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STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
What we REALLY need to fear
by Jill Schlesinger
09-23-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Fall Out
by Jill Schlesinger
09-22-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Back to School: Advanced Placement
by Jill Schlesinger
09-13-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Inversion Immersion Over
by Jill Schlesinger
09-1--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Housing, shopping, eating and drinking
by Jill Schlesinger
08-9--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Hindsight Bias
by Jill Schlesinger
08-8--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Here Come the Bonds
by Jill Schlesinger
08-4--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
403 B-WARE
by Jill Schlesinger
08-31-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Is That Really Saving?
by Jill Schlesinger
08-3--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Short Memories
by Jill Schlesinger
08-29-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
More Housing Grousing
by Jill Schlesinger
08-26-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
LTC TLC
by Jill Schlesinger
08-2--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Price Advice
by Jill Schlesinger
08-18-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Entertainment vs. Real Life
by Jill Schlesinger
08-17-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Lies Unearthed
by Jill Schlesinger
08-16-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Death to the Death Tax?
by Jill Schlesinger
08-15-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
When will we care?
by Jill Schlesinger
08-13-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Lender Bender
by Jill Schlesinger
08-11-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
First Down, Federal Reserve
by Jill Schlesinger
08-10-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Good Idea, Bad Execution
by Jill Schlesinger
08-1--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
June Spending Spree
by Jill Schlesinger
07-8--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Grim Reminder
by Jill Schlesinger
07-7--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Balancing Act
by Jill Schlesinger
07-6--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Good News to Help Your Re-entry
by Jill Schlesinger
07-5--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
The Housing Boom is Dea
by Jill Schlesinger
07-28-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Lance, France and Finance
by Jill Schlesinger
07-27-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Unethical and Dishonest
by Jill Schlesinger
07-26-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Portfolio CSI
by Jill Schlesinger
07-22-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
All My Taxes, Continued
by Jill Schlesinger
07-21-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Debt Fret
by Jill Schlesinger
07-20-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Tempus Fugit (Time Flies)
by Jill Schlesinger
07-19-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Gored, Ignored and Bored
by Jill Schlesinger
07-18-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Bernie Faces the Music
by Jill Schlesinger
07-14-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Above Average Mack
by Jill Schlesinger
07-13-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
The Real Bottom Line
by Jill Schlesinger
07-12-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Lessons from London
by Jill Schlesinger
07-11-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Independence Day
by Jill Schlesinger
07-1--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Worry Less, Do More
by Jill Schlesinger
06-9--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Less Wealthy
by Jill Schlesinger
06-8--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Boring is Better
by Jill Schlesinger
06-7--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
D-Day for Housing?
by Jill Schlesinger
06-6--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Miffed Maestro
by Jill Schlesinger
06-30-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
No, Non, Nee
by Jill Schlesinger
06-3--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
The Demise of One-stop Shopping
by Jill Schlesinger
06-29-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
SPAM JAM
by Jill Schlesinger
06-28-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Gentleman’s C
by Jill Schlesinger
06-27-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
A Strange Odor in the Air
by Jill Schlesinger
06-24-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Clear as Glass-Man
by Jill Schlesinger
06-23-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Déjà vu All Over Again
by Jill Schlesinger
06-22-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
TomKat
by Jill Schlesinger
06-21-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Is I-O for You?
by Jill Schlesinger
06-20-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Fed in a Box
by Jill Schlesinger
06-2--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Buffett Wrong?
by Jill Schlesinger
06-17-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
10 vs. 2
by Jill Schlesinger
06-16-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
When the Boss Goes, Should You?
by Jill Schlesinger
06-14-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Diagnosing the Doctor
by Jill Schlesinger
06-13-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
An Old Fashioned Notion
by Jill Schlesinger
06-10-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Arthur’s Revenge
by Jill Schlesinger
06-1--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Here We Go Again…
by Jill Schlesinger
05-9--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
In the Eye of the Beholder
by Jill Schlesinger
05-6--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Menu Overload
by Jill Schlesinger
05-5--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
The Fed View: Looking Ahead, Looking Back
by Jill Schlesinger
05-4--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Stealth Wealth
by Jill Schlesinger
05-31-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
The Education Gap
by Jill Schlesinger
05-3--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Reality Financial Planning
by Jill Schlesinger
05-27-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Mixed Emotions
by Jill Schlesinger
05-26-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Froth Defined
by Jill Schlesinger
05-25-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Men are from Mars…
by Jill Schlesinger
05-24-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
The Dark Side of Investing
by Jill Schlesinger
05-23-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Investors Behaving Badly
by Jill Schlesinger
05-20-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
The Spender’s Cocktail
by Jill Schlesinger
05-2--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Stag-Party
by Jill Schlesinger
05-19-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Tiger Woods and Other Unexpected Events
by Jill Schlesinger
05-18-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Attention to Pensions
by Jill Schlesinger
05-17-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
The Single Life
by Jill Schlesinger
05-16-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Go Figure
by Jill Schlesinger
05-13-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Trimming Down
by Jill Schlesinger
05-12-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Miss Hummer’s Summer
by Jill Schlesinger
05-11-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Precise About Advice
by Jill Schlesinger
05-10-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
One Week to Go
by Jill Schlesinger
04-8--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Why They Do What They Do
by Jill Schlesinger
04-7--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
VA-VA-VOOM
by Jill Schlesinger
04-6--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Six Tax Facts, Part 5
by Jill Schlesinger
04-5--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Safe at the Plate
by Jill Schlesinger
04-4--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Slow Down, You Move Too Fast
by Jill Schlesinger
04-29-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Guess the Asset
by Jill Sclesinger
04-27-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
l 26 2005 - With all the talk about steroids these days, we thought we might borrow Jose Canseco’s best-selling title "Juiced
Jill Schlesinger
04-26-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Letter from London
by Jill Schlesinger
04-25-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Filling the Bill
by Jill Schlesinger
04-22-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Twin Sins
by Jill Schlesinger
04-20-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Empty Promises
by Jill Schlesinger
04-19-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Before the Brink
by Jill Schlesinger
04-18-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Small Sacrifices
by Jill Schlesinger
04-15-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Dinner Faux Pas
by Jill Schlesinger
04-14-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Anti-Globalization
by Jill Schlesinger
04-13-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Six Tax Facts Part 6
by Jill Schlesinger
04-12-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Report Cards
by Jill Schlesinger
04-11-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Fools Rush In
by Jill Schlesinger
04-1--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Debt Threat
by Jill Schlesinger
03-9--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Martha’s Paid Dues
by Jill Schlesinger
03-7--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
What Do They Know
by Jill Schlesinger
03-4--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
A Pox on the S-Ox
by Jill Schlesinger
03-31-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
The Bottom Line on Ethics
by Jill Schlesinger
03-30-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Six Tax Facts, Part 4
by Jill Schlesinger
03-29-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Yield at these Yields
by Jill Schlesinger
03-24-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Measure at your Pleasure
by Jill Schlesinger
03-23-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Six Tax Facts, Part 3
by Jill Schlesinger
03-22-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
There’s Two Sides of a Divorce
by Jill Schlesinger
03-21-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Transcribe the Jive
by Jill Schlesinger
03-18-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Content to Rent
by Jill Schlesinger
03-17-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Ebbers and Flow of Corporate Greed
by Jill Schlesinger
03-16-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Six Tax Facts, Part 2
by Jill Schlesinger
03-15-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Cash Re-hash
by Jill Schlesinger
03-14-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Pillow Talk
by Jill Schlesinger
03-11-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Pisces Markets
by Jill Schlesinger
03-10-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Year of the Rooster
by Jill Schlesinger
02-9--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Super Bowl Patrol
by Jill Schlesinger
02-8--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Invest Well
by Jill Schlesinger
02-7--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Corporate Evolution
by Jill Schlesinger
02-4--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
The Fed’s REAL Intent
by Jill Schlesinger
02-3--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
It’s So Bad That He Won’t Believe Us
by Jill Schlesinger
02-28-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Our Oscars
by Jill Schlesinger
02-25-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Tame or Lame
by Jill Schlesinger
02-24-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Q and A
by Jill Schlesinger
02-23-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
New England’s on a Roll
by Jill Schlesinger
02-22-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Groundhog Investing
by Jill Schlesinger
02-2--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Capacity Tenacity
by Jill Schlesinger
02-17-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Budget Busters
by Jill Schlesinger
02-14-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Procrasti-Nation
by Jill Schlesinger
02-11-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Carly’s Crash
by Jill Schlesinger
02-10-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Press vs. Price
by Jill Schlesinger
01-7--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Play Money
by Jill Schlesinger
01-6--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Blame Alan!
by Jill Schlesinger
01-5--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Resolutions We’d Like to See
by Jill Schlesinger
01-4--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Beyond January
by Jill Schlesinger
01-31-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Resolution Solution
by Jill Schlesinger
01-3--2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
The Fed is Talking…Are you Listening
by Jill Schlesinger
01-25-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
The Gift that Keeps on Giving
by Jill Schlesinger
01-19-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Happy Fifth!
by Jill Schlesinger
01-18-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Still Ahead
by Jill Schlesinger
01-14-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Take a seat
by Jill Schlesinger
01-13-2005

STRATEGICPOINT OF VIEW
Too Rich
by Jill Schlesinger
01-12-2005

StrategicPoint of View
Gored, Ignored and Bored

July 18, 2005 - For most of this year, people have been pretty bored by the stock market. Who could blame them? The major indexes have swung within a range of down some to up a little and are currently about flat for the year. And as a friend pointed out to me recently, "Over the past five years, I have taken a beating, then felt abandoned by my broker and now, I just can’t stand even looking at the stuff." I diagnosed this chronic disorder as "Gored, ignored and bored," a far cry from the euphoria investors felt in the roaring nineties.

That seems like such a long time ago. Those were the days when you looked forward to opening your retirement and investment statements. Each month’s envelope contained a little (or in some cases big) gift and a meeting or phone call with your broker/advisor was like a coach’s post-victory team meeting. Then the unimaginable happened: the stock market fell---and it was not just a "correction" but a full-fledged washout for some, especially technology investors.

My friend noted that at the very moment that he needed help, his broker was nowhere to be found. "It was as if he was hiding under his desk, waiting for the earthquake’s tremors to subside." Many of the poor schlubs who encouraged their customers to pour all of their money into growth mutual funds (and collected a tidy sum for the sales) were missing in action, frustrating some and heightening anxiety in others. "When I finally spoke to the guy, he said, ‘just hang in there,’ which I did until the account went from $300,000 to $180,000. Then I just decided to do it myself. I mean, I didn’t think that I could do worse than him!"

The problem is that today’s investing environment is not as easy as "buy and hold" or "just hang in there." And in a year like this one, where markets are moving, but not in one, clear direction, my fear is that investors are becoming complacent. I asked my friend what kinds of changes he had made since managing the portfolio himself. He mumbled, "None since I moved the account two years ago."

If you, like my friend, are managing your own money as a result of a disappointing experience with a broker or advisor, you need to stay engaged in the process. As my first boss once told me, "90% of the time, this is a boring business. You just have to be ready for the 10% at all times." To help, here is a quick prescription to help cure the investor disorder known as "Gored, ignored and bored":

Create an overall financial game plan.
Measure your risk tolerance.
Develop an allocation strategy.
Schedule a regular time to review your game plan and portfolio.
Control your emotions.

If you can follow the prescription, great—you will be on your way. If you really can’t/don’t want to swallow the medicine, then it may be time to shop around for an advisor, because your boredom could be costing you money. Select your candidate carefully. Know what you are paying for and what you can expect from the service provided. Having managed your own money, you recognize the work that is required to invest wisely and the importance of research. Do your homework and select someone who will put your goals and best interest above all else and who will design an investment strategy to best help you meet those goals. And of course, it would be nice if he/she returned calls.

The data referred to above was taken from sources believed to be reliable. StrategicPoint Investment Advisors has not verified such data and no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, is made by StrategicPoint Investment Advisors. For more financial information visit www.strategicpoint.com.

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