Free Glide

Most of the buying and selling on the stock market is handled by stock brokers on behalf of their clients, who are the investors. Many different types of brokerage services are available.

Full-Service Brokers

“Full-service brokers” offer a variety of ways to help clients meet their investment goals. These brokers can give advice about which stocks to buy and sell, and often have large research departments that analyze market trends and predict stock movements, for their clients.

Such services are not free, of course. Full-service brokers charge the highest commission rates in the industry. Your decision whether to use a full-service broker will depend on your level of self-confidence, your knowledge of the stock market, and the number of trades you make regularly.

Discount Brokers

Investors who wish to save on commission fees generally use discount brokers. Brokers in this category charge much lower commissions, but they don’t offer advice or analysis. Investors who prefer to make their own trading decisions, and those who trade often rely on discount brokers for their transactions.

Online Brokers

Taking the discount concept 1 step further, online brokers are the least expensive way to trade stocks. Both full-service and discount brokers usually offer discounts for orders placed online. Some brokers operate exclusively online, and they offer the best rates of all.

Account Requirements

Whichever type of broker you choose, your first order of business will be to open an account. Minimum balance requirements vary among brokers, but it is usually between $500 and $1000. If you’re shopping for a broker, read the fine print about all the fees involved. You’ll find that some brokers charge an annual maintenance fee while others charge fees whenever your account balance falls below a minimum.

Cash Or Margin?

Brokerage accounts come in 2 basic types. The “cash account” offers no credit; when you buy, you pay the full stock price. With a “margin account,” on the other hand, you can buy stock on margin, meaning the brokerage will carry some of the cost. The amount of margin varies from broker to broker, but the margin must be covered by the value of the client’s portfolio.

Any time a portfolio falls below a specified value, the investor will have to add funds or sell some stock. A greater opportunity exists for realizing gains (and losses) with margin accounts, because they allow investors to buy more stock with less cash. Involving greater risk than cash accounts, as they do, margin accounts are not recommended for inexperienced traders.

Selecting The Right Broker For You

You should carefully consider your needs as an investor before making the choice of a broker. Do you wish to receive advice about which stocks to buy? Are you uncomfortable making trades on the Internet? If so, you will be best served by a full-service broker. If you are comfortable buying on the Internet, and you have the knowledge and confidence to make your own trading decisions, then you will be better off with an online discount broker.

After deciding which type of broker you want, do some comparison-shopping between competitors. Significant cost differences can show up when you factor in all the annual fees and brokerage rates. Estimate how many trades you expect to make in a year, how much cash you can deposit into your account, whether you want to use margin accounts, and which services you need. Armed with this information, you’ll be prepared to compare your actual costs for various brokers, and to make an educated choice.

Visit Stock Trade to learn more. Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer. Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact.

There is nothing better tasting than or more comforting that sitting in your own dining room or patio and preparing yourself a nice tomato salad, or maybe a fresh bruschetta, with vine, beautiful, plump, red tomatoes, right from your own back yard.

This summer instead of having to go to the supermarket every couple of days to make your favorite tomato based dishes, take some time to learn how to plant, grown and harvest this wonderful tasting vegetable, which is also good to have on a daily basis if you are on a weight loss regimen, combined with the powerful diet supplement Acceletrim.

So first things first, select an area in your garden where the temperatures is around 50 to 55 degrees. Select the type of tomatoes that you want to grown and do some definite research on what is the temperature, and soil that that certain kind of tomato can grow, since the area where you live might to be suitable for that type of tomato. Once you’ve got the right kind, make sure that you plant them about 3 feet apart. Remember that as the tomatoes start to grow, the plants will need some support so set up stalks to support when you see the tomatoes starting to grow. Only harvest when fully ripe, and remember to keep them outside of your fridge, you don’t want all that hard work to go down the drain, tomatoes start losing their flavor once under 55 degrees. So eat them, enjoy and stay healthy.

This story is about my little boy. He was kind of funny as a tyke in that he loved to memorize hotel and motel signs. He was a little funnier when he wanted to watch the same shows over and over.

Then at two he got onto my computer and ordered me a printer! I still have the printer in the box because I intend to give it to him when he is older and can appreciate the story of purchasing the printer from AOL.

He took an immediate liking to the computer and would stay on it until he was made to get off it. When I say made that is what I mean! He would never just get tired of it and want to do something else in our home.

Over about a year from two to three years old I noticed he would pay minute detail to objects and follow the clean lines of cars or shelves. I knew there was a potential problem one night when I was working in my office at home and my son walked in and said “Dad, where did you get that book?” I said “what book?” To my surprise he was pointing to a book I had added to my computer books on the second shelf from the top of my left side book shelf.

If my definition of where the book was located seems a little too detailed it is because I have learned to talk in his language which is minute detail!

Maybe I am dreaming a little too much but I can’t help thinking he has some special abilities that will become especially important in the social or business world.

You see I had to take him in to get tested because he would get very upset regarding watching our big screen TV. He would actually go hit the screen when somebody was talking loud or mean on the particular program in progress. It turns out that it did not matter whether the show was a cartoon or whether it was a drama. The conclusion reached with the assistance of several doctors over about two years was that he had a mental condition called Asperger. He actually felt he was part of the TV show, not merely obsessed with the people or cartoon characters! It was not a show to him but real events.

Obviously I was upset to hear that he had some problem when he appeared to be so bright. I started to consume the material I could find on the condition and talked to the doctors as I could about what was going on in his mind.

The best characterization other than Asperger’s Syndrome I could get was that he was like a high-functioning autistic. Not that it sounded any better but the tem at least could be better understood when talking with anyone about him.

The more I read the more I realized that he was more normal than not normal. He seemed very adept at some things where other things just did not seem to matter to him at all.

I started to make up a list of all the things I thought he did very well and the list scared me at first! I saw me in the list as well as seeing him!

It dawned on me that we were a lot more alike than I had imagined. I had the same condition he had. We both have what is defined as a neurological condition!

I found out that a lot of people inherit Asperger’s Syndrome (A.S.) but in this case my son is not my biological son. This author found out that among their qualities of personality the A.S. person is loyal, reliable, has a strong moral code, and sense of justice. Their cognitive abilities are somewhat unreal too as in having exceptional memory. My son knows the names of the people who bought our older home three years ago and can describe them immediately if he thinks of our other home (his first home).

His enthusiasm, knowledge, way of thinking and ability to think using pictures are truly remarkable. I had to try to come up with my own list of qualities or attributes that I thought my son exhibited which are very positive. That list follows:

1. Focus. He exhibits strength of focus that you can only appreciate. He blocks out all other activities going on or other people or noise. Yet when he is not in that zone he shows that he has little patience for “noise”, “smells”, music or singing. He will stand up and tell you to stop singing “happy birthday”, etc.
2. Internal Motivation.
3. Attention to Detail.
4. Independent Thinking.
5. 3-dimentional Thinking.
6. Logical Decision Making.
7. Cutting Through the Smoke Screen.
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8. Global Insights.
9. Honesty, Integrity, Sincerity, and a Keen Sense of Justice.
10. Unique Insight into “Things”.

The weaknesses such as social queues, making friends, playing with others, understanding what others feel or think, and difficulty talking with others about something they did will get much better over time. There are occupational therapies that will substantially increase the speed at which my son will mainstream and grow naturally into a first class citizen in our society!

In turn I have become very thankful for the public school system and especially the folks who share their knowledge and training with him. I am also thankful for all he is teaching me. Moreover, I have a new perspective on living and the possible today!

Martin Floyd 2005, all rights reserved.

Martin Floyd is a retired computer scientist who worked for several public and private companies including Centers for Desease Control, DOD, City of Newport News, Space and Warfare Command, and Sam Solomon Co., Inc. Martin holds an AS in MIS, a BS in CIS, a certificate in project management. Currently Martin is the webmaster for MMB&T and writes on business and computer topics. Martin started working in the grocery business when he was 8 years old. He worked from 3-11 P.M. Monday through Friday during school and Sundays. He worked for his grandparents for one dollar a day stocking, running the cash register, performing inventory and closing out the day’s business receipts.

Visit MARTIN FLOYD at www.mmbandt.com

You may think your factory seats are holding up just fine. What you may not realize is how much abuse your seats are getting from wear and tear, sun damage, pets, or dirt and spills. All these problems have a simple solution, seat covers. So, why should you get a set of seat covers? There are many reasons. You can protect your factory seats, get a custom look for your interior, or cover up existing damage to your seats. They are also a great way to keep your interior looking new and clean.

But, how do you decide which seat covers are right for you? This reference guide will help you through the decision making process and make sure you get the seat covers that best fit your needs.

Protect Your Investment

Think about it, what do you have the most contact with in your vehicle? It’s your seats, and they need to be protected. If your seats get dirty, or something gets spilled on them, it’s a pain, and a hassle to clean them. Seat covers put an end to that. Most can be put in the washer and dryer so there is no need to buy expensive cleaning supplies to get stains and dirt out. If you have pets, you know it’s a chore to vacuum the seats to get all the pet hair off them. What about their nails? You don’t want them to poke through your new leather seats do you? A seat cover provides a protective barrier to keep your pets from scratching, or poking holes in your nice seats.

Another problem you face is UV damage. That’s right, the suns powerful rays claim the lives of many seats. When the sun shines in your vehicle it is magnified by the glass from your windows. That’s why it feels like an oven on hot summer days. Imagine what that does to your interior. If you have leather seats, the sun dries them out, which can lead to cracking, and a dull finish. That means you have to continually condition your seats to protect them. This can be time consuming and expensive, both which can be avoided with seat covers.

Don’t think any of that affects you? Well, you get in and out of your vehicle every day. Even this has a negative effect on your seats. Every time you get in and out of your vehicle you create friction between yourself and the seat. This may seem like nothing, but after some time you will notice the material getting thin and worn out. Next thing you know, you’ve worn a hole through the material, yet another problem that can be prevented.

Get A Custom Look

Factory interiors are often boring and mundane. Vehicle manufactures use solid, neutral colors that make the interior seem more open. You can add flare and a look that really sets off your interior with seat covers. They come available in standard factory matching colors with solid patterns, or, you can get something that’s different. We have many colors to choose from, as well as patterns that you won’t find in a dealer’s showroom. So, not only do you get great protection, but you also get a custom look and style, that really sets your vehicle apart!

Bring Your Old Seats Back To Life

It’s inevitable, bad things happen to good seats. But you can do something about it. Whether or not you have worn out faded seats, they got stained, or dirty, seat covers provide a solution. They do just as they say, cover it up. Seat covers hide those unsightly stains and dirt spots and give your interior a fresh new look as if nothing ever happened. And, if the same happens to the seat covers, well, just wash them and put them back on. Think of how much money you will save by not having to reupholster your seats.

Now that we have identified why you should get seat covers, let’s see what works best for you.

Fitment – Universal vs. Custom

Seat covers come in two primary fitment types: custom fit and universal fit.

Custom

If you are looking for a seat cover that is going to fit your factory seat perfectly, then a custom fit cover is what you need. These are custom made per vehicle application and fit your factory seat and shape very tightly. Custom seat covers take into account factory headrests, armrests, center consoles, and seat controls.

Universal

If you are looking for something you can throw on quickly and you’re not too concerned with it fitting perfectly, then a universal seat cover will work just fine for you. The cover the entire seat back and bottom but are not designed to fit tightly as a custom fit cover would. These are great for quick on and off usage.

Custom Fit Covers

SureFit Seat Cover by Saddleman

SureFit covers are available for many hard-to-find applications. These are semi-custom fit covers that are made-to-order per vehicle application. SureFit seat covers come in six different styles with many color options available.

Cambridge Tweed – For traditional tastes, Cambridge is similar to original vehicle seats. Woven textured, synthetic fiber will provide miles of protection. Spot clean with a damp cloth and mild solution of fabric cleaner.

Saddle Blanket – A rugged style seat cover made of tightly woven olefin. Extremely durable and comfortable. Saddle Blanket covers are machine washable, drip dry only.

Deluxe Velvet – A contemporary original interior fashion in durable 100% nylon velvet, quilted with foam backing. Trimmed with color coordinated stretch fabrics. Easily cleans by machine washing, and drip drying.

Deluxe Mohave – A stylish southwestern fabric. It is an extremely durable 100% olefin fabric with a soft foam backing which blends with many truck and car interiors. Spot clean with a damp cloth and a mild solution of fabric cleaner.

All Purpose Real Tree® – Made from rugged yet breathable non-woven polyester fabric. It is one of the most popular camouflage fabrics available. Real Tree covers are machine washable, cool air dry for cleaning. Easily resists fading, stains and mildew.

Sheepskin – A luxurious one-inch thick pile with a high luster finish. Sheepskin covers are fully lined. Come in a full fit design with 100% acrylic back. Must be dry cleaned only. We do not recommend for use with light colored leather interiors.

Ultimate Seat Covers by Saddleman
Custom tailored, made-to-order seat covers that are made from original automotive grade fabric. They come with factory matching colors, and have a lifetime guarantee.

Sport Seat Covers by Cal Trend

Get the look of expensive seats at a fraction of the cost. These seat covers give your factory seats a sporty look. Sport seat covers are made from neoprene, the same waterproof material wet suits are made of. Sport Seat Covers also have an extra layer of soft foam padding for added comfort. You can choose from seven different color options. Sport covers are machine washable on the delicate cycle with cold water, air dry. Easily installs with Velcro strips.

Custom Fit Canvas Seat Covers by Saddleman

These rugged covers are designed to repel dirt and stains. These are made of high quality original manufacture grade canvas material and can easily be cleaned. These are washing machine safe to make clean-up a breeze. Come available in factory matching colors.

Custom Fit Seat Protectors by Covercraft

Keep your seats looking new no matter what ends up on them. Messy kids and dirty pets are no match for these heavy duty seat protectors. These covers are made from a breathable cotton/poly blend, which are washer and drier safe. Available in tan, taupe, navy, charcoal, or gray to complement your vehicle’s interior.

Universal Seat Covers

X-Bound Seat Covers by Saddleman

Protect your seats with the extreme style of our X-Bound Seat Covers. These universal fit covers add a custom accent to any high back bucket or bench seats with or without headrests. Nylon cord side lacing keeps a tight fit. Covers come with front, side, and back pockets for storage. X-Bound covers are available in blue/black, red/black, gray/black, olive green/tan, and mossy oak camo.

Deluxe Seat Protectors by Saddleman

Deluxe Seat Protectors are made from heavy-duty vinyl, coated with nylon, which makes these seat protectors waterproof and ready for emergencies. They slip over your seats in seconds for quick protection when it’s needed the most. These are perfect when traveling with pets. Extra large bucket pattern fits most bucket seats.

Before You Order

It is important we are given the correct vehicle information. Please be sure to check your seats carefully. We need to know exactly what seat style you have in order to get the correct pattern made. We will also need to know if your vehicle has armrests, headrests, seat controls, and a center console. By getting accurate information you can be assured your covers will fit like a glove.

Will Mahoney is an automotive junkie who lives in Cleveland, Ohio. He likes racing autocross and tinkering with trucks and cars. He currently writes online content and articles for Stylin Concepts, a leading retailer of truck accessories, suv accessories, seat covers, floorr mats and any other aftermarket truck and SUV accessories.

OK, you’ve finally gotten through the front end part of buying your car. You have worked hard done some tough negotiating and feel like you have negotiated a good and fair deal on your car purchase and trade-in. Now it’s time to head into the dealer’s F&I (finance and insurance) department and go through the formality of signing the financing paper work on the back end of the deal.

You may have noticed a couple of terms: front end and back end. I used these terms to illustrate a point to you. From a car dealer perspective there are two distinct parts (profit centers) to each deal. The front end of the deal is the new car price, your trade in, any dealer add on’s that they got you to buy with your new car, etc. All of this, most everyone is indeed familiar with. The second part of the deal, the back end, is not a place to let your guard down. The back end is the F&I department. The F&I manager is every bit as responsible for making sales numbers and profit margins as everyone else at the dealership and they are sales people NOT financial advisers and their purpose is to help maximize the profit on the deal.

Don’t assume that you are going to be offered the best possible interest rate you can get by the F&I manager. Quite the opposite! Adding a point or two (or more) to your contract interest rate above what you qualify for is a serious profit maker for the dealer.

Also keep in mind that all of your hard work negotiating your deal on the front end has been by in large verbal and perhaps a handshake. True, as a result, you may have a signed buyers order or worksheet that the salesperson and or manager have signed off on, but it is in the F&I department where all of this gets put into contract form.

Stay focused. Some dealers and salespeople may even imply that in order for the deal to get approved, you have to finance through their finance department. You don’t. In fact, if you have done your homework and found a better financing offer, you should take it. At the very least, you know what numbers you qualify for, and as such you should ask the car dealership to try to better what you already have.

Read the contract. Sound so basic, but most people don’t. Don’t just assume that everything that you negotiated with the dealership on the front end will make its way to the back end of your car deal. If you’ve had a long day negotiating to get the price you want, don’t give it all back in the F&I department by getting lazy at this very crucial time.

Without question, the single biggest mistake car buyers make is failing to prepare. That, and setting your expectation that car buying and the negotiating process within can take at best several hours to accomplish. Know that you are going to be at the dealership for a while can help you stay energized and focused. Do your homework. Know your credit score. Get your financing pre-approved and see if the dealer can beat what you already have. Be familiar with all the areas of potential sales and profit that the dealer can potentially land. Know what extras (if any) you will and will not pay for. Make sure the contract in the F&I department reflects all the negotiations that you have worked to accomplish before hand. Then, finally, remain on your toes and don’t drop your guard once in the F&I department.

Q: My mother is always losing, hiding and hoarding things, I am losing my mind! What can I do to get her to stop?

A: This is a great question and I have a lot of material to work with.

My grand mother had made me the most beautiful doilies. One resident in my adult family home insisted that they were the ones she had made and took them when I wasn’t looking. I would put her in bed at night only to find my doilies hidden in her diaper.

After dinner one evening we discovered a client’s $3000.00 dollar pair of hearing aids wrapped up in a nice little napkin and stuffed in her drinking cup.

Some residents would go through others belongings, when I would suggest that they stop because the purse belonged to someone else, they would reply, “I know that” and would continue digging.

The weirdest experience I had was a resident who liked to clothes shop so much that she would go shopping in other peoples closets.

Invariably, just when you need something, it has disappeared, whether it’s your doilies, car keys, glasses, or hearing aids. Hiding, hoarding and losing things are very common things you have to deal with when you are caring for a person with Alzheimer’s.

To cut down on the prospect of losing very important things, here is a list of things to do to help you.

1. Simplify your surroundings. You would be amazed at how much easier it is to care for a person with Alzheimer’s if you aren’t surrounded by clutter. If you lose something, you will have less to sort through to find it.

2. Keep really important things in a locked and secure place.

3. Childproof your cabinets and doors that you don’t want your loved one rummaging through.

4. Don’t leave things lying around.

5. Keep your loved ones glasses, hearing aids, and teeth in a plastic container or tub when you put them to bed at night. That way you will always know where they are in the morning.

Here are a few other things to keep in mind.

1. People with Alzheimer’s like to put their teeth and hearing aids in their napkins at meal time. Always check napkins before throwing them into the trash.

2. Check their wastebaskets before you throw out the trash.

3. Check their pockets before doing the laundry-if they haven’t put something of value in them, I can almost guarantee that there is a Kleenex in them, a load of laundry washed with a Kleenex is the not very fun.

4. If a person with Alzheimer’s is a wanderer you will want to check the sides of their chairs frequently also.

While you may not be able to stop this behavior all together you might be able to control it a bit better with these tips.

Renee “Dutchy” Reeves is an Elder Care Consultant with over 10 years of working with the elderly and their families. Her online advice column, “Ask Dutchy” provides practical ideas and advice for assisting the elderly with Alzheimer’s disease, Dementia, Parkinson’s, disability, and those needing long term care.

An epileptic has the tendency to suffer from recurring seizures. Treatment methods for the disorder have improved over the years thanks to research. Essentially, anti-epileptic medication and surgery are the most viable and widely deployed treatment methods. However, neither of these methods is curative. Medication if taken at prescribed doses will help control the occurrence of seizures.

Treatment for epilepsy seeks to make the patient’s life free of disablement and improve lifespan rather than provide temporary relief from pain.

As always, effective treatment requires proper diagnosis of the problem. For epilepsy, physicians order tests that identify the type based on symptoms and first-hand information given by the patient or observers.

The most common diagnostic procedure is a blood test that gives a clear picture of the patient’s health condition and possible triggers for the seizures.

Brain scans are an effective tool in getting pictures of the brain using X-rays that help locate damaged areas. A widely known scan type is Computed Tomography. Another expensive but sophisticated technique is magnetic resource imaging (MRI) that is useful in detecting lesions in the temporal lobe.

After proper diagnosis, the patient and physician decide on the best course of treatment. This involves taking into account several factors such as age, gender, family history, allergies, and patient’s opinion.

Usually, the patient is given a dosage of medicines and asked to consume the same regularly. The results may not be as expected and would require regular checkups and increased dosage levels. When it is identified that medication has little impact on patient’s improvement, surgery comes forth as an option.

Surgery gives better results for epileptics prone to strokes, blood vessel defects, and brain tumors. Usage of minimally invasive devises aid in the patient enjoying better quality of life.

Usage of a Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) device is another treatment option. This involves transmitting electrical energy in mild amounts to the brain through the nerve.

Apart from these physician-recommended treatment methods, an epileptic can also adopt natural and alternative therapies that will improve overall well being. Examples include meditation, yoga exercises, massages, Reiki, and aromatherapy.

It is likely that some patients will have side effects from taking treatment. These could include rashes, weight gain or loss, and so on. These can be avoided if the physician is made aware of existing allergies or family history of obesity.

On the patient’s part, avoiding possible seizure causers and paying more attention to lifestyle improve seizure management.

Epilepsy provides detailed information on Epilepsy, Epilepsy Foundations, Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, Epilepsy Treatments and more. Epilepsy is affiliated with Fibromyalgia Treatment.

The greatest fear of most pet owners is that there is a chance the family pet will get lost, and not be returned. But many of these same pet owners fail to take the necessary precautions needed to safeguard their pets. By simply overlooking the importance of the pet identification tag, and how having up-to-date accurate information can greatly increase the chances of a successful pet recovery.

And, with the advent of the internet, and its ability to link nations together, and not to mention its popularity, with millions of registered users online daily. Combining these two resources can greatly increase the chance that a pet will be recovered, if these resources are used correctly.

Combining the internet and the pet identification tag provides many benefits to the pet owner when it comes to ensuring the safety of the family pet. The best use of these resources is provided by a company named RecoveryPets. Com whose website is located at http://www.recoverypets.com, and this is accomplished by using a unique tracking number for each registered pet and that number is inscribed on the pet identification tag. This system allows the pets description and photograph to be placed on the companies website along with the owners contact information.

Each year millions of family pets are lost, and end up at shelters that have no idea who these pets belong to, or how to contact the owners to return the pets. But, something as simple as a pet tag that you only have to register for once, because the contact information can be updated free for the life of the pet, can almost erase this problem and reunite many pets with their families. Additionally, because this is a web based service, anyone with a computer around the world can access the pets information, and return the lost pet to its owners.

Thaddeus Collins is the owner of RecoveryPets.Com and they specialize in the global recovery of lost pets using a unique tracking number. For more information visit http://www.recoverypets.com

A correction is a beautiful thing, simply the flip side of a rally, big or small. Theoretically, even technically I’m told, corrections adjust equity prices to their actual value or “support levels”. In reality, it’s much easier than that. Prices go down because of speculator reactions to expectations of news, speculator reactions to actual news, and investor profit taking. The two former “becauses” are more potent than ever before because there is more “self directed” money out there than ever before. And therein lies the core of correctional beauty! Mutual Fund unit holders rarely take profits but often take losses. Opportunities abound!

Here’s a list of ten things to do and/or to think about doing during corrections of any magnitude:

1. Your present Asset Allocation should have been tuned in to your goals and objectives. Resist the urge to decrease your Equity allocation because you expect a further fall in stock prices. That would be an attempt to time the market, which is (rather obviously) impossible. Proper Asset Allocation has nothing to do with market expectations.

2. Take a look at the past. There has never been a correction that has not proven to be a buying opportunity, so start collecting a diverse group of high quality, dividend paying, NYSE companies as they move lower in price. I start shopping at 20% below the 52-week high water mark, and the shelves are full.

3. Don’t hoard that “smart cash” you accumulated during the last rally, and don’t look back and get yourself agitated because you might buy some issues too soon. There are no crystal balls, and no place for hindsight in an investment strategy.

4. Take a look at the future. Nope, you can’t tell when the rally will come or how long it will last. If you are buying quality equities now (as you certainly could be) you will be able to love the rally even more than you did the last time… as you take yet another round of profits. Smiles broaden with each new realized gain, especially when most folk are still head scratchin’.

5. As (or if) the correction continues, buy more slowly as opposed to more quickly, and establish new positions incompletely. Hope for a short and steep decline, but prepare for a long one. There’s more to Shop at The Gap than meets the eye.

6. Your understanding and use of the Smart Cash concept has proven the wisdom of The Investor’s Creed. You should be out of cash while the market is still correcting. [It gets less and less scary each time.] As long your cash flow continues unabated, the change in market value is merely a perceptual issue.

7. Note that your Working Capital is still growing, in spite of falling prices, and examine your holdings for opportunities to average down on cost per share or to increase yield (on fixed income securities). Examine both fundamentals and price, lean hard on your experience, and don’t force the issue.

8. Identify new buying opportunities using a consistent set of rules, rally or correction. That way you will always know which of the two you are dealing with in spite of what the Wall Street propaganda mill spits out. Focus on value stocks; it’s just easier, as well as being less risky, and better for your peace of mind. Just think where you would be today had you heeded this advice years ago…

9. Examine your portfolio’s performance: with your asset allocation and investment objectives clearly in focus; in terms of market and interest rate cycles as opposed to calendar Quarters (never do that) and Years; and only with the use of the Working Capital Model, because it allows for your personal asset allocation. Remember, there is really no single index number to use for comparison purposes with a properly designed value portfolio.

10. Finally, ask your broker/advisor why your portfolio has not yet surpassed the levels it boasted five years ago. If it has, say thank you and continue with what you’ve been doing. This one is like golf, if you claim a better score than the reality, you’ll eventually lose money.

11. One more thought to consider. So long as everything is down, there is nothing to worry about.

Corrections (of all types) will vary in depth and duration, and both characteristics are clearly visible only in institutional grade rear view mirrors. The short and deep ones are most lovable (kind of like men, I’m told); the long and slow ones are more difficult to deal with. Most corrections are “45s” (August and September, ‘05), and difficult to take advantage of with Mutual Funds. But amid all of this uncertainty, there is one indisputable fact: there has never been a correction that has not succumbed to the next rally… its more popular flip side. So smile through the hum drum Everydays of the correction, you just might meet Peggy Sue tomorrow.

Steve Selengut
www.sancoservices.com
Professional Investment Portfolio Manager since 1979
BA Business, Gettysburg College; MBA Professional Management, Pace U.
Author of: “The Brainwashing of the American Investor: The Book that Wall Street Does Not Want YOU to Read”, and “A Millionaire’s Secret Investment Strategy”

An options strategy called Covered Call Writing is a conservative strategy designed to reduce risk and increase income when investing in stocks. Briefly stated, stock options are contracts in which you buy or sell the right to buy or sell. Although there are eight types of options contracts, we’re interested here in low-risk “Covered Call Writing.”

Here’s how it works: Say it’s August and you buy 300 shares of XYZ stock at the price of $48 per share. XYZ pays a quarterly dividend of 50 cents per share. Therefore, if the price never moves, you’ll earn 4.2% per year.

At the same time, you would participate in Covered Call Writing. To do so, you, you would “write three January 50 Calls.” This means you are selling (“writing”) the right for someone else to buy the stock from you (they “call” it away) between now and the third Friday of January at the specified price of $50. (All contracts expire the third Friday of the month.)

Each contract represents 100 shares, hence three contracts. The buyers pay you a fee (called a “premium”) of $3.5 per share, or $1,050. (The premium is based on the amount of time until expiration and the spread between the current price and the “strike price,” in this case $50. Therefore, the premium changes constantly.)

Assuming you don’t cancel, only two things can happen next: The contract will get exercised or it will expire worthless in January. Either way, you keep the $1,050. Clearly, this strategy can yield big rewards. Among the advantages are:

1. You are establishing a profitable sell price the day you buy the stock. If exercised, you are guaranteed a profit;

2. You reduce risk because premium in effect reduces the price you paid for the stock;

3. Your annual yield is boosted far above that of the dividend alone.

However, there are other considerations. For one, you are limiting your potential profits. No matter how high the stock rises, you won’t sell for more than $50. You can solve this problem by buying your option back, in effect canceling it out. You would do this if you later think the stock will dramatically rise and you don’t want to miss the gains to be made.

Also, you have not reduced the risk that your stock may drop in price. The only certainty is, should XYZ drop $25, your option will not be exercised – a small consolation. To protect yourself, you may “buy a January 45 put” giving you the right to sell your stock for $45. This is the opposite of what we’ve reviewed here, and is designed to minimize losses, rather than protect gains.

Because of the potential for price drops, you should choose a high quality, blue-chip stock that fits your budget, an which offers a stable trading range, solid fundamental, high dividends, and good growth potential.

Covered Call Writing is not a reason to own stocks, but the strategy might be of help if you already own them. Prior to opening an account, you must receive and urged to read “Characteristics and Risk of Standardized Options,” which is published by the Options Clearing Corporation in cooperation with NASD and all major U.S. stock exchanges. The booklet is available from any broker or financial advisor.

About the author: Tony Reed is the author of " How to boost your stock returns while lowering your risk", please visit his website Mutual Funds & Stock Trading for more information.

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