north shore news » BUSINESS We apologize for incorrectly printing Tryke industries Ltd. toll free number and Web site in our Wed. March 4 paper. For correct information about how te contact them: please see below. Mutual funds not for all 1 888 TRYKES 3 I just heard another financial “expert” insist mutual funds are the only way to invest your money. He pointed out the stock market is a great way to make your money grow, especially over the long term. What he says is partly right — but it’s the part he doesn*t say that can cause vou and your finances some real griet. Not everybody can take a “long-term” approach to investing. if you might need your money back in the next few years to buy a home, pay down a mortgage, pay for a wedding — forget about the stock market and equity mutual! funds. These days, you need an investment bort- zon of at least 10 years before you buy stocks or mutual funds that invest in stocks. Even then, there are stocks and mutual funds that turn Mike renby money matters out to be real losers. You — or vour financial adviser — must make every effort to pick stocks and funds likely to be in the top 25% of perform- ers, and then regularly moni- tor the portfolio to make sure they continue to perform well. For every “top 10™ fist there’s a “bottom 10,” It’s not unusual to see the same fund company names in both lists. The most dangerous thought any investor (as opposed to speculator) can have is that “I can make a killing.” I Know it’s rempting. With memories of Bre-X and other high flyers, vou want to think you can get in when prices are low and sell at rhe top, just before the stock or the market in general take a tum- ble. Mutual fund companies promote their spectacular growth over carefully chosen periods — again, encouraging you to think you can put money into those funds and sce huge gains. People who promote réal estate projects and other ventures also want you to think, “get rich quick.” But it rarely happens thar way. For every investor who lucks our, there are hundreds, probably thousands, who lose money — and tens, more likely hundreds, of thousands of athers who experience slow, steady growth over the long term — which is what investing is all about. Don's get carried away by the hype. When you deal with a financial adviser, avoid the salesperson. Look for a pro- fessional, somebody who is also in the business for the long term. There is ne one right investment for everybody. Mutual funds, individual securities, real estate, 3 busi- ness — all are candidates for vour portfolio. Just make sure you choose the right amounts of the right types ar the right time —~ and understand the reasons for your choice(s). — Copyright 1998 Mike Grenby Mtke Grenty isa columnist and independent personal financial adviser; he'll answer guestions in this column as Space allows but cannot reply personally — contact him at P.O. Box 50029, South Slope R.PO, Burnaby, B.C. V5] 5G3; email Mgrenby@nol.com www.irykes.com TRYAES Are you taking © unnecessary risks? You could be — every time you travel outside B.C. Because chances are ~ your medical insurance is inadequate for travel. Play it safe. Take BCAA’s Out-of—Province Medical Insurance with you. It’s designed to cover you NV man develops computer switch ‘NORTH Vancouver resident John Jahanshahi and his compa- ny International Office Systems Ltd. have begun assembling power surge protectors in Richmond. The company, which originally start- ed out in a small office on Clyde Avenue in West Vancouver, is selling its Remote Switch units in Future Shops across Canada and its Auto-Switch product will be used in new computers. STAPLES [7 The Office Superstore Jahanshahi said the Remote Switch provides ease of operation with a seven- foot cord allowing users to locate the switch in a convenient place. “No longer do you need to crawl under a desk in order to turn on/off your computer and its peripherals,” he said. The Auto Switch accommodates the “rapid resume” and “sleep features” of the newer computers. “Plug the computer into the master receptacle and have it turn off the pi reves anon anew ip peripherals when it goes into standby state and turn on these peripherals when it is being powered up,” said Jahanshahi. He said the surge protectors have the | highest joule rating in the industry, which means better protection for equip- ment. 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