HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: georgec@eng.umd.edu (George B. Clark)
Subject: Re: Twentieth Century investment
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 16:13:14 GMT
Organization: University of Maryland

I received a solicitation to subscribe to Straight Talk, a personal
money-management newsletter published by the Dolans, who also
host a radio-talk show about personal finances.

The Dolans said Twentieth Century is their first choice among
no-load mutual funds, and they recommend you invest in their
money market fund at the present time.

Twentieth Century is also one of the top five favorite no-load
mutual funds of the Charles Givens Organization.

I suppose Twentieth Centruy is an excellent choice, but since they
carry many no-load funds, the real question is which one to
invest in.

Newsgroups: misc.invest
From: bd670@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Russell I. Dyreng)
Subject: Re: How do I get rid of broker????
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, (USA)
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 92 22:55:52 GMT


Another tactic that has worked with me in similar cases is to
monopolize on the conversation yourself.  Go into great detail
about your (phoney, of course) gall bladder operation, divorce,
bankruptcy.  I went the bankruptcy route myself with a telephone
solicitor, caught him totally off guard, took up a lot of his 
valuable time and at the end of it, he didn't have the nerve to
ask me for any money:-).  It was a hoot.

What I'm getting at is if you can drone on and on and on about
your problems it'll get to be too expensive for him to call you.

Russ
From: btwomey@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (william.tw0mey)
Newsgroups: misc.invest
Subject: Re: mortgage refinancing annuity calculations
Keywords: when to refinance mortgage
Date: 13 Aug 92 19:08:32 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: AT&T

In article <36729@sdcc12.ucsd.edu> kc@cs.ucsd.edu (k claffy) writes:
>
...
>so now i wants to refinance (i thinks)
>with either a 
>15-year 7.25% (plus 1 point) $125,000 mortgage, totally fixed
>
>or a 
>
>15-year 7% (plus 2 points) $125,000 mortgage, (fixed for 7 years, then balloon).

If I were you, I would be mumbling to myself,
"You do NOT want a balloon.  Get a mortgage that
converts to an ARM.  What happens if I don't move
in 5 years like I planned?"

If I were you, I would then get out my spreadhsheet
(SC 6.19, public domain, very nice).  And calculate
that the second mortgage deal would have a payment of 1123.54
and the first would have a payment of 1141.08.
The extra point costs $1250.  Paying the point means you
that after 71 months ( 1250/17.54 ) the first deal is cheaper.

Then I would go do all sort of time wasting permutations of
interest rates and mortgage types fixed/ARM/buydown.

Since you say you'll be in there for 5 years, see if a 5/10
(do they exist? ) or 5/25 mortage offers lower rates
than a 7/something mortgage. 
[See? I found a time consuming permutation.]

Bill Twomey
-- 
bt@violin.att.com

Bill's Law on Netnews discussions:
"If a poster's name is in the Subject, its not worth reading."
From: edd@gvls2.gvl.unisys.com (Ed Dougherty)
Newsgroups: misc.invest
Subject: Re: How do I get rid of broker????
Date: 13 Aug 92 14:30:51 GMT
Organization: Unisys Defense Systems, Great Valley Labs, Paoli, Pa

In article <1992Aug13.011440.28871@adobe.com> kendall@adobe.com (Janice Kendall) writes:
>In article <jaeastman-120892184355@jmac.msd.anl.gov> jaeastman@anl.gov (Jeff Eastman) writes:
>>I'm curious if anyone can provide me with some good advice. A couple months
>>ago I made the mistake of buying 100 shares of stock from a broker 
>


Try reporting him to the phone company, I believe there is a law against
phone harassment.


Please let us know how this turns out.

Ed Dougherty
From: leons@hiroller.Eng.Sun.COM ()
Newsgroups: misc.invest
Subject: Companies trading near book value
Date: 13 Aug 1992 16:37:22 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems - 3D Technology Group - Mountain View, CA
Distribution: usa
Reply-To: leons@hiroller.Eng.Sun.COM ()
NNTP-Posting-Host: hiroller

Is it possible (or even normal) for a company to trade below the
book value?  It seems to me that the answer is no, since in this
case it will be profitable for someone with lots of money to buy
the company and just sell its assets.

Specifically, I was watching AST research for a while.  They make
PCs, and due to latest price wars the stock dropped to about $12-13.
Their P.E. ratio is 6, which is way lower than
Dell's or Compaq's.  But, more significantly, their book value is
about $10.  So it seems that there is a very limited downside
risk (assuming they don't go bankrupt).

Experts, voice your opinion!


=============================================================================
= Leon A. Shirman                                       3D Technology Group =
= Sun Microsystems, Inc	    	    	    	    	 Mailstop MTV23-205 =
= 2550 Garcia Avenue                               Mountain View, CA  94530 =
= Leon.Shirman@Eng.Sun.COM    	    	    	    	     (415) 336-5439 =
=============================================================================
Newsgroups: misc.invest
From: rosso@roscoe.csd.sgi.com ()
Subject: Re: credit cards
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc.
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 01:16:08 GMT

In article <l8vnfrINNbks@news.bbn.com>, rwatkins@BBN.COM (Ron Watkins) writes:
|> I am searching for a lower interest mastercard or visa
|> and I thought I heard someone mention arkansas federal savings at 9.5%
|> has anyone found similar institutions that have low interest credit
|> cards and can provide me with that information and a phone number to call
|> for an application ?


Arkansas Federal Savings Bank

The number on the back of my card (customer service) is 800-241-7990.
Rate on my last bill was 8.5% (no, that's not a typo: eight point five percent).
Rate is variable, +3% above highest prime in the WSJ on the 15th of the
month.  Annual fee is $35. No affiliation except as a satisfied customer
with an $1800 balance. If I could, I'd buy a house with it.

About the bargain cards in Money Magazine: banks listed in the current
issue are usually swamped, sometimes even refusing to send applications.
Go to the library and get a 3-month-old issue and try those banks.

Happy charging,
Ross Oliver

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Cthulu for President.  Why choose a lesser evil?
From: samaddar@siemens.com (Sumitro Samaddar)
Newsgroups: misc.invest
Subject: Collecting 401K money
Date: 19 Aug 92 18:13:01 GMT
Reply-To: samaddar@siemens.com

Under what circumstances can one withdraw 401K money before
retirement? Is being unemployed enough proof of economic
hardship? If so, what kind of penalty one has to pay for the
withdrawl?

Now, suppose instead of being unemployed, one moves to another
country and earns a salary which in dollar terms is quite low.
Can one cite that low dollar income as economic hardship to
get the 401K money?

Thanks for any pointers.

Sumitro
From: rdetweil@boi.hp.com (Richard Detweiler)
Newsgroups: misc.invest
Subject: Reverse Stock Split
Date: 14 Aug 92 15:08:22 GMT
Article-I.D.: mail.BszBDy.GGB
Distribution: usa
Organization: Hewlett Packard - Boise Printer Division (LAFS)

Hey folks,

Forgive me if this has been answereed in the not-to-distant past but I haven't
been able to find a FAQ or this topic mentioned in any of the postings I have
access to.

A stock I own just went through a 1-for-4 stock split meaning the 100 shares I
had are now 25 shares.  So, why would they do this and what are the negatives
and positives for the investor?

Thanks for any replys.


Dick Detweiler : rdetweil@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com
Newsgroups: misc.invest
From: did@kepler.unh.edu (Dusan I Dragovic)
Subject: E A S T   E U R O P E 
Organization: University of New Hampshire  -  Durham, NH
 
Distribution: WORLD
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 14:30:20 GMT

Dusan Dragovic
(212) 5759265 OR (212) 5332917
From: bwc34920@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (olga)
Newsgroups: misc.invest
Subject: Anyone willing to sell one share of WASTE MANAGEMENT (WMX)?
Date: 20 Aug 92 03:29:11 GMT
Article-I.D.: news.Bt9J0o.Jyv
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana

A friend of mine is interested in buying one share of Waste Managment
(WMX) so that he can get started in their DRP. Please respond
via email. Thanks
Newsgroups: misc.invest
From: tpradeep@cs.tamu.edu (Pradeep K Tapadiya)
Subject: Is this a bad time to invest?  a beginner's question.
Organization: Computer Science Department, Texas A&M University
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 17:39:27 GMT

Howdy netters,

I am planning to invest in an aggresive type of mutual fund. However,
I am not sure if this is the right time to invest.

From the discussions on the net, what I have understood is

   1. the stocks are overpriced right now.
   2. eventually (very soon) they will take a nose dive.

   Therefore I assume that

   1. Any aggresive mutual fund's shares are over priced.
   2. Presently one should invest his/her money in
      either short-term CDs or money-market funds (or US Savings bond).
   3. When the stocks take the dive (therefore, the mf's price go down),
      then its time to get into the desired mf.

Can someone tell me if these assumptions are correct (especially the
assumption about overpriced mutual fund)?

If these assumptions are true, what should be the duration for the
short-term investments in CDs etc?

Thank you for your help.

Pradeep
tpradeep@cs.tamu.eu
From: fmiranda@guild.socal.com (Frank Miran)
Newsgroups: misc.invest,from.socal.com
Subject: MONY
Date: 17 Aug 92 23:24:11 PST
Organization: TheGuild[FTS]

I'm looking for information on Mutual of New York and it's investments, especially in the area of mutual funds. Does anyone have any history on this group? Good experience? Bad?

Frank

--- Via UCI v1.05 (C-Net Amiga)
From: shekita@yeti.almaden.ibm.com (E. Shekita)
Newsgroups: misc.invest
Subject: Re: is it time to invest in Japan?
Date: 21 Aug 92 20:32:26 GMT
Organization: IBM Almaden Research Center

> At the same time, Japans attempts to position 
> itself as the high-tech design center of the world are faltering.  
> According to "Economist", Japan controls a whopping 3% of the 
> computer market outside of Japan...

Not to quibble but...

Japan is a major player in disks, memory chips, power supplies,
and displays (which are some of the most expensive components 
in a PC or workstation). So I find it hard to believe that only 3%
of the profits in the computer business make their way back to
Japan.

What does "3% of the computer market" mean? Does it mean that only 3% 
of the computers shipped have a Japanese label slapped on the front? 
If so, then it's a pretty worthless statistic. 

Gene
From: mincy@think.com (Jeffrey Mincy)
Newsgroups: misc.invest
Subject: Re: Is Financial Planning worth paying for?
Date: 18 Aug 1992 15:31:17 GMT
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
NNTP-Posting-Host: mjolnir.think.com

In article <1992Aug12.015455.697@PA.dec.com> skk@tantalus.pa.dec.com (Stuart Kreitman) writes:
>My wife and I finally did something to maximize our pitifull
>nest egg- we met with a financial planner (IDS/Amex).
>After the meeting, we agreed that putting the data together and
>receiving a detailed plan and projection from them will
>be a good thing.

Every response that Ive seen to this message has answered 
the question that wasnt asked (are financial planners good) and
failed to answer the question that was asked.  Some of those 
points were valid.  You should understand the recommendations
that are made by any planner and you should understand what type
of commissions he earns from the recommendation.

>Are there a few basic books and programs to
>help us understand how to reach our financial goals? I'm open
>to suggestions.

There are quite a few books that should help.

They have names such as guide to your finances/investments, and your
wealth building years.  They all say pretty much the same thing.
Peruse the book store or library.  

Any book on the subject should have chapters on 1) budgeting and 
control of your finances, 2) debt (good & bad) 3) establishing goals
4) explanation of different investments 5) explanation of risk and
determining your risk tolerance. 6) etc.

-jeff
-- 

-- jeff
mincy@think.com
From: timlee@public.btr.com
Newsgroups: misc.invest
Subject: Re: State Bond Fund
Date: 23 Aug 92 00:22:24 GMT
Reply-To: timlee@btr.com (Timothy J. Lee)
Followup-To: misc.invest
Distribution: usa

klur@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (david.s.klur) writes:
|What's your opinion on Dreyfus NJ Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund?
|The current return (double tax free) is 5.70%, which translates to
|8.47% taxable equivalent for me.  What is the relative risk rating
|for this fund?  After the hits I took on my equity mutual funds this
|year, this doesn't sound bad!

Bond funds are subject to two main kinds of risks:

1.  Credit risk.  The risk that some issuers will default on the
bonds.  Single state municipal funds may be considered slightly
riskier than multistate municipal funds of similar credit quality,
because of the possibility of a regional or statewide disaster.

2.  Interest rate risk.  If interest rates go up, bond prices will
fall.  And vice-versa.  The effect is usually largest for the longest
term bonds.

There are some more subtle things bond funds do that affect risk
and return.  Libraries may have books, newsletters, and the like
that can be looked at.  Also, the Forbes mutual fund annual issue
should be out on the newsstands now or soon.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Timothy J. Lee                 timlee@btr.com  ...!decwrl!btr!timlee
This message comes with no warranty, not even an implied warranty of
fitness for any particular purpose.
Newsgroups: misc.invest
From: lib@cbnews.cb.att.com (Lib)
Subject: Re: Wall Street Week recommendations
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 12:31:11 GMT
Keywords: stocks

In article <1992Aug18.152416.25446@schbbs.mot.com> morrison@next3.corp.mot.com (Darren Morrison) writes:
>In article <1992Aug16.204806.25481@porthos.cc.bellcore.com>  
>tony2@prefect.uucp (21131-gozdz) writes:
>[...]
>> 					Excess performance of
>> 					recommended stocks
>> second week before show				+0.4%
>> week before show				+0.8%
>> day after show					+2.1%
>> remaining 4 days of week after show		-0.3%
>> second week after show				+0.4%
>> next six weeks after show			-3.2%
     
>peaks the day after the show - so I sell short.  My margin account  
>currently charges between 6% and 7% annualized interest compounded weekly.   
>Therefore, it will cost me somewhere around 1% in interest on the amount I  
>margined for a six week loan.  I wait six weeks for the price to drop and  
>then buy the stock back.  Roughly speaking I have made about 4% on my  
>investment minus brokerage fees.

Try options instead. If you are pretty sure of both the price
direction and the timing that's what options were made for.
From: merritt@macro.bu.edu (Sean Merritt)
Newsgroups: misc.invest
Subject: Re: is it time to invest in Japan?
Date: 18 Aug 92 16:33:58 GMT
Organization: Boston University Physics Department
In-reply-to: scott@phylo.life.uiuc.edu's message of 18 Aug 92 16:03:26 GMT

In article <scott.714153806@phylo> scott@phylo.life.uiuc.edu (Scott Howard) writes:


>   The Tokyo stock market is very sensitive to Japanese Real Estate
>   Prices, and your return is also predicated on the dollar/yen
>   exchange rate. Given that the dollar/yen exchange rate is a historic low,
>   and that the Japanese Real Estate Bubble has a long way to go, the
>   answer is: NO!

 I saw the founder of the Templeton Group on Adam Smith about a month
ago he was asked if the Nikkei's tumble would pull down world stock
markets. He responded that a burst of the Japanese real estate market
would be far more cataclysmic owing to the much larger capitalization.
I forget the $ figure.

From One Up On Wall Street by Peter Lynch:

"The rise of the Japanese market from 1966 to 1988 has taken the
Nikkei Dow Jones up seventeenfold as our Dow Jones has only doubled.
The total market value of all Japanese stocks actually passed that
of U.S. stocks in April 1977, and the gap has widened since. The
Japanese have their own way of thinking about stocks, and I don't
understand it yet. Every time I go over there to study the situation,
I conclude that all the stocks are gossly overpriced, but they
keep going higher and higher anyway."

last paragraph page 285.






--
Sean J. Merritt		         |      Nietzsche che dice?
Dept of Physics Boston University| 	       Boh!	
merritt@budoe.bu.edu		 |
From: chedley@carthago.intel.com (CHEDLEY_AOURIRI)
Newsgroups: misc.invest
Subject: Re: Warrants vs. Call Options
Date: 19 Aug 92 01:40:14 GMT
Reply-To: chedley@carthago.intel.com (CHEDLEY_AOURIRI)
Organization: Intel-Corp,_Hillsboro,_Oregon

In article <1992Aug18.225928.1240@leland.Stanford.EDU>, tjm@leland.Stanford.EDU (Timothy Minvielle) writes:
|> I apologize if this is a FAQ, but could someone please explain to me the difference between a warrant and a call option.  They both seem to give the holder the right to purchase stock at a future date at a pre-determined price.
|> 
Right!
Except that warrants are issued and sold by the company, while 
options are written and traded by investors or gamblers. 
And that have some implications:

-- When you exercise a warrant and buy the stock, the company issues new
   stock shares. This tends to dilute the stock price of the company as
   more shares are floating around the market.

-- When you exercise the warrant, the company gets the cash price of the
   shares. This tends to make its financial balance sheet better, which
   in turn tends to increase its stock price.

Options do not have any material effect on the value of a company.

..CHEDLEY..
..!{uunet|tektronix|ogicse}!littlei!chedley    chedley@carthago.intel.com     
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Standard Disclaim: The above statements and opinions are strictly mine,
and do not represent any company or organization's position.
......................................................................

Newsgroups: misc.invest
From: ZVV@companion.khabarovsk.su (ZABELIN VLADIMIR VLADIMIROVICH)
Subject: Investitions to Russian Far East
Reply-To: ZVV@companion.khabarovsk.su
Organization: Small Venture Companion
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 11:56:34 +1200


The "COMPANION" firm invites investors to take part in building ventures on
the basis of the shared property possesion. We have at least two actual
proposal at the moment. They are as follows:

  - Dwelling area including all needed for normal living conditions
    ( stores, hotel, cinema ) in Khabarovsk;
  - City public center in the downtown of Khabarovsk which involves
    hotel, restaurant, a hospital providing with mud therapy.
  - Aviation techiques, aircrafts and helicopters manufacturing

We also offer you to co-operate in the domain of investition projects
concerning foundation of industrial ventures. We also would be glad
to know your opinion on the possibility of foundation of joint venture
for dealing with investitions.

We are looking forward to co-operation. Your opinions and ideas are
appreciated.

        Director Igor Orinov

        'COMPANION'
        18,Pushkin street,
        Khabarovsk, 680030, Russia

        Phone:   (4210) 393463
        E-mail:  zvv@companion.khabarovsk.su
From: bb@generali.harvard.edu (Brent Byer)
Newsgroups: misc.invest
Subject: Re: Question on Selling Short
Date: 12 Aug 92 15:25:06 GMT
Article-I.D.: burrhus.1992Aug12.152506.7763
Organization: Textware, Cambridge, MA

In article <l8hf27INN65t@appserv.Eng.Sun.COM> dmk@noho.Eng.Sun.COM (David Kahn) writes:
>>
>>  What happens when you short sell a stock and the company goes bankrupt?

>Nothing out of the ordinary.  Bankrupt companies stocks are still traded.

A more specific question:
    What is the status of a short position following the
    de-listing of a stock (eg, College Bound (NASD), several months ago) ?

Factual info should be posted; opinions/guesses shouldn't.  tnx

   brent
Newsgroups: misc.invest
From: heilpern@microware.com (Mark Heilpern)
Subject: Re: credit cards
Organization: Microware Systems Corp., Des Moines, Iowa
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 14:50:37 GMT

In article <l8vnfrINNbks@news.bbn.com> rwatkins@BBN.COM (Ron Watkins) writes:
>I am searching for a lower interest mastercard or visa
>and I thought I heard someone mention arkansas federal savings at 9.5%
>has anyone found similar institutions that have low interest credit
>cards and can provide me with that information and a phone number to call
>for an application ?

Simmons First National Bank, Arkansas: currently 8.5%, variable. I don't
have a number handy at the moment though. I found out about this through
an issue of Money Magazine (which regularly publishes this?) which had
the number in it. When I called to get an application, I had to try several
times since the line was always busy.

If you can wait a month 'till I get my next bill, I may be able to provide
a number that has less callers on it. (PS-  Out of state yearly fee: $35.)

-- 
#include <std/disclaimer> /*-------------------------------------*\
     |*    Mark A. Heilpern --- Microware Systems Corporation    *|
     |*  heilpern@microware.com  &&  ...!uunet!mcrware!heilpern  *|
     \*----------------------------------------------------------*/
Newsgroups: misc.invest
From: joec@fid.morgan.com (Joe Collins)
Subject: is it time to invest in Japan?
Organization: Morgan Stanley & Co., New York, NY
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 15:23:42 GMT

The Tokyo stock market is in the trash (14300 or so) and way off
its highs. In addition, the US currency is also quite low.

It seems that if I invest in an equity fund targeted at Japan and
hold for a while, I may have a good chance on both a currency
play (US Dollar strengthens) and an equity play (Tokyo market
recovers).

Any opinions?

Joe
joec@morgan.com


Newsgroups: misc.invest
From: lattanzi@wsl.dec.com (Len Lattanzi)
Subject: Re: Is Financial Planning worth paying for?
Organization: Western Software Lab
Distribution: ba
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 92 06:28:08 GMT


If you're analytical and 'pedantic' you might want to consider
getting some software to help you out. For the Mac I find Macintax and
Managing Your Money very useful. When MYM doesn't handle a scenario a
spreadsheet like 1-2-3 comes in handy. Quicken may also suit you. Then take
some seminars [Most colleges have cheap financial savvy classes where
the instructor isn't trying to sell you something [and collect a
commision]]
WealthBuilder is supposed to be financial goal oriented but I wasn't
impressed with its mac ui. 

-Len
--
\
 Len Lattanzi (Migration Software Systems Ltd 408 452 0527) <len@migration.com>
Newsgroups: misc.invest
From: cep@taligent.com (Christophe Pettus)
Subject: Nondeductible IRA vs. "tax-free" money market
Organization: Taligent, a little subsidiary of two really big companies.
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 22:47:21 GMT

I'm attempting to compare the advisibility of investing in a
nondeductible IRA and a "tax-free" (i.e., California [where I live]
muni) money-market fund (hereafter, MMF) as a retirement vehicle.
Since I'm already in a 401(k) plan, I don't qualify for a deductible
IRA under current rules.  My understanding of the comparisons so far
is:

1. Maximum $2,000 annual contribution to the IRA vs. unlimited to the
MMF;

2. More liquidity (as in lots vs. not much) in the MMF;

3. A wider range of investment options in the IRA, including the
possibilities of safer (T-bill) and more aggressive (stock)
investments.

Anything else I should take into account?
--
-- Christophe

"Be calm.  Look cute."