Atlantic International Partnership Headlines by Candice Middleton: July 2011

Friday, July 15, 2011

Atlantic International Partnership Headlines: Feds Sue Bankers Over Fall in Bonds | Blurpalicious

Federal regulators accused J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC of duping five large credit unions into buying more than $3 billion in mortgage bonds that were “destined to perform poorly,” and that quickly sank the credit unions.

The two civil lawsuits filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., by the National Credit Union Administration are the most aggressive move yet by U.S. regulators to recover losses from Wall Street firms for alleged wrongdoing before and during the financial crisis.

Atlantic International Partnership Headlines: Feds Sue Bankers Over Fall in Bonds | utterbackpac | Social-Bookmarking.Net

Many of the nation’s 7,000 credit unions, which play a critical role

Altlantic International Partnership Headlines: ETFs hold overlooked risks for... | utterbackpac | Social-Bookmarking.Net | Blurpalicious

Exchange traded funds, mutual fund-like baskets of securities that trade like stocks, possess hidden downsides that could hit unaware investors, the North American Securities Administrators Association cautioned Monday.

The NASAA, an organization of the states’ top securities regulators, is

most concerned about two relatively new types of ETFs that are designed to either invest using borrowed money — leveraged ETFs — or to move in the opposite direction of a market or index — inverse ETFs.”These exotic ETFS are beyond the ability of mom and pops to evaluate or hold,” says David Massey, president of the NASAA.

The NASAA advisory comes amid soaring popularity of ETFs, which are winning favor with investors because, while they can diversify a portfolio like a mutual fund, they can be bought and sold during the day.

Yet, despite ETFs’ popularity, regulators worry investors don’t understand the risks. They’re hoping to get ahead of future problems by issuing warnings:

•Structure. Many inverse ETFs are marketed to bearish investors as a way to bet against the broad market. Likewise, many leveraged ETFs are sold as ways for investors to take extra-large bets when they’re bullish. However, most of these ETFs are adjusted each day, prompting investors to rack up taxable gains, the NASAA says.

•Fees. ETFs are best known for being less costly than mutual funds, but investors often overlook other costs, including the difference between the price they pay to buy the ETFs and the sell price. Additionally, investors may rack up trading commissions if they trade ETFs frequently.

•Risk of closure. Given the jump in the number of ETFs, many will not survive, and investors may find themselves paying redemption fees or having the money tied up while funds are returned.

Closures haven’t been a big issue, though, as just one ETF has closed this year, and another six have announced closures, in the universe of 1,280 ETFs and related investments, says Morningstar’s Robert Goldsborough.

It’s ultimately up to do-it-yourself investors to read the prospectuses on all investments, especially complex ones, says Gary Gastineau of ETF Consultants. “If someone just buys” an ETF and doesn’t understand how the leverage works or what investments the ETF owns, they may get “a disappointing result,” he says.

Altlantic International Partnership Headlines: ETFs hold overlooked risks for... | utterbackpac | Social-Bookmarking.Net

One of the fastest-growing and most popular investments on Wall Street is threatening to burn investors unaware of the risks, regulators say.

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The NASAA, an organization of the states’ top securities regulators, is

Yet, despite ETFs’ popularity, regulators worry investors don’t understand the risks. They’re hoping to get ahead of future problems by issuing warnings:

•Risk of closure. Given the jump in the number of ETFs, many will not survive, and investors may find themselves paying redemption fees or having the money tied up while funds are returned.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Altlantic International Partnership Headlines: China data lifts global stocks, Greek crisis bubbles

http://altlanticinternationalpartnership.net/2011/06/altlantic-international-partnership-headlines-china-data-lifts-global-stocks-greek-crisis-bubbles/(Reuters) – Evidence that China may avoid a hard landing for its high-flying economy lifted riskier assets such as stocks on Tuesday although investors remained on edge about the deepening Greek debt crisis.
Fresh from being downgraded by S&P to just above default, Greece was set to sell six-month treasury bills later in the day in what will be a clear test of investors’ view of the country’s short-term prospects.
The cost of insuring Greek debt against default rose as did the yield on Greek government bonds. Greek stocks fell 1 percent, but European shares were otherwise buoyant.
Euro zone finance ministers were to meet in Brussels where the crisis and the disagreement between Germany and the European Central Bank over whether Greece should restructure will take centre stage.
For the time being, however, financial markets focused on data from China which was interpreted as negating the need for aggressive tightening by policymakers.
China’s inflation accelerated in May to a 34-month-high of 5.5 percent, while retail sales came in marginally higher than forecast and industrial output was slightly lower.
Although a little above expectations, the inflation data suggested Chinese price rises were not out of control and that growth is being managed.
After the data, China’s central bank increased the reserve requirement ratio for its commercial lenders by another 50 basis points, its sixth increase this year, extending its campaign to tame inflation.
“A measured slowdown in the Chinese economy is just what investors want, with today’s figures providing some hope that this is just what is unfolding,” said Keith Bowman, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.
World stocks as measured by MSCI were up 0.6 percent while the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 gained 0.9 percent.
Earlier, Japan’s Nikkei closed barely changed from the previous day.
BUOYANT EURO
Greece’s trials did little to discourage investors from buying the euro, which rose more than a quarter a percent against the dollar to $1.4458 .
Despite the debt crisis, the euro has climbed 8 percent against the dollar this year, nearly 7 percent against the yen and 2.5 percent against the pound .
This is primarily on the back of different expectations for interest rate rises. The ECB is expected to tighten policy for the second time this year in July while the U.S. economy is struggling, pointing to a continued period of ultra-low interest rates there.
“Clearly the markets are very concerned about the U.S. economy and the U.S. debt situation itself,” said Greg Gibbs, strategist at RBS. “Those are the key factors preventing what would normally be a bigger fallout, given the amount of risk around the European situation.”
Yields on core euro zone debt rose slightly with 10-year German Bunds offering 2.98 percent. Greece’s 10 year bond yield climbed 4 basis points to 17.14 percent .

Altlantic International Partnership Headlines: Nuclear power struggling in post-Fukushima world

http://altlanticinternationalpartnership.net/2011/06/altlantic-international-partnership-headlines-nuclear-power-struggling-in-post-fukushima-world/
A number of countries have shelved their nuclear power in the wake of the nuclear meltdown in Japan.
But Glenna Chair of the Board of Directors of Atomic Ltd., tells BNN the industry is already on the mend – and that many countries will struggle to replace nuclear energy with low-carbon emitting power.
“To have reliable and carbon-free (energy), they are going to really be put to the test,” she says.
John Licata, chief commodity strategist at Blue Phoenix, compares what’s happening with the nuclear industry post-Fukushima to what happened to the oil industry after the Macondo oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico last year.
He says it took less than a year for that industry to meaningfully recover. He sees the tides turning for the nuclear industry by the end of the year, saying he thinks “that the reaction has been quite overblown.”
Tom Adams, independent energy analyst counters, says there is no parallel between the two situations.
“The industry has to go back to the drawing board. People are losing confidence in the technology,” he says.

Atlantic International Partnership Headlines: Feds Sue Bankers Over Fall in Bonds

http://altlanticinternationalpartnership.net/2011/06/atlantic-international-partnership-headlines-despite-setback-plaintiffs-to-pursue-wal-mart-cases/
Federal regulators accused J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC of duping five large credit unions into buying more than $3 billion in mortgage bonds that were “destined to perform poorly,” and that quickly sank the credit unions.
The two civil lawsuits filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., by the National Credit Union Administration are the most aggressive move yet by U.S. regulators to recover losses from Wall Street firms for alleged wrongdoing before and during the financial crisis.
Many of the nation’s 7,000 credit unions, which play a critical role

Atlantic International Partnership Funding Group Builder Stocks Fall as Home Price Decline Persists

http://www.blochure.com/atlantic-international-partnership-funding-group-builder-stocks-fall-as-home-price-decline-persists-3542/

Shares of homebuilders slipped Tuesday after a closely watched housing index showed that home prices are falling in most major U.S. cities.
By The Associated Press. From www.businessweek.com news articles.
AIFG has established a unique and innovative concept in the mortgage industry (Partnership Servicing) that is ideally suited to a challenging economy and real estate market. If you don’t know about our concept, then here’s an opportunity to learn more.
Analysts expect further price declines heading into the summer season, which could further slow the recovery for an industry which is coming off the worst two years for home construction dating to 1959.
The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index released Tuesday shows that home prices dropped in 19 cities from December to January, the sixth consecutive month that the index fell. A majority of the metro areas tracked by the index now have home prices at levels dating back to 2003, just as the housing boom began. In four cities -- Atlanta, Las Vegas, Detroit and Cleveland -- home values are at their lowest point in 11 years.
The report followed a Commerce Department announcement on Friday that new-home sales plunged in February for the third month in a row.
However, an analyst with KeyBanc Capital Markets found some positive news in the S&P/Case-Shiller report. With seasonal adjustments factored in, just 12 of the 20 cities in the index experienced month-over-month price declines, compared with 19 of 20 cities three months earlier, analyst Kenneth Zener said in a research note.
Zener said that statistic suggests that a partial recovery is under way. However, he expects home prices to continue declining on a month-to-month basis into June, "as sellers court tepid buyers amid a still-large supply of inventory."
The housing market has recently been slower to recover than other areas of the economy, in part due to the expiration of government programs to spur more homebuying. Zener said he doesn't expect further government moves to encourage buying through tax credits. However, he expects indirect government support to continue through lending agencies, loan modification programs, and government purchases of mortgage-backed securities.
Shares of Lennar Corp. saw the steepest decline among major homebuilder stocks, dropping 68 cents, or 3.4 percent, to close at $19.07. Lennar on Tuesday posted a surprise fiscal first-quarter profit, but also reported that it delivered fewer homes and saw a decline in new home orders.
A look at the performance of other major homebuilder stocks:
D.R. Horton Inc. lost 20 cents, or nearly 2 percent, to $11.95.
MDC Holdings Inc. fell 53 cents, or about 2 percent, to $25.84.
KB Home declined 25 cents, or 2 percent, to $12.94.
Ryland Group Inc. dropped 30 cents, or nearly 2 percent, to $16.41.
Standard Pacific Corp. fell 9 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $3.74.
Toll Brothers Inc. fell 4 cents to $20.44, while PulteGroup Inc. dipped a penny to $7.65.
Meritage Homes Corp. rose 8 cents to $24.27. Beazer Homes USA Inc. slipped 3 cents to $4.66 and Hovanian Enterprises Inc. lost 3 cents to $3.58.
Meanwhile, the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index finished up 0.7 percent on the day.

Atlantic International Partnership Madrid - How come my tracker fund is volatile?

http://www.widepr.com/press_release/13454/atlantic_international_partnership_madrid_how_come_my_tracker_fund_is_volatile.html
Traders are usually piling cash into tracker funds, with a lot more purchased in 2010 compared with any year over the last 10 years.
Atlantic International Partnership (AIP) offers a comprehensive service giving you, AIP investors and entrepreneurs access to Marketplaces in your region and around the World.
AIP investors are uniquely dynamic individuals or groups of individuals. AIP investors invest their capital in new or early stage companies. We have found that AIP investors are not a source of capital alone but we have found them to make excellent mentors. As most AIP investors are in fact successful entrepreneurs or business people themselves we have found that they are able to offer entrepreneurs advice and helpful suggestions based on the experience that they have accumulated from their own businesses.
Are you looking in being an international investor?
Traders tend to be attracted by the cheaper tracker funds and the majority believe they provide the less risky alternative, because as their name indicates, they observe stocks in an entire index, instead of attempting to choose winning trades.
Nonetheless, they are often more volatile compared with what investors believe.
Followers feel they may be greater than those manage by account professionals since people won't be able to constantly beat the stock market trading.
Over 2 / 3 of funds frequently don't overcome the index of the stock exchange they may be committed to.
An excellent manager could nevertheless beat a tracker. The most effective in the UK Almost all Firms are very well in advance, using the L&G UK Alpha fund providing dividends of 98.5% over 5 years as the finest tracker, the HSBC FTSE 250, just delivered 28.9%.
Nonetheless within the similar interval the actual toughest tracker still generated 4%, as the worst fund run by a broker, the Rathbone Recovery, shed a stunning 52.6%.
Results via information gurus Morningstar display the common tracker fund profit inside the UK Companies field ended up being 15.2% in the last 5 years. This comes even close to a standard profit of 11.4% regarding funds having a broker.
Spending fewer for your account is among the essential offering factors.
As they do not require associated with professionals, economists or even strategists, the price of operating these will always be reduced.
Frequently they don’t have any advance charges and possess a yearly charge of between 0.25% and 1% annually. Funds having a broker can hold the heading charge of 1% to at least 1.5% per year.
However the correct charges may be substantially increased. The standard Total Costs Percentage, which includes additional expenses for instance attorney's fees, will be 1.68%, but tend to be a little more than 2%.
The notion that the UK tracker is founded on domestic title blue chip firms will be extensive from the mark, nevertheless.
The current FTSE one hundred index provides names numerous will likely have never heard about, such as, Vedanta Resources and Intertek Group.
Over of the FTSE one hundred consists of financial institutions as well as insurance agencies and nearly is made up of gas and oil companies.
Mark Dampier, head of study at financial adviser Hargreaves Lansdown claims this could reveal investors to serious situations.
He explained: 'If underneath is lost from the product industry the FTSE would probably drop in a way. The FTSE 100 will be operated at this time through mining and oils, which mean you, continue to obtain the extremes and you're simply using a trend.'
Here at AIP Madrid we appreciate that each and every individual investor is a uniquely complex person. It’s our belief in this that has led us develop a widely recognised innovative investment philosophy. At AIP we believe that our methodology can significantly increase the success of our private clients investments.
Atlantic International Partnership’s philosophy of investment brings together our thorough assessment of prospective investors with our advanced portfolio building programs. Altogether this allows us to provide tailor made solutions designed to deliver the right performance for each client. These AIP investor profiles allow us to provide the confidence needed between a client and their advisor, helping to make the right decisions in both the good times and the turbulent times. This leads to improved results in performance over the long-term.

Altlantic International Partnership Headlines: ETFs hold overlooked risks for investors, regulator says.

http://altlantic-internationalpartnership.com/2011/07/altlantic-international-partnership-headlines-etfs-hold-overlooked-risks-for-investors-regulator-says/
Exchange traded funds, mutual fund-like baskets of securities that trade like stocks, possess hidden downsides that could hit unaware investors, the North American Securities Administrators Association cautioned Monday.
The NASAA, an organization of the states’ top securities regulators, is
most concerned about two relatively new types of ETFs that are designed to either invest using borrowed money — leveraged ETFs — or to move in the opposite direction of a market or index — inverse ETFs.”These exotic ETFS are beyond the ability of mom and pops to evaluate or hold,” says David Massey, president of the NASAA.
The NASAA advisory comes amid soaring popularity of ETFs, which are winning favor with investors because, while they can diversify a portfolio like a mutual fund, they can be bought and sold during the day.
Yet, despite ETFs’ popularity, regulators worry investors don’t understand the risks. They’re hoping to get ahead of future problems by issuing warnings:
•Structure. Many inverse ETFs are marketed to bearish investors as a way to bet against the broad market. Likewise, many leveraged ETFs are sold as ways for investors to take extra-large bets when they’re bullish. However, most of these ETFs are adjusted each day, prompting investors to rack up taxable gains, the NASAA says.
•Fees. ETFs are best known for being less costly than mutual funds, but investors often overlook other costs, including the difference between the price they pay to buy the ETFs and the sell price. Additionally, investors may rack up trading commissions if they trade ETFs frequently.
•Risk of closure. Given the jump in the number of ETFs, many will not survive, and investors may find themselves paying redemption fees or having the money tied up while funds are returned.
Closures haven’t been a big issue, though, as just one ETF has closed this year, and another six have announced closures, in the universe of 1,280 ETFs and related investments, says Morningstar’s Robert Goldsborough.
It’s ultimately up to do-it-yourself investors to read the prospectuses on all investments, especially complex ones, says Gary Gastineau of ETF Consultants. “If someone just buys” an ETF and doesn’t understand how the leverage works or what investments the ETF owns, they may get “a disappointing result,” he says.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Atlantic International Partnership : About us | Blurpalicious

AIP investors are uniquely dynamic individuals or groups of individuals. AIP investors invest their capital in new or early stage companies. We have found that AIP investors are not a source of capital alone but we have found them to make excellent mentors. As most AIP investors are in fact successful entrepreneurs or business people themselves we have found that they are able to offer entrepreneurs advice and helpful suggestions based on the experience that they have accumulated from their own businesses.

At AIP we have over 250,000 active investors around the World.

This website is designed to help prospective AIP investors connect with our portfolio start-up companies or entrepreneurs to help create a successful business who’s positive effect will be of benefit to all parties involved.

Our People

Our investment team brings together a wealth of experience, much of it gained in fund management roles in the major financial centres in America, Europe and Asia. We have actively recruited a dynamic mixture of analysts and advisers who have proven results in their fields of expertise. Our team serves both individual and institutional investors. All are given the same exceptional access to our full compliment of financial services available.

Having chosen to work in the dynamic environment of our company, where each client is known as an individual, our investment managers are able to offer you a standard of investment expertise often only available to larger institutional investors.

AIP, along with the individual and institutional investors, provides investment advisory services to corporate pension funds, public retirement plans, endowments and foundations, mutual funds and Client’s Trust Funds.

Our Philosophy

Here at AIP we appreciate that each and every individual investor is a uniquely complex person. It’s our belief in this that has led us develop a widely recognised innovative investment philosophy. At AIP we believe that our methodology can significantly increase the success of our private clients investments.

Our philosophy of investment brings together our thorough assessment of prospective investors with our advanced portfolio building programs. Altogether this allows us to provide tailor made solutions designed to deliver the right performance for each client. These AIP investor profiles allow us to provide the confidence needed between a client and their advisor, helping to make the right decisions in both the good times and the turbulent times. This leads to improved results in performance over the long-term.

Our Investment Philosophy is simple, and can be surmised in the following three parts:

1. Discover your unique investment profile

Our team of AIP advisors are here to assess and produce your unique investment profile from the information that you provide in an interview with one of our senior analysts. We use sophisticated methods of assessment to identify the traits taken from your interview to construct a profile which describes to us how you react to and handle, as an individual, various financial situations and decisions. From these traits or characteristics of your investment profile we can form a highly detailed picture of the kind of unique individual that you are and how you relate to your financial health and well-being.

2. Generate an innovative portfolio designed to match your investment profile

We have developed a novel structure for our investment portfolios. Different investments are classified by the objectives and time limits set out by an investment profile. This results in such investment portfolios which are designed to maximise on return according to the amount of time and investment each individual inputs. This will increase you ability to manage your wealth.

3. Take advantage of AIP’s advance investment methodologies

AIP is committed to using the industry’s latest and most sophisticated methods and techniques to design and carry out a range of investment options that are appropriate for your investment profile.

Atlantic International Partnership: ABOUT US - Saeo | Blurpalicious

Atlantic International Partnership: ABOUT US - Saeo | Blurpalicious

We have found that AIP investors are not a source of capital alone but we have found them to make excellent mentors. As most AIP investors are in fact successful entrepreneurs or business people themselves we have found that they are able to offer entrepreneurs advice and helpful suggestions based on the experience that they have accumulated from their own businesses.

At AIP we have over 250,000 active investors around the World.

Our People

Our Philosophy

Our Investment Philosophy is simple, and can be surmised in the following three parts:

1. Discover your unique investment profile

2. Generate an innovative portfolio designed to match your investment profile

3. Take advantage of AIP’s advance investment methodologies

AIP is committed to using the industry’s latest and most sophisticated methods and techniques to design and carry out a range of investment options that are appropriate for your investment profile. We use these methodologies in every single stage in the building of your portfolio

Atlantic International Partnership: ABOUT US - Saeo

At AIP we have over 250,000 active investors around the World.

Our People

Our Philosophy

Our Investment Philosophy is simple, and can be surmised in the following three parts:

1. Discover your unique investment profile

2. Generate an innovative portfolio designed to match your investment profile

3. Take advantage of AIP’s advance investment methodologies

Atlantic International Partnership: ABOUT US

http://atlanticinternationalpartnershipnews.com/about-us/

Atlantic International Partnership (AIP) offers a comprehensive service giving you, AIP investors and entrepreneurs access to Marketplaces in your region and around the World.
AIP investors are uniquely dynamic individuals or groups of individuals. AIP investors invest their capital in new or early stage companies. We have found that AIP investors are not a source of capital alone but we have found them to make excellent mentors. As most AIP investors are in fact successful entrepreneurs or business people themselves we have found that they are able to offer entrepreneurs advice and helpful suggestions based on the experience that they have accumulated from their own businesses.
At AIP we have over 250,000 active investors around the World.
This website is designed to help prospective AIP investors connect with our portfolio start-up companies or entrepreneurs to help create a successful business who’s positive effect will be of benefit to all parties involved.
Our People
Our investment team brings together a wealth of experience, much of it gained in fund management roles in the major financial centres in America, Europe and Asia. We have actively recruited a dynamic mixture of analysts and advisers who have proven results in their fields of expertise. Our team serves both individual and institutional investors. All are given the same exceptional access to our full compliment of financial services available.
Having chosen to work in the dynamic environment of our company, where each client is known as an individual, our investment managers are able to offer you a standard of investment expertise often only available to larger institutional investors.
AIP, along with the individual and institutional investors, provides investment advisory services to corporate pension funds, public retirement plans, endowments and foundations, mutual funds and Client’s Trust Funds.
Our Philosophy
Here at AIP we appreciate that each and every individual investor is a uniquely complex person. It’s our belief in this that has led us develop a widely recognised innovative investment philosophy. At AIP we believe that our methodology can significantly increase the success of our private clients investments.
Our philosophy of investment brings together our thorough assessment of prospective investors with our advanced portfolio building programs. Altogether this allows us to provide tailor made solutions designed to deliver the right performance for each client. These AIP investor profiles allow us to provide the confidence needed between a client and their advisor, helping to make the right decisions in both the good times and the turbulent times. This leads to improved results in performance over the long-term.
Our Investment Philosophy is simple, and can be surmised in the following three parts:
1. Discover your unique investment profile
Our team of AIP advisors are here to assess and produce your unique investment profile from the information that you provide in an interview with one of our senior analysts. We use sophisticated methods of assessment to identify the traits taken from your interview to construct a profile which describes to us how you react to and handle, as an individual, various financial situations and decisions. From these traits or characteristics of your investment profile we can form a highly detailed picture of the kind of unique individual that you are and how you relate to your financial health and well-being.
2. Generate an innovative portfolio designed to match your investment profile
We have developed a novel structure for our investment portfolios. Different investments are classified by the objectives and time limits set out by an investment profile. This results in such investment portfolios which are designed to maximise on return according to the amount of time and investment each individual inputs. This will increase you ability to manage your wealth.
3. Take advantage of AIP’s advance investment methodologies
AIP is committed to using the industry’s latest and most sophisticated methods and techniques to design and carry out a range of investment options that are appropriate for your investment profile. We use these methodologies in every single stage in the building of your portfolio.

Altlantic International Partnership Headlines: Financial Tips for New Grads

http://atlanticinternationalpartnershipnews.com/2011/05/altlantic-international-partnership-headlines-financial-tips-for-new-grads/

Just Do It
For other users, their key advice to new grads was to get started with saving and investing, even if it means starting small.

Career Opportunities
Recognizing that many college grads are feeling their way for their next step in life, several users were happy to oblige with guidance on matters of careers and education.

About the Author

Christine Benz is Morningstar’s director of personal finance and author of 30-Minute Money Solutions: A Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Your Finances and the Morningstar Guide to Mutual Funds: 5-Star Strategies for Success. Follow Christine on Twitter: @christine_benz and on Facebook.

Contact Author | Meet other investing specialists

Dragonpat wrote, “Nowadays it is even more important to do what I did when I was 21 if you can. Go to graduate school/med school/vet school/physician’s assistant training in something that you like and you can earn enough to support yourself and possibly dependents in the future.”
Scott123 opined that individuals should balance career and education plans with the return on investment. ”Do what is fulfilling and what you are good at. If that means grad school, go. Work hard to get that scholarship, and if it means state school rather than the Ivy, do it. Every employer you would want to work for understands that going to a second-tier school with a full ride was a better decision than taking out $200,000 in student loans to go to Harvard.”
Some posters were more equivocal, urging young folks to stay out of debt when pursuing advanced degrees.
Teacherman opined, “The economic universe is completely different from the way it was when I was a graduate. The job market is much more precarious. I would advise graduates to be very wary of incurring additional debt for graduate studies. A generous fellowship is essential for those whose parents are not loaded. Do not attempt to pay for post-graduate work yourself.”
In a related vein, CashMoneyMD is grateful that he didn’t go into hock to obtain an advanced degree, even if it meant some lifestyle compromises. “I’m 29 years old now. I went through an engineering undergrad and then went to medical school afterwards. I have no loans to pay back. Why? Because my amazing parents [saved to send me to college], and after I got out of college I worked as an engineer for a couple of years. While my counterparts were leasing/financing BMWs and renting nice apartments downtown, I was living at home, driving the same car I had since high school.”
Life Matters
Recognizing that personal finances are deeply intertwined with a person’s priorities and values, some posters offered advice on life matters as well as financial ones.
In addition to providing some financial pointers, Larry3 advised, “Work hard and have fun” and “Do something good for someone every day.” Can’t argue with that.
Scott123 wrote that squirreling away money isn’t the only worthwhile way to deploy cash. “Make investing/saving a priority, but don’t forget to set aside some funds for your quality of life, like going to sporting or entertainment events, taking vacations, particularly to see family (why haven’t you called?), or giving to charity.”
Finally, RetiredinFL spoke for all of us with this evergreen life advice.
“Be yourself, not what somebody else wants. Set short- and long-range goals. You will achieve what you really want. Help others who are in need.”

Christine Benz will show you how to “Do Your Own Portfolio Makeover” in a live web seminar at 12 p.m. Central Time on Monday, May 23.Premium Members: register for this exclusive event free.
Not a member? You can still sign up when you
take a free 14-day Premium trial now.

FidlStix spoke from experience about the virtues of not tarrying when it comes to saving and investing. “Coming out of a famous West Coast college in the mid-60s, idealistic, and very much into the hippie scene, I was totally impervious to financial advice or anything to do with saving money.
“Now, these older, wiser eyes see my world quite differently. I’d tell a new grad to save, save, save, and learn the basics of investing your money, so you have a shot at being financially independent when you’re no longer working. I waited almost too long to take hold of the notion of saving and investing.”
AnaRegalia agreed about the benefits of starting early. “It’s the discipline of saving, not just how much you can save that will allow the average American to reach critical financial mass. I have a daughter in college, and we started a retirement account for her when she got her first job at 16. That money has more than 40 years of growth potential. Now that the retirement account is open, she has an awareness that she has a responsibility to save for retirement, no different than the responsibility to pay any other bill.”
“Likewise as soon as a child is born, start a college fund–even if you only open it with $100. Determine how much you can afford to save annually and fund it every month, just as if it were another bill.”
Darwinian noted that putting money to work on a regular basis is the best way to impose discipline on an investment program. “Use ‘dollar cost averaging,’ investing a fixed amount every month, preferably as an automatic paycheck deduction. It is easier to save money you never see, and this strategy will increase your investment returns because you will be buying more shares when their prices are low.”
Winstondunn urged new grads/new investors to not be deterred if they make a few mistakes along the way. “As soon as you have a job and stable income, invest in stocks every month. Put aside the money that you need for living that month, put aside an emergency fund (for example, three months of living [expenses]), then invest in stock. You will be clueless in the beginning and make a few mistakes. But you will lose little money because you don’t have much money at the beginning. You will gain experience from your mistakes. In a few years, you will have more money to invest, with more experience.”
Cutthroat pointed out that you don’t even need to have cash to start the learning process. “Even if you don’t have the cash to do it, create a phantom portfolio and watch it. Learn how the markets move and how to balance the portfolio regularly.”
Users also enthused about the virtues of taking advantaged of tax-sheltered vehicles. Rathgar advised, “Save the 15% in a tax-sheltered retirement plan and start at age 21. Everyone is eligible for an IRA once they have income.”
Taylor Larimore was on a similar wavelength: “‘What do you wish someone had told you when you were 21 and had a fresh diploma in hand?’ Open a Roth IRA at your first opportunity.”

Altlantic International Partnership Headlines: Fukushima fallout: Japan to go slow on nuke talks with India

http://atlanticinternationalpartnershipnews.com/2011/06/altlantic-international-partnership-headlines-fukushima-fallout-japan-to-go-slow-on-nuke-talks-with-india/
Japan’s relation with India has its roots in history. India is the place from which Buddhism spread to Japan almost 1500 years ago, via China and Korea, and, therefore, occupies a very special place in the hearts of the people of Japan. The two countries are now strengthening their ties as strategic partners, not just in this part of the world, but also in various arenas globally, and emerging as true ‘Global Partners’. The 2000 visit of the then Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori to India in fact marked a new beginning in the bilateral relation and it was re-affirmed that the two countries were indispensable strategic partners to each other. It was then decided that Prime Ministers of both countries would take turn to visit the other every year. Since then we have been making very hard efforts to strengthen bilateral relations in the political, economic and cultural areas. If you look at maps, Japan and India are located nearly 6000 kilometers away from each other. We have been treating each other as very important partners from the geo-strategic viewpoint. It is only natural that the two countries come close at the strategic level. We have a giant neighbour in common. There are many levels of dialogues between Japan and India. At the top, we have a dialogue between Prime Ministers. We have a strategic dialogue at the level of Foreign Ministers. We have just added another– a Ministerial Dialogue on Economic Issues to be led by Foreign Ministers, with participation of ministers holding finance, commerce and environment portfolios. We are now discussing a date and a venue to hold the dialogue. We have a Foreign Secretary level dialogue too. So we are looking forward to the intensification of consultations at all levels. Indian Defence Minister is expected to go to Tokyo sometime this year to hold talks with his counterparts in Japan. So, on a whole, I think we have very excellent bilateral ties and the future of our strategic partnership looks very promising.
India has been the top recipient of Japan’s Overseas Development Assistance. Do you think that the March 11 earthquake and tsunami can have an impact on the Japanese ODA inflow to India?
No. It is true that India has been the top ODA recipient from Japan for eight years in a row. And, for the year 2011-12, we have just received a request list for the ODA from the Indian Government and we are in the midst of examining it. We have just exchanged the notes for formalizing the Japanese soft loan assistance worth 155, 549 million yen (approximately Rs 8632 crore) to seven projects in India. This includes the 19832 million yen for the second phase of Bangalore Metro. The loan package was initially scheduled to be extended in 2010-11. There has been some delay due to the earthquake, I must admit. But Japan has extended the loan without any deduction from its previous commitment to India. For us, a commitment is a commitment and we honour our promise to India. I don’t think there will be any reduction in future ODA inflow from Japan to India due to the quake. You can count on us. The basic philosophy of our ODA loan is simply to help our good friend. If our good friend is building his own house and if he needs our help, we are more than happy to help.
As Japan itself is in the midst of a rebuilding process after the March 11 quake and tsunami, do you expect India to extend help to its good friend too?
India has been doing a lot to help us, right from the beginning, at the first stage of our recovery efforts. And in future too, if necessary, we may ask our friends abroad to come and help us. But, right at the moment, I think we are handling the situation quite alright.

Can you give us an overview of Japan-India economic ties and its prospects after the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement? Is the trade target of US $ 25 billion by 2014 achievable, after the recent disasters that hit the economy of Japan?
The answer is yes. I can only see a promising picture of future economic relation between Japan and India. Bilateral trade volume doubled in the last five years. The number of Japanese companies doing business in India also doubled in the last three years from 362 to 725 and it is still increasing. Every month the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industries in India welcomes new members. The two countries signed CEPA on February 16 last and it will come into effect on August 1. Under the agreement, we have promised to eliminate 94% of tariffs between Japan and India within 10 years. Import duty will be zero on 90% of products coming from Japan to India and on 97% of exports from India to Japan. This will give Indian companies more business opportunities in Japan, particularly in pharmaceuticals and services sector. So the future looks very promising.
Can you update us about the status of the Dedicated Freight Corridor and Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor? Do you feel there should be some mechanism to ensure more opportunities to Japanese companies in these projects?
Japan is committed to the western DFC, between Delhi and Mumbai. For the first phase of the western DFC, we are already committed to the loan agreement and notes have been exchanged in March last year. The main loan amount is about 90 billion yen. Engineering service loan for the second phase has also been signed. So, as far as the DFC is concerned, agreements have been signed and the contractors are well informed and they are eager to actively take part in the implementation of the project. On the DMIC, there are some early bird projects. And the Japanese companies are very eager to take part in implementing the early bird projects. Also, there are Smart Community Projects. The feasibility studies have been conducted. Japanese companies have presented their proposals to the Government in Tokyo. And now the Japanese Government is studying the proposals.
Some companies may have mentioned about the problems about financing in rupee terms. Long-term rupee financing is not possible under the present scheme of the Indian Government. So how we go about this is something we need to work hard with cooperation with Indian Government.
As you are on a visit to Bangalore, may I ask you how you view the future of Japan-India cooperation in the Information Technology sector? Karnataka Government had a plan to set up a Japanese Village or an industrial park exclusively for Japanese companies near Bangalore. Can you please give us an update on its present status and some details about it?
I was very much looking forward to my visit to Bangalore. This is my first visit to Bangalore. The city has been very famous as an Information Technology hub. Bangalore Metro is one of the projects that received Japanese ODA. As many as 74 Japanese companies, including Toyota, Nissan and Komatsu, have presence in Bangalore. And I have been told that the number would rapidly increase in the coming days. I would be seeing the representatives of the Japanese business community in Bangalore. Bangalore is a very attractive destination for investments from Japan. We in Japan are keenly interested in strengthening our cooperation with India in the IT sector. The NASSCOM chief Som Mittal will visit Japan this week and he will meet government officials there. I hope he will have a productive visit that will help boost Japan-India IT collaboration further.
I know that Karnataka Government has a plan to set up an industrial park for Japanese companies near Bangalore. Many Japanese companies are interested to go there. The problem is that the land acquired by the State Government needs to be developed. I think private sector developers have to do the job. We are yet to hear the name of the developer. We are hoping that we will be able to find reliable, good developer.
Japan and India have decided to hold a Ministerial-level Economic Dialogue to be led by Foreign Ministers of both the countries. When will it happen? Can you please give us a broad outline of the issues that might be discussed in the Economic Dialogue?
It will happen this year. We want all top level dialogues between Japan and India to take place before our Prime Minister comes here to hold talks with your Prime Minister here later this year. I expect that long-term and strategic policy dialogue will have to take place at least at the cabinet level, including how to improve infrastructure, what types of finances will be available. Improving the business environment will be an issue of common interest for both sides at the minister level. We will pinpoint the specific issues to be discussed at a later stage.
Did the incidents at Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami slow down the Japan-India talks on civil nuclear cooperation? Is the fact that New Delhi has not signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty a cause for Japan to be cagey about striking a deal for civil nuclear cooperation with India? In the wake of the crisis in Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Plant, can Japan and India explore bilateral cooperation in nuclear safety?