In This Issue:
Back Up Your Club Data — Or Else! by Doug Gerlach, President, ICLUBcentral Inc.
Like the malfunctioning computer HAL in Stanley Kubrick's epic film "2001: A Space Odyssey" that refused to open the pod bay doors for astronaut Dave or the game-loving WOPR supercomputer hacked by Matthew Broderick's character in "WarGames," there have been no shortage of computer villains in film history, eager to wreak havoc on the best-laid plans of carbon-based humanoid life forms.
Most computer users have their own tales to tell of computer meltdowns and near-disasters, both hardware- and software-related. And yet most clubs don't have an official plan for data backup and document storage.
Many banks and brokerage firms now offer to replace mailed monthly statements, trade confirmations and year-end documents with electronic equivalents. As clubs move increasingly toward computerized bookkeeping and operation procedures, they no longer have an automatic paper trail of records to be saved in manila folders and shoe boxes; as a result, they might find it easy to overlook the need to preserve and protect the club's records. But just one computer crash is all it takes to wipe out years of documents in an instant, leaving you hurtling through the vast emptiness of cyberspace where your friends, family and club members can indeed hear you scream.
Several key components contribute to a sound backup and document storage plan for your club. The first is to ensure that you have access to all your club's financial records going back at least seven years, pursuant to IRS regulations. Don't rely on your bank or brokerage firm to provide access to your account records. Many firms make account statements and records available to customers only for a limited period, perhaps one to two years. After that, if you need to recover statements or transaction files, you may need to pay a hefty fee for the service.
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The Easiest Way to Find Smaller Stocks for Your Portfolio
Did you know that roughly two-thirds of the companies tracked by the award-winning Investor Advisory Service newsletter are small or midsized companies?
It makes perfect sense when you think about it — these companies can provide higher returns over the long term when compared with larger, more staid stocks. But finding and analyzing smaller companies can be a tough job for many individual investors, despite the significant boost that smaller stocks can provide for their portfolios.
That's why more and more individual investors and investment club members are turning to ICLUBcentral's Investor Advisory Service newsletter for professional guidance on the best-looking smaller investment opportunities. The team of IAS analysts seek out these smaller gems for nearly every monthly issue.
Over the past 15 years, these smaller companies have helped the Investor Advisory Service to outperform the market — and landed it on the Hulbert Financial Digest Investment Newsletter Honor Roll two years in a row!
Don't you owe it to your portfolio to check out a sample issue of IAS today? You'll find a special Promotion Code at the bottom of the IAS web site to help you save a bundle on an annual subscription. Remember — it takes just one stock winner to pay back your subscription price many times over.
Coming Soon to a Computer Near You — Online Investor Education Conferences
Have you checked out the virtual Retail Investor Conference, a completely online conference that you can attend from your own home or office via the power of the Internet?
BetterInvesting, PR Newswire, and MUNCmedia have teamed up to present this monthly series of virtual investor conferences, featuring publicly-traded companies, company executives, and educational presentations. The next Retail Investor Conference is scheduled for May 5, 2011.
At the May conference, Investor Advisory Service Editor-in-Chief Doug Gerlach will present "When to Sell a Stock." Knowing when to sell is one area where individual investors tend to make the most mistakes, either selling way too soon or way too late. In this session, Doug will explain how to know when it's time to let go of a company — or if it's time to hold on, or, possibly, to load up on more shares. Just because you're a long-term investor doesn't mean you should buy-and-never-sell.
In addition, representatives of public companies will be on hand to offer presentations and be available in virtual "booths" to provide education about their business, financial history, and prospects. You can ask questions, and company executives and investor relations representatives can answer them in real time. In addition, ICLUBcentral will be represented by a booth in the Exhibit Hall.
It's free to attend the Retail Investor Conference, but you must sign up in advance at RetailInvestorConferences.com. If you can't attend the whole day, you can drop by at your convenience throughout the day, or even view replays of all of the day's presentations! Sign up today, and we'll see you on May 5, 2011.
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