Readers defend stop loss orders. My arguments in my last column — that stop loss orders are a bad idea — failed to convince two readers. What about Feltex, GDC Communications, RMG, National Mail and other shares that have dropped a long way?, they asked.
Stop loss orders a dead loss. A reader writes that he is concerned about my advice in my last column. “Your two rules of share investing are to a) diversify (i.e. neutralize returns), and b) not sell when the market bombs,” he writes. “One would have hoped you would have added a third — enter a stop loss to avoid catastrophic loss if/when the market does bomb.” Not in my rulebook.
Q&As: Typical but rich women ask how to find an adviser; Does local government keep house prices up? And will they ever fall?; Let’s not have the government meddling in the housing market; Doing your homework doesn’t necessarily help share investment.
Readers’ questions on renting v home ownership. My last column — which said that you may do just as well renting as owning your home, provided you are disciplined about saving elsewhere — brought interesting questions from two readers. The first one is 40 and planning to return to New Zealand with his family. “I would be happy renting until I retire whilst growing our capital in areas other than property,” he writes. “At some time later I might buy a small place to live in. However, do you think in 25 years that ownership of property might be out of reach?”
Q&As: 2 on whether preparation and research plays a part in “luck”. Plus: Winning entries in competition to win a copy of “Get Rich Slow”.
Owning your home not always the best option. Most New Zealanders grow up expecting to own their own home, but soaring house prices have made it harder for people to get into the market. Does that matter? Is home ownership all it’s cracked up to be?
Stay Away: Don’t rush to bring your shares back from overseas. Also in this issue: From the Mailbox — Giving the kids a great start with regular investing.
A worrying prediction about the way share funds are run. A section in a submission to the government from Shareholders Association chairman Bruce Sheppard caught my eye. Referring to proposed changes in the way share funds are taxed, he wrote: “The ability of NZ and Australian funds to trade without having to pay tax may well result in higher trading by institutions, as the active funds strive to differentiate their performance from the index by generating trading gains.
Q&As: Comparing NZ and other countries’ taxes and lifestyles; Several Q&As on government’s tax proposals, including submissions info, Bruce Sheppard quotes and size of Grey List share markets; A promise for a tax-change-free column next week!