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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Feb. 4, 2009
/ 10 Shevat 5769
Diversification doesn't always offer insulation
By
Gail Marks Jarvis
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
There is a sense of betrayal among investors who have been conscientious.
And when they talk about it, they sound like individuals who find themselves with a fatal disease after a lifetime of healthy living - eating a well-balanced diet, exercising and staying away from cigarettes.
"I thought I was doing everything right," a lawyer told me recently about his 401(k). "I didn't swing for the fences. I did what I was told. I diversified, and now look."
He hadn't picked a couple of hot stocks or relied on one stock mutual fund. He had assembled a combination of stock mutual funds and a bond mutual fund with the idea that if the stock market was ever brutalized, his numerous selections would buffer the impact.
Then came last year. The stock market crashed, and he lost about a third of his savings.
Now, he's not sure if he can count on diversification to save him from ruin. And his questions are being asked within investment circles too.
"I think people got carried away with diversification," said Brett Rentmeester, director of Altair Advisers in Chicago. They tried private-equity investments, hedge funds, commodities, real estate or real estate investment trusts, and stock funds that sliced and diced stocks into various types - those from foreign countries, those from the U.S., those that selected large companies or small companies, and those that picked the fast growers and the slower growers, or what are called "value" stocks.
In the end, they all went down hard, and the declines were quite similar - defying the averages that show up in academic research on diversification.
According to mutual fund tracking firm Lipper Inc., in 2008 the average fund that selected large-company stocks dropped 37 percent, while small company stock funds lost 36 percent, real estate funds lost 40 percent, commodity funds lost 40 percent and international stock funds lost 43 percent.
The results defied recent research that suggested investors can usually count on real estate and commodities to go up when stocks fall.
But it turns out that investors became carried away with the idea that some of these assets would save them. While real estate and commodities tend to be a buffer when the stock market falls, that's not always true. And research by Ned Davis Research shows that when investors need protection the most, diversification can fail to deliver what they envision.
In the worst periods in the stock market - or bear markets - there is a tendency for assets of various types to decline together, said Ed Clissold, senior global analyst with Ned David Research.
The firm analyzed what's called the "correlation" of everything from U.S. stocks to emerging market stocks, commodities, bonds and the euro, and found them acting similarly, rather than differently, in bear markets. And the most extreme example was 2008, Clissold said.
Last year, if a person had diversified fairly broadly, Ibbotson Associates research shows they would have lost 23 percent in a portfolio divided like this: 30 percent in the Standard & Poor's 500 index, 10 percent in the Russell 2000 index of small-cap stocks, 20 percent in the MSCI EAFE international index, 30 percent in the Barclays Aggregate bond index and 10 percent in cash.
In the bear market that began in 2000, the results were different. Diversifying would not have saved them, but diversifying helped a lot. In 2001, the diversified portfolio declined just 4.75 percent.
Meanwhile, there were sharp winners during the 2000-02 bear market that did not exist in the last bear market, said Larry Swedroe, a money manager and author of "The Only Guide to Alternative Investments You'll Ever Need." In 2001, investors who selected small-cap value stocks had a 40 percent return.
Last year, with the credit crisis threatening every type of stock, the average small-cap value fund fell 33 percent.
So what are investors to do if they count on diversification to save them?
Diversification remains effective, but investors misapplied it, Swedroe said. They have forgotten the basics on bonds in a portfolio.
That's not the place for any risk-taking, he said. During 2008, diversified investors were punished in bond funds as well as stock funds because high-yield bonds in diversified bond funds crashed like stocks. High-yield bonds dropped 26 percent, while the average diversified bond fund lost 14 percent. Investors should expect high-yield bonds to act like stocks, Swedroe said.
So he advises investors to stay out of risky bonds and invest the bond portion of a portfolio only in U.S. Treasury bonds (preferably Treasury inflation-protected securities, known as TIPS), certificates of deposit and top-rated AAA municipal bonds.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Gail Marks Jarvis is a personal finance columnist for the Chicago Tribune and author of "Saving for Retirement without Living Like a Pauper or Winning the Lottery." Comment by clicking here.
Previously:
01/27/09: Taking steps can help regain some control
01/20/09: How to save for college during a recession
01/12/09: Bonds still risky option to stocks
12/24/08: Some predict mid-2009 for return to investing joy
12/09/08: A small dose of short funds may be useful
11/11/08: Mutual funds can get caught in downward spiral
10/27/08: Investors can bounce back from even the worst of times
10/20/08: Want to sell? Look at 401(k), but don't leap
10/16/08: Want to be like Buffett? There are ways
09/29/08: Money protection only goes so far, so know the risks
08/26/08: Retail stocks may not be best fit for investors
08/20/08: Rear-view mirror investing can be dangerous to a portfolio
07/01/08: What do we do? My daughter didn't get a scholarship
02/25/08: Before abandoning your mutual fund
02/14/08: Dirty little secret of some funds may be haunting
01/29/08: Sorting out the stock market
01/03/08: One word for 2008 crystal-ball gazers: Caution
12/11/07: Buy and hold isn't necessarily tried and true
11/26/07: Translating the falling dollar's implications for investors
11/13/07: Gradual retirement may not be key to happiness
11/05/07: Rate cut won't offer immunity to investors
10/29/07: Employers set to help workers save in 401(k) accounts
10/22/07: Playing bounce may be costly to stock investors
10/10/07: Investors find boring often can be fruitful
10/01/07: Make up lost time with swift, smart action
09/24/07: Balance is key for investing by retirees
09/18/07: Homeowners who wait see options fade
09/04/07: Easy matter to rate fund's performance
08/27/07: Mortgage mess could be good for savers
08/17/07: Small stocks are coming with large caveats
© 2007, Chicago Tribune Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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