Crew Capital Management Thoughts on Investment

Welcome to the Crew Capital Management Thoughts on Investment blog. At Crew Capital, investment education is key to how we work with our clients. We hope our conversation and analysis entice you to think further on your investment strategies and planning. For further discussion, please contact us at rjung@crewcapital.com

Thank you!
Robert F. Jung, CFA CPA*

*CPA inactve

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Shocking Analysis



Well a picture is worth a 1,000 words. In summary the US must reduce its debt.
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Thursday, February 10, 2011

Foreclosures Rise

Residential foreclosures in U.S. rose 12% in January. U.S. lenders foreclosed on 78,133 properties in January, 12% more than in December, according to RealtyTrac. The sharp disparity in the foreclosure rates in different parts of the country suggests that the pace of foreclosures reflects the impact of government investigations more than the condition of the underlying housing market, experts said. Foreclosures in states that don't require judicial procedures rose 23%, while seizures fell 7% in states where the law requires court approval for foreclosure.

Source Link Reuters
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Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Harvard Says Two Year Degree OK

The Pathways to Prosperity Project at Harvard University published research proposing that many college-age kids would be better served by a two-year college degree coupled with apprenticeships. The study estimates that between now and 2018, roughly half of the jobs requiring post-secondary education will go to graduates with two-year associates degrees or occupation certificates. — Investment News, February 2

It would be inaccurate to imply that either this article or the cited research goes so far to say that Harvard is recommending not to send your kids to Harvard or any other four-year college. Yet a small but growing number of voices have arisen over the past few years questioning whether the time and expense required for a four-year degree is the best goal for everyone. For many, a two-year degree would be just as effective in achieving gainful employment at a total cost of roughly 50% of a four-year degree.

For asset managers that provide both college savings and retirement plans, each type of plan has its value and place. To pay for college, families may apply for financial aid programs that for many households can dramatically reduce the cost of education. Without careful planning, placing too much money in college savings programs can reduce or eliminate the amount of financial aid available and increase out-of-pocket costs. Roughly 5%-6% of assets in a 529 plan are considered part of the family contribution in each school year’s calculation of financial aid.

To pay for retirement, there are no such financial aid programs. Further, assets in qualified retirement plans will not reduce the amount of financial aid available for college since those assets are not included in the financial aid calculation. These are among a number of planning considerations that should have asset managers emphasizing that planning for retirement takes precedence over college planning. It is beneficial to the client and beneficial to the asset manager since assets in retirement plans should stay invested longer.

Source FRCviews.com, Article Link
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Friday, February 4, 2011

Watch Out For The Unknown Unknown

"Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the ones we don't know we don't know."

-Donald Rumsfeld

This is were all experts fall short. The assume they have all of the information. And as empirical studies find the experts go step further and narrow their focus on specific data and discount to zero other information. Thus making a decision on limited information.
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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Independent Calculation of Inflation = 2.25%



Article Link
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Crew Capital Management, LLC (Crew Capital) is registered with the State of Ohio as a "Registered Investment Advisor" as defined in Ohio Revised Code 1707.01(X) and its agent is an "Investment Advisor Representative" as defined in Ohio Revised Code 1707.0(CC). The information provided on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to solicit clients or provide any investment advice or service. Crew Capital does not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability, completeness, or relevance of any information whether linked to Crew Capital’s web site or incorporated herein, and takes no responsibility therefore. The web site content offers general information only about Crew Capital and is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly.

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