Saturday, October 3, 2009

Investment Loans


Everyone has financial goals but sometimes finding the cash to support an investment plan can be difficult. We can help. A Manulife Bank Investment Loan can provide you with the cash you need to help you achieve your goals sooner.Let our money work for you
Traditional investing is simple: earn money . . . save a portion of that money . . . invest money. But your money may not be working as hard as it could be for you.

With investment leverage, rather than making a series of small contributions over a long period of time, you borrow a larger amount and invest it all at once. This allows a much larger investment to grow for your full investment period. Then, instead of making additional contributions to your investment, you make interest payments on your loan.

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An effective wealth creation strategy
There are two powerful forces driving this strategy:

1.Compound returns. An investment loan allows a larger amount to grow for longer which could generate a much larger long-term return.
2.Tax deductibility. Interest charged on an investment loan is generally tax-deductible. This can reduce your cost for the investment loan. By deducting loan interest, you're reducing your cost of investing and increasing the chance that leveraged investing will out-perform traditional investing.

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Two investment loan programs
Manulife Bank offers two investment loan programs – Quick Loans and Multiplier Loans. Each program offers no margin calls due to market fluctuations and other unique features.

Quick Loans feature:
  • 100% loans of $10,000 to $50,000.
  • A quick and simple application process.
  • Interest-only payments.
Multiplier Loans feature:
  • 3:1 personal loans of $50,000 or more.
  • 3:1 business loans of $250,000 or more.
  • Choice of interest-only or interest and principal (up to 20 years) payments.
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A case study – the story of Mike and Liz
The story of Mike and Liz illustrates the power of an investment loan strategy. Liz and Mike both want to invest to save for a dream vacation in 10 years. Liz diligently makes a lump sum deposit at the end of each year. Mike borrows $30,000 from Manulife Bank to invest immediately.

During the next 10 years, Liz contributes $16,616 to her investment plan and Mike's after-tax cost of borrowing is the same $16,616. Both investors earn an 8% return on their investment. After 10 years, they sell their investments, pay their taxes and Mike pays off his loan.

They compare their results and find that even though their cost of investing has been the same, Mike ends up with over $8,000 more to spend on his vacation!



Assumptions: Liz makes end-of-year contribution equivalent to Mike's net cost of borrowing. Cost of borrowing for Mike is 7.0% annually; loan interest is 100% deductible. Both clients: Annual taxable portion of fund return is 33%, tax rate on income allocations from funds is 35%, marginal tax rate is 40%. All assumptions are for illustration purposes only. Results will vary slightly for Quebec investors.

For more information, view the "Understanding Investment Leverage" Flash presentation.

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Is leveraged investing right for you?
If you have a higher tolerance for risk, an investment horizon of at least 10 years and sufficient income to comfortably service an investment loan and applicable taxes, leveraging may be an appropriate strategy for you. Your financial advisor can help you understand investment leverage and help you decide whether an investment loan is right for you.

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Important note about the risk of investment loans
There are risks and rewards associated with leveraged investing. Borrowing to invest can magnify losses as well as gains. If you are interested in leveraging, please read thisimportant leveraging information and discuss this strategy with your financial advisor.

Getting started
To find out more about Manulife Bank's Quick Loans and Multiplier Loans
  • Contact your financial advisor.
  • To be referred to an independent advisor, please call 1-888-MANULIFE (1-888-626-8543) OR
  • Contact us.

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Diamonds Investment


Investment Diamonds

Many people think of diamonds as an investment. In recent years they have increased in value but there are numerous reasons why we do not think diamonds should be considered for investment purposes.

1) While De Beers does, to a great extent, control the distribution and pricing of rough (uncut) diamonds, they do not control the price of polished diamonds. Polished diamond prices fluctuate up and down and are highly impacted by things such as interest rates and inflation. During the high inflation period of 1978-1980 in the U.S., white diamonds were approximately 4 times more expensive than they were twenty years later.

Click here for our discussion of diamond prices

 Loose Diamonds

2) Top quality diamonds are more liquid than real estate but less liquid than stocks or gold. It will take some time to find a buyer for your "investment" diamond. Expect the wholesale or retail buyers to offer you much less than they are selling the same diamonds for.

3) Like any good investment, the purchase price is just as important as the selling price. Do not expect to buy a diamond at a jewelry store with 100% mark up and then expect to make money selling it in a couple of years. If you do not have a retail source that is able to sell you at 5 to 10% over their cost, you are paying too much.

4) The diamonds that have historically been the best investments are natural colored diamonds. Blue and pink diamonds are hundreds if not thousands of times rarer than D color white diamonds. While the diamond buying public is becoming more expert in white diamond shopping, colored diamonds still tend to be a mystery to most shoppers in terms of quality and price.

5) Beware of dealers who put all the emphasis on what percent off "Rap Price" they are selling diamonds. Just because a diamond is priced to you at 40% below the Rapaport List Price, does not mean it is a good value and it certainly does not guarantee it will be a good "investment." Cheap diamonds are often just that, cheap. The Rapaport Price does not take into account cut, polish, symmetry, fluorescence and appearance. Some diamonds are better values at 5% below Rap Price than others priced at 40% below Rap Price. Unless you are a diamond expert and trade (buy and sell) every day, do not expect to master the diamond pricing game.

Click here for our discussion on Rapaport Price

6) Many of the sales pitches given for investing in diamonds have to do with the high value in a small size, easy to hide, easy to transport and anonymity for both the seller and buyer. These aspects seem to have more to do with tax evasion, money laundering and fraud than they do with ethical and legal investing.

7) Many diamond shoppers have been told that their investment will hold its value better if they buy a very high quality stone. On the surface, this sounds reasonable but this logic fails to take into account the effect of supply and demand. Since there are many more buyers seeking diamonds with H color and VS2 clarity than D color and IF clarity, these H/VS2 diamonds tend to be easier to sell and often have appreciated at a higher rate than the D/IF stones.


Ten Year Diamond Price Performance (One Carat Diamond)

As the following chart shows, over some time periods very "high quality" diamonds have appreciated less than "high demand" diamonds. While most shoppers don't intend to have to sell their diamond in the future, it still makes sense to invest in an asset that is expected to appreciate and that has a large potential market for a sale when needed.

Ten Year Diamond Price Performance (One Carat Diamond)

Advice: While most shoppers don't intend to have to sell their diamond in the future, it still makes sense to invest in an asset that is expected to appreciate. If investment appreciation is an important shopping requirement for you, seek VS1 to VS2 clarity range, G to H color range and the best cut possible.

Beware of retailers who tell you that your diamond is "investment" quality if it has high clarity (IF or VVS). We talk to a lot of customers who bought "investment" diamonds in the past who paid premium prices for very high clarity but still had low color, poor cut and/or strong fluorescence. Just like real estate, if you want to sell a diamond you must find a buyer willing to purchase. If your diamond has low color or poor cut, you will have a hard time finding any buyer, let alone one willing to pay what you think it is worth.

This article taken by diamondsourceva.com.

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