a mortgage state, the mortgagee would hire a lawyer to start the foreclosure process. The Deed of Trust and a mortgage are two separate security instruments, but they perform the same function. They both secure the property as collateral.

In the event of a foreclosure, there are usually 2 major ways to handle it:

Equity Split

Equity Split

Sometimes however, should the property and case require it, there is the "subject to" transaction which bases purchase on the existing financing of the real property. - 23309

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