Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
Monel panel: Stan Close
By FRED W. WRIGHT JR.
Published May 21, 2006
How did you get started in investing? I wish I had started earlier. With my first 401(K) in the mid '80s. What is your best investment? My decision to invest. My home is my best investment. What is your worst investment? I got into a U.S. growth fund, probably with bad timing in 1999. When the collapse came, I held onto it. One of those investments I didn't get out of in time. What have you learned about investing that you think all investors should know? To take the long view and not try to speculate or spot trends or try to guess which way the market is going to move tomorrow. And stick to it. How would you describe your approach to investing? I try to diversify so as not to be surprised by any particular sector. I take that 10- to 20-year outlook, so if something like 2001 happens to us, we're not losing track in the short term. What do you find the most difficult about investing? To find honest information and to be able to trust the people whose funds you're investing in. How are you invested? The nontaxable part is probably 25 percent international, about 60 percent in various stock funds - most of that index - and maybe 10 percent small and mid cap and 5 percent real estate. Taxable funds: Probably 50 percent in municipal bonds, 25 percent in index funds and 25 percent in a broad market index fund. What changes have you made in your investments in the past year? I increased slightly my diversification into international funds. I pulled out of the bond funds. Do you think now is a good time to invest? I think any time is a great time to invest. What is your goal for your investing? I'm investing for retirement and really looking for cash flow at that time. What is your biggest money concern? Fuel prices. A lot of short-term hits on the economy. Make sure we have a level playing field for the common investors such as ourselves. Where do you go to get your investment tips? I subscribe to Fortune and Smart Money. I watch a fair amount of CNBC. I follow Vanguard.com and YahooFinance.com. I look at that every day. - FRED W. WRIGHT JR., Times correspondent
[Last modified May 21, 2006, 08:52:23]
Share your thoughts on this story
|
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Email editor
