Udon Thani dentist

[davejonesbkk]

Hi, I'm looking for some investment advice. I'm in my early 30s and need to start thinking financial security and savings, investments etc etc. Ive never really followed th financial markets and I really have no idea where to start.

So what would you advise someone to do with a lump sum, let's say of $10k Usd? Also what kind of options are there for one to make deposits to every month with a reasonable return?

What about 'off shore' accounts? How safe are they? How easy is it to open one in say Singapore?

And then there's gold, is that a good investment? I was looking at a chart on the prices the other day and the % increases were staggering, around 24% in the last year alone,!

Im not asking for any magic answers or any easy route for getting rich quick just some advice on where to get started and options where my money can be safe and growing.

Thanks.

[WarpSpeed]

Real estate in Florida.. Seriously....

Doubt me check this out, it's been my business plan for a while now and now it's being confirmed..

http://realestate.ya...ound-towns.html

Orlando's my destination.. 4 of the top 5 recovering housing markets now in Florida....

JFYI for a starting point they are at 50-60 year lows... Lowest in my lifetime..

Edited February 19, 2012 by WarpSpeed

[topt]

Real estate in Florida.. Seriously....

Doubt me check this out, it's been my business plan for a while now and now it's being confirmed..

http://realestate.ya...ound-towns.html

Orlando's my destination.. 4 of the top 5 recovering housing markets now in Florida....

Even if you are right (I am saying nothing) I don't think he is going to be able to start with 10K - or for dripfeeding (presumably small) regular amounts....... - unless there is some fund that invests in it?

If i were to offer any advice to the OP I suggest he needs to start reading up on some community like financial websites to get some more understanding of his options. As I am originally from the UK I use The Motley Fool who also have a US and a relatively new Australian site but there are lots about.

By all means open an offshore account to stash the money in the mean time but make sure the charges aren't excessive especially for small amounts. Some banks have a minimum $5k but most are at least $10k or higher. I cannot comment on Singapore apart from the fact I know you have to go there if you want to open an account there. It may also depend on what nationality you are.....?

[WarpSpeed]

Real estate in Florida.. Seriously....

Doubt me check this out, it's been my business plan for a while now and now it's being confirmed..

http://realestate.ya...ound-towns.html

Orlando's my destination.. 4 of the top 5 recovering housing markets now in Florida....

Even if you are right (I am saying nothing) I don't think he is going to be able to start with 10K - or for dripfeeding (presumably small) regular amounts....... - unless there is some fund that invests in it?

If i were to offer any advice to the OP I suggest he needs to start reading up on some community like financial websites to get some more understanding of his options. As I am originally from the UK I use The Motley Fool who also have a US and a relatively new Australian site but there are lots about.

By all means open an offshore account to stash the money in the mean time but make sure the charges aren't excessive especially for small amounts. Some banks have a minimum $5k but most are at least $10k or higher. I cannot comment on Singapore apart from the fact I know you have to go there if you want to open an account there. It may also depend on what nationality you are.....?

Yes he could, that's the beauty of it, you just have to know the right sources to refer to 10,000 would be more then enough and then it rolls over from there with wise investments just as in any investment..

If the market is not good now when will it be? Mortgage rates at all time lows, property values at 50 year lows, investment 101, buy low and sell high, he'll never see lower rates and values in his lifetime again no where to go but up! The market is ripe..

Edited February 19, 2012 by WarpSpeed

[rakman]

Investing is like growing a garden. You have to give some care and feeding to get good results.

All investments go in cycles. Yes, Floriday real estate is at historic lows. You can be a remote investor renting property with a good management company and can start with a $10k investment (provided you qualify for a loan on the property, few can be bought for $10k cash).

But as you're starting out, usually one has more things to worry about than just investments.

My simple advice:

1) Decide on if you are going to be active or passive in your investments.

a) find a good investment advisor. Pay them their fee for advice, don't sign up with a person pushing the "company products", or

invest in no load mutual funds investing in companies with good dividends.

2) don't have emotional attachments to any stock or region of the world. Cycles occur, your returns will change with time. Evaluate your portfolio and returns, know when to bail to cash, or pull back some profits from a good run.

3) Diversify. Get some real gold coins, silver or diamonds that are accepted by everyone. Real estate in some places is currently a great opportunity. Never have all your eggs in one basket.

4) You're in this for the long haul, regularly invest more money (Dollar Cost Averaging) into what is working.

5) Don't run with the herd. If you hear everyone is buying in, it's probably time to get out or stay away. The opposite is also true.

6) Read. Knowledge is power.

[givenall]

the best place is in US Equities. I would recommend to put your money in Mutual Funds that invest in US Equities

[OZEMADE]

I have in the past invested in GOLD and made a small fortune.

I invested all of my super and I bought a heap of gold 10 yrs ago for just over Aus $600.00 an ounce, it is now over $1700.00 and climbing. Slowly climbing now, but I believe it will go over the $2000.00 an ounce. Especially with the world economy going the way it is.

If you read what some economists say on the site below, it is going to hit the $3000.00 an ounce. But like all things it is a gamble. However the world runs on gold.

I took a punt and it paid off.

http://goldprice.org/

Edited February 19, 2012 by OZEMADE

[chiangmaibruce]

OP: You need to provide further info about yourself to get meaningful advice. In particular, where are you living? where are you from (and maybe going back to), what currency are you paid in? what income band?

Agree you need to spend plenty of time reading up about investing and personal financial planning ... don't just go straight to reading up about some particular whiz-bang investment opportunity you just read about. start at the beginning. Also don't try and cut corners by going straight to a financial adviser ... you need to ramp up your general knowledge first so you can judge whether whatever they recommend makes potential good sense ... unscrupulous/hungry ones will just push you towards high commission products .. often something sexy and "offshore"

[davejonesbkk]

thanks everyone.

Some background info:

Im in my early 30's, from the UK.

My income comes via several internet properties that I jointly own with a business partner, he is based in another country in Asia and runs these businesses himself, Im sent my % share of the net profits each month either via wire transfer to my thai account here or Paypal. This is the money I live off but its also my savings and im accumulating more watch month but its not really doing much for me sat in a thai bank account. This is not a fixed amount though and can fluctuate a lot. It is also not every stable and could change very quickly in the space of a few months.

Im not interested in any get rich quick schemes and I would be very wary of any investment that claimed over 8% returns a year. I would much rather go with something less risky for less returns. I also intend to do plenty of reading up.

My ideal scenario would be to have 2 investments where I can put a lump sum into each and then add more to each of them every month with varying amounts.

Gold does look very nice at the moment. How does one go about buying/investing in it from Thailand though?

Givenall - how can I start off investing in US equities?

Rakman - thanks for the advice, I definitely wont be attaching any emotions to my investments and want something I can build on every month.

[bendix]

thanks everyone.

Gold does look very nice at the moment. How does one go about buying/investing in it from Thailand though?

.

Huh? You live in Thailand and you've never seen the gold shops that exist on just about every street in the entire company?

Walk in. Buy some. Walk out.

Just be careful though. For every poster who says he made a fortune on gold, there will be others who have lost by buying at the last bubble in the mid 1980s. The real (inflation-adjusted) price of gold is lower now than in the 1980s. Fact.

Anyone who invests in one asset class alone is a numpty. The secret to investing is time, patience and diversification. Gold has its place - I hold gold, both in terms of the real thing and in gold mining shares - but together they comprises only 10% of my invested assets.

Right now, I'm roughly 50% cash and long-term deposits, 12% property, 30% share funds - a mix of industries and geographies and the balance in metals and bonds.

The point about investing is not what others do, but what is right about your situation. I'm in my late 40s and plan to retire from the corporate world in a 2-3 years. Normally I would be much more aggressive, but as I'm closer to retirement than you I took the strategic decision to have only half my net worth invested in risky assets, with the other half being in cash earning 6-7 percent. That is my 'I aint prepared to lose this' money, particularly so close to retirement. The other half is invested in much riskier assets.

[bendix]

I have in the past invested in GOLD and made a small fortune.

I invested all of my super and I bought a heap of gold 10 yrs ago for just over Aus $600.00 an ounce, it is now over $1700.00 and climbing. Slowly climbing now, but I believe it will go over the $2000.00 an ounce. Especially with the world economy going the way it is.

If you read what some economists say on the site below, it is going to hit the $3000.00 an ounce. But like all things it is a gamble. However the world runs on gold.

I took a punt and it paid off.

http://goldprice.org/

I love how the gold bugs spin the figures to suit their agenda. It's interesting that you are buying in Aussie dollars because the price of gold in AUD has hardly been spectacular, has it? In one sentence, you switched from buying it in AUD, but you are quoting today's price in USD. Very convenient because the AUD price is only around 1625.

AUD gold price over certain times:

30 days : 1.14% up

six months : 9.43% down

one year: 15.41% up

five years: 88.33% up

All decent returns of course, so why be sneaky and hide the reality?

[ExpatJ]

thanks everyone.

Gold does look very nice at the moment. How does one go about buying/investing in it from Thailand though?

.

Huh? You live in Thailand and you've never seen the gold shops that exist on just about every street in the entire company?

Walk in. Buy some. Walk out.

Just be careful though. For every poster who says he made a fortune on gold, there will be others who have lost by buying at the last bubble in the mid 1980s. The real (inflation-adjusted) price of gold is lower now than in the 1980s. Fact.

Anyone who invests in one asset class alone is a numpty. The secret to investing is time, patience and diversification. Gold has its place - I hold gold, both in terms of the real thing and in gold mining shares - but together they comprises only 10% of my invested assets.

Right now, I'm roughly 50% cash and long-term deposits, 12% property, 30% share funds - a mix of industries and geographies and the balance in metals and bonds.

The point about investing is not what others do, but what is right about your situation. I'm in my late 40s and plan to retire from the corporate world in a 2-3 years. Normally I would be much more aggressive, but as I'm closer to retirement than you I took the strategic decision to have only half my net worth invested in risky assets, with the other half being in cash earning 6-7 percent. That is my 'I aint prepared to lose this' money, particularly so close to retirement. The other half is invested in much riskier assets.

Where are you getting 6-7% return on cash?

[sparebox2]

Thai stock market (SET).

Easily double your money (or loose it all).

Opening an account is easy, and only cost you 30 Baht (less than 1 USD).

[supaprik]

thanks everyone.

Gold does look very nice at the moment. How does one go about buying/investing in it from Thailand though?

.

Huh? You live in Thailand and you've never seen the gold shops that exist on just about every street in the entire company?

Walk in. Buy some. Walk out.

Just be careful though. For every poster who says he made a fortune on gold, there will be others who have lost by buying at the last bubble in the mid 1980s. The real (inflation-adjusted) price of gold is lower now than in the 1980s. Fact.

Anyone who invests in one asset class alone is a numpty. The secret to investing is time, patience and diversification. Gold has its place - I hold gold, both in terms of the real thing and in gold mining shares - but together they comprises only 10% of my invested assets.

Right now, I'm roughly 50% cash and long-term deposits, 12% property, 30% share funds - a mix of industries and geographies and the balance in metals and bonds.

The point about investing is not what others do, but what is right about your situation. I'm in my late 40s and plan to retire from the corporate world in a 2-3 years. Normally I would be much more aggressive, but as I'm closer to retirement than you I took the strategic decision to have only half my net worth invested in risky assets, with the other half being in cash earning 6-7 percent. That is my 'I aint prepared to lose this' money, particularly so close to retirement. The other half is invested in much riskier assets.

Where are you getting 6-7% return on cash?

Quite a few in Aust around 6% just dropped down a little bit in the last month or so but in December you could have got 7%, also note for large depositors the banks offer bigger rates that are not listed on any web sites of around .50% to .90% on top of the listed "rack rates" I still have some cash "at call with Comsec and it returns over 5% at call and zero fees

[bendix]

Where are you getting 6-7% return on cash?

New Zealand. I put half my cash in a five year term deposit in Jan 2010 at 7.3%. The rest is in a shorter term deposit earning 6.3% but it matures soon. Have been offered an unofficial rate of 6.3% to renew for five years, but am inclined to hold back on the assumption that rates will increase over the next 2-3 years.

Plus, as a Kiwi currently not living there, I can opt to have the interest untaxed, instead just paying a 2% non-resident withholding levy.

[ExpatJ]

Where are you getting 6-7% return on cash?

New Zealand. I put half my cash in a five year term deposit in Jan 2010 at 7.3%. The rest is in a shorter term deposit earning 6.3% but it matures soon. Have been offered an unofficial rate of 6.3% to renew for five years, but am inclined to hold back on the assumption that rates will increase over the next 2-3 years.

Plus, as a Kiwi currently not living there, I can opt to have the interest untaxed, instead just paying a 2% non-resident withholding levy.

Isnt the inflation rate 5.1% in NZ right now? Which means even a 7.3% return is awful. Australia inflation is around 4%??, again awful returns for one year- basically you are just keeping your money as is, not making it grow???

Edited February 20, 2012 by ExpatJ

[Furbie]

It sounds to me like you are an American. If true, you are far better off investing your money in the US. The fees are much less, the reporting of fees, etc. is upfront and it is much easier to invest in a range of financial products (ETFs, thousands of mutual funds, etc.) than in Thailand. Most important, you will be required to file additional forms with your taxes (look up PFIC) if you invest in mutual funds managed outside the US (not non-US funds, but funds managed from outside the US) and will incur onerous tax liabilities. All things being equal, open a Vanguard account and buy some index mutual funds or index ETFs (they are very low fee and there is no redemption or other nonsense).

[topt]

It sounds to me like you are an American. If true,

Check post #9 - he says he is from the UK......

[Naam]

Where are you getting 6-7% return on cash?

New Zealand. I put half my cash in a five year term deposit in Jan 2010 at 7.3%. The rest is in a shorter term deposit earning 6.3% but it matures soon. Have been offered an unofficial rate of 6.3% to renew for five years, but am inclined to hold back on the assumption that rates will increase over the next 2-3 years.

Plus, as a Kiwi currently not living there, I can opt to have the interest untaxed, instead just paying a 2% non-resident withholding levy.

Isnt the inflation rate 5.1% in NZ right now? Which means even a 7.3% return is awful. Australia inflation is around 4%??, again awful returns for one year- basically you are just keeping your money as is, not making it grow???

somebody not living in a high inflation country but investing in its high yield currency normally gives a flying fart about said inflation.

example:

-ten years ago Brazil's inflation was raging between 16 and 18%,

-Brazil government bonds were yielding 14%, i.e. yield below inflation rate,

-an investor who bought a long maturity bond denominated in BRL (Brazilian Real) @ 3.90 for one US-Dollar sits presently on 120% currency appreciation, has cashed in 140% interest on his initial investment and his bond has more than doubled in price.

i wouldn't call that result "awful".

[bendix]

Where are you getting 6-7% return on cash?

New Zealand. I put half my cash in a five year term deposit in Jan 2010 at 7.3%. The rest is in a shorter term deposit earning 6.3% but it matures soon. Have been offered an unofficial rate of 6.3% to renew for five years, but am inclined to hold back on the assumption that rates will increase over the next 2-3 years.

Plus, as a Kiwi currently not living there, I can opt to have the interest untaxed, instead just paying a 2% non-resident withholding levy.

Isnt the inflation rate 5.1% in NZ right now? Which means even a 7.3% return is awful. Australia inflation is around 4%??, again awful returns for one year- basically you are just keeping your money as is, not making it grow???

I don't live in NZ. NZ's inflation rate is of no importance to me at all. Having cash in NZ is basically a currency play at the moment, augmented by a nice retail interest rate too. It has done very very well in the last few years against the currency that I will eventually spend it in - Thai baht.

Anyway, you didn't read my earlier post. My cash savings are just that - my no risk funds that I will not risk, so even if they are merely maintaining their value and not growing in real terms, that's fine with me. The other half of my net worth is invested in riskier assets - those are the ones I'm prepared to gamble on.

However, as I said, the cash assets have done very nicely over the past few years in the context for how I will eventually realise and use them.

Edited February 21, 2012 by bendix

[bendix]

Where are you getting 6-7% return on cash?

New Zealand. I put half my cash in a five year term deposit in Jan 2010 at 7.3%. The rest is in a shorter term deposit earning 6.3% but it matures soon. Have been offered an unofficial rate of 6.3% to renew for five years, but am inclined to hold back on the assumption that rates will increase over the next 2-3 years.

Plus, as a Kiwi currently not living there, I can opt to have the interest untaxed, instead just paying a 2% non-resident withholding levy.

Isnt the inflation rate 5.1% in NZ right now? Which means even a 7.3% return is awful. Australia inflation is around 4%??, again awful returns for one year- basically you are just keeping your money as is, not making it grow???

somebody not living in a high inflation country but investing in its high yield currency normally gives a flying fart about said inflation.

example:

-ten years ago Brazil's inflation was raging between 16 and 18%,

-Brazil government bonds were yielding 14%, i.e. yield below inflation rate,

-an investor who bought a long maturity bond denominated in BRL (Brazilian Real) @ 3.90 for one US-Dollar sits presently on 120% currency appreciation, has cashed in 140% interest on his initial investment and his bond has more than doubled in price.

i wouldn't call that result "awful".

As always, Naam speaks good sense of financial matters.

When I started these investments after selling my house in NZ in early 2009, the Kiwi bought around 18 baht. Today it buys 25.75, so I've made over 40% on currency appreciation alone, on top of the 7.3% annual yield.

If that's an awful return, I'll take it on the chin.

[OZEMADE]

I have in the past invested in GOLD and made a small fortune.

I invested all of my super and I bought a heap of gold 10 yrs ago for just over Aus $600.00 an ounce, it is now over $1700.00 and climbing. Slowly climbing now, but I believe it will go over the $2000.00 an ounce. Especially with the world economy going the way it is.

If you read what some economists say on the site below, it is going to hit the $3000.00 an ounce. But like all things it is a gamble. However the world runs on gold.

I took a punt and it paid off.

http://goldprice.org/

I love how the gold bugs spin the figures to suit their agenda. It's interesting that you are buying in Aussie dollars because the price of gold in AUD has hardly been spectacular, has it? In one sentence, you switched from buying it in AUD, but you are quoting today's price in USD. Very convenient because the AUD price is only around 1625.

AUD gold price over certain times:

30 days : 1.14% up

six months : 9.43% down

one year: 15.41% up

five years: 88.33% up

All decent returns of course, so why be sneaky and hide the reality?

Sorry did not mean to miss quote, I clicked on the US by mistake. However the price today AUS is $1672.00. So as you can see it has gone up a fair whack since you quoted your figure. Like I said, I reckon it will keep on keeping on.

Edited February 23, 2012 by OZEMADE

[davejonesbkk]

Thanks for all the replies. Some good info here although I still feel just as bewildered as I did a week ago as where to start!

Bendix- yes I've seen the gold shops here, but I assumed they were just for small purchases. So if I want to buy in large amounts I just go into a shop? Where would I store it after? I don't think I'd feel too happy about having it at home? How does one go about purchasing gold online especially from Thailand?