Need Financial Recommendations

[Zodiac]

I have a couple of questions; firstly:

I currently have @ 50-75,000+ sterling available in an off shore bank and its useless allowing the bank to keep this sum as the deposit rates are ludicrously low. Can anyone recommend where I can place this sum to give me a decent guaranteed annual gross return around 5-8%.

Secondly:

I live in Thailand and would like to find a decent and honest financial advisor here or in Asia. Any recommendations?

Many thanks in advance.

Edited February 6, 2013 by Zodiac

[topt]

Regarding the "guaranteed......5-8%" the only way I know you could get close to that is with some sort of Fixed Interest instrument like PIBs but that will bring other issues into play. Also you do not mention your attitude to risk and how safe this investment needs to be?

Sorry but no idea on financial advisors - other than maybe Fletchsmile on here.....

[asiamint]

for both of your questions ask this man, i've been following him for over 10 years.

based in hong kong and he sometimes lives in chang mai, he is always on bloomberg and cnbc, if you do a youtube search for marc faber and watch some of his video's over the years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Faber

Read his services here, this is his website, and send him a message

http://new.gloomboomdoom.com/public/pSTD.cfm?pageSPS_ID=3000

[Thailand Bound]

for both of your questions ask this man, i've been following him for over 10 years.

based in hong kong and he sometimes lives in chang mai, he is always on bloomberg and cnbc, if you do a youtube search for marc faber and watch some of his video's over the years.

http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Marc_Faber

Read his services here, this is his website, and send him a message

http://new.gloomboom...pageSPS_ID=3000

Jim Rogers, for those that do not know, was George Soros partner when they both became billiionaires. Rogers also saw the writing on the wall and in 2011/2012 changed his primary residence from NYC to Singapore. Anyway Faber and Rogers have been talking Doom & Gloom since 2005/2006 it happened in 2008 and still no let up, they are still talking doom and gloom which I agree with but it seems that it never comes.

[cheeryble]

Question:

There have always been doom and gloomers that I can remember.

If a crisis like 2008 happens once In a blue moon, does it mean they foresaw it.......or they were lucky?

ps: remember Nouriel Roubini's bear calls all the way up the last few years?

Or do you just remember the one that happened to be correct?

pps that chart continued up to double

ppps: did Jim Rogers get any of his investors' money back from Refco? My friend's currency fund didn't.....so maybe Rogers ain't as prescient as is thought.

Edited February 6, 2013 by cheeryble

[Thailand Bound]

Question:

There have always been doom and gloomers that I can remember.

If a crisis like 2008 happens once In a blue moon, does it mean they foresaw it.......or they were lucky?

ps: remember Nouriel Roubini's bear calls all the way up the last few years?

Or do you just remember the one that happened to be correct?

pps that chart continued up to double

No I remember Roubini and he has not as been as gllom and doom as he use to be but I have not read anything by him lately. I still beleive he, Rogers and Faber are on the right track but it does get tiring waiting to see the other shoe drop.

[cheeryble]

No I remember Roubini and he has not as been as gllom and doom as he use to be but I have not read anything by him lately.

Lucky you.

I find him very depressing.....just to look at him and listen to his miserable voice.

So is selection bias or survivorship bias at play?

I wonder if they just connect with a proportion of the population who are pre-ordained to be pessimistic.

They always seem to get their share of subscriptions and fees, despite the fact the very big charts inexorably come in at the bottom left and go out at the top right.

As for Rogers....one notices his move to Asia was very convenient regarding the legal liabilities for very dubious dealing with Refco.

Edited February 6, 2013 by cheeryble

[jimmybkk]

Beware the Rainmakers...

[USNret]

I subscribe to an investment newsletter called Motley Fool Stock Advisor. It costs about US$200 per year. I've been selectively investing in their stock recommendations over the past 8 years (including during the Big Crash) and I've done quite well. My stocks lost about 1/2 their value when the market crashed, but I sat tight, didn't panic, and they have more than tripled since then.

However, I was not comfortable putting more of my estate into stocks due to volatility & risk. The bulk of my funds are (or were) in Certificates of Deposit which are very safe & get about 2% per year. Which basically sucks.

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I was skeptical of these claims in their marketing emails, but they had a 12-month money back guarantee with a 2-year subscription so I took the plunge and find that it is really working out well. I gain nothing by promoting their service; I'm just sharing something that is working out very nicely for me. In the next month, I will liquidate the rest of my CDs and move these funds to my Options account.

Edited February 7, 2013 by USNret

[yoshiwara]

Invariably those who want a 'guaranteed' 5-8% are asking for both high returns and absolute low risk.

What they want they can't have, yet they ask for the recommendation of some guru, none of whom can guarantee delivery. Not one.

And no strategy can. Any 'honest' financial advisor would show them the door. But in Thailand, hey ho....................

[Thailand Bound]

I will always regret not taking Louis Navellier's advice when he advised to buy APPL at 37.11 USD in 2006.

[Bpuumike]

The most important point is that financial advisors are in business to make money, so some (or in worst case a lot) of it will be yours.

In any case, it shaves your returns and best learn to do it yourself. If you aren't experienced, start in small, affordable stages.

If you are in Thailand then buy, up to you, but at least 10% physical gold (it's the best place in the world I know to buy & sell).

[cheeryble]

Back to the OP....

Fro someone in your position I think I would simply recommend high quality large cap shares with a healthy, but not overlarge, dividend.

For instance I own BP yielding 4.8% (bought as a contrarian play near it's nadir at $31).

I'm not recommending BP as energy companies vary a lot with the oil or gas price, just a big solid heavy duty company with that sort of yield, something like Johnson and Johnson nice steady rise drip drip 3 or 4% (maybe too late on that one).

4% or so is about the maximum a megalith company with inertial growth will sensibly offer.....and these companies do well in the long term.

If you're not needing earnings go for less dividend, more growth. I'm sure posters can recommend specific stocks better than me who tends to own scary stuff.

There are alternatives of all sorts......for instance I own AGNC at 16% yield.....but could never recommend it as risk free and you have to be on the ball for a change in the market. Likewise preferreds offering 8% look like they're going to all be called due to Basel, and you would again need to be on the case anyway.

Lastly, because the past has given nice equity yields such as you mentioned does not mean the future will do so.

Check out Fig11 in the excellent Credit Suisse yearbook

http://www.investmen...k_final_web.pdf

Maybe the best strategy is to pull in one's horns

Good luck

Edited February 7, 2013 by cheeryble

[asiamint]

for both of your questions ask this man, i've been following him for over 10 years.

based in hong kong and he sometimes lives in chang mai, he is always on bloomberg and cnbc, if you do a youtube search for marc faber and watch some of his video's over the years.

http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Marc_Faber

Read his services here, this is his website, and send him a message

http://new.gloomboom...pageSPS_ID=3000

Jim Rogers, for those that do not know, was George Soros partner when they both became billiionaires. Rogers also saw the writing on the wall and in 2011/2012 changed his primary residence from NYC to Singapore. Anyway Faber and Rogers have been talking Doom & Gloom since 2005/2006 it happened in 2008 and still no let up, they are still talking doom and gloom which I agree with but it seems that it never comes.

Hi Thailand bound

What you said is not exactly right, i understand why you think that, but that is the mainstream media opinion, if you dig deeper you will see that Marc Faber is very bullish sometimes and at other times negative. For example in March 2009 he was bullish.

The media love putting a spin on anyone that get's close to the truth, if you don't beieve me go through all his youtube video's and you will see that he does not deserve the name dr doom. All he is doing is stating the truth about the large western type country's. For exapme he has been very upbeat on emerging markets for a long time, so this does on qualify him as being negative all the time on everything. I agree with his long term opinion about money printing, that's just pure common sense. You can see it happening in real time. For example America, UK are moving from first world to 2nd world countrys, the change is slow that's why it's hard to notice. Just look at the UK pound against the thai baht.

In 1998 82 baht to 1 pound, now 2013 it's only 46 baht to one pound

Rememeber his website is called Gloom Boom and doom, which is how the market acts. Study market cycle's throughout history and it's always boom, then bust, then boom, all marc does is spot cycles.

The OP needs someone like marc in his corner because it's a jungle out there and he does not have the knowledge to make it by himself. No one can be an expert in all arae's of life and it takes a smart man to relize that.

Personally Marc Faber and jim rogers are my only source of big picture fundermental information, simple reason is they know what there talking about long term. I trade by the charts and techinal postion of each stock most of the time which i learned from reading about people like Dixon G watts, Jessie livermore, Ted warren, paul tudour Jones and i use fundermentals for longer term postions.

[Thailand Bound]

for both of your questions ask this man, i've been following him for over 10 years.

based in hong kong and he sometimes lives in chang mai, he is always on bloomberg and cnbc, if you do a youtube search for marc faber and watch some of his video's over the years.

http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Marc_Faber

Read his services here, this is his website, and send him a message

http://new.gloomboom...pageSPS_ID=3000

Jim Rogers, for those that do not know, was George Soros partner when they both became billiionaires. Rogers also saw the writing on the wall and in 2011/2012 changed his primary residence from NYC to Singapore. Anyway Faber and Rogers have been talking Doom & Gloom since 2005/2006 it happened in 2008 and still no let up, they are still talking doom and gloom which I agree with but it seems that it never comes.

Hi Thailand bound

What you said is not exactly right, i understand why you think that, but that is the mainstream media opinion, if you dig deeper you will see that Marc Faber is very bullish sometimes and at other times negative. For example in March 2009 he was bullish.

The media love putting a spin on anyone that get's close to the truth, if you don't beieve me go through all his youtube video's and you will see that he does not deserve the name dr doom. All he is doing is stating the truth about the large western type country's. For exapme he has been very upbeat on emerging markets for a long time, so this does on qualify him as being negative all the time on everything. I agree with his long term opinion about money printing, that's just pure common sense. You can see it happening in real time. For example America, UK are moving from first world to 2nd world countrys, the change is slow that's why it's hard to notice. Just look at the UK pound against the thai baht.

In 1998 82 baht to 1 pound, now 2013 it's only 46 baht to one pound

Rememeber his website is called Gloom Boom and doom, which is how the market acts. Study market cycle's throughout history and it's always boom, then bust, then boom, all marc does is spot cycles.

The OP needs someone like marc in his corner because it's a jungle out there and he does not have the knowledge to make it by himself. No one can be an expert in all arae's of life and it takes a smart man to relize that.

Personally Marc Faber and jim rogers are my only source of big picture fundermental information, simple reason is they know what there talking about long term. I trade by the charts and techinal postion of each stock most of the time which i learned from reading about people like Dixon G watts, Jessie livermore, Ted warren, paul tudour Jones and i use fundermentals for longer term postions.

I stand corrected and I also admit that I do not follow Faber nearly as much as I do Rogers, he speaks common sence a lot more than most give him credit for. Rogers has been very insurrmental in guiding me through some of my investments hence I never did follow Louis's advice and invest in theat APPL in 2006 at 37 USD a share. Well like my wife says What's past is past.

[Bpuumike]

I will always regret not taking Louis Navellier's advice when he advised to buy APPL at 37.11 USD in 2006.

Or IBM or Dell, etc, etc.

Spread and manage your risks. Opportunities like these are welcome but it's the difference between investing and speculating (sure, put a little of your pot into that).

[JSixpack]

If you are in Thailand then buy, up to you, but at least 10% physical gold (it's the best place in the world I know to buy & sell).

And to have your physical gold stolen!

[JSixpack]

Can anyone recommend where I can place this sum to give me a decent guaranteed annual gross return around 5-8%.

Forget it. Just a dream . . . .

[Bpuumike]

If you are in Thailand then buy, up to you, but at least 10% physical gold (it's the best place in the world I know to buy & sell).

And to have your physical gold stolen!

You raise a serious point.

Not just Thailand, but anywhere, has to be taken care of

[Bpuumike]

Can anyone recommend where I can place this sum to give me a decent guaranteed annual gross return around 5-8%.

Forget it. Just a dream . . . .

Aye, I'll jump on for some of that.

It's very old hat but if it sounds too good to be true, then it is.

[Thailand Bound]

Well all this talk about this being acheivable is not all just a dream. Wife and I have achieved from the high end 15.25% down to 7.25% and now we get 8.75% for any investment over 100K USD or equal to 1 billion IDR. We have been in the same investment for 8 maybe 9 years now and they have always paid off. In fact they have been doing this for the last 22 or 23 years and have never missed a payment to anyone. Of course this investment is only open to Indonesian citizens or expats.

[ExpatJ]

Well all this talk about this being acheivable is not all just a dream. Wife and I have achieved from the high end 15.25% down to 7.25% and now we get 8.75% for any investment over 100K USD or equal to 1 billion IDR. We have been in the same investment for 8 maybe 9 years now and they have always paid off. In fact they have been doing this for the last 22 or 23 years and have never missed a payment to anyone. Of course this investment is only open to Indonesian citizens or expats.

I can /do invest in Indonesia- what investment are you referring to?

[Bpuumike]

You could check out the likes of Annaly Capital Managent (NYSE:NLY). No real capital growth but a good history of high dividend payments.

Again, eggs and baskets.

[cheeryble]

You could check out the likes of Annaly Capital Managent (NYSE:NLY). No real capital growth but a good history of high dividend payments.

Again, eggs and baskets.

Disagree as the OP is obviously not financially savvy. NLY is very sensitive to interest rates...whcih is why I didn't recommend AGNC.

[Bpuumike]

You could check out the likes of Annaly Capital Managent (NYSE:NLY). No real capital growth but a good history of high dividend payments.

Again, eggs and baskets.

Disagree as the OP is obviously not financially savvy. NLY is very sensitive to interest rates...whcih is why I didn't recommend AGNC.

Very fair comment, it was only a suggestion for dividend.

My crystal balls tell me interest rates (at least in the West) are very unlikely to increase for some time. How would those govs then be able to pay their debts? OK, print more money, and there we go... to where, the land of gold?

I'm not making any disagreement and good input is always welcome to me too.

[Zodiac]

'cheeryble' says:

" the OP is obviously not financially savvy"

Quite correct. That is why I posted my questions here as there are are obviously some clever financial people on Thai Visa.. May I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all who have posted their advice/opinion and if I do not thank you individually please accept this my collective thanks. Those who have messaged me by PM, I will where appropriate reply in due course.

To the poster who said its' a dream me asking for a guaranteed gross annual return of 5-8%, I never said i wanted a guarantee for capital protection and I have discovered there are notes or products available that do give the returns I am looking for based on various indices not falling below certain levels.

I am still open to suggestions/advice,so once again: thank you.

Edited February 11, 2013 by Zodiac

[rgs2001uk]

'cheeryble' says:

" the OP is obviously not financially savvy"

Quite correct. That is why I posted my questions here as there are are obviously some clever financial people on Thai Visa.. May I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all who have posted their advice/opinion and if I do not thank you individually please accept this my collective thanks. Those who have messaged me by PM, I will where appropriate reply in due course.

To the poster who said its' a dream me asking for a guaranteed gross annual return of 5-8%, I never said i wanted a guarantee for capital protection and I have discovered there are notes or products available that do give the returns I am looking for based on various indices not falling below certain levels.

I am still open to suggestions/advice,so once again: thank you.

I am still open to suggestions/advice,so once again: thank you.

I would be very wary and treat with the utmost suspicion anyone who contacted me by pm offering either financial advice or services.

Questions you should be asking yourself, how long can I leave this money untouched, will I need access to it in say the next 3-5 years?

Do you want capital growth or regular income?

Are you living and working in Thailand?

Where is the money at present?

I have discovered there are notes or products available that do give the returns I am looking for based on various indices not falling below certain levels.

Probably so called "tracker funds", what happens when the indices do fall or stagnate?

People were missold these type of products years ago, they were called endownment policies, many were sent "shortfall" warning letters, may well be the same thing just repackaged.

I would also ignore any of the products being sold by Thai banks.

[Naam]

'cheeryble' says:

" the OP is obviously not financially savvy"

Quite correct. That is why I posted my questions here as there are are obviously some clever financial people on Thai Visa.. May I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all who have posted their advice/opinion and if I do not thank you individually please accept this my collective thanks. Those who have messaged me by PM, I will where appropriate reply in due course.

To the poster who said its' a dream me asking for a guaranteed gross annual return of 5-8%, I never said i wanted a guarantee for capital protection and I have discovered there are notes or products available that do give the returns I am looking for based on various indices not falling below certain levels.

I am still open to suggestions/advice,so once again: thank you.

I never said i wanted a guarantee for capital protection

if that is the case hundreds of possibilities denominated in USD, GBP and EUR exist which yield 8-10%, some even 12-16%.