My Personal Finance Blog

The best stock funds when the economy is robust and growing are usually growth stock funds. In 2011 and beyond this scenario appears unlikely. Since stock (equity) funds belong in the average investor’s portfolio, what are the best stock funds if 2011 fails to produce good economic growth?

Even the best growth funds rarely pay a significant dividend – that’s not the nature of growth funds. These funds focus on price appreciation or rapidly rising stock prices as an objective by investing in companies with higher than average prospects for growth in sales and earning or profits. The stocks they invest in plow their money back into the company instead of paying it out to investors in the form of dividends. Without a significant dividend as a cushion, growth funds generally experience greater share price fluctuation, which means greater risk.

If uncertainty remains high and the economy remains sluggish in 2011 and beyond, growth funds are not your safest bet. When it’s time to be defensive, it’s nice to own equity funds that have a good track record for paying dividend yields of 2%, 3% or more. A dividend of 3% might not sound like much but it does provide a cushion under stock prices. With today’s interest rates 3% looks rather attractive, and many major corporations have a surplus of cash available to increase dividends.

As a conservative play the best stock funds for 2011 to stay invested in equities and decrease the risk of big losses: equity-income or “value” funds that invest in major (large) dividend-paying companies. Don’t worry so much about the name of a fund because names can be misleading to the average investor. Instead start by looking for equity funds that have dividend income as a primary objective. Such a fund would fall under the general category of DOMESTIC (U.S.), GENERAL DIVERSIFIED equity funds.

They can be further classified as value funds, equity-income funds, or maybe DIVIDEND growth funds. The latter tend to invest in large companies with a history of paying stable and/or INCREASING dividends over the years. Make sure that the fund you pick invests in high quality major corporations. Some value funds invest in smaller less-stable companies that “appear” to be cheap, and these funds can be quite volatile (risky). Every fund gives investors a general description of its objectives and what kind of investments it intends to make. It’s often in the fund’s introduction or summary, so look before you leap!

In my opinion, the very best stock funds for 2011 and going forward would also be classified as NO-LOAD and INDEX equity funds. You can cut your cost of buying an equity fund by 5% by avoiding sales charges or “loads”, by simply buying no-load funds. You can save 1% to 2% on YEARLY fund expenses by going with INDEX funds that simply track a sector of the market instead of trying to outperform. Few funds outperform their benchmark (index) on a consistent basis and many under perform it. Why pay to take this added risk?

In summary, to avoid high risk and stay invested in the stock market in 2011 and into the future, here’s how to find the best stock funds. Get info from the major no-load fund companies like Vanguard, Fidelity, T Rowe Price, and Century Funds. Look under the category of EQUITY INDEX funds. Make sure that there are NO sales charges. Look for a DIVIDEND YIELD of 2% or higher, and make sure the fund tracks an index of large-company or large-cap (capitalization) stocks, like the S&P 500 Index.

Over the long-term the best stock funds reward investors with higher fund prices (values) and dividends. The very best funds for most investors also offer a bit less risk than their competition and a lower cost of investing.

Birdbaths can make a wonderful addition to any lawn and garden space.  They are used to water and bathe birds and as a place for birds to frolic in the sun with their avian friends.  But birdbaths bring more than just that to the garden.  They come in many different kinds, shapes and sizes; you should be able to find the right birdbath to fit any lawn and garden decor.  Read further to find out the many benefits of having birdbaths in your lawn and garden as well as some helpful birdbath tips.

If you set a birdbath out in your lawn and garden, it’s a sure bet feathered visitors will come flocking, especially on warm summer days.  Birdbaths run the gamut from simple to elaborate.  Some are simple bowls that sit on the ground or atop pedestals or hang from chains.  Others are designed as much for the people who watch the birds as for the birds themselves.  You can also display eye-catching birdbaths as garden art.  Once birds discover your garden bath as a reliable source of water, if placed in the right spot and kept filled and clean, your garden will come alive with their color, music and activity.  You’ll discover the pleasure of watching sparrows, cardinals and other songbirds swoop into the birdbath for a splashing good time. If you have squirrels in the area, they might also delight you with their antics as they attempt to take advantage of your birdbath. A dip in a birdbath cools birds in summer, and it can help them keep warm in winter.  Frequent bathing stimulates birds by keeping their feathers clean and fluffed.  So keep the birdbath filled, clean and ready for whatever flies your way.

Here are some birdbath basics to follow to get the most out of your birdbath.  Try to find a birdbath that is shallow and roomy.  Ideally, baths should be 2-3″ deep and 24-36″ across.  The sides should slope gradually.  Consider the material your birdbath is made out of.  Some materials like plastic are too slippery for birds and can crack with age.  Metal dishes, if used, should be of stainless steel or other rust-resistant material.  It’s very important to keep your birdbath clean in order to keep your avian friends returning.  Use a strong jet of water from the base to clean the bowl.  Keep your birdbath safe by putting it next to shrubs or trees that will provide cover and escape routes.  Place ground-level birdbaths where they have 10-20′ of open space around them, but no more or you’ll leave damp birds exposed to hawks, owls and cats.  In cold climates keep it from freezing by adding a heating element that insures it stays thawed. If possible, add a fountain of some kind to your birdbath.  Birds are attracted to running water.  Some birdbaths already come with some kind of water fountain feature. And lastly, keep in mind that standing water has the potential to attract those tiny annoying little bugs called mosquitoes, so place your birdbath somewhere that won’t be a problem for you.

With the help of these tips and ideas for birdbaths, you should be able to find the right one for your lawn and garden and be able to attract your feathered friends for a visit or two.  The benefits of birdbaths are well worth the effort it takes in keeping them clean, filled, placed safely and picking the right one.  Add a birdbath to your outdoor space today and enjoy the many perks they bring to your lawn and garden.

 

This article draws on a big court case in Indianapolis with AIG disputing a life policy worth $15 million. Under normal circumstances, insurers pay out whenever they receive the death certificate. They may privately grumble the claim has come earlier than expected, but their public face will offer sympathies for the loss and pay. Indeed, if any company gets a reputation as a bad payer, their business is likely to dry up fast. With PR and marketing being everything in persuading people to part with their money, insurers usually pay out without comment. Why so different in this case? Well, the first issue is the circumstances of the death. This was a confident older woman aged 74 and she was found fully-clothed, drowned in her bath. The homicide unit has investigated and, despite the fact her family said she always preferred to take a shower, it has ruled her death accidental. No matter that the world might find the circumstances “suspicious”, particularly because the holder of the life policy admitted to being the last one to see her alive, there is no ongoing investigation. This has left the insurance company to dispute the payment.

Four years ago, this active lady was a director responsible for marketing. The company and fellow director insured her life for $15 million. This is perfectly proper as a part of succession planning. It gives the company the cash to buy out the shares and cover losses while a replacement key person is found. Except there is some suspicion the appointment of this lady as a director was only done to justify getting the insurance coverage. The rules are reasonably straightforward.

If you go to a race track, you can bet which horses will win and place. You pay and if your luck (and skill) give you the right result, the bookmaker pays. You could ask the bookmaker whether it is possible to bet on the day, week, month or year someone will die. If such a bet was accepted, you would have a direct financial incentive to arrange for this stranger’s death at the appropriate time. To insure someone’s life requires you have some direct interest in the individual, usually as a relative or someone upon whom you depend. That is why this company insured a marketing director and not an office cleaner. That position fits into the expectation of the insurer and justifies the big pay out.

There are about one hundred cases pending before the courts around the US alleging that investors have been insuring the lives of strangers. Because this is the equivalent of wagering or betting, the insurers are refusing to pay. In many of these cases, there are paper justifications for the policies, e.g. to insure a borrower. It will be very interesting to see how these cases are resolved. As for the ordinary case, you can confidently get life insurance quotes for any member of your family or other relatives. If someone acts as a carer, this will justify a higher pay-out to cover the cost of a replacement. But, if you are potentially insuring someone not related to you and not acting in some protective role towards you, disclose this fact to the life insurance company before confirming the policy. Only by complete honesty at the outset can you protect everyone’s interests in the long run.

The easiest way to understand how an insurance policy works is to think about gambling. You are about to drive your vehicle out on to the public roads and you make a bet with the insurance company. If you can do this without having an accident, you lose the premium. If you have an accident, the insurance company pays your losses. So, as with a field of horse about to set off round the track, the bookmakers check the records of each horse. How many times has it run and placed. This gives them a basis on which to set the odds. In theory, everyone has access to the same information so you decide whether to place the wager depending on the fairness of the odds quoted. Well, it’s exactly the same with drivers. The insurers make a risk assessment of you as a driver. What make and model are you driving? How many miles a year do you drive? How many years of experience? How many tickets and claims? This profiling gives them the odds of an accident and the company sets the premium rate to quote you. You also know your own track record and have a good basis on which to decide whether to pay the premium.

Unlike a conventional bet, you can decide to self-insure a part of the potential liabilities. This is done through the so-called deductible where you pay the nominated amount before the insurer has to contribute. So if the claim against you is for $800 and you have a deductible of $1,000, you pay the whole of the $800. But if the claim is for $1 million, you only pay $1,000 and the insurance company loves you like a brother. The majority of traffic accidents are minor fender benders and the repair costs are usually low. If no-one is injured, self-insurance is a cost-effective option, i.e. the amount you save on the premium covers the likely payments of claims. But you should consider the issues carefully before accepting the maximum deductibles. Suppose you have a bad run of luck and, in the space of a year, you are involved in three accidents where the claims exceed the deductible. Now you have to find the deductible multiplied by three as a cash sum and your premiums will go up because you have proved yourself a bad risk. Can you afford the pay this lump sum without breaking the bank? Given your premiums are going to rise, do you still want to pay the maximum deductibles in the future?

Planning is all about the worst case scenarios and hoping for the best. There are good discounts for increasing the deductible. There are also good discounts for insuring more than one vehicle or combining both car insurance with home insurance. Because you cannot guarantee you will never have accidents, you should decide what discounts you can find and how much you are prepared to pay if the worst happens. Do not simply buy the cheapest car insurance you can find. In many cases, these policies do not give a good value-for-money cover against liabilities. Shop around and buy the policy that gives you the best protection at a price you can afford.

Through time, a lot of video games have popularized. Many of which have been turned into movies. They normally involve the clash between the good and the bad. Thus, making them violent.

By and large, video games are oftentimes aggressive. Some of those who are indeed too hooked on the popular video games these days may not notice it. They might think that everything is just part of the game plan. They get excited as they are able to finish off their enemies. However, the truth to it all is that there is violence concealed in them.

Many players pick out their bet virtual characters. And it is important to note that they presume the attributes of their favored virtual characters even after the games and can thus lead to a tantamount dose of violence, so to speak. It is just too sad to note that with the advancement that the modern technology pursues with the invention of the computers and video games come along the simulation of violence, murder, and then death.

The Talks Regarding Violence in the Video Games

A lot of debates have arisen in the recent years and the common point that is driven at is the reason on why specific violent themes are being used in this well known and well used media. It paves the way to the development of violent minds among the youngsters to which the pro video games would always contest that playing such is exciting, fun, and adventure-filled.

For as long as it can be remembered, the graphics system involved in the video games spells violence. The virtual beings are endowed with special powers or armaments which they can use to combat with their opponents. The main aim is of course for each virtual being to disarm, defeat, and kill its opponent to be able to win the game. Those who contest the presence of the violent video games believe that this form of media doesn’t pose any benefit to the industry.

A Choice to Make

Video games are being played and adhered to by people from all walks of life and of varying ages. They are not only solely confined for use by the youngsters but by the adults as well. It is for the adult players to be responsible in their actions. They must realize that the game starts and ends in the media and must not be used to concoct violent deeds to be heaped on other individuals. On the other hand, parents should be the ones responsible in facilitating and monitoring the type of video games that their children play and enjoy. After all, there are other means of entertainment apart from the video games.

If its production can’t be hindered from surfacing in the market scene, then there should be ways to be done to control or much more stop the occurrence of violence, murder, and death in the society. The debaters may not agree at one point with regards to the hostility brought by the influence of the video games on its players but one thing is for sure, proper guidance can somehow delimit its impact.