“Freedom is just another word For nothis left to lase Nothin? don's mean nothin, hon, [fit ain’s free” WHEN Janis Joplin belted out those lyrics almost 30 years ago — in the second verse of “Me and Bobby McGee” — you would- n’t have thought that Kris Kristofferson’s words could have easily applied to investing strategies at the dawn of the 21st century. Increasingly, however, they do seem to resonate in an investing, environment where freedom means the ability to make your own mistakes — and personally bear the direct consequences. While you may not feel that you are investing because you have “nothin” left to lose,” you probably Jd investiient Sutures have the greatest range of investment choices when this is the case. When you are oniy using so-called “risk capital” to make vour investments ( money that you can live with- out), you tuly have nothing to lose by making bold chwic- es. Bur that all depends on whether you really have money that you’re truly will- ing, to risk. After all, if you really did- n't nced the meney, why would you bother spending time planning an investing strategy for it? The other piece of advice contained i in this lyric (name- USINESS hat the freedom te ly, that “nothin® don’t mean nothin, hon, if it ain't free”) harks back to the old notion that you simply don’t get something for nothing, par- ticularly where stocks are concerned. Puc in a year 2000, post-techno-bubble context, this means a compa- ny has to have a real business if it is yoing to provide real, long-term value to investors -~ rather than just some quick bucks for a few Itcky day -traders. Of course, all these things are relative. In some coun- tries, you don’t have as much freedom abour where you can invest — bur you are better protected from making poor investment choices. In North America, particularly in the U.S., the guiding principle behind most retail investing in stocks is something called “disclosure.” Disclosure means that people can run companies that are unlikely to meet their stated objectives, so long as Preferred stocks need analysis . From page 19 on promises or goes inte bankruptcy, the value of your shares will decrease — perhaps be worthless. However, share- : holders can never lose more than their initial investment +s and cannot be held liable for the debts or liabilities of the “> company... There are other types of “stacks, each of which is designed to fit the special needs of the issuing compa- ny. Some types of stock are like common stock except ‘that they have no voting power. Others may have 10 _ votes per share. When there is more than one type of stock in a given company, they are ofe en designated as Class A or Class B shares. Another a of stock is pre- ferred. stoc! which pays divi- dends at a specified rate and carries a preferential claim on company assets relative to common stock. These types of stock are less frequently traded and should be closely analyzed before purchasing. — Rod Streets is a North Vancouver resident and head instructor at Vancouver's Swift Trade Securities, a day trading school and trading house. Po rem nnn ea : f Revolution 7 more! - Certified LEAN Team Coach rt dogs matier. how, over- weight you are... > : [: You’ may sow safely and casily “re-tane” your bod, burn fat faster than it oes rreni ante ree of all,: you don’t | have to. starve yourself. coe “don’t: have to give up eat : delicious foods. In fact, yon be able to eat more of certain you: va And: "you" , °. your ” health taking is serous diet pills either. ih fact, there’s not a safer, more - effective way to lose weight... Oo Iv. 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You are welcome to bring a friend or family member with you. You can both atlend for only £15. , . ANS922 invesi real they make public all the information investors Need to make an informed judgment on this issue. In addition, this information needs to be made available to all investors at the same time —- giving them all an equal chance wo evaluate material changes to a company’s business. Ta the Unised Kingdom, however, the rules are quite different. The regulatory environment is actually designed to “ce: shion™ Sunday, September 10, 2000 ~ North Shore News — 23 investors from exposure to y , investments — with the stare in charge of protecting investors from themselves. In some senses, this nay limit the freedom of investors to pursue any and aff investment opportunities. Bur the U.K. government seems to take the view that this curtailment of such free- doms is worthwhile if it pro- tects hapless, uninformed investors from losing money on stocks they know too little iy means about. Perhaps it is only appro- priate that we all reflect on what the freedam to invest really means to us. — West Vancouver resident Geof Wheelwright is Chief Operating Officer at . Wheelwright has more than 18 years af experience in working ‘with technology companies, newspapers, magazines, book publishers, television and radio programs, Offerings updated often Fram page 20 Heming) found 14 years ago when he started the company was that there is a need for environmental — compliance material in the U.S. “Now we've got a really good system. We simplify the regulations and provide inter- pretation — do lots of check lists to make it as easy as pos- sible for the professional. to understand. We have almost 80 different publications.” For example the company offers publications on U.S. company directors liability, Internet law (its top-selling business book with more than 1,000 subscribers), franchise law and securities law. Specialty is working on other projects such as retirement texation and limited liability companies. Every publication is updat- ed quarteriv. “We sell by annual subscription. and the updates come at no extra cost. The consumer is continually getting value and things need updating,” said Britten. The writers are all profes- sionals in their field. They are not employed by Specialty but receive writers’ royalties. Said Britten, “We're spe- cialists at getting our content from experts, simplifying it and our strength is our mar- keting.” Specialty employs 65 sales people who work the phones. The publications are sent out on 30-day review. - Those who like the product |. pay for it and those who-don’t : ‘ return it, Specialty has an informa- tion technology .department . to handle the CD versions of | its publications. “We're cur- rently investigating ways of providing the material: on-. a line,” said Britten., Specialty’s gross revenues are between $13 million’ and: $14 million annually, with an annual profit between $4 mil- lion and $5 million, according to Britten. The company’s Web: si . Complete mechanical & electrical! repairs - by factory trained technician IMPEX AUTO 1166A West 14th Street Tei: 985-6237 _ (off Pemberton Ave., entrance at sear) Visit our wen site: were Smpexaute.com “Take home the Tuesda Family | ¥ 399 FOR ONLY $s] - INCLUDES: ack * 1 Whole tender, juicy Chalet, Rotisserie Chicken * > 4 Chalet Sauces, 4 Side Orders and 4 Fresh Ralls. > your choice of a whole Chacolate or Vanilla Cake - * 4 cans of Coke, Sprite or Diet Coke.