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Subject: persfin-digest V4 #131
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:26:33 -0500 (EST)
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persfin-digest Tuesday, March 3 1998 Volume 04 : Number 131
IN THIS ISSUE:
ADVERTISEMENT: MCI FAX REPLY SERVICE
Family Housing After Bankruptcy
Free E-mail Quotes?
Real estate agent?
How Many Credit Inquiries are Too Many?
Re:Cashing Unsigned Checks
Re: viatical settlements - high risk investments
Automatic investment plans?
Health Insurance for Visiting Scholars to the United States?
Choosing Between Two Goods
Re: viaticals
Re: Stock Sale Question
Re: auto withdrawal to invest in stocks?
Living Trusts
Re: buying a house
Re: Charles Schwab - Some Lower Commission Possibilities
Re: Ultra Market Advisor
Advice for medical student?
AT&T One Rate Plus
House Buying advice.....
Consider FIFO over average cost when liquidating a fund position
Re: Ultra Market Advisor
Re: Quicken V6 to Quicken 98
Re: Free Calls Over the Internet
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Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 19:59:36 -0500 (EST)
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:03:19 -0500 (EST)
From: "Mark Jay Kaplan" <mkaplan@execpc.com>
Subject: Family Housing After Bankruptcy
A bankruptcy 5 years, followed by a failed business and years of
sacrifice and hard work has managed to get my wife and I now out of
massive debt. At 45, my family of six now has no debt, savings or really
any cash. We have two older but good vehicles, modest furnishings and
have an average lifestyle.She makes $50,000 a year salary from her job
she has had over 3 years. I have taken a new commissioned sales job and
made only $11,000 in the last 8 months. I do not know if this will
improve, which I suspect it will ,or whether I need to find another
position.
Advice sought: We are now faced with having to move.We need a place that
has at least 3 bedrooms and we wonder what to do.
Our monthly expenses total about $2000 ( we currently live rentfree but
pay all the utilities etc,), and on an after tax basis we have about
$750 a month left over just on her income.We used all available money to
pay down debt.
How much can/should we spend on housing? I figure my current income
after tax to be around $750, hopefully improving.
We have no down-payment saved and must move during the summer. Should we
rent or consider buying? We can purchase a very small home in our area
for $110,000 or a lot nicer for $150000-$175000. We think we can and
qualify for the mortgage really on her income alone, I figure we can
spend $1000-$1500 a month.It will take me two more months to be
completely out of debt, or should I pay the $400 a month to be current
and save for the downpayment. At any rate, we would be hard pressed to
come up with 10-20% downpayment, but if we rent can we really expect to
save enough, with rising home prices , expenses etc., to be better off
next year?
Please let me hear your thoughts
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:03:44 -0500 (EST)
From: dmak@tma-net.org
Subject: Free E-mail Quotes?
Does anyone know of any free services that will send you an e-mail if
a stock you want trades at a predetermined price?
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:04:41 -0500 (EST)
From: "Sheth, Kalpesh" <sheth@lucent.com>
Subject: Real estate agent?
Hi
I am looking around for a reference for a real estate agent. I live in
MA and wanted to explore about buying a house in/around 495(N-W) area.
Buyer's agent names are also welcome (with good knowledge for towns like
Acton, Westford, Framingham, Burlington, Lexington etc). I wouldn't mind
considering even direct mail from those agents promoting themselves.
I would appreciate any names/caveates/traps or experience stories for
this first time home buyer. Things like buying new cons. v/s. old (i.e.
15-20 yrs) construction would be helpful too.
Thanks,
- -Kalpesh Sheth
sheth@lucent.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:05:11 -0500 (EST)
From: Lydia Cline <lcline@johnco.cc.ks.us>
Subject: How Many Credit Inquiries are Too Many?
I frequently read -here and in magazines- that potential lenders
don't like to see "too many credit inquiries" on a credit report. What
constitutes "too many?"
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:05:40 -0500 (EST)
From: dmak@tma-net.org
Subject: Re:Cashing Unsigned Checks
Someone before asked whether it was legitimate to deposit an unsigned
check. I just found from a Prentice Hall book on collections that
the procedure for guaranteeing an unsigned check is:
Write "over" on the signature line;
Endorse the back of the check with "lack of signature guaranteed"
followed by your signature, name, title, company, account number.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:07:25 -0500 (EST)
From: "Cal Lester" <cal_lester@email.msn.com>
Subject: Re: viatical settlements - high risk investments
>Bob Ford
>>From: "Leo Beilin" <leo.beilin@pobox.com>
>>Does anybody on the list have any experience investing in these? Know of
>any
>>legitimate brokers in this vehicle?
>>Know of any websites or print material to find out more about this?
>>Thanks
>
>LEO
>
>This is high risk investing. The rewards are moderate but the potential
>for loss is great.
>
>To make a good investment decision, you must have access to a person's
>medical records and have them evaluated by a medical professional you
>trust. This can be difficult to do.
>
>>>> Let me preface my remarks by stating that I am NOT an investment
advisor, and that these comments are my own, without force of license ! ! !
! ! ! !
I would have to differ with Bob" comment that this is a risky
investment with a large potential for loss. Even if Leo were to purchase
the Life Insurance policy himself, which would be extremely foolish due to
the need for VERY specific medical information, he would still be buying the
policy at a DEEP discount from it's face value. IF the Insured has met even
the minimal qualifications of a life expectancy of less than 18 months, and
Leo had to pay the full premium for say 2 years, he should still make a
PROFIT ! ! ! ! ! How much will depend on how long the insured lives, and how
much Leo paid for the policy.
However, I beleive that the original question concerned
purchasing "shares" in a Viatical settelement program, offered by a vender.
The vender offers a minimum interest earning on the amount invested,
regardless of when the insured dies. IF one has done thier homework, as one
should PRIOR to ANY investment, and the Company has an established track
record, as one would expect before making any sizable investment, then I
feel that the RISK would be no more than any similar investment vehicle. In
fact the guarantees might even be stronger.
Cal Lester CLU
Insurance Course Coordinator
Broward Community College.
Cal_Lester@msn.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:08:45 -0500 (EST)
From: Jason Kaufman <JHK@copper-mt.com>
Subject: Automatic investment plans?
Does anyone have any information or know how I can have money
automatically taken out of my checking account and invested in
stocks/mutual funds? I am looking for something that takes a certain
amount out every month.
Yes, all mutual funds that accept automatic investments will take money
directly from your checking account (some do savings too!). Also, more
and more are starting to work with employers to take it directly from
your paycheck. I have found some that do minimums for as little as $25.
However, you must realize that if you start an automatic investment
plan, you must continue until you reach the funds minimum w/o an auto
invest plan. If you stop the plan, the fund has the right to close your
account which could result in a taxable situation for you. Good luck!
Jason H. Kaufman
Copper Mountain Trust Corporation
Corporate Web site: http://www.copper-mt.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:09:42 -0500 (EST)
From: Marc Bremer <bremerm@ic.nanzan-u.ac.jp>
Subject: Health Insurance for Visiting Scholars to the United States?
Dear Ira:
I need some advice concerning health insurance. I am a teacher based in
Japan who will take a year-long sabbatical in the United States from April.
I would like to arrange health insurance for myself and my family. However, I
can only find information about hmo's with limited selections of facilties
and doctors. What I would like is insurance that has a large deducatable
(say US$2000 per year) but pays any and all health costs over this amount
and does not require that I use any particular health service provider? That
is, I can pay for ordinary medical expenses, but I want insurance to cover
anything really big. Does this kind of health insurance exist in the United
States? Can you or your readers share their experiences with this sort
of thing?
Many thanks.
Marc Bremer
Nanzan University
bremerm@ic.nanzan-u.ac.jp
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:10:46 -0500 (EST)
From: Sandi Rollins <srollins@econ.berkeley.edu>
Subject: Choosing Between Two Goods
I'd like to post a query to those of you who have made hard decisions
on priorities in spending vs. saving (I know, don't we all!).
I'm most interested in any thoughts you might have on money allocation
choices when one path might accomplish a long-term goal, and
the other path will accomplish a short-term goal.
To give an example: my husband and I would like to do some
repairs and renovation on our house. However, we have a first
mortgage that precludes us from obtaining a second. Refinancing
will wipe out the equity we've managed to accumulate in order to
"cash out", which we'd be OK with, IF it didn't mean $4000 in
junk fees, appraisals, and points. It hardly seems worth taking
back $6,000 of debt on the mortgage, for the privilege of $1600
worth of cash out.
So, we save out of current income. However, we've recently done
some retirement projections, which tell us we need to be saving 10%
of our combined gross salaries in order to retire comfortably.
We're currently only saving about 8% (and neither of us have
matching funds or stock options to worry about).
So, if we max out our saving, we accomplish a long-term goal
of retirement. But it means we have no funds for our short-term
goal of house improvements.
I'm overwhelmed -- if we save for retirement, that's good. But if
we improve the house (which we hope to sell within 3 years) we sell
for more money. That's good too. How do you choose between two goods?
Sandi R.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:11:04 -0500 (EST)
From: Robb Warren <rwarren@mis.net>
Subject: Re: viaticals
OOPS! I posted the wrong site for a list of viatical companies in a
response a day or two ago. Here's the correct one:
http://www.ipipeline.com/list_v.html
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:11:30 -0500 (EST)
From: Rich Carreiro <rlcarr@animato.pn.com>
Subject: Re: Stock Sale Question
[Disclaimer: this is my opinion, not advice. I am not a professional.]
> My husband and I sold stock in December. Since the broker claimed not
> to have a W-9 from us, I told him to withhold taxes, expecting that
> amount to cover a large portion of what we will owe.
>
> The stock sold at the end of December BUT the settlement date was in
> January. The 1099 showed the sale but not the withholding. Our next
> statement showed the taxes were withheld in January following the
> settlement date.
>
> Can I apply the withholding to 1997 taxes or consider it my first
> installment on our 1998 taxes?
That's an excellent question. My top-of-the-head answer is that you
cannot use it for your 1997 taxes. Why? Because like most people you
are a cash basis taxpayer and the settlement occurred in 1998. Think
of your first paycheck in January. It is taxable income for 1998 but
the work done to earn it was performed in 1997. But definitely check
with a pro to be sure.
Rich Carreiro
rlcarr@animato.pn.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:12:06 -0500 (EST)
From: Rich Carreiro <rlcarr@animato.pn.com>
Subject: Re: auto withdrawal to invest in stocks?
>Does anyone have any information or know how I can have money automatically
>taken out of my checking account and invested in stocks/mutual funds? I am
>looking for something that takes a certain amount out every month.
Just about any broker or mutual fund company can do this. Just ask the
broker or fund company of your choice. They'll be more than happy to
help you get it in place.
Rich Carreiro
rlcarr@animato.pn.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:13:00 -0500 (EST)
From: KELLER J R <KELLERJR@aol.com>
Subject: Living Trusts
There have been several questions raised about living trusts v. wills on
this digest. I have a couple of comments:
1. The reference to Mark Welch's site was right on target. You should be
able to find someone to work with on this list.
2. For additional information, try the National Network of Estate Planning
Attorney's Web Site at http://www.netplanning.com There a links to other
resources there as well.
3. The writer who suggested that estates under $625,000 should only consider
trusts where probate laws are complicated or heirs are unreliable missed a
couple of issues, one of which may have been included in the "unreliable heir"
exception:
Even if you don't have an estate over $625,000 (the federal tax limit) you may
still want to consider a living trust if:
a. You don't want a long drawn out public hearing if you become disabled.
b. You don't want your children's inheritance spent on lawyer's fees to
supervise their affairs while they are still minors.
c. You think there is a chance your spouse will remarry and accidently
disinherit your children.
d. You are concerned about your financial affairs becoming public information
after your death.
e. There is a chance your estate will be taxable some day. The federal tax
exclusion is increasing about 4% per year. The market is doing much better.
f. You want to make sure that younger children get properly educated without
hurting older children.
James Keller, L.L.M.
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:14:53 -0500 (EST)
From: BOB FORD <BOB_FORD@compuserve.com>
Subject: Re: buying a house
>From: Kristina Miranda <Kristina.Miranda@eng.sun.com>
>There is an agency in Morgan Hill, CA that will act as your
agent when buying a home and pay all of your closing costs
>with the money they receive as commission.
>
>Thanks once again,
>Kristina
KRISTINA
There has to be a catch here. It is probably in what is defined as "your
closing cost". Someone acting as a buyer's agent normally will receive
one half of the commission. A 6 percent commission is average in the U.S.
That means that the buyer's agent would receive as a commission, 3
percent of the sales price.
That 3 percent commission would be split with the agents broker, perhaps
60 percent to the agent and 40 to the broker.
In California, the average cost to close a home sale is 5 percent.
Someone must pay these costs. This includes the points to get a loan.
If would be hard for an agent that received less than 3 a percent
commission to pay these costs.
As a home buyer the only closing costs you must pay are the ones you agree
to pay. The seller could pay ALL of the closing cost if they agreed to do
so.
There are real estate agents in Southern California that advertise that if
you use them as your agent, you will not have to pay closing cost. They
can do this 2 ways.
1. They have you borrow the closing cost as a part of your loan. You do
not pay these costs a home purchase time. You pay them over your 30 year
loan with interest.
2. They require that you use their mortgage company and get a high interest
rate loan. The mortgage company then gives the agent a referral fee which
is used to pay the closing cost. This may or may not be legal.
If you plan to use an agent that claims to pay your closing cost, PLEASE
CHECK IT OUT CAREFULLY..
GOOD LUCK
BOB FORD
BOB_FORD@COMPUSERVE.COM
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:15:42 -0500 (EST)
From: Lydia Cline <lcline@johnco.cc.ks.us>
Subject: Re: Charles Schwab - Some Lower Commission Possibilities
<<I'm seriously considering transferring it to an online broker such as
E*Trade because of both the fee and the commission
structure. Schwab, in my opinion, is not a discount broker any more. >>
I've had accounts with Schwab for fifteen years. I acknowledge their
prices for broker-assisted trading are high. However, if you trade via
their website, the commissions are lower ($30/trade). Furthermore,
their website is wonderful; well designed and easy to use. It used to be
that to trade online with Schwab you had to open an ESchwab account,
which was separate from a non-online account, but that is no longer the
case. You can trade in one account via the phone or online. In fact,
they've even discontinued ESchwab for new subscribers.
I also trade online with Ameritrade, and although their commissions are
rock-bottom ($8/trade) I find their website to be somewhat difficult
to navigate. Plus, they charge for some of the same analysis and reports
(e.g., Vickers) that Schwab provides free. And good luck if you have to
call Ameritrade with a question; you'll be put on terminal hold. At
least the folks at Schwab answer the phone.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:16:42 -0500 (EST)
From: Swiahome <Swiahome@aol.com>
Subject: Re: Ultra Market Advisor
Hello,
I have received several inquiries concerning the Ultra Market Advisor and
shall try to give the information requested. My role is that of a pleased
user who has been asked so much about the program from people in investment
clubs in my area , that I thought it wise to become a dealer. The program
costs $249 and a prospective purchaser would send me a check for $229, as I
offer a $20 discount. I would then phone in your name and address to the
programer, who would promply ship it to you. Email me at " swiahome@aol.com "
if interested, for my address or other questions.
The programer, Steve Hunter, no longer sends out a demo. He used to send
out an "Ultra Lite" version that really didn't do enough in the way of showing
all the functions of the program. There is a good web site that's pretty
informative. One can check him out at " http:\\www.ultrafs.com " He
advertises a few systems that can be done without a computer, but these are
included in the Market Advisor. It would be redundant to buy them separately.
Although you can buy it directly from him, I would hope you would go through
me and also save yourself $20. Please mention my name if you do buy directly
from Steve and don't care about the $20.
Tech. support is provided by phone and email. There's a helpful young lady
there, Candi Clark, to answer telephone questions. Running the program is
pretty intuitive and a manual is provided. I also, would be willing to provide
support. It's easy to catch on to all the standard functions. I'm far from
being a computer wizzard, but have only run into difficulty understanding one
area, importing data from another data provider, such as TC2000. Once I broke
down and read the instructions, it took me half an hour to get it working on
my mutual fund data.
In short, you can find out a lot at the web site. (http://www.ultrafs.com )
I would be happy to email anyone a copy of the trades generated since ' 79
using the composite system that I created with the "Advisor." The great thing
about Ultra is that you're getting approximately forty systems instead of just
one. Plus, you can combine these to work together in an infinite variety of
ways. Using the signal file function, you can type in the buy-sell dates of
any trading technique you wish to test and Ultra will back test it for you.
Please let me know if I can be of service. I love this program because it
has liberated me from having to seek the advice and faulty predictions of all
those gurus and experts out there, most of whom are as accurate as you and I!
Every now and then there's a free upgrade available at the web site. Each time
any bugs are eliminated and another system or function or two are added.
Regards,
Tom Swiatek " swiahome@aol.com "
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:18:03 -0500 (EST)
From: TARA LYN LIPANI <LIPANIT@cbil1.cbil.vcu.edu>
Subject: Advice for medical student?
I am a medical student gradually accumulating significant debt to pay
tuition, etc.
Until recently I was putting my semester aid money in a money market
fund, and then I withdrew money each month to pay bills, etc. However,
the MMF I had was through Fidelity and attached to a credit card, and they
have since sold my credit card account and elimated the MMF option.
1-Does anyone know of any other funds out there that don't require a
minimum balance and allow frequent withdrawals (I drain the account by
semester's end - I didn't see any reason to borrow additional money to
cover a minimum when I wasn't earning as much as the interest on the
loans, but it made sense to put the money in an MMF when I had to borrow
it as a lump sum each semester)?
2-Any advice to make the most of what I have and plan for the future? I
pay the interest on my unsubsidized loans quarterly.
Thanks.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:18:45 -0500 (EST)
From: Lisa Bellamy <LISABEE@postoffice.worldnet.att.net>
Subject: AT&T One Rate Plus
Dear Persfin-Digest:
I was reading through the digest recently and noticed some discussion of
a "10-cent a minute" long distance rate being offered by AT&T. We've
been on the 15-cent a minute One Rate plan for quite a while and didn't
even know the new lower rate existed. Well, we followed the postings'
suggestion and were able to sign up for the new 10-cent One Rate Plus.
When asked about getting a waiver for the $4.95 a month fee, the rep
insisted he didn't know how that was possible. When pressed he finally
agreed to grant 60-minutes of free calls per month for the next three
months. That'll make up for the $4.95 per month charge and then some.
Thanks for the info guys!
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:19:31 -0500 (EST)
From: Nikhil Subhash Sarpotdar <nikhil@mozart.ee.umn.edu>
Subject: House Buying advice.....
Hello !!
I am in the process of buying a house (actually a Condo). My city
has a program in which it loans an amount interest free of $ 30k towards
purchasing your home. This program is geared towards the first time home
buyer.
All the details of the program are pretty good. The loan has to be
repayed between 5th and 15th year (interest free). However there is a
"shared appreciation" clause that I think is the catch.
Specfically the city in lieu of the interest on the loan wants a
share of the appreciation at either sale/refinance or the end of 15th
Year, whichever is earlier, in the same percentage as the loaned
amount to the purchase price.
eg:- purchase price is $ 180k, then city wants 1/6 th the
appreciation.
All though I am inclined to accept the program, I was wondering if
the pros on persfin have anything to say on this.
Thanks and have a nice day.
Nikhil
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:21:10 -0500 (EST)
From: Rich Carreiro <rlcarr@animato.pn.com>
Subject: Consider FIFO over average cost when liquidating a fund position
I just wanted to pass along something I noticed on my own
tax return -- that when liquidating most or all of a mutual
fund position, FIFO can actually work to your advantage over
average cost *assuming you have never before used average
cost and thus are eligible to use FIFO, of course*.
Normally people are often told to avoid FIFO because it
tends to increase the tax bill when shares have gone up over
time. This is true. However, in a total (or near-total)
liquidation FIFO can help. Why? Look at it this way -- if
you totally liquidate you must have the same total gain (or
loss) regardless of what basis method you use. If you use
average cost and share prices have been rising, the
long-term shares will have a higher average cost than actual
cost and short-term shares will have a lower average cost
than actual cost. The effect is to turn some of the
long-term gain into a short-term gain. Using FIFO pushes
the long-term gain back to where it "belongs" (and more
importantly, where it can get more favorable tax treatment
:-).
In a specific example, I liquidated a position and realized
a $660 gain. Computed using average cost I had a long-term
gain of $380 and a short-term gain of $280. Computed using
FIFO I had a long-term gain of $670 and a short-term loss
of $10. For someone in the top federal bracket this could
drop the tax on the sale from $187 to $130 -- a 30% reduction.
In my case I am in the 28% bracket and the sale happened on
3/25/97 so my federal tax was the same either way. However,
since Massachusetts taxes short-term gains at 12% (!) and
long-term gains no higher than 5%, I did recognize a tax
savings on the recalculation.
The episode also pointed out the value of tracking software
(I use Captool). It was trivial to tell the program to
recalculate the sale using FIFO and show the new short-term
and long-term numbers.
Rich Carreiro
rlcarr@animato.pn.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:22:05 -0500 (EST)
From: jleipol <jleipol@ibm.net>
Subject: Re: Ultra Market Advisor
Thank you for the info-mercial! I don't know you, and I'm not familiar
with what you are selling, and it may actually be a great package, but
my common sense tells me that there are several points that should be
made here, not necessarily in reference to this particular product, but
of a more general note. I am not a professional investment advisor, and
this advice may be worth what you paid for it:
1) The appeal to "greed" is an attractive and stealthy approach. If you
could be virtually guaranteed an average 30% return on your money year
after year, then you and I do not reside on the same planet.
2) Where your money is at stake, never, NEVER, take the word of someone
who stands to profit from your purchasing what is being sold. It may be
well worth the money, but you owe it to yourself to personally verify or
substantiate the claims being made. Many people have lost hard-earned
money by buying something that was not what it had been represented to
be.
3) The only always correct answer to the question, "Will the market go
up or down tomorrow?" is "YES." Market-timing reminds me too much of the
alchemists search for the "philosopher's stone", a substance needed to
turn worthless material into gold.
4) I don't mean to be a party-pooper, but the only real way to a wealthy
retirement is to work hard, work smart, live on less than you earn, and
save and invest the difference for a long period of time. Boring, but it
works.
5) Fools and their money are easily parted. There are plenty of
financial predators out there willing to make a buck off of you to
finance their own wealthy retirement without having to work as hard or
as honestly as you. If you are unwilling to do your own research in the
stock market and buy through a discount broker, then you can start by
investing in Vanguards S&P Index Fund, or by buying shares of the S&P
("SPY" on the stock exchange). Over a long period of time and with
steady long-term investing, you should do well, without "investing" in
glitzy products that may serve mainly to line the pockets of
salespeople.
Like I said before, I may be all wet on this, and the referenced product
may be everything it purports to be, but it triggered a response that I
felt needed to be said. I am not a professional, and I have nothing to
gain or lose by anyone taking or ignoring this advice.
John Leipold
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:24:41 -0500 (EST)
From: Scott Barnett <sab@crisp.net>
Subject: Re: Quicken V6 to Quicken 98
>I have not yet upgraded from Quicken v6 to Quicken 98, in part because of
>less-than-glowing reviews of Quicken 98 here in the Personal Finance
>digest. I recently learned, however, that Quicken 98 offers electronic
>download of account information from Fidelity Investments. This would be a
>big plus for me, if it works well. Has anyone tried using Quicken 98's
>electronic update from a Fidelity account? I'd be interested in hearing
>any comments.
>
I use Q4, and I've been using a service from InfoBeat (http://www.infobeat.com)
that delivers all my stock and mutual fund data to me via email. In addition,
for stocks/funds that I choose, it will also delivery an email attachment
(in Quicken format) that I can read directly into Quicken. The InfoBeat
service is free.
To me, this is much more valuable than Intuit partnering with certain
investment companies, since they'll never be able to provide what I have
now, which is to incorporate *any* investment data from any company or stock
into Quicken. Am I missing the "value" of their feature? I guess I see
the value in updating things like dividends automatically, but again they'll
only do that for Fidelity and I have multiple accounts with different
companies, so it doesn't do all that much for me.
- --
Scott Barnett
sab@crisp.net
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:25:20 -0500 (EST)
From: Scott Barnett <sab@crisp.net>
Subject: Re: Free Calls Over the Internet
Bob,
There's a few other points that should be made here. In order to
get free calls, a number of requirements must be met:
(1) Typically the person you want to talk to has to have the exact same
software
(2) You must have a connection to the Internet
(3) Your modem speed should be at least 28.8.
(4) Your ISP's performance will go a long way toward how well this will
work. Overall, with 28.8 modems, it's very choppy.
A company called IDT just announced a product Net2Phone that will charge
5c/min for domestic calls, and 9c/min on calls to London. It's being
rolled out to 50 metropolitan areas. I have no idea on the quality, just
saw the press release. This uses regular phones (no hardware/software
required).
- --
Scott Barnett
sab@crisp.net
------------------------------
End of persfin-digest V4 #131
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