Brittany Waldrep

Archive for January, 2010

Earlier I have told my friend about the importance of “paying yourself First.” Not only does it help you start—and keep—investing on an ongoing basis, it can launch you into a strategy that works well for a lot of investors. Dollar-cost averaging, as it’s called, not only provides you with the structure and the discipline to invest consistently over time, it also works well for anyone who is feeling a bit hesitant about diving right in—and wants to spread out his or her investments over time.
This is how it works. Every month (or at any regular interval) you invest a set amount of money—regardless of how the stock market is performing. When the markets are down and prices are low, you wind up purchasing more shares for your money. Your friends will wonder why you’re able to maintain your composure as the value of your stocks tumbles—but since you’re in this for the long haul, a dip in the market means an opportunity to scoop up a greater numher of shares at lower prices. When the market and prices are up, you’ll buy fewer shares (just as you do when a sale ends and prices return to full retail). Over time your average share cost (how much you actually spend) can wind up being lower than the average share price.

You mention the stock market and most people hove mixed emotions about risk and reward. Some seem to react almost viscerally to risk particularly in a dawn market or a recession, when in the mind of the mass public risk turns into RISK’
Granted, as of this writing we are experiencing one of the worst bear markets in history. In times like this it’s extremely hard not to get emotional and want to run for the hills. But this is exactly when it’s essential to maintain a long-term perspective. Every kind of investment has some inherent risk whether the investment is stocks, bonds, real estate, or gold. In fact risk is a part of everything we do— from investing to relationships to business. Risk is a part of life.
Given this reality, what is your best defense? Understanding how much risk is appropriate for your circumstances and creating a portfolio to match, In the late nineties, when the stock market was going straight up, investors didn’t think too much about risk—it simply didn’t seem real, But once people suffered severe losses, their tolerance for risk suddenly came into clearer focus.
Carrie tells me I’m a risk-taker: that I ski aggressively and that I’m a tough businessman. That may be true, but I would qualify that by saying that I take risk in a calculated way. I wouldn’t take risks if I were skiing for the first time. I’d find an instructor and rely on help and advice from a pro. But because I have a fair amount of experience, I do ski fast—if the conditions are great I go into the lodge as soon as things get ugly My intention is to always stay in control.
I handle investing risk in the same way I stay alert and informed, so that when I take a risk, I do so with awareness and understanding And as an investor you can do the same thing As Carrie explains in the text if you have the proper asset allocation and are adequately diversified, you will be able to take an appropriate risk Of course I know there are no guarantees and that things can still go wrong But I know also that I’ve done all? can to minimize unnecessary risk And that to me, is enough.

The Society for the Anthropology of Europe (SAE) was first conceived in 1986 and its first elections were held in the Fall of 1987. The purposes of the organization, as announced in the organizing letter that went out in 1986, were to strengthen national and international networks between colleagues, to provide forums for discussion and debate, to encourage comparative research, to enhance the visibility and legitimacy of Europeanist anthropology (both within the disci Field pline and among other Europeanist groups), to facilitate the dissemination of information about employment opportunities and grants, and to promote the professional integration of students specializing in Europe. This web site includes access to the H-SAE discussion list, and details on special programs including the annual SAE student paper competition, the SAE Pre-Dissertation Fellowship, SAE’s Distinguished lecturer series and roundtables, and the online edition of the SAE’s journal Europea: The Journal of the Europeanists. You can also click here for various subgroups of SAE, including the Network for French and Francophone Cultures, The Hungarianist Research Group, the German Studies Network Bibliography, the East European Anthropology Group, and the Anthropology of Italy Network. (By the way: Strange as it may seem. SAE is a division American Anthropological Association, referenced above. Membership in one entitles you to membership in the other.)