The Modern Prudent Investor

In the next few years, the world's senior generation will pass on some ten trillion dollars--more than the value of all the companies listed on today's stock exchange--to their heirs. Much of this unprecedented transfer of wealth will take the form of trusts. But the old Prudent Man Rule that trustees have followed for generations has been scrapped, and the new Prudent Investor Rule, which now applies in most states, drastically changes the way trusts must be operated. Trustees cannot hope to learn "on the job": today's investment principles and portfolio management techniques are too demanding. With Investing and Managing Trusts under the New Prudent Investor Rule, Train and Melfe show trustees how to manage trusts according to this important new Rule. Many current and future trustees are unfamiliar with the far-reaching provisions of the new Prudent Investor Rule, which should soon govern trust investing in all fifty states. Investing and Managing Trusts under the New Prudent Investor Rule explains the investment and administrative obligations--as well as the new liberties--imposed by this stringent Rule. John Train, an authority on building wealth, brings his deep knowledge and dry wit to this thorough guide, in collaboration with Thomas Melfe, eminent New York trusts and estates attorney. Train and Melfe also highlight the various forms of trusts and the major suitable and unsuitable types of investments, so that family trustees, as well as readers in the investment and trust business, law, and financial planning can understand the key strategic and managerial considerations. This practical, straightforward guide--the first comprehensive discussion of the new Prudent Investor Rule for private trustees-comes complete with useful sample forms, management guidelines, checklists, and a glossary. It is an essential reference for all professional and family trustees as well as their legal and financial advisors.

In recent years the field of finance has exploded with innovation. New products, services and techniques abound. The risks of inflation, the volatility of interest rates, the deregulation of financial intermediaries and the unbundling of financial services have combined to present investment managers with challenges and opportunities far greater than in the past. For trustees and managers of pension, trust, endowment, and similar funds, the task of meeting the challenges and exploiting the opportunities is much more difficult. These fiduciaries must measure their investment decisions against constrained interpretations of a legal standard--the prudent man rule--that have caused it to lag far behind changes in investment theory and the marketplace. Drawing on financial history, a major opinion survey of institutional investors, and comprehensive reviews of the law and of the lessons of modern portfolio theory for prudence, this book presents a powerful case that the prudent man rule as elaborated in legal treatises and much of the case law would virtually compel a fiduciary to act imprudently in terms of financial theory and marketplace reality. In proposing a modern paradigm of investment prudence, the book uses illustrations drawn from such traditionally suspect categories of investment fiduciaries as securities lending, real estate, venture capital, options and futures and repurchaser agreements. An unusual examination of the interaction of the worlds of law and finance, this work will be of interest to fiduciaries who are subject to some from of prudent man rule and all others, including judges, lawyers and investment managers, who are called upon to interpret and apply that legal standard.

"Timely and practical. This book brings the leading edge of investment information to the prudent investor in an understandable way." - Charles Schwab, Chairman, Charles Schwab Corporation. "to write a book like this on Modern Portfolio Theory and make it understandable would be a very difficult job. John Bowen went ahead and did it. Congratulations." - Merton Miller, Nobel Laureate in Economics. Individual investors today must fend for themselves as they seize control of their own portfolios. In this authoritative and ill-researched book, investors learn how to simply and effectively use popular asset allocation strategies - in combinations with mutual funds - to greatly increase their returns. The reader is walked step-by-step through a low-risk, high-return approach using model portfolios and case histories, plus timely information on emerging markets, tax-saving moves, annuity products, and more.

Hedge funds are typically thought of as highly risky investments. Not so. In fact, some hedge funds are among the most conservative investments you can make. While speculative, high-flying hedge funds make the headlines, others quietly go about the work of crafting unique investment strategies and hedging portfolios against market risk. This much-needed book shows why affluent investors who want to be financially secure through retirement should know about hedge funds. Its blend of facts, practical tips, and personal insights takes the mystery out of this often misunderstood investment vehicle and reveals the critical questions to ask before you invest. James P. Owen (Santa Barbara, CA) has more than 30 years of experience in the investment management industry and is Senior Vice President of Broadmark Asset Management. Previously he was President of JPO Inc. and a partner with NWQ Investment Management Company. He is co-founder of the Investment Management Consultant s Association (IMCA); author of the financial bestseller, The Prudent Investor: The Definitive Guide to Professional Investment Management; and was associate producer of the PBS television series,Beyond Wall Street: The Art of Investing

"Timely and practical. This book brings the leading edge of investment information to the prudent investor in an understandable way." - Charles Schwab, Chairman, Charles Schwab Corporation. "to write a book like this on Modern Portfolio Theory and make it understandable would be a very difficult job. John Bowen went ahead and did it. Congratulations." - Merton Miller, Nobel Laureate in Economics. Individual investors today must fend for themselves as they seize control of their own portfolios. In this authoritative and well-researched book, investors learn how to simply and effectively use popular asset allocation strategies - in combinations with mutual funds - to greatly increase their returns. The reader is walked step-by-step through a low-risk, high-return approach using model portfolios and case histories, plus timely information on emerging markets, tax-saving moves, annuity products, and more.

In this revised edition of his classic book, The Prudent Speculator, Frank discusses his investment philosophy and reveals precisely how he goes about picking stocks and managing a portfolio. Both "part-time" and seasoned investors will find a unique but proven strategy in Frank's investment strategy. Based on systematic, fundamental principles, market timing, and the use of margin, his system for finding "undervalued" investment opportunities will help you make more informed and profitable money-management decisions. Completely revised and updated, Al Frank's New Prudent Speculator now includes a new Chapter 10 where he discusses "What's Wrong with Mutual Funds?" In addition, he provides advice on an important, but often neglected subject: the psychological aspects of investing.