Showing posts with label Investment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Investment. Show all posts
Asset Protection - Why Do You Need It?
With your growing financial portfolio and asset, it is imperative that you take steps to protect your assets. A practical solution for creating an additional umbrella of security for your family is to take advantage of asset protection that minimize the risk of losing your assets or being taxed heavily.
The three vital steps toward asset protection planning
To set up an effective asset protection, you have to:
* Be clear about your goals and objectives
* Plan early
* Plan safe
You are more than painfully aware that it took much effort to build up your assets. But you need to know that it takes even harder work to protect them. Beware that you do not start asset protection planning too late or you are only inviting trouble and headache for your family. Upon your death, there is nothing more gut wrenching than your family having to fend off greedy money suckers trying to lay claim on your family assets that should rightfully belong to your family. Even worse is fighting amongst your own family members for a bigger share of the family asset. If you do not want to put your loved ones through this, then for their sake, initiate the asset protection planning right now.
If you are a truly practical person, asset protection should be a part of your asset-building plan from day ONE.
Be Focused About Your Objectives
You must be sure of your goals and objectives in order to be able to draw up a well thought up asset protection strategy and plan. There can be no universal process to asset protection as every individual has different needs; you have to tailor it according to your future plans and objectives.
Follow The Law When Protecting Your Assets
Never ignore the legal aspects while dealing with asset protection. Of course you can divide your assets according to your own wish, but at the same time you have to abide by the restrictions put forward by law in this regard. A legalized deal will help you avoid all sorts of discrepancies later.
Whether you decide to set up offshore asset protection or asset protection trust, taking a little trouble to protecting your assets will benefit your family greatly, and they in turn will be grateful for your foresight and generosity.
Article Source:
http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com
http://asset-management.bestmanagementarticles.com
About the Author:
Protect your family assets with good Asset Protection at Asset-Protection-Group.info.
Protect your family assets with good Asset Protection at Asset-Protection-Group.info.
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Duties Your Asset Management Company Must Perform
| The duty of your asset management company is undoubtedly to make a proper management of your business' reserves - better known as assets - but there are several other things that the asset management company must look into. Let us look into the duties that an asset management company is supposed to perform: - The first and primary duty is to keep and maintain a record of all the physical assets of the client's company. The most obvious assets to look into are the property and the finance of the company, but they must also look into investments, stocks, insurance policies, and anything else that constitutes money. - Asset management companies will also look into the bookkeeping affairs of the company. They will maintain the records for accounts, and will provide updated records in regular timeframes. They are sometimes expected to perform additional tasks that the company requires during taxation, such as filing of returns. - Inventory maintenance is also a responsibility of your asset management company. They have to keep all records of the inventory in stock, and even suggest limits for stocking up on them. They can alert the company whenever the raw materials are running low. Apart from the raw materials, asset management companies should also take care of the inventories of all supplies, devices and equipment used by the company for their business. - Asset management companies must maintain a list of all the suppliers to the company. In most cases, it is their duty to themselves communicate with the suppliers and stock up on raw materials for the company. Sometimes, they will also undertake to communicate with the wholesalers who take the products from the company for selling. That means, asset management companies would undertake a company's entire buying and selling process, if they are contracted for the service at the outset. - One very important service the asset management company must provide is investment advice. They must carefully instruct their clients how to make their investments properly, so that their financial assets show an improvement. - In some cases, asset management companies can also look after the software and other knowledge-based assets of the company. In companies that deal with software, the job of the asset management company would be to manage the knowledge assets, which may not be in a physical form. They will also be expected to manage the IT resources the company operates with. In this manner, there are several duties your asset management company must perform. Of course, you can decide in advance what kind of duties you really require, so that you don't end up paying for more. Also, you must draw proper contracts so that the mutually decided clauses are adhered to. |
| Author Resource:- With so many choices for managing your assets it is hard to know what company is the best. You need to find a company that is reliable and proven and invests your money in a way you are comfortable with. Let us Help! Kip D Goldhammer owns and operates http://www.assetmanagementcompanyreviews.com Certified Financial Planner |
| Article From New Ezine Articles |
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Asset Management in a Volatile Economy
Asset Management Strategy 1: Go for the solid assets
By solid assets, we mean assets that are not easily threatened by changes. If you have some stocks, which are highly volatile in nature, have some investments on established entities as well. This may oppose the “Nothing venture, nothing gained” adage but a certain measure of security is still vital for success.
Asset Management Strategy 2: Ensure support from the higher ups
The higher officers of your company must support your endeavor to managing assets of the company if it were to materialize fully. The support will also prompt other members in the company to be mindful of the undertaking.
Asset Management Strategy 3: Set your priorities
You must always have an outline. What are your priorities? If your priorities are to establish one’s security, you might have to be more rigid with your asset management tactics. On the other hand, if you are planning to venture out and expand your company, you may have to manage your assets in a way that it is more open for change and risk. However, you must make risks that are calculated and make sure that you can bounce back should things go badly.
Asset Management Strategy 4: Easy does it
Make changes gradual, if you are to introduce them. Don’t shock the system with revolutionary changes. In order for it to last longer, there needs to be at least a period of transition for any undertaking. The same thing goes with asset management.
Asset Management Strategy 5: Determine patterns and learn from them
If there have been instances that occur again, make sure that the current system is able to learn from its past mistakes. This self-learning quality is one of the ways in which you can ensure that the asset management system will be able to endure even the toughest economic shakings. It would be completely useless
Asset Management Strategy 6: Get the best tools available to you
If you are talented in managing assets but undermanned when it comes to resources, you may be in for a losing trend. The technology today enables you to manage everything from the desk and without much hassle. So make the best use of the technology while it is made available for you.
Asset Management Strategy 7: Review the facts regularly
Regular review is the lifeline of asset management. If your last inventory was a decade ago, then your assessment may not be at par with the demands in a company over time. Update the inventories, keep stock and review the statistics regularly. In that way, should hard times come, you will find that you have a ready answer because you know yourself fully well.
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What is Asset Management?
The first priority of any asset management team is to identify the company’s assets or resources. The definition of asset can be anything owned by the client in terms of cash, property, goods, savings and investments.
Should this be in a commercial set up, assets will comprise of monetary investments, plants, infrastructure and its human resources. When this has been identified, the team will then check which one is profitable and what isn’t.
If an asset is doing well, then they will leave it be. Just like the line that goes “ if there is nothing wrong with it, why fix it?” However, if a certain asset is not profitable, the asset management team may present options to the client. Should this asset be sold or can this be made into something money generating.
An example could be after evaluating the machines used in the factory, the team will give their assessment if this should be repaired or if this should be replaced. In some cases, buying something new will save the company more money in the long term because you don’t have to worry about looking for spare parts that could already be hard to find.
But these are just tangible resources. Every client also has non-tangible resources that are namely the human resources of the company. People are considered to be non-tangible because the company does not own them but merely employs them.
If there are inefficiencies in the company, this can be addressed by managing it so things can change. The team needs to first study the various departments and the individuals before it is able to come up with an action plan. It is possible that some of the positions are redundant while some need more manpower. The team may recommend reducing personnel in one department to fill the need of another or totally scrap it.
Aside from improving their skills, they can also provide other things such as comfort level and security as this motivates people to work harder once a policy has been made to maximize the output of each employee.
Apart from checking on the assets, the team may also offer opportunities to the client so that their money will grow. For instance, he or she may recommend investing in certain things such as the stock market, oil, gold, bonds and other things of value.
There are many asset management companies out there who have the expertise to help you become more efficient. If you are interested in getting their services, you should do some research to find out if they do have what it takes to achieve your goal.
So what is asset management? It is a process that involves looking at the various things that the company has as well as the people who work there. If the client is able to listen to the inputs of the asset management team and follows everything, there is a good chance that the company will continue to grow which simply translates to profit.
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What do Asset Management Companies Do?
There are a number of asset management companies to choose from given that they offer a wide range of services. Some examples of these include financial investments, production machines, technology and even office furniture and supplies.
When we talk of financial events, this includes the tracking, recording, properly accounting and investing of certain assets so the client will be able to make the most of what they currently have. This is may at times be risky for the client but there are ways to avoid that. These schemes are namely fixed income, equity, balanced, money market and commodities. Let’s discuss these for a moment.
Fixed income investments are those that will generate a regular flow of income for the investor. This is the safest one around and this is usually in the form of government bonds.
Equity has some risks involved because no one has control of the stock market. There are various factors that could make it go up or down such as the performance of the company and other world events. To prevent losses, experts have to study the market, assess the ricks and volatility to pick which one will get the best possible returns. Equity schemes can be done regardless of industry or country so don’t feel bad if the US stock market is not doing too well.
Then there is also balanced where the mutual fund company will invest in several assets such as shares, bonds and stocks. The risks are higher here but it may soon pay off in time especially for those who decide to wait it out for a few years.
The money market includes trading treasury bills, commercial paper and other liquid securities. You get a certain amount each month because of interest. Safer than equity or balanced but the rate of return is much lower.
There are also commodities. Examples of these include gold and other precious metals as well as the most talked about issue right now, oil.
Before any decision is made, it is the job of the asset management company to do some research and then pass this on back to the client who will say yes or no.
If new equipment is needed, the asset management company will help the client look around for the best possible one around before buying it. This is very useful when the machines are either damaged or already outdated.
These services begin the moment they are hired by the client so they will be there from the planning stage all the way until the deal has been completed.
Asset management companies have been around for years and you just have to find one that will be able to deliver what you require of them. Before you select one, do some research on your own to see who are the clients and what have they done in the past because you surely don’t want to entrust your assets just to anyone who gives you a call.
So what do asset management companies? They help you accumulate wealth by using their expertise. Do you need it? Yes because they are the only ones who can do the job.
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Things about Asset Management that you need to know
The concept is actually similar in a way to putting the money that you earn in banks but the difference is, asset management makes use of stocks, mutual funds, properties and bonds to further increase your wealth and assets. You see putting your money in the bank is not enough. You can only do this for the money that you feel you will need during emergencies. You can put it there and let it earn a small interest, after all you can easily withdraw It when you need it.
However, for the extra money that you have that you don’t really need, invest them. Mutual funds, bonds and stocks yield higher rewards than the measly interests that banks’ provide. In just a few years, you can earn half of what you invested, something that you can’t do with the bank.
But before you get into asset management and hire yourself a professional, read through the items below to help orient yourself to the field of investing.
1. There are a lot of scams and con artists in the world
Money can make people do things that they will not normally do. This is a fact of life that you need to know before you start hiring somebody to handle your assets and properties. That way, you will be more careful when looking for asset managers.
When hiring somebody, make sure that you have done some background check first on the person. As much as you can, hire only those that you know personally. If you don’t know anyone who can handle your finances, ask the people that you know to recommend. Start with your family and friends as they will give you a good recommendation.
But before you hire the guy, set up a meeting first. Even if he or she is recommended by your most trusted friend, you cannot be too sure.
And after you have hired him or her, still take an active part with the investing of your money. Make sure that you are informed about every investment made. Do not give full power to the asset manager to decide on investing issues. Your approval must always be asked before making an investment.
2. Diversify
This is the golden rule that asset managers go by. Diversification means that you need to put investments in more than one product and not in one investment product. The yield can be good but it isn’t worth it to risk your entire savings in one go.
If your asset manager has not done this, think twice before continuing the service. The adage "Do not put all your eggs in one basket" holds true for this field. You see investments can also be very risky. Even those that are considered a surefire success can suddenly fold, leaving you with big losses.
That is why you need to make sure that you have something to fall back on if one investment falls through. If you diversified your investments in asset management, you can still count on your other investments to prop you up on your feet again.
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Most Common Problems with Asset Management
Lack of updates in the evaluation
When there is a bigger team asked to deal with the asset management of the company, sometimes the updates are much more difficult to attribute to. This is because, while there is rotation among the member, some parts may not be covered thoroughly. On the other hand, if too many people are assigning tasks to individuals without the updates specifically communicated among the different members, the updates will be much more difficult to establish.
Miscommunication among departments
This is the most common problem of asset management that involves human factors. The miscommunication can go from as short as missing one decimal place to having questionable discrepancies on file. The miscommunication is a great disadvantage because it involves lack of proper use for the different instruments made available for asset management.
Incompetence to Manage Assets
The technical competence to mange assets is also equally important. If one of the team members has not taken the time to train for the use of the equipment and the dynamics needed by the job of managing assets, the incompetence will results to disasters in the managing of assets. Inventory problems and management issues may arise, and in essence, it is still better to manage with few high quality people than many below average ones.
Lack of Technology Demanded by the Company
For example, you have all the competent people you need. but you do not have the technology that matches their qualifications for doing to job, you are still at a losing end. You may get an above average performance, but it will still be much much better if the technology matches the good skills of the asset management team.
Lack of support
When there is lack of support in any given endeavor, it is bound to fail. The same goes with asset management. The lack of support among departments may not be conducive for positive change and objective or honest inventory of assets. Where there are ulterior motives being satisfied among the ranks, the management of assets may not be as pure or clean as one would like. This lack of support may be remedied by strengthening the ties of the team members via enriching activities.
No balance in asset elements
The balance is the key to perfect asset management. A balance in the different categories and the figures that represent them in the charts are the core outputs of a good management of assets in an organization. A lack of balance means that there are some things that need to be modified, or that some people are out of shape for this activity.
Too little risks taken for growth
When one's asset is much managed, there is also a tendency to eliminate all risks, even when in fact these risks are contributory to the company's growth and yield good returns. Asset management must also involve taking calculated risks.
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Lessons in Asset management
But asset management need not be something that you have to be afraid of. In fact, it can be pretty rewarding financially as you are able to spread your money across different investment products. This is better than putting your money in banks where the yield is not even enough to combat the inflation rates of the currency and the rising costs of living. When done the right way, your money can serve you until your retirement. The trick is to find the right asset investment manager and to get involved in the investing.
Below are some lessons on how to start and survive asset management. Read on before you get into the program.
1. Choose your manager wisely
When hiring an asset management person make sure that you know him or her. If you don’t know anybody who can do it for you, ask for people to recommend managers that are good. Start asking your families and friends as they will give you more personalized choices. When asking for recommendations and referrals, do a little background check first. Ask how many years the person is working for the one who made the recommendation. Ask for his accomplishment and his track record over the years. A good performance for one person may not be good for another.
Do not just be contented with one referral. Get a lot and then compare each one to the other. That way, you can select the person that you feel is the best among the best. When evaluating their expertise, look both on the paper and in person. Remember that these people are very good with charming their clients. So it’s good to base your decisions also on something that is really concrete.
2. Have a say
A common mistake of most people who hire asset management people is once they get someone, they wash their hands off the entire thing. Don’t. Show the guy or gal that you want to take an active part in managing your assets. This will prevent any hanky-panky because they know that you are monitoring your money.
Do not give the full control to the manager when it comes to making investment decisions. The final say should always be yours. So before investing in something, the person you hire should first present you with the background of the investment and if possible show other possible investments that are similar to it so that you will have the chance to compare.
3. Learn the biz
It is not enough that you know what the goings on of the asset management, you also need to understand it. Some people may not give full control to their managers but will sign anything that these managers give them without really understanding what the papers are saying.
Remember that although you have worked with the same person for years or a friend of yours know him personally, he or she can still rob you of your money. Asset management is a risky and cruel business. Make sure that you are prepared to stand guard over your investments.
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Industrial Asset Management
This is achieved by first identifying what are the current resources. This could be capital investments or the plant itself. Once it has been identified, it is time to come up with policies that preserve them. Some companies keep track of this by using asset management software that makes the information accessible to all departments.
This program is better known as enterprise asset management systems. It was first developed in the 1960’s with improvements being done constantly so it may encompass all the stages of the asset life cycle from planning, designing, purchasing, installing, operating, maintaining and finally disposing. Customized maintenance management software forms the subset of EAM.
With the assets stored in the company’s server, this will ensure that it is not possible for the duplication of resources. This means not having to spend money on new equipment and supplies when there it is still available in the company’s inventory.
Another benefit of industrial asset management is that the company can focus their energy on non-productive assets. This will enable the company to convert for instance idle land into real estate development or simply get rid of this by making some money out of it.
This is very useful for banks that have confiscated assets which the clients could not pay for and then auction these off to interested buyers so money can be made.
Should there be a surplus after taking everything into account, they may also decide to sell these off and make a few bucks. To compute the selling price, it is best to inspect it, have it appraised then advertise so interested buyers will come over and buy it.
Industrial asset management may also work for those who buy the goods from the company in terms of inspection of the assets for sale, contract reviews, search and comparisons to see if there are any alternatives and the procurement and shipping of the item.
Industrial asset management can do one other thing for the company. If they see that there is something they lack and there is an opportunity to acquire it, they can check if it can be added to their portfolio so the company is able to grow.
Companies that have used the software include aerospace, automobile, mining and service companies because even if they do have assets worth billions of dollars they do not want to see a single penny go to waste.
Will installing a software program to monitor industrial asset management do the trick? The answer is no because you still need management to be involved throughout the whole process. Each company has different needs and these have to be addressed accordingly.
Industrial asset management is a good thing because it helps the company stay productive. You have to remember that it is simply a tool so there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure you get maximum returns on your investment.
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How to do Asset management yourself
Asset management is the professional management of your money and other assets like stocks, bonds and even real estate for better profit. This is often done by financial advisors and portfolio managers for a fee or most often a percentage of the earnings in a period of time. This fee is what makes most people especially retirees shy away from hiring asset management people.
If you know the economic environment and understand investment terms, you can actually take care of your own assets. Here are some tips on how to manage your money and properties yourself.
1. Ask people
Do not be ashamed to ask people for advice or recommendations. Start with the people that you know. Ask friends or colleagues. If you know people who are good in business, approach them. They will be wells of information. This is because they are probably doing their investing themselves and will know business investments that are really good. Plus, these people in the industry are the first to know about stock news and gossips so you will have first knowledge of the goings on.
Ask them what’s the latest stock that they bought or what investment opportunities do they know that can yield a lot of money. Even if they are not doing asset management themselves, they can probably mention a couple of companies or investment funds that their managers recommended. This way, you are benefitting from asset managers’ wisdom and expertise without having to pay for the fee.
2. Do your research
One reason why a lot of people hire mangers and not do the investing themselves is the fact that the world is filled with people who want to rob you of your money. There are a lot of con artists with schemes that seem picture perfect at first glance. Earn money in 6 months with minimum investment, everything will seem too good. One advice, check it out. If something seems to good to be true, it probably is.
Before you invest in something, make sure that you have done some background checks on the company running it. Looking at their websites or visiting their offices are not enough. You need to look thoroughly at every aspect of the company. Check the transactions that it has made over the years. The number of years that the company has been operating is a pretty good clue too. Stay away from new companies as much as you can. They may be operated by con artists.
3. Diversify
This is actually what most people in asset management do. Do you know the old saying "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." Heed that. Put your money in different business investments. That way, when something happens with one, you still have the other one.
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Do You Need Asset Management
Professionals who do this kind of work are employed by mutual fund companies. Unlike banks that just keep your money where it earns interest, these companies pool the resources of several investors and place them in different types of instruments. The most popular ones are listed below.
First is called fixed income. By definition, these are investments that will generate a regular flow of income for the investor. Clients that want to invest here are usually issued government bonds.
Next is equity. Unlike fixed income, there is a bit of risk involved here because you are investing in the stock market. To prevent losses, experts have to study the market, assess the ricks and volatility in order to get the best possible returns. Equity schemes are neither limited to a certain industry nor country. This means that it is possible to invest in the stock market in Europe or the Asia Pacific region.
There is also balanced where the mutual fund company will invest in a mix of assets such as shares, bonds and stocks. The risks are higher here but it may soon pay off in time especially for those who don’t mind waiting for a few years to get their investment back.
The money market includes trading treasury bills, commercial paper and other liquid securities. You get a certain amount each month because of interest. It is safer than equity or balanced but the downside is that the rates are usually lower.
Some clients may choose to invest in commodities. Examples of these include gold and other precious metals as well as the most talked about issue right now, oil. The price of oil has gone up by more than 50% this year and it is hard to tell when it will go down. There are various factors affecting this even if Saudi Arabia has pledged to increase production such as the heightened tensions between the US and Iran.
If you want to increase your portfolio, then perhaps you should hand get into asset management. Don’t forget that there are risks involved so there will be times that you will make some and lose some. By diversifying, some people have been able to double their fortune. To know which one is the best to get into, talk with someone from one of these firms to help you find the perfect scheme.
What do mutual fund companies get for making you money? A certain amount which includes fees and expenses but that depends on the arrangements made with the mutual fund company. Then there are also additional expenses called brokerage commissions. This is usually incorporated into the price of the fund that is reported 3 months after the fund’s annual report.
So do you need asset management? Yes because despite the amount you pay, it is a win-win situation when it comes to asset management between the client and the mutual fund company. For those who are thinking of getting into it, don’t even bother if you are not a high roller.
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Asset Management in the 21st Century
More upgraded techniques of managing
Managing is made easier now, when you come to evaluate the available technology. But the complexities of operations and output demands have become just as complex, so the changes are hardly felt. The upgraded techniques are still advantage in the sense that it is able to keep up with the demands that are imposed at this very age.
It takes a team, not an individual
Since the demands are much higher for asset management these days, it takes a team to be able to build it up. So, having an individual do the asset management may not be exactly the best option. A person will still need assistants especially if it is a big company. Now the good thing about having a team work with the management of assets is that there can be constant monitoring and less excuse for lapses in the updates or inventories. If properly synergized, the different assets of the team members can all work together for the good of asset management.
Technology tools
Tools of technology make the work much faster and convenient. What one could have done in the past by physically transporting one's self from one department to another may be done by group messages and computer networks. Plus, monitoring is also much more at lower increments and friendly to the different people tasked to manage the assets of the organization.
Evaluation at smaller increments
The evaluation at smaller increments helps detect subtle changes in the liquidation of different company assets. The more frequent the monitoring, the better the quality of outputs. The good thing is that smaller increments can always be adjusted if in case there are other things needed for accomplishment within the company. Also, smaller increments ensure that problems that arise will be instantly managed.
Accuracy is enhanced
Given the metrics from the asset management tools, the accuracy is enhanced and it gives more room for other tasks. Better accuracy is now within reach since it is measured by high technology gadgets. There will be less room for estimations and other inaccurate means of obtaining actual statistics. This will render more integrity to the asset management plan.
Sometimes pen and paperless
As the case is currently operating in different countries, the environment are already pen and paperless in general. There are more people who find the convenience of storing data in less bulky packages, There will also be no need for hassles in the form of archived documents which are hard to classify.
Asset management is definitely better these days than in the past. While other people may have to adjust with the given technology, it is still the better option when it comes to effectively managing assets. Old techniques may still work, but when there is a better option presented for the new users of asset management, why not take the chance?
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