Obviously, the more you pay for this service, the lower will be your returns. If you want to save those fees, you can do your own timing. If you take that route, expect to pay for a timing service or newsletter that tells you when to buy and sell. We offer timing signals for all the asset classes included in the Worldwide Balanced Portfolio via a telephone hotline for paid subscribers of this newsletter. We are planning a similar service using e-mail for the near future.
Similar services are available from other timers at various prices.
In addition to the cost of timing information, you should expect to spend perhaps an hour a week monitoring your investments, making trades and keeping up with additional paperwork. If you believe you're an exception, I recommend you try the DIY approach to timing with part of your portfolio, say 10 to 15 percent, for two years. That will give you plenty of opportunity to learn first-hand whether you have what it takes to be a timer. And you'll find out whether the work is enjoyable or burdensome. The other tables in this report show the effect of variable withdrawals from the Worldwide Balanced Retirement Portfolio.