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Saturday, December 19, 2009

Knowing The Importance Of Buy Term And Invest The Difference

By Zigfred Diaz

You have probably heard of the saying "Buy term, invest the difference" when getting insurance and putting your money in investments. But do we really comprehend what it actually means? What could be the reason why majority of financial planners strongly recommend that you should "buy term and invest the difference" ? On the other hand why is your insurance agent forcing you to buy his or her recommended product?

The majority of whole life insurance products available today is tantamount to "rip offs." In fact, these kinds of products has already been phased out in the United States. When we talk about "term insurance", this refers to insurance with life coverage only. On the other hand whole life insurance is a term policy coupled with investments. Your insurance agent will always present whole life insurance as something that will "force" you to save for your retirement. This is actually good, but the problem with this setup is that most insurance companies do not usually give a good rate of return for the "investment" component. Sad to say, whole life insurance products are still actively sold in the Philippines. People still buy these products because of lack of financial know-how.

To drive home the point, let me give you an actual situation. Sometime last week, my mother asked me if she should continue paying an insurance product she got for my sister. The total price for it was about P 400,000.00 (Philippine Peso). Half of it is already been paid leaving a balance of P200,000.00.

According to her, the benefits of the insurance product are as follows; After 20 years, my sister who is still 18 years old will receive P 40,000.00 per annum until she reaches 65 years of age; At the age of 65 she can either choose to receive P400,000.00 lump sum or continue receiving P 40,000.00 until she dies, plus she is also insured for two million pesos for as long as she lives.

To determine whether she should pay the remaining balance of P200,000.00, the benefits of the insurance product must be pitted against the benefits of the "Buy term, invest the difference" strategy.

The total money that my sister will be receiving under the insurance scheme is around P3,520,000.00. This is derived from the P 40,000.00 she will receive per month until she reaches 65. Add to this the P 400,000.00 she will receive lump sum during that age. We should also take into consideration that she is insured for P2,000,000.00 hence giving us total benefits of around P 3,520,000.00

On the other hand, if we follow the buy term invest the difference scheme, if her insurance company will allow her, she will convert what she has already paid into "term insurance" which usually runs for only 20 years and then invest the P 200,000.00. If she will invest the P 200,000.00 at a vehicle of investment that gives about 10 % return per annum and also re-invest the returns of the investment taking full advantage of compounded interest at age 65 she will get a whooping P 17,639,497.05.

Can you see the big difference? What is P 1,500,000.00 plus P2,000,000.00 insurance vs. P 17,000,000.00+.

You might ask what about insurance protection? Take note that pure term insurance is very cheap. She can just buy term insurance and renew it every 20 years.

But where do you get 10 % return per annum? There are lots of them. Examples of these are mutual funds and directly investing in the stock market. The returns here are not guaranteed though. However historical data will show that the rate of return for mutual fund companies is always above 10 % per annum especially if invested in equities. Investing in the stock market always proves profitable. Even the most conservative investors here gets a return of not less than 10 % per annum.

Now you know why buying term and investing the difference does makes sense !!! - 23211

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Rule Of 72

By Zigfred Diaz

An Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) started to work abroad. Having worked for several years there at the age of 29 had a total savings of P 100,000.00 (Philippine peso)

Because the only mode of investment he knew about was to put his money in the bank, he placed his P 100,000.00 in the bank. Of course, the bank manager was delighted when he opened the account. He even recommended that the money be placed in a time deposit account in order that it would yield 4 % per annum, a much more higher interest rate than an ordinary savings account.

So the money remained in the time deposit account until the OFW reached the age of 65. At that time, he then went back to the bank to withdraw the P 100,000.00. He was amazed when he learned that the P100,000.00 had already grown to P 400,000.00. He was quite happy with the growth of his money. He then withdrew the money from the bank, enjoyed life and lived happily ever after.

So tell me, is this a "live happily ever after" story or not? Do you think this OFW has "wisely" handled his money? Did he really maximize his money's potential or did he just made others more richer ?

The rule of 72 gives us the answers to the above questions. This rule determines how many years it will take your money to double. The rule is expressed in this very simple equation: 72 / interest = No. of years it takes for your money to double

In the case of this Filipino OFW, every 18 years his money will double. 72 divided 4 % per annum = 18 years. So if he deposited his P 100,000.00 at age 29, his money will become P 200,000.00 at age 47. Add another 18 years then he reaches the age of 65. This time his money becomes P 400,000.00.

Now that the P 100,000.00 is in the bank's hand, what do they do with it ? Well they basically invest it in other vehicles of investments which gives them a higher interest rate such as mutual funds, the stock market, the money market, government bonds, corporate bonds etc. They even use it to loan it back to the depositors at a much more higher interest rate. But let's just say that all of the bank's investing activities gave a return of 12 % per annum. Using the rule of 72, it can be determined that the same amount of money will double every 6 years. (computed as follows: 72 divided by 12 % interest = 6 years)

So after 36 years when the OFW goes back to the bank to claim his P 100,000.00 the bank manager gives back his P 100,000.00 with a smile plus the interest of P 300,000 totalling to P 400,000.00.They wouldn't need that anyway since they already made a total of P 6,400,000.00 out of the OFW's P 100,000.00. Talk about hi-way robbery !

If you want to be wealthy and be a better steward of your money then think like the bank! Make the Rule of 72 work for you ! - 23211

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Why You Should Invest In The Stock Market - Part 2

By Zigfred Diaz

Previously the advantages or the reasons why you should invest in the stock market was discussed. In the first part of this two part series, we discussed about the first three reasons why you should invest in the stock market those are, potential for greater returns, part ownership of the company you are investing and belonging to a special group of people. We continue by discussing the next 4 reasons in part 2 of this 2 part series. Should you wish to view the entire article, check out my blog.

4.) It still one of the best vehicles of investment - Even if the stock market has its up and down moments, investing long term in the stock market will still give you one of the highest returns making it one of the best vehicle of investments ever. Returns in the stock market fluctuate yearly. For example, in 1986 the Philippine stock market recorded the highest return rate at 224 %. On the other hand the lowest rate of return was in 1997 at negative 41 %. However the average return (within 20 years) is still somewhere from 24 % to 28 % per year. This means that the long term investor always wins in the long run.

5.) Helps you become more financially literate and inspires you to increase that knowledge - Investing in the stock market forces you to go over the business news. It also helps you give significant meaning to the major news headlines. News for you is not something to be discussed in chit chats, but rather you view it as something that will have an impact on how the market behaves. You are forced to understand words that are foreign to you. You will become more sharper intellectually as you are motivated to keep on reading. If you dozed off in your your economics class in high school or college, this time you will be pulling your hair apart just to figure out what inflation means. you will be motivated to become a life long student.

6.) Helps you more to become internet savvy. - It has been said that the development of mankind is divided into several ages. First we had the "stone age", then came the iron age and then the bronze ages etc. Afterwards we moved up to the industrial age. Currently we are said to be in the "information technology age." In this age, knowledge is power. This is not just considered as an adage. Rather this is the essence of the information age. Engaging in online trading will surely help you understand what this means. During the time that I was in college I wanted to invest in the stock market. The reason for my curiosity was because I always see in the movies how the traders are shouting buy or sell. However I did not invest during that time because of three reasons. First I lack the information. Secondly, I do not have the capability and thirdly I do not have the money to invest.

With the advent of the internet age, information is everywhere through the World Wide Web. Add to the fact that you can now trade online. With this opportunities that come into play, it was now possible for me to trade in the stock market. I monitor the news online, I buy and sell online, I transfer money to my accounts online and best of all it is now possible to trade globally and invest in other stock markets around the world with the use of your computer. Although this is an entirely different arena but the stock market trading principles still come into play.

7.) Investing in the Stock Market helps build the nation -This is the most noble objective and advantage as to why you should invest in the stock market. One of the main reasons why companies want to get listed in the stock exchange is that they want to infuse more capital into their business. The reason why they want more capital is they want to expand the business. More capital means more business, more business means more jobs, more jobs means more needs of the average Filipinos are being met. More business also means more taxes for the government. In a sense when you invest money in the stock market you are actually helping create jobs and at the same time more taxes for the government. This increase in economic activity helps build the nation.

Certainly these compelling reasons make a valid argument as to why you should invest in the stock market. - 23211

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Basic Investment Principles In The Stock Market - Part 1

By Zigfred Diaz

People have been asking me lately if they should invest in the Philippine stock market or not. Majority of them also wanted to know how they should start. I am not sure if they are really serious about it. They could just be curious considering that it is all over the news that the stock market's performance is very positive.

The Philippine stock market or the stock market in general is not a child's play ground. If you are a true investor, you must have expectations as to how much you are going to earn for a certain type of investment. This is measured in terms of how much your money will grow at a certain period of time. (The most common measure being interest per annum) Since the Philippine Stock market is at its peak for months now, people think that they should join the party even they do not understand how it works. They are even naive with the basic principles involve. This is not to say that you should be an economist before you start investing.

What you should understand is that you must know the basic principles involved first before you can achieve a level of success in investing in the stock market. Fortunes are made on the Stock market. But take note that huge losses are also incurred. Those who just plunge into the stock market without a grasp of the basic principles of investment end up convincing themselves that the stock market is no good at all, does not make them any money and finally quit after some time.

Before I would even begin to tackle the ins and outs of the how to invest in the Philippine stock market you should first understand the basic principles of investment in order that you might enjoy trading and possibly succeed in the stock market. I will be discussing ten of them. We will discuss the first one here. The other points will be tackled on coming articles. If you wish to see the entire article please visit my blog.

1.) You must realize that the stock market is just another vehicle of investment - There are several investment vehicles where you could place your money. One is not more superior than the other. They have their advantages and disadvantages, but this will not be discussed in depth here.

In economic parlance, the stock market is categorized as belonging to the "Capital Markets." Even in the Capital market category there are different types of investment vehicles. You have several alternatives here. Aside from the stock market, you could place your investment in pension funds, bonds, insurance, real estate, time deposit accounts different types of savings. It is important to know this because it will help you determine whether or not you should invest in the Stock Market considering that there are other alternative vehicles of investment in the Capital markets.

I reiterate that each vehicle of investment has its own advantages and disadvantages. I did not to place all of my eggs in one basket. Most of my investments are in the Capital Markets though. This includes bonds through mutual funds, the stock market, insurance, pension and deposits. - 23211

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Principles Of Investments In The Stock Market - Part 4

By Zigfred Diaz

This is the last installment of the series on stock market investment principles. We discussed about the first seven principles in the past three articles. Now we will be discussing the last three principles. If you wish to view the article in its entirety please visit my blog.

8.) You must devote your time to study - When you want to invest in the stock market you should devote time to study what it's all about. You can't just place in your money and hope that it will somehow grow someday. You have to read books and materials on the stock market. When I started investing I dug out materials in the internet related to the stock market especially the Philippine stock market. I bought books on the stock market. The Philippine stock exchange has an "investor's primer" for those who are new to the stock market. (See the Philippine stock exchange website for more information.)

You can also attend seminars on how to trade in the stock market. Several brokerage firms have conducted free seminars for those who are new to the stock market. I attended a 2 day seminar by CITISEC Online last year. CITISEC online is one of the most innovative, well managed and most active brokerage firms in the country. The information that you could learn is astounding. Studying the stock market requires continual study. You should not stop learning.

Do the best you can to read all the materials out there and attend all the seminars if possible. Do not give up just because you encounter terms that you could not understand. For example when you went over this article you would probably scratch your head since there are terms that are difficult to understand. Terms such as "points", Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi), "Blue Chips" or "Bull run" may sound foreign to you. Add to the fact that you don't even understand what a stock is and how it works. So what ? When I first began I did not even know what these things are.

You can never learn these things in school. However I learned these things by reading a lot about the subject and through experience. In order that you might be inspired, I suggest you watch the movie "Pursuit of Happyness." This inspired-by-a-true-story movie is about a man who overcame all odds to learn the stock market letting him make millions later on through stock market trading.For sure, you will be inspired by watching the film.

9.)Know what is happening in the world around you - There are several factors that affect the stock market. Be aware of the news that is making headlines in the news paper. For sure this will give you a hint on the direction that the market will take. Never skip the business news. It is here where you will be given an idea as to which stock you should buy. I prefer reading the online version of the Philippine Daily Inquirer in order that I may know where the market is heading.

10.) Now is the best day to start - Some people say that experience is the best teacher. I agree, experience is the best way to learn. It does not matter if you start small at first, the most important thing is that you start immediately. Never procrastinate but don't rush immediately without first studying the basics. When you have already learned the basics of investments, start buying your first stock. The most rewarding thing in your career as a stock market investor is when you have profited from your first sale. - 23211

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