Business
Cut costs on investments – Phuket Finance

PHUKET: If you are like many expatriates living in Phuket, you have probably failed to realize the impact trading or investment fees can have on your portfolio’s return, as such costs are often hidden and can quickly add up over time.
In a rising market, these costs may not be so noticeable; but in a stagnant or falling stock market, they may quickly become very apparent. With that in mind, here are a few ways you can cut your investment costs in order to boost your investment returns:
Consider all investing costs
Trading is only one investment cost you must deal with and even trading fees can vary considerably as some investment products come with large front-end or back-end loads or both.
Other fees you might encounter when investing include annual fund expenses, custodian/account fees, advisory fees, forex transaction charges and bid ask spreads, with the later being particularly hard to evaluate as a lousy spread can quickly increase your trading costs.
Remember, there are some investment fees that can’t be avoided, but there are also plenty of other fees that can be minimized or completely avoided – so long as you are made aware of them before you invest. That’s why it’s critical for your financial advisor to be transparent about ALL of your fees. If he or she isn’t being completely transparent, then find someone who is.
Invest in ETFs rather than expat target products
Many ETFs have no extra commissions beyond normal transaction costs and have average annual expenses of just 0.49% while the average stock mutual fund will cost investors around 1.57% in annual fees.
However, many managed fund or offshore investment products targeted for expats come with high up-front fees (often 5% or more), annual fees of around 2% and a sales commission when they are sold. When these high fees are combined with taxes, inflation and currency fluctuations, you might be left with little to no return at all on your money.
Buy and hold rather than trade
Even if you are investing in low cost products like ETFs with a discount broker, the best way to reward your broker rather than yourself is to trade frequently as trading will generate them commissions. You should only trade when changes in your personal situation, market conditions or the value of an investment calls for changes in your portfolio’s investment allocation.
Otherwise, a general portfolio review each quarter and around the beginning of the year should be sufficient for making necessary portfolio adjustments. I often get calls to review expat portfolios. One common problem I see is advisors that buy and sell often because they get a commission. Be careful of this and ask your financial advisor to list all fees and commissions.
Limit forex transactions
As with frequent trading, moving in and out of currencies can be both costly and unnecessary. Ideally, you should use the currency of the country or countries you hold citizenship of as a base currency for your investments and invest only in products that transact in your base currency (e.g. for Americans, an ETF listed on the NYSE) to gain exposure to other currencies or markets.
Consolidate your accounts
While having multiple financial accounts may seem like a good way to spread your financial risk around, it likely means you won’t have economies of scale with any single financial institution. After all, the larger your account balance is with one financial institution, the more interested they will be in servicing your account and keeping you happy as a client by offering lower investment and trading fees. They may also be able to offer you investment products not available to clients with lower account balances.
Investing isn’t free, but you can drive expenses down to a reasonable level, including personalized one-on-one investment advice. Cutting the fees you pay puts a lot more wealth in your pocket over the years. Call me to discuss ways you can save for retirement or if you have questions related to eliminating unnecessary fees.
Don Freeman is president of Freeman Capital Management, a Registered Investment Advisor with the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), based in Phuket, Thailand. He has over 15 years experience and provides personal financial planning and wealth management to expatriates. Specializing in UK and US pension transfers. Call 089-970-5795 or email: freemancapital@gmail.com.
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— Don Freeman
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Business
Governments & old media versus social media – who will win? | VIDEO

We look at the recent changes made by the Australian and Indian governments to except control over the world’s biggest social media platforms. India has issued strict new rules for Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms just weeks after the Indian government attempted to pressure Twitter to take down social media accounts it deemed, well, anti social. There is now an open battle between the rise of social media platforms and the governments and ‘old’ media that have been able to maintain a certain level of control over the ‘message’ for the last century. Who will win?
The rules require any social media company to create three roles within India… a “compliance officer” who ensures they follow local laws; a “grievance officer” who addresses complaints from Indian social media users; and a “contact person” who can actually be contacted by lawyers and other aggrieved Indian parties… 24/7.
The democratisation of the news model, with social media as its catalyst, will continue to baffle traditional media and governments who used to enjoy a level of control over what stories get told. The battles of Google and Facebook, with the governments of India and Australia will be followed in plenty of other countries as well.
At the root of all discussions will be the difference between what governments THINK social media is all about and the reality about how quickly the media landscape has changed. You’ll get to read about it first, on a social media platform… probably on the screen you’re watching this news story right now.
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Business
The social media giants in battle with ‘old’ media and world governments | VIDEO

“The rules signal greater willingness by countries around the world to rein in big tech firms such as Google, Facebook and Twitter that the governments fear have become too powerful with little accountability.”
India has issued strict new rules for Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms just weeks after the Indian government attempted to pressure Twitter to take down social media accounts it deemed, well, anti social.
The rules require any social media company to create three roles within India… a “compliance officer” who ensures they follow local laws; a “grievance officer” who addresses complaints from Indian social media users; and a “contact person” who can actually be contacted by lawyers and other aggrieved Indian parties… 24/7.
The companies are also being made to publish a compliance report each month with details about how many complaints they’ve received and the action they took.
They’ll also be required to remove ‘some’ types of content including “full or partial nudity,” any “sexual act” or “impersonations including morphed images”
The democratisation of the news model, with social media as its catalyst, will continue to baffle traditional media and governments who used to enjoy a level of control over what stories get told.
The battles of Google and Facebook, with the governments of India and Australia will be followed in plenty of other countries as well.
At the root of all discussions will be the difference between what governments THINK social media is all about and the reality about how quickly the media landscape has changed. You’ll get to read about it first, on a social media platform… probably on the screen you’re watching this news story right now.
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Business
Turbulence ahead for Thailand’s aviation industry | VIDEO

When the airlines, in particular, were asking the government to put their hands in their pockets for some relief funding in August last year, it was genuinely thought that international tourists would be coming back for the high season in December and January. At the very least local tourists and expats would head back to the skies over the traditional holiday break. And surely the Chinese would be back for Chinese New Year?
As we know now, none of that happened. A resurge in cases started just south of Bangkok on December 20 last year, just before Christmas, kicking off another round of restrictions, pretty much killing off any possibility of a high season ‘bump’ for the tourist industry. Airlines slashed flights from their schedule, and hotels, which had dusted off their reception desks for the surge of tourists, shut their doors again.
Domestically, the hotel business saw 6 million room nights in the government’s latest stimulus campaign fully redeemed. But the air ticket quota of 2 million seats still has over 1.3 million seats unused. Local tourists mostly skipped flights and opted for destinations within driving distance of their homes.
As for international tourism… well that still seems months or years away, even now.
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