November 29, 2008
Government National Mortgage Association
Ginnie Mae is the common name for the Government National Mortgage Association – GNMA. Ginnie Mae provides guarantees on mortgage-backed securities (MBS) backed by federally insured or guaranteed loans, mainly loans issued by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Rural Housing Service, and Office of Public and Indian Housing . Ginnie Mae securities are the only MBS that are guaranteed by the United States government.
Filed under Money Glossary by Tracy Phaup
November 27, 2008
Sector Funds
By InvestorGuide.com
Sector funds are stock funds that invest in a single sector of the market, such as the energy sector or the biotechnology sector. Sector funds are usually used by investors to achieve growth — in other words, you would choose sector funds that match the industries that you think are going to do well in the future. But sector funds can also be used for other purposes too — for example, to act as a hedge against other holdings in a portfolio. Some common sector funds include financial services funds, gold and precious metals funds, health care funds, and real estate funds, but mutual funds exist for just about every sector. To be considered a sector fund, a fund must invest at least 25% of its portfolio in one sector, although many sector funds invest all of their holdings in a single industry. In general, sector funds are more volatile and risky than mutual funds that invest their assets across a wide variety of industries.
Filed under Money Glossary by Tracy Phaup
November 24, 2008
Aggressive Growth Funds
Aggressive growth funds are similar to regular growth funds, only they are more extreme. Like growth funds, aggressive growth funds target stocks of companies that are experiencing very rapid earnings or revenue growth. But aggressive growth funds tend to trade more frequently and take many more risks than regular growth funds. An aggressive growth fund might, for example, buy initial public offerings (IPOs) of stock from small companies and then resell that stock very quickly in order to generate big profits . Some aggressive growth funds may even invest in derivatives, such as options, in order to increase their gains . You should note that these funds can be quite volatile and risky investments.
Filed under Money Glossary by Tracy Phaup
November 19, 2008
The 100th Monkey by Ken Keyes, Jr.
A story about social change
The Japanese monkey, Macaca fuscata, has been observed in the wild for a period of over 30 years. In 1952, on the island of Koshima scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropped in the sand. The monkeys liked the taste of the raw sweet potatoes, but they found the dirt unpleasant.
An 18-month-old female named Imo found she could solve the problem in a nearby stream. She taught this trick to her mother. Her playmates also learned this new way and they taught their mothers, too. This cultural innovation was gradually picked up by various monkeys before the eyes of the scientists.
Between 1952 and 1958, all the young monkeys learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes to make them more palatable. Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement. Other adults kept eating the dirty sweet potatoes.
Then something startling took place. In the autumn of 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were washing sweet potatoes—the exact number is not known. Let us suppose that when the sun rose one morning there were 99 monkeys on Koshima Island who had learned to wash their sweet potatoes. Let’s further suppose that later that morning, the hundredth monkey learned to wash potatoes.
THEN IT HAPPENED!
By that evening almost everyone in the tribe was washing sweet potatoes before eating them. The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough!
But notice. A most surprising thing observed by these scientists was that the habit of washing sweet potatoes then jumped over the sea …Colonies of monkeys on other islands and the mainland troop of monkeys at Takasakiyama began washing their sweet potatoes!
Thus, when a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind. Although the exact number may very, the Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon means that when only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the consciousness property of these people. But there is a point at which if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness, a field is strengthened so that this awareness is picked up by almost everyone! …
You may be the “Hundredth Monkey”…
Filed under Stories That Coach by Tracy Phaup
November 16, 2008
Ginnie Mae
Ginnie Mae is the common name for the Government National Mortgage Association – GNMA. Ginnie Mae provides guarantees on mortgage-backed securities (MBS) backed by federally insured or guaranteed loans, mainly loans issued by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Rural Housing Service, and Office of Public and Indian Housing . Ginnie Mae securities are the only MBS that are guaranteed by the United States government.
Filed under Money Glossary by Tracy Phaup





