|
|
|
|
|
- What is Sage Investment Strategies?
- What kind of investment accounts will work with your SISTM?
- What types of investments are used in your SISTM and model portfolios?
- What if I don't have the same investment choices in my retirement plan?
- How often will I need to buy and sell investments in my account(s)?
- Will I incur brokerage fees by buying and selling investments?
- How much time will I need to devote to managing my account(s)?
- How does your SISTM help me make money in both up and down markets?
- Are you registered investment advisors?
- Do you follow your own advice?
- How do I get started?
- Is the 30-day "free trial" really free?
- When will my credit card be charged?
- Why does the order screen show $24.99 for the 30-Day Free Trial?
- Why does a $1.00 amount appear on my 30-day free trial order confirmation?
- How can I convert from a monthly plan to a quarterly or annual plan?
- What is your refund policy?
- Do you have a referral incentive plan?
What is Sage Investment Strategies?
Sage Investment Strategies is a web-based service that shows you how to:
- Buy, hold and sell the right investments at the right time in your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), 457 and/or brokerage account
- Make money more consistently in both UP and DOWN markets
- Protect your portfolio from extreme volatility and extended market declines
- Manage your investment accounts with more confidence
- Avoid paying fees to an investment manager by managing your own money
What kind of investment accounts will work with your SISTM?
The Sage Investment Strategies Timing Model - our "SISTM" - works with most retirement plans including IRA, 401(k), 403(b) and 457 accounts, as well as with regular brokerage accounts. Even if your retirement plan has a limited number of investment choices, we'll show you how to use our SISTM to select and manage the investment choices available in your own retirement plan.
We use Fidelity for our 401(k) plan and Schwab for our family's IRA and brokerage accounts. We are not endorsing these two by mentioning them and there are many other choices available.
What types of investments are used in your SISTM and model portfolios?
Our model portfolios contain a diversified mix of index mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs). An ETF tracks an index, but unlike open end mutual funds which trade once per day, ETFs are traded like stocks and can be bought and sold any time the stock market is open. ETFs generally have lower operating and transaction costs associated with them compared to mutual funds, and unlike mutual funds there are no sales loads or investment minimums required to purchase an ETF. For most investors mutual funds and ETFs are better investments than individual stocks because they provide diversification to help reduce risk.
Our SISTM evaluates a variety of investments in the following asset classes:
- US large cap and small cap stock funds
- International and emerging market funds
- US and international real estate funds
- Commodity funds
- Bond funds of varying types & maturities
- US Dollar & foreign currency funds
- Money market funds
Our SISTM also evaluates and incorporates inverse funds and leveraged funds that are versions of many of the above asset classes.
Return to top
What if I don't have the same investment choices in my retirement plan?
Even if you don't have the same investment choices available in your retirement plan, you can use our guidelines to select the best combination of funds that will work with the timing signals generated by our SISTM. Our research shows that using our SISTM to determine when to switch investments in your retirement plan can significantly reduce portfolio volatility and drawdown compared to a buy-and-hold strategy.
How often will I need to buy and sell investments in my account?
That depends on which portfolio you select. The SISTM is programmed to re-evaluate investments across all the above mentioned asset classes on a 4-week cycle. While each Sage Investment Strategies portfolio may hold a different number of investments, generally you can expect an average of 1 or 2 signals every 4 weeks.Return to top
Will I incur brokerage fees by buying and selling investments?
That depends on your retirement plan or brokerage firm and you'll need to check their commission and fee schedules. Our employer's Fidelity 401(k) plan does not charge fees for switching between the the standard investment choices available in the plan. One of the options available in our Fidelity 401(k) plan is a Brokerage Link account that enables us to invest in virtually any mutual fund offered by Fidelity, including thousands of non-Fidelity funds. Many of these funds have no fees. However, Fidelity does charge commissions and fees on many funds, including "early redemption fees" for some mutual funds held less than 180 days. Fidelity also restricts the sale of mutual funds within 30 days of purchase (what they call a "short sale") in our 401(k) Brokerage Link account. Sometimes we have had to pay Fidelity's short term redemption fees to exit a position or delay liquidation of a position by a few days to avoid a short sale penalty.
Schwab charges us $8.99 for buying or selling exchange traded funds (ETFs) in our various IRA and brokerage accounts. Schwab charges us no commissions or fees for buying or selling the various ProFunds and Rydex mutual funds we use. There is a trade-off. The ETFs we use typically have very low management fees compared to mutual fund management fees. We advise comparing commissions and fees among various brokerage firms. You can always switch your IRA or brokerage account to another firm if you don't like their commission and fee structure.
How much time will I need to devote to managing my account(s)?
Using Sage Investment Strategies, most investors would probably spend an average of about 30 minutes every 4 weeks reviewing and making changes to their portfolio. Every four weeks, the SISTM evaluates current and potential investments and generates buy, hold and sell signals. Weekly performance updates are sent to subscribers via email.
How does your SISTM help me make money in both up and down markets?
We avoid buy-and-hold strategiesIf you are like most investors, you probably follow some form of a "buy-and-hold" investment strategy. This generally means you buy and hold a diversified portfolio of assets such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange traded funds, gold or whatever, and hold the investments through market ups and downs.
"Dollar cost averaging" is another variation of the buy-and-hold strategy that is used by most investors who have retirement plans. Typically the investor decides what percentage of their recurring retirement plan contributions should be allocated to the various investment choices available in the plan.
The main advantage of a buy-and-hold investment strategy is that it requires minimal maintenance - typically an annual portfolio rebalancing. If you hold the belief that buy-and-hold is the right investment strategy for you, there are a number of well-diversified, buy-and-hold, "Lazy Portfolios" listed over at MarketWatch (registration may be required).
The BIG drawback to a buy-and-hold strategy is the large portfolio drawdowns during extended market declines. Following a buy-and-hold strategy requires the fundamental assumption or belief that no matter how far markets fall they will eventually come back. This assumption requires that investors following this strategy ride out all market downturns, no matter how severe. The trouble is, it may take 5,10, 20 or more years just to break even from a long and deep bear market. And unless you are in your 20's or are independently wealthy, you really can't afford to follow a buy-and-hold strategy.
We use proven trend-following strategiesThe Sage Investment Strategies Timing Model - also known as the "SISTM" - is a time-tested, mathematical trend-following system that signals subscribers when to buy and when to sell. When the SISTM recognizes that a trend has started it generates a buy signal. Conversely, when the SISTM recognizes that a trend has ended it generates a sell signal.
Moreover, the SISTM tells subscribers where to put the proceeds from each sale. In our model portfolios that use a "Long/Cash" strategy, subscribers are alerted to put the proceeds into their money market fund for safekeeping until the next opportunity comes along. The "Long/Cash" strategy helps protect the value of the investor's portfolio during prolonged market downturns while generating income from the money market fund.
In our model portfolios that use a "Long/Short" strategy, the SISTM evaluates both "long" and "short" (also called "inverse") mutual funds and exchange traded funds. Inverse investments increase in value as the underlying market index decreases. The SISTM doesn't care whether a mutual fund or ETF is a "long" or "short" investment. It simply evaluates whether the investment is in an uptrend and generates the appropriate buy and sell signals based on prevailing market conditions.
Most IRA and brokerage accounts allow the purchase of inverse mutual funds and ETFs. However, most employer sponsored retirement plans do not include inverse investments in their choices. Our Fidelity 401(k) Brokerage Link account allows the purchase of inverse mutual funds and we primarily use investments from the ProFunds and Rydex mutual fund families.
Return to topAre you registered investment advisors?
No, we are not registered investment advisors. Just like you, we are private investors. From a legal standpoint we cannot and do not recommend any investment, nor does any mention of a particular security constitute a recommendation to you to buy, hold or sell that or any other security. Our services are provided solely for educational use by subscribers who are expected to make their own investment decisions.
No comments made by us or anyone using our website are intended to be used as a primary basis of an investment decision, nor should they be construed as advice or recommendations designed to meet the particular investment needs of any investor. Before investing you should make your own independent evaluation of the investment based on your own circumstances or consult with your financial or trading advisor. Many securities discussed may not be suitable for you, and any comments made should not be construed as an offer or the solicitation of an offer to sell or buy any security. By using this website you agree that any investment decisions you make will be based solely on your evaluation of your financial circumstances, investment objectives, risk tolerance, financial condition, and liquidity needs.
Do you follow your own advice?
Absolutely! We created the Sage Investment Strategies Timing Model (SISTM) to manage our own investment accounts as well as our elderly mother's investment accounts. We paid some very expensive "tuition" during the dot-com melt-down earlier this decade to learn that one must adopt a disciplined investment strategy and avoid losing money. You can read our story (Reflections from TechWreck 2000) in our blog.
Simply click the "Sign Me Up" button below!
Is the 30-day "free trial" really free?
Yes, the 30-day free trial is really free! We're confident that you will find our service to be so valuable to your financial future that we're giving away the first month for free - a $24.99 value! Here's how it works. On the sign-up page you'll enter your credit card information so that your monthly subscription will process automatically at the end of the 30-day free trial period. In the unlikely event that you decide to cancel your subscription prior to the end of the 30-day free trial period, simply go to the "My Account" page after logging in and click where it says "Cancel." No hassles, no emails, no phone calls needed - a simple click is all that's needed.
When will my credit card be charged?
Unless you cancel within the 30-day Free Trial period, your credit card will be charged $24.99 automatically at the end of the 30-day Free Trial period and monthly thereafter.
Why does the order screen show $24.99 for the 30-Day Free Trial?
On the credit card information page, the price for the 30-day Risk Free Trial is shown as $24.99 and the Subtotal also shows as $24.99. However, the Total shows as $0.00. Your credit card will not be charged until after the 30-day Free Trial period ends unless you cancel before the end of the 30-day Free Trial period.
Why does a $1.00 amount appear on my 30-day free trial order confirmation?
After placing your order for the 30-day free trial, you'll receive an order confirmation from Authorize.net. In the Order Information section you'll see the following:
- Invoice #: ##-###
- Description: 30-Day Risk Free Trial
- Amount: 1.00 (USD)
- Payment Method: Visa, MasterCard or Discover
- Type: Authorization Only
"Authorization Only" simply means that the credit card is being checked and authorized only. The $1.00 amount is not charged to your credit card.
How can I convert a monthly plan to a quarterly or annual subscription?
- Click the "My Account" button
- On the "Your Membership Information" page, click the "Membership Type" dropdown list and select either the Quarterly or Annual Subscription plan
- Click the Order button and complete the order
- Find your old monthly subscription on the "Your Membership Information" page and click "Cancel"
As a subscriber you have the ability to cancel your subscription at any time. The cancellation will take effect at the end of your current billing period. You will not receive a refund for billing that has already occurred, except in the specific instances described below. Once your cancellation is effective, you will no longer have access to the Sage Investment Strategies member pages.
To ensure that your credit card will not be charged for your next billing period, you MUST cancel your subscription no later than the day before your next scheduled billing period begins. Until the end of the current paid billing period, you will still have access to Sage Investment Strategies member pages. On the first day after the current paid billing period expires, Sage Investment Strategies member access will be terminated, the subscription will expire, and no further subscription charges will appear on the credit card.
For monthly renewing subscriptions: Once canceled, your subscription will terminate at the end of the latest 30-day billing period for which you have previously been charged. No further charges will be applied, and no refunds for unused time will be made.
For quarterly renewing subscriptions: If you submit your cancellation request within the first 30 days following your initial billing, you will be refunded all subscription fees for the service, minus a $24.99 minimum fee for the first month's subscription. If you submit your cancellation request more than 30 days after your initial billing, your subscription will remain active until the end of your current three-month billing period. You will not receive a refund and you will not be billed for the service again.
For yearly renewing subscriptions: If you submit your cancellation request within the first 30 days following your initial billing, you will be refunded all subscription fees for the service, minus a 24.99 minimum fee for the first month's subscription. If you submit your cancellation request more than 30 days after your initial billing, your subscription will remain active until the end of your current 12-month billing period. You will not receive a refund and you will not be billed for the service again.
NOTE: You may request a refund and immediate termination of your subscription in the case of fraudulent or unauthorized usage of your credit card. If this is the case, notify us immediately using the Sage Investment Strategies "Contact Us" page.
Do you have a referral incentive plan?
Yes! For each paying subscriber you refer to Sage Investment Strategies, we'll extend your subscription free by one additional month - a $24.99 value! The offer applies only for subscribers you refer who extend a paid subscription beyond the 30-day free trial period.Ready? Click the "Sign Me Up" button below!
