In the previous post we saw that low-risk investments are in high demand. Does this mean that low-risk is always the way to go? Should you avoid risk at all costs?
The answer, as in so many things, is that it depends. Mainly, it depends on when you will need the money. If you are close to retirement, having built up a substantial capital sum over many years, the last thing you want is to suffer a capital loss just before you retire, which will reduce the income from your capital just when you need it to live on. So in that situation, you would want your money to be in low-risk investments.
On the other hand, if you are a young person who is decades away from retirement, you don't actually need your capital to live on just yet; you have your salary. So you can afford to take a few risks with your investments, because if you do suffer a capital loss, there is time to make it up before you actually need the income to live on.
And the reason why it would be good to take a risk if you can, was covered in the previous post: higher rewards!
Let's look at an example. Alan is 32, in a high-paying job, contributing 15% of his salary to his employer's pension fund, and has saved up £10,000 in addition to this, for investment. Through a friend he hears about a very high-risk investment opportunity in green energy. There is a potential for a 30% annual return, but also a real risk of losing everything. If Alan invests, and things turn out as expected, his £10,000 will be worth a cool £37,000 in five years' time, a very nice boost to his pension fund savings. If he then switched the funds into his much more low-risk pension fund investment as an additional contribution, it would either allow him to reduce his contributions going forward to get the same income when he retires, or increase his retirement income- and his options on retirement.
If, on the other hand, the investment fails and he loses his £10,000, it's not the end of the world. Certainly it's a blow, but it won't impact his retirement negatively, and he has many more years yet to save up more money for another go. He can afford to take the risk: a person just about to retire, can't.
Within these broad guidelines, of course, everyone has their own attitude to risk. Some people are more risk-averse: the idea of any loss is awful to them, and so they are willing to sacrifice some potential upside to avoid losses. Others are more sanguine, and feel that the odd loss here or there is worth the extra upside. You need to think carefully about your own attitude to risk, and make sure you take it into account when selecting investments, or when talking to your investment adviser.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Risk and Reward
The lowest-risk investment you can make is to lend money to the Government. It's vanishingly unlikely that the Government will be unable to repay its debts. So your capital is very safe: virtually no risk of losing it. Because many people want this level of safety, the Government doesn't have to offer much of a reward to get people to invest: it pays the lowest level of interest on the capital.
Companies which need funds cannot match that level of security: companies do go insolvent, even the largest, and thus there is always a greater risk of losing some or all of your capital if you lend to a company. So companies are thus forced to pay a higher rate of interest to get people to lend money to them.
So there is a direct relationship between risk and reward: the lower the risk, the lower the reward, and the higher the risk, the higher the reward. It's important to remember this, because salesmen and other unscrupulous individuals often try to paint high-reward investments as "low-risk" to get naive people to invest. But they can't be low-risk. If they were, the promoters would not need to pay high returns, because there is lots and lots of money looking for low-risk investments (pension funds mainly), and they would have no problems getting investors.
The fact is that low-risk is very hard to do. If you're not the Government, the only way to do it is to build a very large and very stable company, over many years, with a solid track record of consistent returns and prudent financial management. Because it's hard to do, there is a shortage of it, and newer companies need to attract funds by paying a higher return, until they have built up the track record that will enable them to qualify as lower-risk.
So the next time your mate tells you about a sure-fire, zero-risk investment that's paying 20% per annum, just tell him there's no such thing. Zero-risk investments never pay much above the bank rate, and investments that have to pay 20% returns to get funds must be so risky that you're one step away from gambling: what brokers euphemistically call "highly speculative". You're very likely to get no return at all, and lose your investment as well.
Companies which need funds cannot match that level of security: companies do go insolvent, even the largest, and thus there is always a greater risk of losing some or all of your capital if you lend to a company. So companies are thus forced to pay a higher rate of interest to get people to lend money to them.
So there is a direct relationship between risk and reward: the lower the risk, the lower the reward, and the higher the risk, the higher the reward. It's important to remember this, because salesmen and other unscrupulous individuals often try to paint high-reward investments as "low-risk" to get naive people to invest. But they can't be low-risk. If they were, the promoters would not need to pay high returns, because there is lots and lots of money looking for low-risk investments (pension funds mainly), and they would have no problems getting investors.
The fact is that low-risk is very hard to do. If you're not the Government, the only way to do it is to build a very large and very stable company, over many years, with a solid track record of consistent returns and prudent financial management. Because it's hard to do, there is a shortage of it, and newer companies need to attract funds by paying a higher return, until they have built up the track record that will enable them to qualify as lower-risk.
So the next time your mate tells you about a sure-fire, zero-risk investment that's paying 20% per annum, just tell him there's no such thing. Zero-risk investments never pay much above the bank rate, and investments that have to pay 20% returns to get funds must be so risky that you're one step away from gambling: what brokers euphemistically call "highly speculative". You're very likely to get no return at all, and lose your investment as well.
Friday, July 27, 2007
The Great Bank Charges Scandal
Bank charges are in the news again, with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) taking a test case to the high court to determine whether the banks are acting unfairly when they levy overdraft fees.
There's no doubt that the fees are grossly unreasonable. But on the other hand, they are spelled out in the fine print, and you can avoid them by not exceeding your agreed overdraft limit. And banks argue that if they are prevented from charging these fees (which amount to billions of pounds a year) then they will have to end free personal banking.
Let's look at these arguments. Firstly, the notification of an unreasonable action doesn't make it reasonable. It might make it avoidable, if there were any other option: but since all banks do it, there isn't.
Secondly, I don't think many people intentionally exceed their overdraft limit: it happens from time to time due to Sod's law, despite your best efforts: why should the bank make money from that? The decision to grant credit could be completely automated (in fact, it probably already is), and if an exceeded overdraft resulted in a bounced cheque, the inconvenience of that would be penalty enough for the hapless account holder, without adding a huge financial penalty on top as well. Especially when multiple charges are levied.
Finally, the threat of the end of free banking. So what? Personal banking is not really free now: there's the pitiful interest paid on current account balances for a start, and then there's the whole penalty fee issue itself, which obviously pays for the "free" banking at the moment. So we are really talking about an issue of fee transparency: how easy is it to know in advance how much you will be charged?
Instead of charging a monthly account fee and a transaction fee for each cheque, which would enable you to know exactly how much your banking costs you, you have the current fiction of "free" banking, coupled with the uncertainty of knowing that any time you take your attention off your account, you could be hit with a couple of hundred pounds of charges, probably when you can least afford it. Which would you prefer?
It's kind of like London Underground saying that you can travel on the Tube for free, but if you ever put your foot over the yellow line, play your music too loudly, or don't move down inside the carriage, you'll get hit with a £2,000 fine.
There's no doubt that the fees are grossly unreasonable. But on the other hand, they are spelled out in the fine print, and you can avoid them by not exceeding your agreed overdraft limit. And banks argue that if they are prevented from charging these fees (which amount to billions of pounds a year) then they will have to end free personal banking.
Let's look at these arguments. Firstly, the notification of an unreasonable action doesn't make it reasonable. It might make it avoidable, if there were any other option: but since all banks do it, there isn't.
Secondly, I don't think many people intentionally exceed their overdraft limit: it happens from time to time due to Sod's law, despite your best efforts: why should the bank make money from that? The decision to grant credit could be completely automated (in fact, it probably already is), and if an exceeded overdraft resulted in a bounced cheque, the inconvenience of that would be penalty enough for the hapless account holder, without adding a huge financial penalty on top as well. Especially when multiple charges are levied.
Finally, the threat of the end of free banking. So what? Personal banking is not really free now: there's the pitiful interest paid on current account balances for a start, and then there's the whole penalty fee issue itself, which obviously pays for the "free" banking at the moment. So we are really talking about an issue of fee transparency: how easy is it to know in advance how much you will be charged?
Instead of charging a monthly account fee and a transaction fee for each cheque, which would enable you to know exactly how much your banking costs you, you have the current fiction of "free" banking, coupled with the uncertainty of knowing that any time you take your attention off your account, you could be hit with a couple of hundred pounds of charges, probably when you can least afford it. Which would you prefer?
It's kind of like London Underground saying that you can travel on the Tube for free, but if you ever put your foot over the yellow line, play your music too loudly, or don't move down inside the carriage, you'll get hit with a £2,000 fine.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
The name's Bond. Premium Bond.
Just saw some interesting research on premium bonds. If you're not familiar with these, they are a type of Government bond (ie, by buying them, you are lending money to the British Government), which means a pretty safe investment: a lot would have to go wrong before the Government couldn't give you your money back. Another benefit is that the interest paid on them is tax-free.
So far, so boring: the law of risk and return, which states that the lower the risk, the lower the return, would mean a pretty low rate of interest on these, given how low-risk they are. And that would normally be the case.
However, in an effort to spice up the returns on these, the Government decided to borrow some tactics from that other great fund-raising idea, the National Lottery. So instead of paying out the interest on the bonds in the normal way, the interest on the whole fund is gathered together, and paid out as prizes to the bondholder. There are two prizes of £1 million, and a host of smaller prizes, distributed each month.
So simply by buying a few bonds, you could become an instant millionaire! And you still get your money back whenever you want it! A lot better than the Lotto, no?
Well, yes, but that's not saying much. The Lotto is an absolute and complete waste of time and money for almost everyone who plays it. And the chances of being one of the winners is so small it's almost zero. You should certainly never look at the Lotto as an investment possibility.
So we should compare Premium Bonds to other investments. And here, we can see that the same blind hope that causes people to waste money on the Lotto each week, serves to hide the fact that Premium Bonds are a very poor investment.
Not only is the interest rate pretty measly (3.8%), but the payout structure means that most bondholders don't even get that. Martin Lewis has an excellent explanation of why this should be, over at his Moneysavingexpert site.
The moral? Always do the maths, look at the bottom line, don't be dazzled by what "might happen". Look at what probably will happen. And in this case, while you hope to win a million, the reality is that in most scenarios, you will lend the money to the Government for nothing. Don't do it!
So far, so boring: the law of risk and return, which states that the lower the risk, the lower the return, would mean a pretty low rate of interest on these, given how low-risk they are. And that would normally be the case.
However, in an effort to spice up the returns on these, the Government decided to borrow some tactics from that other great fund-raising idea, the National Lottery. So instead of paying out the interest on the bonds in the normal way, the interest on the whole fund is gathered together, and paid out as prizes to the bondholder. There are two prizes of £1 million, and a host of smaller prizes, distributed each month.
So simply by buying a few bonds, you could become an instant millionaire! And you still get your money back whenever you want it! A lot better than the Lotto, no?
Well, yes, but that's not saying much. The Lotto is an absolute and complete waste of time and money for almost everyone who plays it. And the chances of being one of the winners is so small it's almost zero. You should certainly never look at the Lotto as an investment possibility.
So we should compare Premium Bonds to other investments. And here, we can see that the same blind hope that causes people to waste money on the Lotto each week, serves to hide the fact that Premium Bonds are a very poor investment.
Not only is the interest rate pretty measly (3.8%), but the payout structure means that most bondholders don't even get that. Martin Lewis has an excellent explanation of why this should be, over at his Moneysavingexpert site.
The moral? Always do the maths, look at the bottom line, don't be dazzled by what "might happen". Look at what probably will happen. And in this case, while you hope to win a million, the reality is that in most scenarios, you will lend the money to the Government for nothing. Don't do it!
Sunday, April 15, 2007
A bit more about me
I am a chartered accountant: during my training I audited a number of stockbrokers, investment banks, and insurance companies, getting a good understanding of how they worked. After I qualified, I worked for a year as an investment analyst, covering insurance companies, and I completed the first year of the Chartered Financial Analyst qualification. So I have a broad understanding of the world of finance and investments, both theoretical and practical.
I am not a stereotypical accountant, though. I do not love numbers for their own sake. The aspects of my work that mean the most to me, are the interactions with people, and the satisfaction of creating something, be it a new system, or a set of financial statements. I have a very strong creative and aesthetic drive. I am a photographer, I love to draw, to read and to write, and I am passionate about architecture, particularly Art Deco.
So even though I have the knowledge and experience of the world of finance, I am the opposite of the practical, numerate, analytical person that some people find so hard to understand. And I'm hoping to act as a bridge between the worlds!
Regarding my present situation: although I have had well-paying jobs for most of my working life, I have not managed to invest anything beyond the automatic pension fund investments deducted from my salary by my employers. In fact, for a number of reasons that seemed like good ideas at the time, I am currently quite heavily in debt. And we are not talking about mortgage debt: I live in rented accommodation.
So I am not writing this blog from the point of view of someone who claims to know it all and to have achieved all my goals: far from it. But the idea is that, by documenting the process by which I get out of debt, buy a property, and start to achieve my investment goals and build real wealth, there will be opportunities for my readers to learn, and also to share their experiences, and together we can achieve more than we could on our own.
I am not a stereotypical accountant, though. I do not love numbers for their own sake. The aspects of my work that mean the most to me, are the interactions with people, and the satisfaction of creating something, be it a new system, or a set of financial statements. I have a very strong creative and aesthetic drive. I am a photographer, I love to draw, to read and to write, and I am passionate about architecture, particularly Art Deco.
So even though I have the knowledge and experience of the world of finance, I am the opposite of the practical, numerate, analytical person that some people find so hard to understand. And I'm hoping to act as a bridge between the worlds!
Regarding my present situation: although I have had well-paying jobs for most of my working life, I have not managed to invest anything beyond the automatic pension fund investments deducted from my salary by my employers. In fact, for a number of reasons that seemed like good ideas at the time, I am currently quite heavily in debt. And we are not talking about mortgage debt: I live in rented accommodation.
So I am not writing this blog from the point of view of someone who claims to know it all and to have achieved all my goals: far from it. But the idea is that, by documenting the process by which I get out of debt, buy a property, and start to achieve my investment goals and build real wealth, there will be opportunities for my readers to learn, and also to share their experiences, and together we can achieve more than we could on our own.
Post the first
Zenvestor is about creating wealth in a new and different way. Much investment advice is very technical and obsessed with quantitative measures like returns. Much wealth creation advice is close to a scam: buy this information pack, and make a fortune. Usually the fortune is made by the person selling the information pack only.
In my view, any investment strategy which ignores the psychological factors that influence behaviour is doomed to failure. It doesn't matter whether the math shows that a particular strategy will produce a fantastic return: if it requires a lot of regular effort, or needs willpower to execute, it won't work for most people.
And if the people who flit from one get-rich scheme to the next actually took a moment to clarify their goals, and then put their energy into something with meaning for them, they would achieve real wealth, even if it took a bit longer than the unrealistic "overnight success" sold by the dream merchants.
And finally, if you're one of those people who is postponing their investment strategy until they get their debt paid off... paying down debt works best when it's part of your investment strategy. It needs to be a positive goal, not a negative drain on your energy.
So here we go. Join me on a voyage of discovery, as we travel the highways and byways of the world of money. If you've ever felt that it's not a world you feel comfortable in, don't worry: I'll show you that it's not really that hard to understand, and that most of those who pretend it is, either don't understand it themselves, or are trying to rip you off. Together, we'll make it- and have fun doing it too!
In my view, any investment strategy which ignores the psychological factors that influence behaviour is doomed to failure. It doesn't matter whether the math shows that a particular strategy will produce a fantastic return: if it requires a lot of regular effort, or needs willpower to execute, it won't work for most people.
And if the people who flit from one get-rich scheme to the next actually took a moment to clarify their goals, and then put their energy into something with meaning for them, they would achieve real wealth, even if it took a bit longer than the unrealistic "overnight success" sold by the dream merchants.
And finally, if you're one of those people who is postponing their investment strategy until they get their debt paid off... paying down debt works best when it's part of your investment strategy. It needs to be a positive goal, not a negative drain on your energy.
So here we go. Join me on a voyage of discovery, as we travel the highways and byways of the world of money. If you've ever felt that it's not a world you feel comfortable in, don't worry: I'll show you that it's not really that hard to understand, and that most of those who pretend it is, either don't understand it themselves, or are trying to rip you off. Together, we'll make it- and have fun doing it too!
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