IAM with Volatile Markets
Whether you have many different investments, or just a few, volatile markets remind us of the importance of tracking investments accurately. Up-to-date information is essential. One of the foundations of successful portfolio management requires a thorough knowledge of what you own, and why you own what you do. This understanding brings peace of mind to the well-informed investor and helps the investor to make sound decisions based on facts, and not on emotion.
Investment Account Manager (IAM) has been explicitly developed to help investors thoroughly understand how their investments fit together to form a portfolio. Based on time tested techniques used by successful investors for generations, Investment Account Manager will help you better manage your portfolios through all sorts of market conditions.
We suggest that investors regularly utilize IAM’s many reports to help guide their investment decision making. Here’s a description of a few of the more than 45 reports available to IAM users:
The Appraisal Report accumulates and values a portfolio, or combination of portfolios, based on the market prices and reporting period selected. Since we believe that a better-informed investor makes better decisions (no ostriches among our customers), this report will provide you with up-to-date values of your individual investments and overall portfolios.
The Portfolio Allocation Summary Report summarizes allocation information for the portfolio, identifying allocation by asset class, sector, size, and investment objective. This report is ideal for reviewing your current allocation percentages versus targeted allocations you may have set for your portfolio. Since most of a portfolio’s return can be explained by the type of securities held, this report provides the necessary information for rebalancing required for changing conditions.
The Asset Library reports provide ratio analysis any of the investments being monitored by Investment Account Manager using an approach that focuses on specific relationships, or ratios, of the financial data of a company. This method offers a snapshot of a company’s value, where the analysis is a review of a firm’s financial report. During emotional times, there is nothing like a good jolt of mathematical reason!
The Maturity Schedule compiles important information regarding the maturity dates of securities held within a given portfolio. Knowing the maturity of any fixed income investments you own allows you to keep your bond ladder up-to-date.
The Security Basis Report is used for tax tax-planning, organizing securities by each individual security by purchase lot. Knowing what you own allows you to make better tax-considered decisions.
The Sold Security Report organizes securities that have been sold, based on a user-defined time frame, showing the realized capital gains and losses for the period selected. Short-term and long-term gains or losses are segregated, so when analyzing tax implications of future sales, the strategic question of how to minimize capital gains taxes can be answered. When used with the Security Basis report, you’ll be certain to keep your capital gains taxes to a minimum.
Volatile markets will come and go. Successful investing requires investors to keep emotions in check, basing portfolio management decisions on the facts. Investment Account Manager will help you be a successful investor.