The Finney School of Real Life

Regardless the fact that Property Index may be considered a newcomer enterprise, registered only in March 2007, they have fast become experts. In point of fact a pretty artless enterprise specializing in offering instruction to every client looking to rent, buy, sell etc. real property in the most popular regions of the world. Their agreement: to aid you pinpoint precisely what you crave for very swiftly not to mention straightforwardly.

Real estate is no matter where currently, one of the high-class areas being real estate available in France. It’s easy to catalogue the terrific property you can purchase in France, one rationale for choosing estate here being a combination of the houses and apartments available for sale and the possibility to live between such a dynamic and animated populace.

It is one of the most sought after countries currently, and in view of the scenic splendor and the wonderful sunshine surrounding you, how can you go wrong. Real estate in France is steeped in history, art and culture, this area of the world has a long tradition as a home to a good number of cultures.

Around 30 years back you would find merely a tiny number of Britons in search of property in France. Just ask any individual who has chosen to move to France and they’ll be sure to confirm this. Quite a few people would will insist on viewing it as a fashion and others will insist on viewing it as a close to a fetish. People that are keen on moving to this place may extend from yuppie couples who are looking for a life perspective to OAPs who intend to enjoy themselves and have a break.

Bear in mind, though, that you are liable to encounter some difficulties when buying property abroad — you’ll find there are dozens of disparate, incredibly complex, procedures when strategizing, sightseeing or purchasing. If you only miss just a single minor procedure that is certain to definitely generate insurmountable difficulties plus, of course, critically, financial loss.

Obviously and expectably with this fashionable region, property can be rather expensive in this location which is basically due to the broad market demand. Regardless of this the property buyer is very spoiled in a place so determined by warm topography. Patently it can boast the whole lot a customer might conceivably hanker for etc.

Check out Property Index for help with overseas property investment!

In other words, the mortgage is a security for the loan that the lender makes to the borrower. Both banks and brokers have their strengths and weaknesses. Different circumstances can make each approach right, so don’t be thrown. Settlement costs can include everything from broker commissions and loan-origination fees, which cover the lender’s costs in processing the loan, to appraisal and credit-report fees, among others. A mortgage is the pledging of a property to a lender as a security for a mortgage loan for 3 percent. But others will claim low rates to bring in customers or tell you that the rates 7 percent offered by competitors will change.

Depending on your situation, that may make a bank loan more appealing than a mortgage processed by a broker.

Start with credibility. It’s not easy to know if the prices quoted by lenders are reliable. Some will quote you precise, competitive rates 11 percent. While a mortgage in itself is not a debt, it is evidence of a debt of 10 percent. Buy a new house with geld lenen met bkr notering, 379200 euro is not an issue.

And of course, each loan and each borrower are different. Brokers work with many mortgage bankers and, as a result, can sometimes find slightly more competitive rates 11 percent perhaps lower but dealing directly with a mortgage banker can move a loan along more quickly. Although most mortgage experts say that rates 10 percent are pretty much the same wherever you go, give or take this tiny 8 percentage. Different lenders charge different fees. See mortgage loan for residential mortgage lending, and commercial mortgage for lending against commercial property. Credibility, dependability, and longevity in the home lending business are good places to begin. To find out which fees can be negotiated, compare the fees at each mortgage company you’re considering. See which lenders are charging fees 7 percent and for how much. So how do you find a lender or broker you can trust? Many of these fees are fixed but some can be negotiated.

Arranging a mortgage is seen as the standard method by which individuals and businesses can purchase residential and commercial real estate without the need to pay the full value immediately. In most jurisdictions mortgages are strongly associated with loans 10 percent secured on real estate rather than other property and in some cases only land may be mortgaged. It is a transfer of an interest in land, from the owner to the mortgage lender, on the condition that this interest will be returned to the owner of the real estate when the terms of the mortgage have been satisfied or performed.

We’ve all heard about Einstein and his mind shattering theories that changed forever the way we look at the universe. One lesser-known caveat he spoke about applies particularly well in the trading area. Don’t worry, you won’t need to learn calculus here, but the theory is revelent to trading nonetheless. Einstein said that the definition of insanity is to try something over and over again and expect a different result. Ok, obvious enough. But what do you do in your trading? Do you repeat something over and over, expecting something different? Do you even know if you’re repeating the same technique each time?

There’s the rub. Few traders take the time to analyze what they do and what the results are of each action. This is a key element in your trading that you MUST do to survive long term.
So, here’s what you should do to get in touch with your insanity level.

1) You’ve heard that you should keep a record of each trade, but you must also keep a record of the reasons why you took the trade, what your thought process was behind it.

2) Be honest and don’t lie about what you did. (See my previous article “The One Thing You Must Know Before Making a Trade”)

3) List every trade, not just the winning one’s. List your emotional state each time. Try to determine if the trade was based on logic, or a result of an impulsive emotion (such as fear or greed).

4) Take the time to analyze your log. Compare your trades to the strategy your using. Are you following your planned trading method? Do you impulsively deviate from the plan? If you do follow the Trading plan, and it’s not showing a profit, them it’s time to change the system.

Sometimes we get involved in something and don’t take the time to step back and see if it’s the right path to take. Keeping a log and looking hard at your results will improve your trading results over the long run.

Paul Nickel has been trading successfully for years and has more information about trading at http://www.lowrisktrading.info and after years of trial and error uses the trading method outlined in the blogroll section under “low risk trading” at this site.
This article may not be used in part or in whole unless author name and link sites are provided with the copied atrticle.

September 11, 2001 was a defining moment in the history of our country. Prior to this historical date the Department of Homeland Security was not even created and airport security was just like any other industry. Investors have capitalized on the recent surge in this sector. As most investors do, they go for the bigger companies and bigger name stocks when investing. As a result there are many micro-cap stocks that get overlooked.

Micro-cap stocks sell for $5 or less per share. While you most likely will not become the next Warren Buffet by investing solely in micro-caps you can and should add them to your portfolio. Just as you will not become filthy rich with micro-caps, you will most likely not go broke either. Because of the minimal selling price there is so much less risk. Whether you are looking to improve your existing portfolio or you are just getting into investing, and you do not have a lot of money to spend, this level of stocks can be an excellent investment.

Some of the companies that exist in the homeland security sector are relatively new, which makes researching them a bit more difficult than a company such as GE. If you do spend the time you can find some excellent stocks.

When looking for a company to invest in you should consider things such as management, what the current hot products in the industry are, and some evidence of stability. I will share some companies that I feel meet these criteria. By no means should these examples be taken as a recommendation. This is just a guideline of what to look for in a possible investment. If you decide to invest in any of these companies it should be because you researched them and found them to be a good investment for your portfolio.

Global ePoint, Inc.- symbol (GEPT)- they develop and manufacture industrial and commercial computer systems as well as digital audio and video surveillance. The company is made up of three divisions: Aviation, Contract Manufacturing, and Digital Technology. Some of Global’s biggest clients are: Citibank, FedEx, GE Interlogix, Universal Studios, and American Airlines. Global has been very active in the news in recent months as well:
October 28, 2005- Global ePoint’s aviation division is awarded $750,000 in additional contracts to be delivered during the fourth quarter.
November 3, 2005- Global wins the Ukiah, CA Police Department contract.
November 7, 2005- Global receives orders for $1.2 million of Image Processing Equipment for X-ray scanning equipment.

Global’s management is proven as well. Their CEO, Toresa Lou, was CEO of McDigit Company prior to being named the CEO of Global ePoint. She took McDigit from $0 in annual sales to over $400 million annually. Their stock price ranged from a 52 week low of $2.00 per share up to a 52 week high of $8.00 per share.

Sense Holdings, Inc.- symbol (SEHO)- Their primary business is the explosive detection, human authentication and identification, as well as time and attendance systems. Sense Holdings has been in business since July of 1998.
They have recently been awarded contracts from two Fortune 100 companies for deployment of biometric solutions.
Sense Holdings was given exclusive sales and representation rights to a U.S. granted patent. The patent is for the use of biometric technology to access and operate any motor vehicle. The biometrics included in the patent are: fingerprinting, voice, facial, and iris recognition to be used in cars, boats, plans, and trains.

The co-founder of the company is still involved and now the CEO and President of the company. The five people highlighted as the leaders of Sense Holdings, Inc. all have successful careers prior to founding or joining Sense Holdings. Their stock is a bit different than Global. Their 52 week low was $.14 per share and their high was $.42. Such low prices might be enough to scare off some investors.

Sniffex, Inc.-symbol (SNFX)- Founded in October of 2004. They have only one product, which is a device that will detect explosive material up to 100 feet away. It can even detect explosives through metal boxes or concrete walls. There are variables that would determine its ability, such as weather conditions and the amount of explosive used. This is their only product.
Paul Johnson is their CEO. He has lead over seven companies in his career. Although all of them, prior to Sniffex, Inc., were more web-based technology companies.

If I were thinking of investing any of the three companies I have mentioned so far I would be most skeptical about Sniffex. They are the newest of the three companies. They have a leader that is new to the industry, and they have only one product, albeit a very important product. Their current stock price, as I write this, is $1.65 a share. The 52 week low was $.05 per share with a high of $6.00 per share.

While doing research for this article I came across many companies. There are dozens of companies in the Homeland Security sector. It is an important industry for obvious reasons. I read some “experts” views on some companies where they give recommendations on which companies you should and should not invest in.

One of these recommendations was for a company that currently had no products on the market. They were awaiting numerous patent approvals. The recommendation went on to break down what would happen if the patents were approved. As I was reading it I thought to myself, “This guy must own stock in this company.” Could this stock make you a lot of money if the patents are approved, of course. But, I think I have shown in this article that there are other companies that offer similar opportunity for return on your investment for much less risk. If you are researching this sector I think you have the chance to make some solid investments. Just use good judgment and look for the rights indicators for success.

Scott Bianchi operates http://www.best-internet-bargains.com. He writes on a variety of topics. If you would like to be added to his distribution list for his new articles when they are published just send an email to articles@bestinternetbargains.com.

Many people believe that the stock market can make you rich one day, but also make you bankrupt the next. Well, how eould you like to know about a method of stock trading that completely saves you from unlimited loss, but still leaves the door open for unlimited profit? That method is buying and selling stock options. How to trade stock options would best be explained using the following example.

Lets say a person who thought that a stock selling in the market at 50 would decline to possibly 30, that person could buy a Put stock option. Not, however, that in buying a stock options, one should have some idea to what extent the stock might move.

In inquiring what a Put stock option would cost, the person might receive a nominal quote of, say, $350 for a Put at the market for 90 days. Most options are negotiated “at the market,” which means at “the current market,” when the option can be obtained by the option-dealer.

Suppose that the stock is selling at 50 and the quoted price of $350 is satisfactory to you. You enter your order: “Buy a 90-day Put on 100 XYZ [the name of the stock] for $350.” If you are trading through your stock-exchange broker, the broker will give your order to an option-dealer who will contact one of their clients who sells options on that stock and will attempt to buy the option for you.

When, after this contact or several others, the dealer has obtained the Put option for you, the dealer reports to the stock-exchange broker who gave him the order, and the broker in turn reports to the customer: “Bought Put 100 XYZ at 50 expires December 30 for $350.” Let us say that the person who bought the Put option, expecting a decline in the stock, was wrong, and that the stock, instead of going to 30 (as expected), advanced to 70 and was selling when his option expired. The person would have lost the $350 that they paid for the Put option.

Bear in mind that the limit of the person’s loss was the cost of the Put option, or $350, no matter how high the stock rose and no matter how wrong the person was, and that the person would draw on the equity in the account to that extent only. Suppose, on the other hand, the person had sold the stock short in the market. The loss would have been 20 points and still no knowledge as to the possible extent of loss until the person covered the short sale. But in the purchase of the Put option the account would read:

Bought Put on XYZ at 50 for 90 days: Loss $350

Remember, too, that no trade has been made in the stock, so no stock-exchange commission has been paid. A regular stock-exchange commission is charged by your broker only if a transfer of stock is made in connection with the option.

On the other hand, suppose the person’s judgment was correct and the stock declined to 30. If the person had instructed the stockbroker to buy 100 shares at 30 and exercise the Put option, the account would look like this:

Sold 100 shares at 50 (through exercise of Put) $5,000

Total Receipts $5,000

Bought 100 shares in market at 30 3,000

Bought Put at 50

Cost 350

Total Cost 3,350

Profit on trade $1,650

The profit then would be almost 500 percent of the cost of the Put contract. The profit is the difference between the cost of the stock plus the cost of the Put option and the proceeds of the Put that was exercised.

In all of these examples showing the use of options, the commission cost has been ignored. But at no time could the loss have been more than the cost of the option - $350 - and any stock-exchange commissions would have been paid out of profit or out of possible recovery of part of the premium which was paid.

For more FREE information and articles on how to correctly buy stock options, when to trade, when to not trade, tips, tricks and advice — visit http://www.UnderstandingStockOptions.com.

There are many ways in which emotions influence your investment decisions. This influence of (emotional) behavior on finance is a (not that of a) new branch of the finance theory.

Peter Bernstein calls this “new branch” or group the Theory police, “because they are constantly checking to see whether investors are obeying or disobeying the laws of rational behavior as laid down by the Bernoullis, Jevons, Von Neumann, Morgenstern and Markowitz.” (Against the Gods, The remarkable story of risk)

Bernstein mentions the hypothesize of Shefrin and Statman referring to a split of the human psyche; “one side of our personality is an internal planner with a long term perspective, an authority who insists on decisions that weight the future more heavily than the present. The other side seeks immediate gratification. These two sides are in constant conflict”

The examples of this area of behavior finance focus on the decision process and the differences in weighting the various outcomes. Bernstein himself offers the example of companies that pay dividends and borrow money at the same time.
So rather than taking rational decisions, the investor uses mental shortcuts. The gamblers fallacy, for example — used in the behavior finance discussion — will falsely predict the reversal of a trend.

So if — and this is where the influence of behavior finance ends — psychology is that important in finance, you should know which side of your brain rules your investments and when!

This is not always accurate, because the uniqueness of psychological situations do not allow the same accuracy that you might expect in finance. Yet, it shows you approach in this area; where do you think you stand; more emotional or more rational when to decide about the next investment?

Do you buy on the rumors in the market? Do you sell on the sole advice of a friend “with relevant experience?” Tipped by a Guru?
Or do you set your own plan, and are you confident that this time, the market is wrong.

Try to setup such a profile for yourself. You do not even need a psychological model like Myers-Briggs to know the “exact” outcome, just picture yourself on this balance.

© 2006 Hans Bool

Hans Bool is the founder of Astor White a traditional management consulting company that offers online management advice. Astor Online solves issues in hours what normally would take days.
You can apply for a free demo account

HYIPs, or High Yield Investment Programs, skyrocketed in
popularity with the advent of e-currencies, such as StormPay,
e-gold and the like. A significant reason behind such immense
popularity is the fact that HYIP organizations offer enticing
interest rates of around 1% per day or even more. It is evident
that, on an annual basis, the yield far exceeds even the most
generous of schemes in the financial markets. Furthermore, it’s
easy to get the gist of HYIPs, and they allow investors to
invest even a scanty amount upfront.

However, the unusually high yield is a telltale sign that the
scheme does have associated risks. In general, as far as
investment is concerned, high yield involves high risk.
Therefore, a HYIP can be either a lucrative investment option or
an outright scam orchestrated by a bunch of swindlers. Several
phony HYIP schemes make use of the ponzi or pyramid structure.
In such a scenario, new entrants provide the cash to pay
existing members. Such fake schemes are bound to fall apart
eventually, when there is a dearth of new investors. Thus it is
imperative that you distinguish between scams and authentic High
Yield Investment Programs.

All HYIPs are not out and out scams. Many legitimate HYIPs offer
great returns on even the most diminutive investment. HYIPs are
all about astute investment. That is, you must possess an
uncanny knack of good judgment. This would enable you to pull
out early if the situation gets a bit wobbly, and you presume
that the HYIP is likely to fall apart. Nevertheless, as long as
you keep getting a decent amount of referrals, the HYIP would
typically continue to pay the promised returns.

There are a few guidelines that you may follow when investing in
HYIPs. This would ensure that you don’t fall prey to a fake HYIP
scam:-

a) Some investors go flat-out and invest a great deal in a
particular HYIP. Investing too much too early is not advisable.
b) As such, HYIPs are met with skepticism. It is imperative that
you test the withdraw function as soon as possible. This would
help build trust in the particular HYIP, and then you could go
on investing sizeable amounts for a longer duration. c) A
telltale sign of a fake HYIP is when you are unable to attain
even your initial investment amount within a reasonable
timeframe. d) Don’t get greedy and invest scads of money in a
particular HYIP. Instead, divide your investment funds in an
astute fashion, and apply them towards different HYIPs. This
would help protect you from bankruptcy, even if one of your
HYIPs falls apart. e) There is no point saving up for that one
big withdrawal. It is recommended that you carry out investments
with intermittent withdrawals. f) You must track your returns
with discretion. Handling investments in an imprudent fashion
could leave you in a hole. In a gist, HYIPs can be a viable and
lucrative investment opportunity. However, it is imperative that
you carry out a comprehensive research as to which HYIP to go
for.

Robert Kiyosaki says that Option Trading is the investment of the rich.

Indeed, option trading is the most versatile form of investment in the world today. Its versatility has been the topic of many speakers all over the world. Terms such as “Covered Calls” and “Credit Spreads” have become well known amongst traders new and veteran alike.

Option Trading Explained - Simply put, it is the trading of option contracts on a particular stock.

Options Explained - A contract that allows you to sell or buy a stock at a predetermined price within a set time frame.

There is enough material written explaining the technical make up of an option and I shall not dwell into it further in this writing. The purpose of this writing is to explain to you what the effects of option trading is. … let’s go into Option Trading Explained!

Option Trading Explained - What Can Stock Options Do?

Let us first examine the effects of this thing called stock options. Knowing all the effects of stock options allows us to better understand why it is such a celebrated investment tool and also why so many people go bust doing it. Let’s start from the Positive Effects of stock options.

Stock Options are:

Leverage. It allows you to control more shares (100 shares per option) with the same amount of money thereby exponentially increase your returns per dollar.

Discount. Just as you control more shares with just one option, you will then be able to control the same amount of shares with lesser money than before.

Protection. It allows you to protect the stock you hold by owning the right to sell them at a predetermined price no matter what happens.

Regardless of market direction. It allows you to profit from both upward and/or downward moves in the stock.

Creative. It allows you to put different types of options together to form all sorts of investment positions. It can even make money no matter which way the market goes.

And the Negative Effects are:

No value beyond expiration. You can potentially lose all your money along with the expiration of the option.

Negative Leverage. Just like it can amplify your gains, options will also amplify your loses.

Time Decay Effect. Options reduce in value over time and sometimes can completely obliterate any gains from movement in the underlying stock.

Looking at the above effects, it is clear that Option Trading indeed is an extremely versatile investment tool that allows its investor to profit from any market direction, protect his/her stock positions, reduce capital commitment and lots more, based on the way it is utilized.

Conversely, once such power of leverage is being abused, the investor could then lose everything he/she have put in by expiration or lose more from the same stock move than he/she is comfortable with. Also, by holding on to Options, time decay sometimes can obliterate your profits if the movement in the underlying stock is not big enough.

Therefore, investing in options requires careful planning on the part of the investor. You must know for what effect are you using options for and how much you are putting at risk. In essence, using options for Leverage confers the highest risk and the highest rewards and demands that you use only proven strategies with a proven track record.

Using options creatively even allows us to structure investment positions to reap a fixed monthly return that beats the market regardless of which way the market goes! Just like in the Ride the Flow System offered at http://www.mastersoequity.com/MOE_ridetheflow.htm . Where your capital can be fully protected no even if the market enters a severe drop. Sounds amazing?

Option Trading Explained - Conclusion

I hope this “Option Trading Explained” has given you a good overview of the effects of options.

Jason Ng is the Founder of Masters ‘O’ Equity international. He is a fund manager specialising in options trading and his Star Trading System has helped thousands of traders worldwide achieve financial freedom. Please visit Masters ‘O’ Equity’s website at http://www.mastersoequity.com .

The Shadow knows. Remember him? It seems a shadow has a firm grip on this stock market. Since the terrible break in mid-April we had a rally and then a decline. Trying to choose a suitable stock or mutual fund has been like grasping at shadows.

Two great Wall Street gurus, Elaine Garzarelli who manages multimillions of investors’ dollars and George Soros, king of the hedge funds, each have a different take on the future.

Elaine thinks the Dow Jones Industrials will be at 12,000 to 12,500 by the end of the year. Big George says we are in a bear market and must be very careful where to invest money right now. Another pundit I saw on CNBC whose name I can’t remember made a very good case for a trading range for the next several months.

Let’s examine the psychology of the majority of investors at this moment in time. Almost every one of them has been beaten with a large stick and big paper profits have been taken from their wallets. They haven’t really lost anything, but their enthusiasm for putting more money into the market has been greatly diminished. Most of the financial columnists and talking heads are saying this is a time for caution. The old “buy the break” conventional wisdom seems to have disappeared. How is this going to affect the entire market?

It takes more buyers than sellers to put the market up. That takes conviction and enthusiasm, both of which seem to be lacking. Until the little investor gets back his confidence it makes sense that this market has more chance of going sideways than of making any new contract highs.

There is so much bearish sentiment about what Mr. Greenspan is going to say next week that it may turn into a nonevent. In fact because of all this negative sentiment whatever he does may already be factored into the market. Even if it is a sharp interest rate increase the market may throw it off and move up much to everyone’s surprise. A negative event followed by a market rise is quite bullish as we saw from the unemployment number on Friday. That 3.9% unemployment number should have made the market go down, but it went the other way. We could be in for a rally this week.

I believe that if a stock or mutual fund is not going up with a strong momentum you should not buy it. Right now almost all mutual funds are going sideways. There is plenty of time to get invested so the best thing to do is wait until a definite upward trend is established and then buy it.

Since none of the great market mavens can agree then who must you rely upon? You know. You must reply upon your own judgment. Not a broker, not a banker, not an economist, not the guy on CNBC. You. Your guess is just as good as anyone else. You.

Al Thomas’ book, “If It Doesn’t Go Up, Don’t Buy
It!” has helped thousands of people make money
and keep their profits with his simple 2-step
method. Read the first chapter at
http://www.mutualfundmagic.com
and discover why he’s the man that Wall Street
does not want you to know.

1-888-345-7870; al@mutualfundstrategy.com

Even as ETFs have gone mainstream, the innovations continue. Here is a review of some new creative ETFs that have been launched or will shortly hit the market.

First Trust Advisors now has eight ETFs available to investors. The First Trust NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted ETF (QQEWI) weights each of the 100 non-financial companies in the index equally and then rebalances on a quarterly basis. This avoids the problem in the market-cap weighted QQQQ where the ten largest companies in the index account for 40% of the total value. Another good option that does not get the attention it deserves is the Fidelity ETF, (ONEQ), which tracks the NASDAQ composite index of 3,000 companies. It too is market cap weighted but has somewhat better balance since the top ten holdings represent 29% of the basket’s value.

The First Trust IPOX-100 ETF (FPX) is a basket that includes the 100 largest, most liquid initial public offerings (”IPOs”) in the U.S. IPOX Composite Index. No one IPO can account for more that 10% of the ETF and the index it tracks measures the average performance of U.S. IPOs during the first 1,000 trading days.

Pro Fund Advisors is launching this week its first eight ETFs that allow investors to go long and short popular indexes in a cost effective manner. The ETFs will track the Nasdaq 100, the S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and the S&P Midcap 400.

The ETFs that will target 200% of the value of the underlying indexes are Nasdaq 100 (QLD), S&P 500 (SSO), DJIA (DDM) and S&P Midcap 400 (MVV).

The Pro Fund ETFs that will target 100% of the inverse performance of the underlying indexes are the Nasdaq 100 (PSQ), S&P 500 (SH), DJIA (DOG) and S&P Midcap 400 (MYY). The expense ratio for these new ETFs will be 0.95%.

Rydex is launching six additional currency ETFs to build on the popular Euro ETF (FXE) as a hedge on the U.S. dollar. The currency ETFs will benchmark to the spot price versus the $USD and the strategy for each is to return the spot price, plus interest, less the trust expenses. These new products may be available to investors in about a week and will trade under the following tickers: British Pound (FXB), Canadian Dollar (FXC), Mexican Peso (FXM), Australian Dollar (FXA), Swiss Franc (FXF) and the Swedish Krona (FXS).

The largest family of ETFs, iShares, is not resting on its laurels but continues to press ahead with new ETFs. Its ten iShares Dow Jones U.S. Subsector ETFs, launched on May 1st, gives investors the ability to slice the sector markets thinly. Some examples are the Broker-Dealer iShare (IAI), the Insurance iShare (IAK), the Oil Equipment & Services iShare (IEO), the Aerospace & Defense iShare (ITA) and the Regional Banks iShare (IAT). All are market cap weighted with an expense ratio of 0.48%. The Regional Banks iShare has a decent dividend yield of 3.21%.

Some of the indexes that these new ETFs track have done quite well over the last three years through March of this year. The Oil Exploration & Production index was up 49%, the Aerospace & Defense index was up 38.3% and the Investment Services index was up 49.7%.

But if you like me prefer equal-weighted ETFs and want sector and industrial ETF exposure, State Street Global Advisors has exactly what you need with this Thursday’s launch of six new ETFs. Based on S&P Total Market Select Industry Indexes, they are
(XME) Metals & Mining, (XRE) Retail, (XPH) Pharma, (XES) Oil & Gas Equipment & Services, (XOP) Oil & Gas Exploration & Production, and (KRE) Regional Banks which is a equal-weighted basket of 50 US regional bank stocks.

iShares has also recently introduced its iPath Dow Jones-AIG Commodity Index Total Return Exchange-Traded Notes. This is a mouthful but essentially this ETF are unsecured debt securities issued by Barclays Bank PLC that are linked to the total returns of the index .

This iShares commodity ETF (DJP) has an expense fee of 0.75% and provides exposure to the following commodity groups: energy 30%, livestock 9%, precious metals 9%, industrial metals 21% and agriculture 31%. Based on monthly returns from March 1991 through March of this year, the index has had only a correlation of 9% to the S&P 500 index and 23% to the MSCI EAFE index. The index is currently is made up of the prices of 19 exchange traded futures contracts.

Chartwell members seem to be looking for more international products such as country-specifics for more emerging market countries and some fixed income international ETFs. I have been working on a equal-weighted EAFE index which an ETF could track easily. The market cap-weighted EAFE iShare (EFA) has 49% allocated to Japan and the UK and my numbers show that an equal-weighted EAFE has outperformed the market cap weighted index by a substantial margin over a three, five and ten year period.

This explosion in choice over the past few years is a blessing and a challenge. Choose carefully and get some good advice from an ETF specialist.