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	<title>Chroma Investing &#187; Investing 101</title>
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	<link>http://ChromaInvesting.com</link>
	<description>Value Investing for beginning &#38; small time investors and the value investing strategies of Graham &#38; Klarman</description>
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		<title>Beginning Value Investor Terms &#8211; Exchange Traded Fund (ETF)</title>
		<link>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/08/06/beginning-value-investor-terms-exchange-traded-fund-etf/#utm_source=feed&#038;utm_medium=feed&#038;utm_campaign=feed</link>
		<comments>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/08/06/beginning-value-investor-terms-exchange-traded-fund-etf/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 07 Aug 2011 02:55:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>chroma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Alternative Investments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Beginning Investor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ETF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing Concepts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Value Investing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing terms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Passive Investing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ChromaInvesting.com/?p=2410</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Although this site is largely geared toward individual stocks, it seems to me, to better serve the beginning investors I need to address the more passive investment strategies that may be attractive to individual investors without much time on their hands to investigate individual companies but want to understand their investments. ETF Defined An Exchange [...]<div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style" addthis:url='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/08/06/beginning-value-investor-terms-exchange-traded-fund-etf/' addthis:title='Beginning Value Investor Terms &#8211; Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) ' ><a class="addthis_button_preferred_1"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_2"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_3"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_4"></a><a class="addthis_button_compact"></a></div>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Although this site is largely geared toward individual stocks, it seems to me, to better serve the beginning investors I need to address the more passive investment strategies that may be attractive to individual investors without much time on their hands to investigate individual companies but want to understand their investments.</p>
<h3>ETF Defined</h3>
<p>An <a title="Exchange Traded Fund" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2011/08/06/beginning-value-investor-terms-exchange-traded-fund-etf/">Exchange Traded Fund</a> (ETF) is similar to a <a title="mutual fund" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2011/07/30/mutual-funds-beginning-value-investor-terms/">mutual fund</a>, but has similarities to purchasing stocks. The SEC says that ETF’s are “investment companies that are legally classified as open-end companies or Unit investment Trusts (UITs).” An open-ended investment company is one of the three primary groups of companies as described by the SEC. Unlike a close-end investment company, an open-end investment company can offer to buy back its shares from the investors.</p>
<p>A normal mutual fund is a pooled investment where the money from thousands of investors are joined together and invested in whatever the focus of a mutual fund is, such as equities, bonds or commodities. Conversely, a common stock is traded on a stock exchange. An <strong>exchange traded fund</strong> tracks a stock index, a commodity or pool of stocks, but is also traded on a stock exchange like a stock; the price variations occurring as people buy and sell the fund over the day.</p>
<h3> ETF &#8211; Good Value Investing Tool</h3>
<p>ETF’s are very popular with value investors since they often have tax advantaged status. That is you don’t pay on the capital gains with the ETF only when you sell your investment. In the current law if you sell after one year that means long term capital gains which as of this writing is only 15%. Another reason ETF’s should be popular amongst the value investing crowd is that unlike mutual funds Exchange Traded Funds can trade at the same price as a stock Trade. Both <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="TradeKing" href="http://bit.ly/r2nl97">TradeKing</a> and <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Zecco" href="http://bit.ly/mZJO3d">Zecco</a> charge $4.95 for an ETF trade the same as an individual stock.</p>
<h3>ETF the Nitty Gritty</h3>
<p>An ETF often represents a set of stocks. For example the SPDR 500, the oldest ETF follows the Standard &amp; Poor’s 500 Index, which is an index of the 500 largest companies in the US. ETF’s portfolio would not change over the course of their lifetime and that means that investors are aware what they are investing into. If an ETF says that it is investing in energy stocks, then it is investing in energy stocks.</p>
<p>An ETF’s price is determined by their daily trade volume which is not the case with other funds. Because of the inherent benefits of <strong>Exchange Traded Fund</strong>, they are widely used as a preferred mode of trading across the globe with more than a few hundred Billion dollars having been invested in various funds across hundreds of indices.</p>
<p>ETFs do not sell individual shares to investors like Mutual Funds., large blocks of shares known as creation units are issued. The creation units are not purchased by the investors in cash, rather they are purchased in the form of a portfolio of shares which would represent the portfolio of the ETF. Investors after purchasing the creation units can either sell the shares in the secondary market or sell them back to the Exchange traded fund.</p>
<p>Another difference between a Mutual Fund and an ETF is that Mutual Funds have their Net Asset Values computed at the end of a trading day based upon the values of their holdings; they constantly trade in the market to reflect a better price. However <strong>Exchange Traded Fund</strong> gets their prices determined by the push and pull of the market since they follow a fixed basket of stocks.</p>
<p>&nbsp;<br />
<h3 class='related_post_title'>Related Posts:</h3>
<ul class='related_post'>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/08/10/value-investing-criteria-that-works-low-price-to-free-cash-flow-fcf/' title='Value Investing Criteria that Works- Low Price to Free Cash Flow (FCF)'>Value Investing Criteria that Works- Low Price to Free Cash Flow (FCF)</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/30/mutual-funds-beginning-value-investor-terms/' title='Mutual Funds &#8211; Beginning Value Investor Terms '>Mutual Funds &#8211; Beginning Value Investor Terms </a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/29/top-5-value-investing-tips/' title='Top 5 Value Investing Tips'>Top 5 Value Investing Tips</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/22/free-value-investing-resources-graham-and-doddsville/' title='Free Value Investing Resources- Graham and Doddsville'>Free Value Investing Resources- Graham and Doddsville</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/21/greenblatt-ackman-value-investing-masters-speak-at-the-value-investing-congress/' title='Greenblatt, Ackman &amp; Value Investing Masters speak at the Value Investing Congress'>Greenblatt, Ackman &#038; Value Investing Masters speak at the Value Investing Congress</a></li>
</ul>
<div class="plus-one-wrap"><g:plusone size="medium" href="http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/08/06/beginning-value-investor-terms-exchange-traded-fund-etf/"></g:plusone></div><div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style" addthis:url='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/08/06/beginning-value-investor-terms-exchange-traded-fund-etf/' addthis:title='Beginning Value Investor Terms &#8211; Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) ' ><a class="addthis_button_preferred_1"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_2"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_3"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_4"></a><a class="addthis_button_compact"></a></div>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Free Value Investing Resources- Graham and Doddsville</title>
		<link>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/22/free-value-investing-resources-graham-and-doddsville/#utm_source=feed&#038;utm_medium=feed&#038;utm_campaign=feed</link>
		<comments>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/22/free-value-investing-resources-graham-and-doddsville/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Jul 2011 22:15:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>chroma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Benjamin Graham]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Value Investing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing Strategies]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ChromaInvesting.com/?p=2531</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ The Super Investors of Graham and Doddsville was a famous article written by Warren Buffett in the 1980&#8242;s describing value investors, in the Ben Graham tradition, who disproved the efficient market theory. In that tradition, I am pointing the way to a free newsletter entitled: Graham and Doddsville  that  is produced by the students of [...]<div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style" addthis:url='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/22/free-value-investing-resources-graham-and-doddsville/' addthis:title='Free Value Investing Resources- Graham and Doddsville ' ><a class="addthis_button_preferred_1"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_2"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_3"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_4"></a><a class="addthis_button_compact"></a></div>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em> The Super Investors of Graham and Doddsville</em> was a famous article written by Warren Buffett in the 1980&#8242;s describing value investors, in the Ben Graham tradition, who disproved the efficient market theory. In that tradition, I am pointing the way to a free newsletter entitled: Graham and Doddsville  that  is produced by the students of the Columbia Business School and distributed free. You can download the <a title="Download  Graham and Doddsville free spring 2011 issue" href="http://ChromaInvesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Graham-Doddsville-Issue-12-Spring-2011-V3.pdf#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed" target="_blank">Spring 2011 issue</a>. In the issue they feature a profile on Michael Price.<br />
<h3 class='related_post_title'>Related Posts:</h3>
<ul class='related_post'>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/08/10/value-investing-criteria-that-works-low-price-to-free-cash-flow-fcf/' title='Value Investing Criteria that Works- Low Price to Free Cash Flow (FCF)'>Value Investing Criteria that Works- Low Price to Free Cash Flow (FCF)</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/21/greenblatt-ackman-value-investing-masters-speak-at-the-value-investing-congress/' title='Greenblatt, Ackman &amp; Value Investing Masters speak at the Value Investing Congress'>Greenblatt, Ackman &#038; Value Investing Masters speak at the Value Investing Congress</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/14/underperformance-in-a-fund-time-to-invest/' title='Underperformance in a Fund, Time to Invest?'>Underperformance in a Fund, Time to Invest?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/03/04/lessons-learned-from-mike-burry/' title='Lessons Learned from Mike Burry'>Lessons Learned from Mike Burry</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2009/12/22/investing-in-low-price-to-book-stocks-value-investing-series/' title='Investing in Low Price to Book Stocks- Value Investing Series'>Investing in Low Price to Book Stocks- Value Investing Series</a></li>
</ul>
<div class="plus-one-wrap"><g:plusone size="medium" href="http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/22/free-value-investing-resources-graham-and-doddsville/"></g:plusone></div><div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style" addthis:url='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/22/free-value-investing-resources-graham-and-doddsville/' addthis:title='Free Value Investing Resources- Graham and Doddsville ' ><a class="addthis_button_preferred_1"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_2"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_3"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_4"></a><a class="addthis_button_compact"></a></div>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Greenblatt, Ackman &amp; Value Investing Masters speak at the Value Investing Congress</title>
		<link>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/21/greenblatt-ackman-value-investing-masters-speak-at-the-value-investing-congress/#utm_source=feed&#038;utm_medium=feed&#038;utm_campaign=feed</link>
		<comments>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/21/greenblatt-ackman-value-investing-masters-speak-at-the-value-investing-congress/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:28:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>chroma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Investing 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing Strategies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Value Investing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Value Investing Conference]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Value Investing Congress]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Whitney Tilson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Beginning Investor]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ChromaInvesting.com/?p=2522</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Value Investing Congress is being held in New York on October 17 &#38; 18th. It is a great value investing conference to learn from experienced investors with different approaches some general philosophical and some actionable. My readers are entitled to a $1900 discount if you purchase your pass by July 29th. I am very [...]<div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style" addthis:url='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/21/greenblatt-ackman-value-investing-masters-speak-at-the-value-investing-congress/' addthis:title='Greenblatt, Ackman &#38; Value Investing Masters speak at the Value Investing Congress ' ><a class="addthis_button_preferred_1"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_2"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_3"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_4"></a><a class="addthis_button_compact"></a></div>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Value Investing Congress" href="http://bit.ly/mZMxQf">Value Investing Congress</a> is being held in New York on October 17 &amp; 18th. It is a great <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="value investing conference" href="http://chromainvesting.com/value-investing-conferences/">value investing conference</a> to learn from experienced investors with different approaches some general philosophical and some actionable. My readers are entitled to a <a title="Discount link for Value Investing Congress New York." href="http://bit.ly/rgJ8xC%20" target="_blank">$1900 discount</a> if you purchase your pass by July 29th. I am very excited to be going because they have a superstar line up of guru investors presenting. I am particularly interested in hearing Joel Greenblatt, since I have read all three of his books and I have a sort of a love/hate relationship with him. No not personally. I don&#8217;t know the man. But I will have more about Greenblatt in an upcoming profile on him, that I will try to complete in the next week or so. If you are interested, go to the <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="More information on the New York Value Investing Congress" href="http://bit.ly/rgJ8xC " target="_blank">Value Investing Congress</a> website to learn more. The value of this Value Investing conference is not limited to beginning investors, but investors both experienced and just starting out. For my small time investors, this is not appropriate but only because of the expense.</p>
<p>The confirmed speakers are</p>
<p><a title="Bill Ackman" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2011/08/23/value-investing-profile-bill-ackman/">Bill Ackman</a>, Pershing Square<br />
Leon Cooperman, Omega Advisors<br />
James Chanos, Kynikos Associates LP<br />
Adam Weiss and James Crichton, Scout Capital Management<br />
Alexander Roepers, Atlantic Investment Management<br />
Joel Greenblatt, Gotham Capital<br />
Guy Gottfried, Rational Investment Group<br />
Michael Kao, Akanthos Capital Management<br />
Whitney Tilson &amp; Glenn Tongue, T2 Partners</p>
<p>I can say that Michael Kao and Guy Gottfried were both very popular speakers at the last Value Investing Congress I attended in May. I am also curios to hear Jim Chanos speak, since he is a legendary short seller. Finally, Whitney Tilson is always good for the T2&#8242;s long and short actionable idea. If you decide to go be sure to use my <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Value Investing Congress Discount Coupon" href="http://bit.ly/rgJ8xC " target="_blank">Value Investing Congress</a> discount coupon N11CI4</p>
<p>If you would like more information about this <a title="Value Investing Conference" href="http://chromainvesting.com/value-investing-conferences/">Value Investing Conference</a>, or any other, please go to my Conference page which has the most up to date information on <a title="Value Investing Conferences" href="http://chromainvesting.com/value-investing-conferences/">Value Investing Conferences</a>.</p>
<p><a title="Disclosures" href="http://ChromaInvesting.com/disclosures/">Disclosures</a>: I am a media sponsor of  the Value Investing Congress.<br />
<h3 class='related_post_title'>Related Posts:</h3>
<ul class='related_post'>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2009/12/14/value-investing-congress-discount-ends/' title='Value Investing Congress Discount Ends'>Value Investing Congress Discount Ends</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/08/02/3-must-haves-for-your-value-investing-notebook/' title='3 Must haves for your Value Investing Notebook'>3 Must haves for your Value Investing Notebook</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/14/underperformance-in-a-fund-time-to-invest/' title='Underperformance in a Fund, Time to Invest?'>Underperformance in a Fund, Time to Invest?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/03/08/save-1400-learning-about-value-investing/' title='Save $1400 Learning about Value Investing'>Save $1400 Learning about Value Investing</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/08/10/value-investing-criteria-that-works-low-price-to-free-cash-flow-fcf/' title='Value Investing Criteria that Works- Low Price to Free Cash Flow (FCF)'>Value Investing Criteria that Works- Low Price to Free Cash Flow (FCF)</a></li>
</ul>
<div class="plus-one-wrap"><g:plusone size="medium" href="http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/21/greenblatt-ackman-value-investing-masters-speak-at-the-value-investing-congress/"></g:plusone></div><div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style" addthis:url='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/21/greenblatt-ackman-value-investing-masters-speak-at-the-value-investing-congress/' addthis:title='Greenblatt, Ackman &amp; Value Investing Masters speak at the Value Investing Congress ' ><a class="addthis_button_preferred_1"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_2"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_3"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_4"></a><a class="addthis_button_compact"></a></div>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Charlie Munger&#8217;s Final Westco Remarks</title>
		<link>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/05/charlie-mungers-final-westco-remarks/#utm_source=feed&#038;utm_medium=feed&#038;utm_campaign=feed</link>
		<comments>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/05/charlie-mungers-final-westco-remarks/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:03:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>chroma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Charlie Munger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Beginning Investor]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ChromaInvesting.com/?p=2389</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Ben at Inoculated Investor has posted his terrific notes on the Final Westco Conversation With Charlie Munger. These are Ben&#8217;s notes, not mine, so if you have praise, go to his website and thank him. Charlie Munger is, in his own way, an investing rock star, like his partner in Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett. But [...]<div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style" addthis:url='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/05/charlie-mungers-final-westco-remarks/' addthis:title='Charlie Munger&#8217;s Final Westco Remarks ' ><a class="addthis_button_preferred_1"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_2"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_3"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_4"></a><a class="addthis_button_compact"></a></div>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Ben at <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Link to Inoculated Investor Blog" href="http://inoculatedinvestor.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Inoculated Investor</a> has posted his terrific notes on the Final <a href="http://ChromaInvesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/59308172-Conversation-With-Charlie-Munger.pdf#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">Westco Conversation With Charlie Munger</a>. These are Ben&#8217;s notes, not mine, so if you have praise, go to his website and thank him. Charlie Munger is, in his own way, an investing rock star, like his partner in Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett. But whereas Buffett is folksy and seems to discuss investing like he is ordering a steak, Munger likes to discuss mental models. His ideas are fascinating and it is worth taking a look at what Munger has to say.<br />
<h3 class='related_post_title'>Related Posts:</h3>
<ul class='related_post'>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/08/02/3-must-haves-for-your-value-investing-notebook/' title='3 Must haves for your Value Investing Notebook'>3 Must haves for your Value Investing Notebook</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/30/mutual-funds-beginning-value-investor-terms/' title='Mutual Funds &#8211; Beginning Value Investor Terms '>Mutual Funds &#8211; Beginning Value Investor Terms </a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/21/greenblatt-ackman-value-investing-masters-speak-at-the-value-investing-congress/' title='Greenblatt, Ackman &amp; Value Investing Masters speak at the Value Investing Congress'>Greenblatt, Ackman &#038; Value Investing Masters speak at the Value Investing Congress</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/20/best-value-investing-screeners/' title='Best Value Investing Screeners'>Best Value Investing Screeners</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/14/underperformance-in-a-fund-time-to-invest/' title='Underperformance in a Fund, Time to Invest?'>Underperformance in a Fund, Time to Invest?</a></li>
</ul>
<div class="plus-one-wrap"><g:plusone size="medium" href="http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/05/charlie-mungers-final-westco-remarks/"></g:plusone></div><div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style" addthis:url='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/05/charlie-mungers-final-westco-remarks/' addthis:title='Charlie Munger&#8217;s Final Westco Remarks ' ><a class="addthis_button_preferred_1"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_2"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_3"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_4"></a><a class="addthis_button_compact"></a></div>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Save $1400 Learning about Value Investing</title>
		<link>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/03/08/save-1400-learning-about-value-investing/#utm_source=feed&#038;utm_medium=feed&#038;utm_campaign=feed</link>
		<comments>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/03/08/save-1400-learning-about-value-investing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 Mar 2011 02:40:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>chroma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Beginning Investor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Value Investing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Whitney Tilson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing Strategies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Value Investing Conference]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Value Investing Congress]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[One of the ways you develop an edge is continuing to refine your investing chops. One of the best ways, apart from reading this blog, is to learn from masters, investors who have the skill and experience to help you develop insight into the process of value investing. What if I told you could do [...]<div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style" addthis:url='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/03/08/save-1400-learning-about-value-investing/' addthis:title='Save $1400 Learning about Value Investing ' ><a class="addthis_button_preferred_1"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_2"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_3"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_4"></a><a class="addthis_button_compact"></a></div>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>One of the ways you develop an edge is continuing to refine your investing chops. One of the best ways, apart from reading this blog, is to learn from masters, investors who have the skill and experience to help you develop insight into the process of value investing.</p>
<p>What if I told you could do just that on May 3rd and 4th. Would you be interested in saving nearly 32%? If you act by March 15th you save $1400 off the full price for the <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Value Investing Congress" href="http://bit.ly/mZMxQf">Value Investing Congress</a>. I am cheap. That is part of why I am a value investor. I don&#8217;t want to pay full price for my stocks, and I certainly don&#8217;t want to pay full price to learn to be a better investor. Here are some of the fund managers/gurus who have spoken at one of the seminars just in the last two years, <a title="Bill Ackman" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2011/08/23/value-investing-profile-bill-ackman/">Bill Ackman</a>, Monish Pabrai, David Einhorn, Bruce Berkowitz, Paul Sonkin, Eric Sprott, Joel Greenblatt and Whitney Tilson. Most of the biggest names are added to the speakers list after the price goes up and the discount I am sharing with you ends.</p>
<p>I have written about the Value Investing Congress previously <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Value Investing Congress 2009" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2009/10/27/value-investing-congress-2009-macroeconomics-are-important/" target="_blank">here</a>,  and <a title="value investing congress" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2009/12/14/value-investing-congress-discount-ends/" target="_blank">here</a> and linked to it <a title="Link to Value Investing Congress" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2010/02/01/t2-partners-another-hedge-fund-perspective/" target="_blank">here</a>. I did so because I believe that the right kind of information is power.  Not all information, mind you. Too much information can be crippling. Just ask anyone who is coming off a five hour binge of internet. In the past I did not benefit from the recommendations, nor could you. However, now I am able to offer my readers a special deal to the <a title="Value Investing Congress special deal" href="http://valueinvestingcongress.com/landing/w11/partners/chroma/3.8.11_post.php?utm_source=CI&amp;utm_medium=BLOG&amp;utm_campaign=W11CI2&amp;ocode=W11CI2" target="_blank">Value Investing Congress</a>. To save $1400 you can click on the link or the banner ad.</p>
<p>As always here are my caveats. If you are just starting out and have a very small amount of money, say $2500, this is not the event for you. You will consume too much capital going to the event and not retain enough to actually invest. This is also not an event if you already think you know everything about value investing. But If you think you are the latter, you might want to consider that you are failing the hubris test and read a book on behavorial finance.</p>
<p>Finally, if you will be attending the Value Investing Congress please let me know. I would like to have a meet up, perhaps after the 2nd day for drinks. I would like to try to link up with other value investors as well. Email me at chroma@<a title="chromainvesting" href="http://chromainvesting.com">chromainvesting</a>.com if you are interested.</p>
<p>If you would like more information about this <a title="Value Investing Conference" href="http://chromainvesting.com/value-investing-conferences/">Value Investing Conference</a>, or any other, please go to my Conference page which has the most up to date information on <a title="Value Investing Conferences" href="http://chromainvesting.com/value-investing-conferences/">Value Investing Conferences</a>.</p>
<p><a title="Disclosures" href="http://ChromaInvesting.com/disclosures/">Disclosures</a>: I am a media sponsor of  the Value Investing Congress.<br />
<h3 class='related_post_title'>Related Posts:</h3>
<ul class='related_post'>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/21/greenblatt-ackman-value-investing-masters-speak-at-the-value-investing-congress/' title='Greenblatt, Ackman &amp; Value Investing Masters speak at the Value Investing Congress'>Greenblatt, Ackman &#038; Value Investing Masters speak at the Value Investing Congress</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/08/04/value-investing-conferences-investing-resources/' title='Value Investing Conferences &#8211; Investing Resources'>Value Investing Conferences &#8211; Investing Resources</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2009/12/14/value-investing-congress-discount-ends/' title='Value Investing Congress Discount Ends'>Value Investing Congress Discount Ends</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/08/22/value-investing-ideas-companies-passing-my-custom-screens/' title='Value Investing Ideas &#8211; Companies Passing my Custom Screens'>Value Investing Ideas &#8211; Companies Passing my Custom Screens</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/08/10/value-investing-criteria-that-works-low-price-to-free-cash-flow-fcf/' title='Value Investing Criteria that Works- Low Price to Free Cash Flow (FCF)'>Value Investing Criteria that Works- Low Price to Free Cash Flow (FCF)</a></li>
</ul>
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		<title>Anti Share Buy-Back Another Example of How I am not like Warren Buffett.</title>
		<link>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/12/28/anti-share-buy-back-another-example-of-how-i-am-not-like-warren-buffett/#utm_source=feed&#038;utm_medium=feed&#038;utm_campaign=feed</link>
		<comments>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/12/28/anti-share-buy-back-another-example-of-how-i-am-not-like-warren-buffett/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 29 Dec 2010 05:32:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>chroma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Investing 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Value Investing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Warren Buffett]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Warren Buffett has often said how much he likes companies that buy back their own shares. He has said this in comparison to dividends. The theoretical reason is clear. Dividends are taxed, best case at 15% where as the effect of share buy backs is untaxed. The effect of buying back shares, in the optimal [...]<div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style" addthis:url='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/12/28/anti-share-buy-back-another-example-of-how-i-am-not-like-warren-buffett/' addthis:title='Anti Share Buy-Back Another Example of How I am not like Warren Buffett. ' ><a class="addthis_button_preferred_1"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_2"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_3"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_4"></a><a class="addthis_button_compact"></a></div>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Warren Buffett has often said how much he likes companies that buy back their own shares. He has said this in comparison to dividends. The theoretical reason is clear. Dividends are taxed, best case at 15% where as the effect of share buy backs is untaxed. The effect of buying back shares, in the optimal theory, is to reduce the number of shares outstanding and thus raise the earnings per share (<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="EPS" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2009/10/21/beginning-investment-terms-earnings-per-share-eps/">EPS</a>). This increase in earnings per share should then increase the value of the stock. That is all theoretical assuming that you buy back the shares at a low share price. And when done prudently, in an optimum situation can be very favorable. But most corporations don&#8217;t buy during the best time, when their own stock is cheap, but buy when the share price is high like in 2007 and avoid buying back shares when the price is low like 2009. This point is highlighted on at the value investing <a title="blog" href="http://chromainvesting.com">blog</a> <a title="Buying Back shares not always a good idea" href="http://www.barelkarsan.com/2010/12/buybacks-in-style-at-wrong-time.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BarelKarsan+%28Barel+Karsan%29&amp;utm_content=My+Yahoo" target="_blank">Barel Karsan</a>, one of my go to investing blogs. I have noted this same phenomenon before on these pages. Unless I am sure that management is mindful of their own stock&#8217;s <a title="intrinsic value" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2010/02/04/intrinsic-value-beginning-investingterm/">intrinsic value</a> vs. share price, I tend to avoid investing in companies that buy back a lot of shares. The tax advantaged status doesn&#8217;t help if management is actually depleting shareholder value in the process.</p>
<p>The other problem with share buy backs is that they are often an effort to conceal share dilution in granting management options. In this case it is not a case of increasing the EPS, but an effort to maintain the status quo. This is almost always done regardless of share price and is anti shareholder value. As much as I hear investor&#8217;s speak positively about share buy backs, I say show me the money, first. If management consistently buys back share only when they are a value and refrains when share price is high, that would be a rare, but positive indicator. Do you know of a company like that, that is currently a good value. I would love to hear about it. Otherwise, be wary of share buy backs.<br />
<h3 class='related_post_title'>Related Posts:</h3>
<ul class='related_post'>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/30/mutual-funds-beginning-value-investor-terms/' title='Mutual Funds &#8211; Beginning Value Investor Terms '>Mutual Funds &#8211; Beginning Value Investor Terms </a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/12/what-are-your-investing-goals/' title='What are your Investing Goals?'>What are your Investing Goals?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/06/21/what-i-learned-at-the-value-investing-congress/' title='What I Learned at the Value Investing Congress'>What I Learned at the Value Investing Congress</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/03/12/crash-proof-2-0-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/' title='Crash Proof 2.0 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly'>Crash Proof 2.0 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/03/06/what-is-your-investing-edge/' title='What is your Investing Edge?'>What is your Investing Edge?</a></li>
</ul>
<div class="plus-one-wrap"><g:plusone size="medium" href="http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/12/28/anti-share-buy-back-another-example-of-how-i-am-not-like-warren-buffett/"></g:plusone></div><div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style" addthis:url='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/12/28/anti-share-buy-back-another-example-of-how-i-am-not-like-warren-buffett/' addthis:title='Anti Share Buy-Back Another Example of How I am not like Warren Buffett. ' ><a class="addthis_button_preferred_1"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_2"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_3"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_4"></a><a class="addthis_button_compact"></a></div>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Best Online Broker for Penny Stocks and the Small Value Investor</title>
		<link>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/03/15/finding-the-best-online-broker-for-penny-stocks-and-the-small-investor/#utm_source=feed&#038;utm_medium=feed&#038;utm_campaign=feed</link>
		<comments>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/03/15/finding-the-best-online-broker-for-penny-stocks-and-the-small-investor/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:28:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>chroma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Beginning Investor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online brokers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Investor Portfolio]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small TIme Investor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Value Investing]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[This is really the third in the series of Investing 101, the second of which discussed setting up a Small Investor Portfolio. But the title would have been too long if I left all that in. As value investors we are not just interested in value of our stocks but the process in which we [...]<div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style" addthis:url='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/03/15/finding-the-best-online-broker-for-penny-stocks-and-the-small-investor/' addthis:title='Best Online Broker for Penny Stocks and the Small Value Investor ' ><a class="addthis_button_preferred_1"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_2"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_3"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_4"></a><a class="addthis_button_compact"></a></div>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This is really the third in the series of <a title="Investing 101 at Chroma Investing" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2010/03/10/investing-101-for-small-or-beginning-investors-lets-start/" target="_blank">Investing 101</a>, the second of which discussed setting up a <a title="Small Investor Portfolio" href="http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/03/13/the-chroma-investing-small-investor-portfolio/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed" target="_blank">Small Investor Portfolio</a>. But the title would have been too long if I left all that in. As value investors we are not just interested in value of our stocks but the process in which we invest.</p>
<p>The first order of business will be to find a good discount online broker. The good news is that a few of the big name brokers have lowered their fees or commissions recently, making them more competitive, and enlarging the pool of potential brokers. The bad news is that it is a cumbersome process to wade through all the detail of a broker&#8217;s website to discover if they have hidden fees or surcharges. I have created a comparison chart called <a href="http://ChromaInvesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Best-Online-Brokerage-for-Small-Investors-and-Penny-stocks1.pdf#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">Best Online Broker for Small Investors and Penny stocks</a>, which you can download or see below. This is not a comprehensive list of all brokers. Any company with a commission of greater than $10/trade was eliminated.</p>
<p>In the spirit of Buffett, who is said to look at the risk of an investment first,  I want to mention, briefly, the notion of capital risk because a brokerage companies goes bankrupt or pulls a Madoff. We all know that in a traditional bank account the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insures our accounts up to $250,000 per depositor, per bank.  This is not a permanent state of affairs, and is set to reset to $100,000 per depositor per bank in 2014. As the FDIC says on their website,  the &#8220;<em>FDIC insurance is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. Since the FDIC began operation in 1934, no depositor has ever lost a penny of FDIC-insured deposits.</em>&#8221; Of course, those in Nassim Taleb camp might argue, the FDIC does not make bank deposits risk free, but the guarantee does minimize the risk. The situation with securities is not quite as clear cut.</p>
<p>For stocks, the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) is in charge. They have a brochure which you can download called <a href="http://ChromaInvesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/SIPC-English-2009.pdf#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">SIPC English 2009</a>. I suggest you read this or go to their website to truly understand what your capital risk is with regard to a broker failing.  The high school student version of it is this: the SIPC doesn&#8217;t insure an investor against loss. This should be self evident. If you are investing in the stock market you know that you could lose your money, that you have an expectation of risk. The SIPC doesn&#8217;t help you avoid the risk. If your stocks decline in value, you will not get a check from the SIPC. But here is what the SIPC does say,<em> &#8220;&#8230;(the) SIPC replaces <strong>missing</strong> stocks and other securities where it is possible to do so &#8230; even when the investments have increased in value. </em></p>
<p><em>SIPC does not cover individuals who are sold worthless stocks and other securities. SIPC helps individuals whose money, stocks and other securities are stolen by a broker or put at risk when a brokerage fails for other reasons.</em>&#8221; The SIPC guarantees up to $500,000 per customer, including $100,000 in cash. But the broker MUST be a SIPC member for the investor to be protected. For the small investor we are covered for the time being. But this raises concerns for person&#8217;s nearing retirement with large IRA&#8217;s. The viability of a firm is vital. As with diversifing bank deposits with different banks to mitigate risk, this suggests that over the long term one should have more than one retirement account if possible and at different brokerage firms. This is a subject for a future post. As of this posting I have confirmed that all brokers listed are members of SIPC. Before you open an account you should check and ensure they still are.</p>
<p>Let me spell out my criteria for best online broker. This will differ, perhaps significantly, from other blogs or websites. What may be right for you, if you have a larger portfolio  or if you eschew penny stocks, could look completely different. This is by no means a definitive list, but it should suffice for the <a title="Chroma Investing" href="http://chromainvesting.com">Chroma Investing</a> Small Investor Portfolio. You will note that I go into some detail here, because the brokers are quite adept at hiding some fees behind a cute little asterisk. Also, commissions and fees change often. I was surprised how different some companies are since last year at this time when I went through a similar process. My apologies in advance if I missed your favorite broker. Some I eliminated for price, others for minimum deposit requirements.</p>
<p>1) I looked primarily for value in stock trading commissions. The intention is to have little or no <a title="mutual funds" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2011/07/30/mutual-funds-beginning-value-investor-terms/">mutual funds</a>, <a title="ETF" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2011/08/06/beginning-value-investor-terms-exchange-traded-fund-etf/">ETF</a>&#8217;s or bonds traded in this portfolio. That does not mean they are not worth investing, simply that that is not the focus of this investing account. Consequently, factors that effect those type of investments have been  ignored.</p>
<p>2) The total brokerage costs including commission &amp; fees will need to be low, under $10/trade especially for Penny Stocks. There will need to be no or additional charges for buying penny  or OTC stocks. There are lots of companies with value hiding in 99 cent store of investing, I would hate to miss them because my broker charged too much to trade them.</p>
<p>3) No inactivity or maintenance fees.</p>
<p>4) unlimited shares in a trade without additional fees. This is another way that brokers attempt to limit <a title="penny stock" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2009/11/11/beginning-investor-terms-penny-stocks/">penny stock</a>  purchases. A stock trading at .25/share will require 4000 shares to invest $1000.</p>
<p>5) I will not include a comparison of margin account rates because I intend not to employ leverage of any kind.  This means  I will also not factor in options or contract prices.</p>
<p>6) I am assuming we will be placing all our orders online directly, with no broker assisted trades.</p>
<p>7) Since short term interest rates are effectively zero, I will not bother comparing interest rates, if any, that cash earns in a sweep account (although I may reconsider and update later, if this factor changes)</p>
<p> <img src='http://ChromaInvesting.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_cool.gif' alt='8)' class='wp-smiley' /> You may also want to include a No-IRA fee in your criteria. For the purposes of this blog I will not. But for me personally, in my IRA&#8217;s I include this as important screen to minimize expenses.</p>
<p>I will discuss size of positions in another post. But one of the tricks in investing with a small portfolio is not getting killed by the fees. If you expect to have a total of 3-4 positions in the portfolio, at least in the beginning, each $500 invested will have a 1% purchase fee with a $5.00 commission and 1% exit fee. The result is that you must make 2% just to break even. That is not an onerous hurdle. Let&#8217;s say we changed that to just $10/trade. Our total is then 4% to buy and sell a stock. That is, I think in the new normal era, perhaps too high a price to saddle yourself with. Of course, we have to balance commissions with other fees, particularly extra charges for Penny  or OTC stocks.</p>
<p>So let&#8217;s jump in and evaluate. First, I will screen out companies for various criteria, then discuss all that passing companies. Later I will give a quick comment on each company.</p>
<p><a href="http://ChromaInvesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Best-Online-Brokerage-for-Small-Investors-and-Penny-stocks1.png#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1775" title="Best Online Broker for Small Investors and Penny stocks" src="http://ChromaInvesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Best-Online-Brokerage-for-Small-Investors-and-Penny-stocks1.png" alt="Best Online Broker for Small Investors and Penny stocks" width="504" height="545" /></a></p>
<p>From this chart I can eliminate a few companies right away simply based on price. E*Trade, TD Ameritrade, &amp; ThinkorSwim all charge $9.95. Think or swim had other negative  factors which I detail below.</p>
<p>OptionsHouse, Scott Trade, SogoTrade &amp; <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Tradeking" href="http://bit.ly/r2nl97">Tradeking</a> (my favorite broker) are eliminated because they have Penny stock charges.</p>
<p>That leaves Charles Schwab, Choice Trade, Fidelity, Just2Trade, TradeMonster &amp; <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Zecco" href="http://bit.ly/mZJO3d">Zecco</a>. Fidelity and Just2Trade have too large a minimum balance requirement, so they are out. For investors, starting with larger sum in their investment portfolio, this arbitrary cut off may not apply. Of the remaining four companies two had IRA fees, Choice Trade, and Zecco, so if that is an important factor to you. Think twice. For <a title="the Chroma Investing Small Investor Portfolio" href="http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/03/13/the-chroma-investing-small-investor-portfolio/">the Chroma Investing Small Investor Portfolio</a> it is not.</p>
<p>On an absolute price perspective you would have to narrow the choice down to ChoiceTrade or Zecco, at $5.00 and $4.50 per trade respectively. But finding the best broker isn&#8217;t only about price.</p>
<p>O.k. so what I haven&#8217;t mentioned, because it is so hard to judge, is what is offered for this price and how customer service is when things don&#8217;t work out as expected. This is qualitative area where stats don&#8217;t tell the whole story. Before I decide between these two brokers, I would like to hear from you. Do you have any experience with either ChoiceTrade or Zecco? Tomorrow I will call both and get a sense of their customer service. Then I will make a decision. I will post soon where I decide to open the account. Maybe I will open accounts at both and see what the process is like, before I fund the account.</p>
<p>Below are my thoughts on the companies on the  comparison chart.</p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Charles Schwab link" href="https://www.schwab.com/public/schwab/home/welcomep.html" target="_blank">Charles Schwab</a>- The original discount broker. In recent years their prices have not been competitive with other online discount brokers, that seems to have changed this year. They are a surprise late addition, because they have recently (Jan. 2010) lowered their per trade fee form$12.95, eliminated the number of shares that would be allowed per trade without additional fees. Schwab has banking options, including checking accounts.</p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="ChoiceTrade link" href="http://www.choicetrade.com/" target="_blank">Choice Trade</a>- I had not heard of them until I started my research on discount brokers.  Two things intrigued me. First, their overall good price and Second, they are offering a $50 bonus if you add a margin account and open your account for $2000. That is a quick 2.5% gain on my money.  They are not a good choice if this was an IRA account because of the IRA fee.</p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="E*Trade link" href="https://us.etrade.com/e/t/home" target="_blank">E*Trade</a>- I was surprised they made the initial cut, that is under $10. But ultimately they would be to costly for our tiny trading account.</p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Fidelity link" href="https://www.fidelity.com/" target="_blank">Fidelity</a>- Last year trades cost over $10. This is perhaps the biggest surprise. I have read about some complaints with their trading tools, but are supposed to have a lot of free research available on more than 4500 corporations.</p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Just2Trade  Link" href="http://www.just2trade.com/" target="_blank">Just2Trade</a>- Their low, low per commission rate would be partially offset by their IRA fee for some investors. Their reputation, however, sucks. The longest complaint I read on any forum about any broker was about Just2Trade. If you believe that poster, they could not get anything right. Two things concerned me most. First, their customer service is not great. Second their cash balances are often inaccurate.</p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="OptionsHouse link" href="http://www.optionshouse.com/" target="_blank">OptionsHouse</a>- Another low priced commission house, seemed initially promising with their $2.95 commission, but their Penny stock surcharge begins below $2.00 and is $0.005/share. Moreover, anything over 50,000 share requires a separate over and brokerage commission.</p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Scott Trade link" href="http://www.scottrade.com/" target="_blank">Scott Trade</a>- I have spoken to several investors who have been happy with Scott Trade and their moderately price $7.00 trade. Their commercials at least garner attention. But Scott Trade is a terrible choice for Penny stock investors. They charge 0.5% of the value of the purchase for Penny stocks. Even on a $500 investment that adds $2.50 and makes them uncompetitive.</p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="SogoTrade link" href="http://www.sogotrade.com/Default.aspx" target="_blank">Sogotrade</a>- I heard negative things about Sogotrade even before I decided to include them in the comparison. But their price of $2.95 begged inclusion. Unfortunately, they also have 0.5% charge on Penny stocks, and frequent complaints about their their online trading platform.</p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="TDAmeritrade link" href="http://www.tdameritrade.com/welcome1.html" target="_blank">TDAmeritrade</a>- Another large brokerage company that recently dropped their commission to $9.95/trade. Much better deal are possible with you are frequent trader. Eliminated for price.</p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Think or Swim link" href="https://www.thinkorswim.com/tos/client/index.jsp" target="_blank">Think or Swim</a> &#8211; I have used Thinkorswim for more than a year. They are eliminated for two reasons, First they limit their $9.95/trade fixed rate to 5000 shares, above that you pay a per share fee, and Second, I hate their web based interface. It is the least intuitive I have seen. It is shocking to me anyone likes it. I feel like I am transported back to the days of early DOS, where nothing made sense.</p>
<p>TradeKing &#8211; A solid company, with great customer service and good reasonable $4.95 commission. Unfortunately, for the purposes of the small investor portfolio the Penny Stock Charges forces their elimination.</p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="TradeMonster link" href="https://www.trademonster.com/index.jsp" target="_blank">TradeMonster</a>- The most promising of all the brokers I never heard of. While their $7.50 commission is higher than I like, it has no Penny stock charges, shifting the balance in its favor. The interface allows all tools to be used in Paper Trading, making this a very interesting choice for a small investor who is also a beginner. The ideal Chroma Investing reader.</p>
<p>Zecco &#8211; The price you can&#8217;t deny. $4.50/trade. If you are a frequent trader or have $25,000 in assets you get 10 free trades/month. On the plus side Zecco has virtual trading and FOREX trading. On the negative side they have a yearly IRA fee and on some forums some complaints about customer service. Perhaps the service is getting better.</p>
<p>Disclosure: Some of the information in this post has changed since I first wrote it. I will post an updated article. I currently have accounts with Schwab, ChoiceTrade, Zecco, TradeKing and ThinkorSwim.  I have an affiliate relationship with TradeKing and Zecco, but these are based on my satisfaction with their services and not because I am making money  with them (so far, not so much).<br />
<h3 class='related_post_title'>Related Posts:</h3>
<ul class='related_post'>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/03/13/the-chroma-investing-small-investor-portfolio/' title='The Chroma Investing Small Investor Portfolio'>The Chroma Investing Small Investor Portfolio</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/08/08/warren-buffetts-advice-in-a-crisis/' title='Warren Buffett&#8217;s advice in a Crisis'>Warren Buffett&#8217;s advice in a Crisis</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/30/mutual-funds-beginning-value-investor-terms/' title='Mutual Funds &#8211; Beginning Value Investor Terms '>Mutual Funds &#8211; Beginning Value Investor Terms </a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/20/best-value-investing-screeners/' title='Best Value Investing Screeners'>Best Value Investing Screeners</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/12/what-are-your-investing-goals/' title='What are your Investing Goals?'>What are your Investing Goals?</a></li>
</ul>
<div class="plus-one-wrap"><g:plusone size="medium" href="http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/03/15/finding-the-best-online-broker-for-penny-stocks-and-the-small-investor/"></g:plusone></div><div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style" addthis:url='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/03/15/finding-the-best-online-broker-for-penny-stocks-and-the-small-investor/' addthis:title='Best Online Broker for Penny Stocks and the Small Value Investor ' ><a class="addthis_button_preferred_1"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_2"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_3"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_4"></a><a class="addthis_button_compact"></a></div>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>The Chroma Investing Small Investor Portfolio</title>
		<link>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/03/13/the-chroma-investing-small-investor-portfolio/#utm_source=feed&#038;utm_medium=feed&#038;utm_campaign=feed</link>
		<comments>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/03/13/the-chroma-investing-small-investor-portfolio/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 14 Mar 2010 03:55:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>chroma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Investing 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Investor Portfolio]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small TIme Investor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Beginning Investor]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ChromaInvesting.com/?p=1779</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is really the second in the series of Investing 101 that I previously started.

It is my intention to start an investing account with just $2000. The reason for this is that it is an amount of money that one could save in a year with less than $200/month. I will add $200/month to the account to mirror what a small investor might be able to do. $2000 is also an amount that you may have on hand, saved from not buying a Starbucks latte every day for a couple of years. O.k., lets not get that extreme. Like all the investments detailed on this website, all trades will be real money, so all gains or losses will be actual and reported on this blog. I will call this the Chroma Investing Small Investor Portfolio.

An account of this size will allow you to hold 3 or 4 equity positions and thus to have a focused value oriented portfolio. Starting with a small amount will also force a certain amount of discipline in buying. Knowing in advance that you will initially only be able to hold 3-4 positions will focus our attention on the quality of the investments to make sure that we are making only the best investment decisions.

The investing philosophy will be straight forward: value investing with an emphasis on NCAV and other deeply discounted asset plays, special situation investments, or other empirically supported value investing approaches, all with an emphasis on maintaining a margin of safety and keeping an eye on understanding the investment risks inherent to each company. I will concentrate on small and micro cap companies, where the smallness of our portfolio is actually an advantage over big money investors. I will look for the best value, and not shy away from Penny Stocks, if that is where the value leads. My intention is to avoid leverage, and any investment involving margins, including options and futures. It is possible in the future that I will develop a value approach that looks at investing against the market or an individual company if I can satisfy myself that such a strategy can be made in a beneficial risk/reward scenario.

I do not intend to invest in mutual funds, ETF's or bonds. Nor will their be any speculation on commodities, currency or other other bets outside of my ken.

Tomorrow I will begin the search for the best online broker for this account.<div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style" addthis:url='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/03/13/the-chroma-investing-small-investor-portfolio/' addthis:title='The Chroma Investing Small Investor Portfolio ' ><a class="addthis_button_preferred_1"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_2"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_3"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_4"></a><a class="addthis_button_compact"></a></div>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This is really the second in the series of <a title="Investing 101 at  Chroma Investing" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2010/03/10/investing-101-for-small-or-beginning-investors-lets-start/" target="_blank">Investing 101</a> that I previously started.</p>
<p>It is my intention to start an investing account with just $2000. The  reason for this is that it is an amount of money that one could save in  a year with less than $200/month. I will add $200/month to the account  to mirror what a small investor might be able to do. $2000 is also an  amount that you may have on hand, saved from not buying a Starbucks  latte every day for a couple of years. O.k., lets not get that extreme. Like all the investments detailed on this website, all trades will be real money, so all gains or losses will be actual and reported on this blog. I will call this the  <a title="Chroma Investing" href="http://chromainvesting.com">Chroma Investing</a> Small Investor Portfolio.</p>
<p>An account of this size will allow you to hold 3 or 4 equity positions  and thus to have a <a title="Focused Investing defined" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2010/01/19/what-is-focus-investing/" target="_blank">focused</a> value oriented portfolio. Starting with a  small amount will also force a certain amount of discipline in buying.  Knowing in advance that you will initially only be able to hold 3-4 positions will focus our attention on the quality of the investments to make sure that  we are making only the best investment decisions.</p>
<p>The investing philosophy will be straight forward: value investing with an emphasis on <a title="NCAV (Net Net) stocks defined" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2009/08/05/what-is-a-net-net-stock/" target="_blank">NCAV</a> and other deeply discounted asset plays, special situation investments, or other empirically supported value investing approaches, all with an emphasis on maintaining a <a title="Margin of Safety Defined at Chroma Investing" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2010/02/24/margin-of-safety-beginning-investor-terms/" target="_blank">margin of safety</a> and keeping an eye on understanding the i<a title="Understaing Investment Risk" href="http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/03/09/understanding-investing-risk/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed" target="_blank">nvestment risks</a> inherent to each company. I will concentrate on small and micro cap companies, where the smallness of our portfolio is actually an advantage over big money investors. I will look for the best value, and not shy away from <a title="Penny Stocks Defined" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2009/11/11/beginning-investor-terms-penny-stocks/" target="_blank">Penny Stocks</a>, if that is where the value leads. My intention is to avoid leverage, and any investment involving margins, including options and futures. It is possible in the future that I will develop a value approach that looks at investing against the market or an individual company if I can satisfy myself that such a strategy can be made in a beneficial risk/reward scenario. As with every other investment on this blog, the research will be self directed and no investment will be made with out checking the financials and analysis myself. You should do no less with your investments.</p>
<p>I do not intend to invest in <a title="mutual funds" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2011/07/30/mutual-funds-beginning-value-investor-terms/">mutual funds</a>, <a title="ETF" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2011/08/06/beginning-value-investor-terms-exchange-traded-fund-etf/">ETF</a>&#8217;s or bonds. Nor will their be any speculation on commodities, currency or other other bets outside of my ken.</p>
<p>Tomorrow I will begin the search for the best online broker for this account.<br />
<h3 class='related_post_title'>Related Posts:</h3>
<ul class='related_post'>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/20/best-value-investing-screeners/' title='Best Value Investing Screeners'>Best Value Investing Screeners</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/12/what-are-your-investing-goals/' title='What are your Investing Goals?'>What are your Investing Goals?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/03/06/what-is-your-investing-edge/' title='What is your Investing Edge?'>What is your Investing Edge?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/07/27/extra-investing-returns-by-investing-like-warren-buffett/' title='Extra Investing returns by Investing Like Warren Buffett'>Extra Investing returns by Investing Like Warren Buffett</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/05/03/portfolio-updates/' title='Portfolio Updates'>Portfolio Updates</a></li>
</ul>
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		<title>Investing 101 for Small or Beginning Investors &#8211; Let&#8217;s Start</title>
		<link>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/03/10/investing-101-for-small-or-beginning-investors-lets-start/#utm_source=feed&#038;utm_medium=feed&#038;utm_campaign=feed</link>
		<comments>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/03/10/investing-101-for-small-or-beginning-investors-lets-start/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:06:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>chroma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Investing 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small TIme Investor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Beginning Investor]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ChromaInvesting.com/?p=1734</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I am starting a new series.  I am going to walk investors through the steps of investing. As always I am targeting investors who are just starting out or small money investors. It has been my intention for a while to set up a separate chroma investing account and to use it as an example of how to and not to do things. I have always invested my own cash in every investment idea I suggested.<div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style" addthis:url='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/03/10/investing-101-for-small-or-beginning-investors-lets-start/' addthis:title='Investing 101 for Small or Beginning Investors &#8211; Let&#8217;s Start ' ><a class="addthis_button_preferred_1"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_2"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_3"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_4"></a><a class="addthis_button_compact"></a></div>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I am starting a new series.  I am going to walk investors through the steps of investing. As always I am targeting investors who are just starting out or small money investors. It has been my intention for a while to set up a separate <a title="chroma investing" href="http://chromainvesting.com">chroma investing</a> account and to use it as an example of how to and not to do things. I have always invested my own cash in every investment idea I suggested. But I also realized that while this can show returns accurately, as well as eliminate hypothetical bid ask spread issues, it is not ultimately accurate because I am not factoring in  how asset allocation affects total return. Hopefully, during this process those of you who need to will learn value investing.</p>
<p>Before you can begin investing,  you have to have money set aside for this purpose? This is not a personal finance site, but one must get control of their personal finances to invest effectively. I like to keep things simple. So here it is. If you have a $10,000 credit card balance at 18% you are not ready to invest, unless you have oodles of cash and that is your Starbucks bill. First, make sure you are saving some money every month above all your bills. If you have credit cards pay them off, unless you have somehow lucked into a zero percent credit card. If you don&#8217;t have a budget, make one. If you have a budget, stick to it. None of this new, and if you are undisciplined with your finances or have no financial education, it may take some time to master this first step. Be patient and dig in. Once you have repaired your personal <a title="balance sheet" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2009/08/14/financial-statements-for-beginners-the-balance-sheet/">balance sheet</a>. You are ready for the next step.</p>
<p>For the purposes of this example I am going to assume that I can put aside $200 per month for your eventual investing project. You will need to save some money, if you are starting off with very little, just to open a brokerage account. This will be come clear in the next installment when discuss <a title="Small Investor Portfolio" href="http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/03/13/the-chroma-investing-small-investor-portfolio/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed" target="_blank">constructing an investment portfolio</a>. If you have any ideas, please post.<br />
<h3 class='related_post_title'>Related Posts:</h3>
<ul class='related_post'>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/08/02/3-must-haves-for-your-value-investing-notebook/' title='3 Must haves for your Value Investing Notebook'>3 Must haves for your Value Investing Notebook</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/30/mutual-funds-beginning-value-investor-terms/' title='Mutual Funds &#8211; Beginning Value Investor Terms '>Mutual Funds &#8211; Beginning Value Investor Terms </a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/21/greenblatt-ackman-value-investing-masters-speak-at-the-value-investing-congress/' title='Greenblatt, Ackman &amp; Value Investing Masters speak at the Value Investing Congress'>Greenblatt, Ackman &#038; Value Investing Masters speak at the Value Investing Congress</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/20/best-value-investing-screeners/' title='Best Value Investing Screeners'>Best Value Investing Screeners</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/14/underperformance-in-a-fund-time-to-invest/' title='Underperformance in a Fund, Time to Invest?'>Underperformance in a Fund, Time to Invest?</a></li>
</ul>
<div class="plus-one-wrap"><g:plusone size="medium" href="http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/03/10/investing-101-for-small-or-beginning-investors-lets-start/"></g:plusone></div><div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style" addthis:url='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/03/10/investing-101-for-small-or-beginning-investors-lets-start/' addthis:title='Investing 101 for Small or Beginning Investors &#8211; Let&#8217;s Start ' ><a class="addthis_button_preferred_1"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_2"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_3"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_4"></a><a class="addthis_button_compact"></a></div>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Does a Risk Free Rate Really Exist?</title>
		<link>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/02/18/does-a-risk-free-rate-really-exist/#utm_source=feed&#038;utm_medium=feed&#038;utm_campaign=feed</link>
		<comments>http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/02/18/does-a-risk-free-rate-really-exist/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 19 Feb 2010 04:51:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>chroma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Investing 101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing Concepts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Risk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing terms]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ChromaInvesting.com/?p=1616</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I was perusing Musings on the Markets, Damodaran's blog and came across a post entitled Thoughts on the Risk Free Rate. Perhaps, because I am not an academic, I usually reject ideas that seem contrary to logic or that seem designed for an academic and not practical use. The Risk Free rate is one of these notions.<div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style" addthis:url='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/02/18/does-a-risk-free-rate-really-exist/' addthis:title='Does a Risk Free Rate Really Exist? ' ><a class="addthis_button_preferred_1"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_2"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_3"></a><a class="addthis_button_preferred_4"></a><a class="addthis_button_compact"></a></div>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I was perusing <em>Musings on the Markets</em>, Damodaran&#8217;s <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="blog" href="http://chromainvesting.com">blog</a> and came across a post entitled <em><a title="Risk Free Rate at Musings on the Market" href="http://aswathdamodaran.blogspot.com/2010/02/thoughts-on-riskfree-rate.html" target="_blank">Thoughts on the Risk Free Rate</a></em>. Perhaps, because I am not an academic, I usually reject ideas that seem contrary to logic or that seem designed for an academic and not practical use. The Risk Free rate is one of these notions. This is of course not a reflection on Damodaran&#8217;s work. I am a fan. The concept of the risk free rate does not originate with him. It seems to be part of the whole Modern Portfolio Theory bag of tricks. And although it is used as a basis for the Black Scholes option price model and for calculating the Sharpe Ratio, I do not think the risk free rate actually exists. It is a theoretical construct that enables people to compare rates of return, on  a theoretical risk adjusted basis. As I have written before, I am not interested in theoretical returns on my capital, but real returns.</p>
<p>What is the risk free rate? It is the rate of return that you can get without any default risk, that would be guaranteed for certain period of time. Investopedia says, &#8220;<em>In theory, the risk-free rate is the minimum return an investor expects for any investment because he or she will not accept additional risk unless the potential rate of return is greater than the risk-free rate.</em>&#8221; Ordinarily, in the United States our 3 month government t-bills act as the risk free rate, according to Investopedia.</p>
<p>I prefer not to divorce myself from the concept that long tail or Black Swan Events are always possible, if unlikely. By definition, risk cannot be assumed away in the real world, without ignoring unlikely events. I like them to be included in all my thinking. It forces me to always think of the downside. I am fairly risk averse. I look for a <a title="margin of safety" href="http://chromainvesting.com/2010/02/24/margin-of-safety-beginning-investor-terms/">margin of safety</a>, because I am likely at some point, to be wrong, or not have analyzed some aspect of an investment correctly.</p>
<p>In a post on <a title="Investing Risk at chroma investing" href="http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/01/28/investing-risks-what-is-risk/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed" target="_blank">Investing Risk</a>, I laid out a couple of ideas concerning investment risk, including the concept that there are some risks that we may not know, or anticipate. Because we are unaware of a risk does not mean it doesn&#8217;t exist. That is the problem with risk free rate, it assumes away the unknown, or unknowable. That does not mean risk has disappeared, just that we are ignoring it.<br />
<h3 class='related_post_title'>Related Posts:</h3>
<ul class='related_post'>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/08/06/beginning-value-investor-terms-exchange-traded-fund-etf/' title='Beginning Value Investor Terms &#8211; Exchange Traded Fund (ETF)'>Beginning Value Investor Terms &#8211; Exchange Traded Fund (ETF)</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2011/07/30/mutual-funds-beginning-value-investor-terms/' title='Mutual Funds &#8211; Beginning Value Investor Terms '>Mutual Funds &#8211; Beginning Value Investor Terms </a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/02/24/margin-of-safety-beginning-investor-terms/' title='Margin of Safety &#8211; Beginning Investor Terms'>Margin of Safety &#8211; Beginning Investor Terms</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/02/04/intrinsic-value-beginning-investingterm/' title='Intrinsic Value &#8211; Beginning Investing Terms'>Intrinsic Value &#8211; Beginning Investing Terms</a></li>
<li><a href='http://ChromaInvesting.com/2010/01/20/beginning-investor-terms-quick-ratio-or-acid-test/' title='Beginning Investor Terms &#8211; Quick Ratio or Acid Test'>Beginning Investor Terms &#8211; Quick Ratio or Acid Test</a></li>
</ul>
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