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Term life Insurance

May 16, 2013 Comments off

Term life Insurance

Term life insurance is designed for healthy individuals, typically is cost effective for short to mid term coverage. This coverage is suited for young to mid age individuals who need to replace lost income if they should die prematurely.

Term insurance is significantly cheaper than other forms of life insurance that carry cash value because the policy pays death benefits only for a specific period of time and doesn’t hold any cash value that permanent insurance policies carry.

The older you get the more expensive term life insurance becomes so the earlier you purchase the cheaper the coverage. The term of the policies typically run from one year upward to thirty years.


If you are in the market for life insurance shop around to get the best coverage for your dollar. I would suggest you start by searching the internet using term life insurance for your keyword.

Depending on the company you purchase from, you may have the ability to convert your term policy into a whole life insurance at a later date, but before the term policy expires.

As with any insurance product, makes sure you understand what you are buying. The more you know that better informed you will be as to making a wise buying decision.

Discuss with the company you are considering what additional riders may be available such as accelerated death benefits and guarantee renewals.

The older you get the costly the coverage and the more likely you will be required to take a health exam, of course the amount of coverage also plays an important part as well. As you get older you may find the cost prohibitive because of your age or current health issues.

Since term insurance is much cheaper than permanent, you could use the extra savings compare to whole life policies and invest the difference. That is assuming you have the discipline to invest the difference regularly for life.

An excellent investment strategy would be to invest the difference between term and permanent life cost with a no load mutual fund. Most mutual fund families sell their mutual funds with a minimum amount at $2,500 though there are other firms that allow $1,000 to start.

Daniel Iuculano, AAMS CMFC

Accredited Asset Management Specialist

Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor

Financial Planning

Investment Ideas Weekly – Monday May 13, 2013

May 13, 2013 Comments off

Investment Ideas Weekly – Monday May 13, 2013

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 (Monday – May 13, 2013)

 A weekly forecast and investment ideas covering a range of technical and fundamental analysis securities to assist you in when to buy and when to sell a specific security.

This is informational only and is not meant as a recommendation to buy or sell any security, but a guide to start the research process before making any stock purchase or a sell recommendation.

 The information provided is based on timely fundamental, technical analysis or both. Technical analysis can change hour by hour; tick by tick so keep that in mind as to the timeliness of the information especially if you are reading this days or even weeks later.

 The market trend as of this past Friday May 10 was strongly bullish  you may add to your existing portfolio or make new purchases.

As of Monday morning the market is heading downward, I would wait until you see an uptick into the positive territory later today or in the week before making any purchases.

The primary trend is Up over the past five days and the longer two week trend is up as well.

———-

Market Watch

 The S&P 500 Index closed the week at 1,633.70, up 1.2%. As weekly jobless claims have continued to make new 5 year lows, the stock market has continued to make new five year highs. The strong upside momentum has once again seen the Russell 2000 small cap Index and the Dow Jones Transportation Index make new highs.

 Stocks to consider based on dividend yield

 

 

Nasdaq 100

 Costco (COST) 7.36 %

  1. Wynn Resorts (WYNN) 7.19 %
  2. Vodafone ( VOD) 5.09 %
  3. Garmin (GRMN) 4.98

 Percent change, 200-day moving average

  1. Green Mountain Coffee ( GMCR) 85.71
  2. NetFlix (NFLX) 77.99 %
  3. Vertex Pharm. (VRTX) 68.01 %
  4. News Corp (NWSA) 63.72 %

 Stocks going up fast, up at least 15 % in the past 5 days and closed positive today

Act (ACT)

Fossil (FOSL)

Precision Castparts (PCP)

Whole Foods (WFM)

 New 52 week High

Ameriprise (AMP)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B)

Costco (COST)

Walt Disney (DIS)

 Stock of the Day

 Provided by Louis Navellier

Orbitz Worldwide (OWW)  – BUY

Industry – Internet & Catalog Retail

Total grade – B

Fundamental grade – C

Volatility – Aggressive

Current Price – $8.20

% Change 2.37 %

 Remember – this information is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security, only as an informational tool so do your own research or seek professional advice.

 Daniel Iuculano, AAMS CMFC

Accredited Asset Management Specialist

Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor

 

 

 

Investments , , , , ,

Housing for College Students

May 9, 2013 Comments off

Housing for College Students

Buying a rental property and using it to house your child during their college might make financial sense especially if you get a good deal on the real estate property.

If you are faced with housing costs for your children to attend college, several factors needs to be considered such as the college’s location, the cost of housing at the college, mortgage rates, insurance coverage and the actual location of the property as it relates to the school.

To keep overall costs down, you might want to consider a three bedroom house that you can rent out the extra bedrooms to other students to share with your child.

Another possible savings could be the cost of meals, eating out or at the school can be pricey so establishing a meal plan and cooking at home can save significant dollars.

When you consider room and board, buying a house can be a good financial strategy, at the same time you will build equity in the investment as well.


When searching for a rental property, I suggest you check out at least three to five homes that are for sale. Make sure that the deal make economical sense as a rental, shop for the best interest rate, consider property tax, maintenance and insurance.

Run the numbers side by side on all properties that you may be considering and thrive for a deal that will give you a positive cash flow to cover your expenses.

You also will save money on taxes if you are renting out the spare bedrooms considering any costs associated with the operations of the rental property including depreciation.

If you are considering a property that has an homeowner association as part of the deal, make sure there are no restrictions that would prevent you from renting out the unused bedrooms to other students.

After graduation you will be faced with a possible “exit strategy”. Should you sell the property or perhaps continue renting to students or a family? This will allow you to continue building equity in the rental property and hopefully the value of the home will appreciate as well.

There are several computer software programs out there that will assist you in making wise financial decisions as it relates to the merits of any rental property deal. Most of them are built on Microsoft Excel engine and easy to use.

You will also find the price of the software reasonable and a much better way of reviewing the financial aspects of ownership vs. relying strictly on a realtor or other real estate professional, bottom line do your homework.

Daniel Iuculano, AAMS CMFC

Accredited Asset Management Specialist

Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor

 

 

 

Financial Planning

Investment Ideas Weekly – Monday May 06, 2013

May 6, 2013 Comments off

Investment Ideas Weekly – Monday May 06, 2013

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 (Monday – May 06, 2013)

 

A weekly forecast and investment ideas covering a range of technical and fundamental analysis securities to assist you in when to buy and when to sell a specific security.

 This is informational only and is not meant as a recommendation to buy or sell any security, but a guide to start the research process before making any stock purchase or a sell recommendation.

The information provided is based on timely fundamental, technical analysis or both. Technical analysis can change hour by hour; tick by tick so keep that in mind as to the timeliness of the information especially if you are reading this days or even weeks later.

 The market trend as of this past Friday May 03 was bullish  you may add to your existing portfolio or make new purchases.

As of Monday morning the market is heading upward, and the longer term trends have been climbing as well.

The primary trend is Up over the past five days and the longer two week trend is up as well.

———-

Market Watch

 Stocks edged higher Monday, boosted by banks, but trading was largely muted with no major economic news on tap and as investors hesitated to jump in after the Dow and S&P 500 hit record highs last week.

 Stocks to consider based on dividend yield

 S&P 500

 

  1. Frontier Communication (FTR) 9.93 %
  2. Pitney-Bowes (PBI) 9.75 %
  3. Costco (COST) 7.38 %
  4. CenturyLink (CTL) 3.55 %

 Percent change, 200-day moving average

  1. NetFlix (NFLX) 65.02 %
  2. First Solar (FSLR) 64.29 %
  3. News Corp (NWSA) 59 %
  4. Best Buy (BBY) 57.44 %

 Stocks going up fast, up at least 15 % in the past 5 days and closed positive today

Apple (AAPL)

Moody’s Corp (MCO)

Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD)

Vulcan Materials Co (VMC)

 New 52 week High

AFLAC (AFL)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B)

The Estee Lauder Co (EL)

Kimco Realty (KIM)

Stock of the Day

 Provided by Louis Navellier

Tyson Foods (TSN)  – BUY

Industry – Food products

Total grade – B

Fundamental grade – B

Volatility – Conservative

Current Price – $24

% Change -3.73 %

 Remember – this information is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security, only as an informational tool so do your own research or seek professional advice.

 Daniel Iuculano, AAMS CMFC

Accredited Asset Management Specialist

Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor

Investments , , , , ,

International Investments

May 2, 2013 Comments off

International Investments

International investing offers the opportunity to capture the benefits of economic growth around the world, for example Belgian equities increased over 35 percent.

Some experts are bullish on some debt, but not all debt though they are selecting what they feel are bargains.

There are risks of course; exchange rates can have a dramatic impact on investment returns along with political and social climates. Liquidity conditions can be more volatile and need to be closely monitored.


Looking toward Europe some experts favor opportunities in northern Germany, Norway and Denmark while being very cautious with debt-ridden economies such as those of Portugal, Ireland and Spain.

In China domestic economy is strengthening due to a growing middle class, while other areas of China may be slowing.

Emerging markets also provide some opportunities such as emerging market health care; over longer time periods, emerging markets usually provide far better returns.

Another advantage of emerging markets is the fact that many companies pay dividends, in some cases you actually get higher dividend yields than in the United States markets and the dividend growth rate is more than double.

For might consider “currencies”, for most investors trading in currencies isn’t the easiest thing to do. That’s why you may wish to turn to currency based exchange traded funds (ETFs).

Depending on an investor skill set, “private equity” is yet another opportunity. If you are able to take a long term view and be patient, the potential returns from international private equity can be significant.

Finally international investing gives you exposure outside of US markets , you can consider foreign companies, exchange traded funds as well as international mutual funds to strengthen your portfolio total rate of return.

Daniel Iuculano, AAMS CMFC

Accredited Asset Management Specialist

Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor

Investments

Investment Ideas Weekly – Monday April 29, 2013

April 29, 2013 Comments off

Investment Ideas Weekly – Monday April 29, 2013

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 (Monday – April 29, 2013)

 A weekly forecast and investment ideas covering a range of technical and fundamental analysis securities to assist you in when to buy and when to sell a specific security.

This is informational only and is not meant as a recommendation to buy or sell any security, but a guide to start the research process before making any stock purchase or a sell recommendation.

The information provided is based on timely fundamental, technical analysis or both. Technical analysis can change hour by hour; tick by tick so keep that in mind as to the timeliness of the information especially if you are reading this days or even weeks later.

 The market trend as of this past Friday Apr 26 was Neutral  so I advise caution if you are considering any new purchases.

As of Monday morning the market is heading upward, and the longer term trends have been climbing as well.

The primary trend is Up over the past five days and the longer two week trend is up as well.

———-

Market Watch

 May gold futures rose 1.1% to $1,469.90 an ounce, as a decline in the dollar helped support commodities prices. Last week, gold ran up 4.2% to snap a four-week losing streak, and to post the largest weekly percentage gain since October 2011.

 Crude-oil futures added 0.3% to $93.23 a barrel. The dollar lost ground against both the euro and the yen.

 Stocks to consider based on dividend yield

  Dow

 

  1. AT&T (T) 4.81 %
  2. Verizon (VZ) 3.81 %
  3. Intel (INTC) 3.78 %
  4. Merck (MRK) 3.55 %

 Percent change, 200-day moving average

  1. Boeing (BA) 18.06 %
  2. Walt Disney (DIS) 17.51 %
  3. Verizon (VZ) 17.53 %
  4. Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) 17.51 %

 Stocks going up fast, up at least 15 % in the past 5 days and closed positive today

Akamai Technologies (AKAM)

DR Horton (DHI)

JC Penney (JCP)

Lennar Corp (LEN)

 New 52 week High

Boeing (BA)

Tripadvisor (TRIP)

Verizon Comm (VZ)

Wynn Hotels (WYNN)

Stock of the Day

 Provided by Louis Navellier

Chevron (CVX)  – HOLD

Industry – Oil Gas & Consumable Fuels

Total grade – C

Fundamental grade – B

Volatility – Conservative

Current Price – $120.315

% Change 0.23 %

Remember – this information is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security, only as an informational tool so do your own research or seek professional advice.

 Daniel Iuculano, AAMS CMFC

Accredited Asset Management Specialist

Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor

Investments , , ,

10 Tax Strategies for Right Now

April 25, 2013 Comments off

10 Tax Strategies for Right Now

Now that April 15th has passed and the majority of tax payers have already completed their tax returns for 2012 tax year, it’s time to look at 10 tax strategies for right now.

  1. Check your tax withholding – be sure to review with your employer the W4 form, most individuals are having too much money withhold from the paychecks. If so you are giving an interest free loan to the federal government, if you are self-employed adjust your quarterly estimates if you find that you are over estimating your tax liabilities.
  2. Maximize your 401k contributions with your employer; at the very least contribute up to the maximum amount your employer is willing to match. After all that is free money and it will significantly increase your overall return on your investment.
  3. Review the impact of the Medicare Surtax – there is an additional 3.8 % surtax on unearned net income if your income is more than $200,000 if filing single or $250,000 if you file jointly.
  4. Consider contributing to an IRA Roth or convert an existing traditional IRA to Roth IRA. You don’t have to convert all at once, consider moving funds over several years to minimize tax bite in any single year.
  5. Consider tax-free investments such as Munis, though I prefer municipal funds versus municipal bonds especially in light of low interest rate environment we are currently in. When interest rates finally start to rise all bonds both munis and corporate bonds will drop in value and will force you to wait until maturity before cashing out.
  6. Estate planning – take advantage of yearly gift tax exclusion, which in 2013 has increased to $14,000 per recipient .Don’t forget you can give away to as many individuals as you wish and if married you both can gift which mean annually the total exclusion would be $28,000.
  7. Medical Expenses – if you plan to deduct medical expenses keep in mind that the amount allowed now is any amount above 10 % of adjusted gross income up from 7.5 percent last year. Where possible consider bundling your medical costs, loading up in one year.
  8. Review with an estate planning attorney various trusts and estate planning techniques. You should review at least every three to five years any estate planning strategy that you have already in place as the estate tax laws change from time to time.
  9. If you are charitably inclined consider contributing to a donor-advised mutual fund. This type of fund allows a write-off now even if donations are not made until later years.
  10. Tax planning versus tax preparation – understand the difference if your intention is to lower your tax liabilities in the future.

Daniel Iuculano, AAMS CMFC

Accredited Asset Management Specialist

Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor

Taxes

Investment Ideas Weekly – Monday April 22, 2013

April 22, 2013 Comments off

Investment Ideas Weekly – Monday April 22, 2013

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 (Monday – April 22, 2013)

 A weekly forecast and investment ideas covering a range of technical and fundamental analysis securities to assist you in when to buy and when to sell a specific security.

 This is informational only and is not meant as a recommendation to buy or sell any security, but a guide to start the research process before making any stock purchase or a sell recommendation.

 The information provided is based on timely fundamental, technical analysis or both. Technical analysis can change hour by hour; tick by tick so keep that in mind as to the timeliness of the information especially if you are reading this days or even weeks later.

 The market trend as of this past Friday Apr 19 was Neutral  so I advise caution if you are considering any new purchases.

As of Monday morning the market is heading to the downside, so I would take a wait and to see a more definitive direction in a day or so before making any purchases.

The primary trend is Downover the past five days and the longer trend is down as well.

———-

Market Watch

 A larger correction in the order of 5–8% from the 1,597 high on the S&P 500 Index should be anticipated in the coming weeks. Strong support exists at 1,500 with the possibility of 1,470 if the buyers decide to stay away. A close below 1,540 will trigger this more aggressive selling and stocks will decline further.

 Stocks to consider based on dividend yield

Nasdaq 100

 

  1. Wynn Resorts (WYNN) 7.84 %
  2. Costco (COST) 7.75 %
  3. Garmin Ltd (GRMN) 5.46 %
  4. Vodafone (VOD) 5.18 %

 Percent change, 200-day moving average

  1. Vertex Pharm (VRTX) 74.16 %
  2. News Corp (NWSA) 55.43 %
  3. Netflix (NFLX) 37.53 %
  4. Green Mountain Coffee (GMCR) 36.43 %

 Stocks going up fast, up at least 15 % in the past 5 days and closed positive today

Monster Worldwide (MNST)

New 52 week High

Beam Inc (BEAM)

WW Grainger (GWW)

Molson Coors (TAP)

Verizon Comm (VZ)

Stock of the Day

 Provided by Louis Navellier

Google (GOOG)  – BUY

Industry – Internet Software & Services

Total grade – B

Fundamental grade – B

Volatility – Conservative

Current Price – $789.89

% Change -1.25 %

 Remember – this information is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security, only as an informational tool so do your own research or seek professional advice.

 Daniel Iuculano, AAMS CMFC

Accredited Asset Management Specialist

Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor

Investments , , ,

Investment Ideas Weekly – Monday April 15, 2013

April 15, 2013 Comments off

Investment Ideas Weekly – Monday April 15, 2013

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Receive my best financial and investment strategies for free.
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 (Monday – April 15, 2013)

 A weekly forecast and investment ideas covering a range of technical and fundamental analysis securities to assist you in when to buy and when to sell a specific security.

 This is informational only and is not meant as a recommendation to buy or sell any security, but a guide to start the research process before making any stock purchase or a sell recommendation.

 The information provided is based on timely fundamental, technical analysis or both. Technical analysis can change hour by hour; tick by tick so keep that in mind as to the timeliness of the information especially if you are reading this days or even weeks later.

 The market trend as of this past Friday Apr 12 was Neutral  so I advise caution if you are considering any new purchases.

As of Monday morning the market is heading to the downside, so I would take a wait and to see a more definitive direction in a day or so before making any purchases.

The primary trend is Up over the past five days and the longer trend is up as well.

———-

Market Watch

 U.S. stocks sold off more Monday after a report showed an index of home builders fell to a six-month low in April. The Dow Jones fell 107 points to 14,758 versus a loss of around 70 points before the data. The S&P 500 was down 13 points at 1,575. The Nasdaq Composite slid 31 points to 3,265.

 

 Stocks to consider based on dividend yield

S&P 500

 

  1. Pitney-Bowes (PBI) 9.94 %
  2. Frontier Com (FTR) 9.48 %
  3. Donnelley & Sons (RRD) 8.59 %
  4. Wynn Resorts (WYNN) 7.78 %

 Percent change, 200-day moving average

  1. News Corp (NWSA) 54.16 %
  2. Best Buy (BBY) 54.13 %
  3. Netflix (NFLX) 47.65 %
  4. Safeway inc (SWY) 42.51 %

 Stocks going up fast, up at least 15 % in the past 5 days and closed positive today

Monster Worldwide (MNST

)

New 52 week High

Amgen (AMGN)

Kellogg (K)

AT&T. (T)

Yahoo (YHOO)

Stock of the Day

 Provided by Louis Navellier

Caterpillar (CAT)  – Sell

Industry – Machinery

Total grade – F

Fundamental grade – C

Volatility – Conservative

Current Price – $82.92

% Change -2.5 %

 Remember – this information is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security, only as an informational tool so do your own research or seek professional advice.

 Daniel Iuculano, AAMS CMFC

Accredited Asset Management Specialist

Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor

Investments , , ,
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