TOP DRAWER INK NEWSLETTER

 

Here's the latest issue of Top Drawer Ink, the newsletter written by author HL Carpenter that's chock full of humor and common sense information.

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June 2, 2007
Volume 5, Number 11
ISSN 1554-6330

In this issue:

1. Carpenter Country Essay

2. Top Drawer Article

3. Top Drawer Tips

4. Top Drawer Satire

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CARPENTER COUNTRY

What's Happening in Our Neck of the Human Experience

Men are better at investing than women.

That statement drives Carpenter Country’s short, mature investor crazy – mostly because she once believed the myth.

But a reality check showed that intelligent women were no different than intelligent men. Both could quickly learn the basics.

The first step was to study investment language. In a short time words like stocks, bonds, mutual funds, Treasuries, annuities, IRAs and dozens of other financial terms became part of her jargon.

As soon as the lingo was memorized, and a few other concepts, like value and emerging trends, were absorbed, she realized investing was almost the same as shopping. You identified what you wanted to buy. Compared prices. Purchased the merchandise. And if the item didn’t fit or live up to your expectations, you exchanged it.

So, to those who claim men are better at investing than women, the short one has this to say: A woman is nobody’s fool. She can master financial concepts and become a savvy investor.

Even more important, if a few theories elude her, she’ll consult an expert for advice and directions.

What could be smarter than that?

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TOP DRAWER ARTICLE

Investing in Mutual Funds

by
HL Carpenter

So you’re thinking of investing in a mutual fund. You already know the benefits, which include diversification, professional management, automatic reinvestments and the ability to begin investing with relatively modest initial outlay. But how do you tell which fund is best for you?

Read the entire article here

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TOP DRAWER TIPS
Topics and Tidbits

Tip: Mutual fund prospectuses are available, free of charge, on-line at the Securities and Exchange Commission web site. As an alternative, you can download them from the fund’s web site or request a printed copy. One more item to ask for before you invest: A Statement of Additional Information (SAI), which includes information you may not find in the prospectus, including financial statements. The SAI is also free.

Investment Glossary Term: Mutual fund. An investment company that pools the money of many individuals to purchase assets. Investors own shares in the mutual fund and receive dividends, interest and capital gains based on investing decisions made by the fund’s management.

Financial Horoscope: June’s the traditional month for taking vows, so here’s one for you: Pledge to increase your investing knowledge. Take a course, read a book, attend a seminar. Then romance your inner saver with all those sweet, newly learned terms of investment. You’ll be on your way to a long lasting, fiscally responsible relationship in no time.

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TOP DRAWER SATIRE

Banning Birthdays

by
HL Carpenter

In a controversial move designed to save the ailing Social Security program, Congress is considering legislation to ban aging.

Read the rest here