SeekingTruth

EFA: Diversify Your Portfolio Outside the U.S.

A few international mutual funds outperformed EFA over the past five years, like Harbor Intl. for one.
However, the MF's do not offer the intra day trading opportunities, or the tax advantages that EFA offers.
Also . the "EFU" ETF (short) allows the investor to short against the box when things get shaky, or if the investor feels the need to be market neutral for some time period.
Of course , EFU can be employed to hedge against a held Intl. MF as well, among other strategies.
Thanks for the refreshing update on EFA.

Preserving Wealth During the Global Banking Crisis

Well John Lounsbury, you are indeed a fair and reasonable man and I admire and respect your astute opinions, and they are legion!
It often happens, however , that step one does NOT lead to step two.
Thus, this time , we must do BOTH , more or less, at the SAME TIME! (Is "swift" justice only another American myth?)
If we don't enact swift and effective action, and these criminals slip thru our fingers yet again, then their progeny shall return against us to create chaos and mayhem yet again in even greater scale and calamity in the future.
Why?, because their predecessors, yet again, got away with it , and that always emboldens the crooks that follow.
Memories are too short , and ongoing distractions too many to wait around for Step 2 to take it's course on a "business as usual basis".
Does History bear me out ?, or do you think I am a victim of an overactive imagination?

Preserving Wealth During the Global Banking Crisis

As a well deserved follow up to you Gary:
A fine and greatly informative article that is much appreciated.
No one can ask of this article, "Where's the Beef?", as there is a warehouse full of solid prime meat in your excellent article, and it is such that we all should be able to use it to considerable advantage. Many Thanks!

Preserving Wealth During the Global Banking Crisis

Can we not apply the "Martha Stewart Standard" to the malefactors and crooks in the Banking/ Investment Banking Cartel?
Simply determine if their offences were more egregious than those of Martha Stewarts, and send them to jail if they were/are, just like we did her.
Isn't our justice system supposed to be based , in large measure , on precedent?
If their crimes are more egregious , and they therefore are in jail, we won't have to worry about their proflicacy and criminal behavior taking us all down the tubes quite so much again in the future.
In my view, this would be simple and straight forward JUSTICE , and not some form of tedious , confusing, and ineffective Rocket Science that many are making it out to be.