Steve Monaco, a real estate securities and capital markets professional believes that impaired credit markets, continued downward pressure on financial institutions balance sheets and an impotent Federal Reserve lacking discount rate cut leverage - will provide extremely compelling real estate investment opportunities (both securitized and whole-loan) for savvy, patient investors over the next few years.

Steve has over 20 years of capital markets investment experience in asset-backed and real estate related securities and can be reached at smonaco365@yahoo.com .

In late trading, the 10-Year Treasury Note was up by 17/32, lowering its yield by 6 basis points to 2.51%; the Dow was down by 65.15 points to 8,564.53; and the Nasdaq was down by 32.38 points to 1,508.34.

As expected, economic news was bearish. The New York Fed index on the region’s manufacturing sector indicated the largest contraction since data began to be compiled in 2001. Industrial production also declined last month with the manufacturing sector leading the way. The IP report also said that the capacity utilization ratio was the second lowest in five-and-a-half years.

Oil futures eased back again despite expectations that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will decide on Wednesday to sharply cut production limits. Futures had spiked in overnight and early trade but by the close of the regular session on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the price of a barrel of light, sweet crude oil for next month delivery was down by $1.77 at $44.51.

Besides the economic news and uncertainty about what impact the Maddoff investment fraud will have on the market, the financial sector was pressured by an analyst downgrade of JPMorgan Chase. Earnings reports due out this week from Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley also weighed on the sector.

The stock indices showed some resilience in relatively light trading volumes. At its low for the day, the Dow was down by 160.65 points or 1.86% but by the end of trading, the loss had been trimmed to 0.75%. The S&P 500 was down by 2.50% at its low but pared the loss to 1.27% by the close. The Nasdaq had been down by 3.20% but finished with a smaller loss of 2.10%.

The gains in the bond market sent the yield of the benchmark 10-Year Note down to its lowest level since daily data from the government was made available in 1960.

In order to maximize the unique opportunities that frozen credit markets and damaged bank balance sheets provide, investors will need to reallocate a percentage of their approximately $12 trillion “conventional” stock and bond retirement fund (IRA’s, 401(k)s and the like) assets – into real estate assets! How can this reallocation be accomplished? The Self-Directed IRA!

Self-directed IRAs can invest in real estate including commercial properties, raw land, rental properties, mobile homes, tax-liens, tax certificates, billboards, boat slips, condominiums, trust deeds and mortgages. Self-directed IRAs can also be used to invest in traditional stock, bond and mutual fund offerings.

Why haven’t I heard about Self-Directed IRAs? Wall Street broker dealers, money managers and retirement plan providers have a vested fee and commission interest to restrict your IRA investment options to only those - stock, bond and mutual fund investments - that their firm offers.

How can I find out more about Self-Directed IRA’s? www.altbridge.com provides objective, unbiased information on Self-Directed IRAs plus access to a network of Professional Solution Providers willing to help you find out more!

Unified Pictures founder and producer Keith Kjarval is seeking funds from Individual Retirement Accounts to help finance his productions, including the soon-to-be released “J-23” and the pre-production “55 Holly Star.”

Kjarval says he’s offering an alternative for people dissatisfied with traditional investment returns such as stock orbond mutual funds. Self-directed IRAs have been used to fund new businesses, invest in real estate, commodities, and now even a small piece of Hollywood.

The IRA option “makes it more attractive for people once they’ve made the decision,” said Kjarval, 34, whose company is based in Northridge, California. “It opens up an entirely different door to them.”

Not following the rules for self-directed IRAs can result in an immediate 10 percent penalty, plus taxes on the amount withdrawn. Consequently, you need to find a custodian familiar with self-directed IRAs to handle the paperwork and manage the funds. That helps avoid the biggest pitfall, “self-dealing,” or using the investment in some way that gives you a short-term benefit.

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service rules are designed to encourage and protect long-term investments. If you use a portion of an IRA in a prohibited transaction such as investing in collectables and life-insurance contracts, the IRS will treat the violation as a premature IRA withdrawal, meaning your entire IRA

Kjarval says he’s upfront about the risks facing potential investors. He says many backers typically have more than $10 million of assets and many, but not all, know the movie business.“J-23” was one-quarter financed with retirement money. Unified has three films in production and three have been completed and
licensed overseas, according to Kjarval. One of the films has been released in the U.S. The producer says he’s preparing reports on how the films have done as investments.

Stay tuned…..

Corporate CEOs? With scandal after scandal after scandal!

Stock brokers? With of course - your own best financial interests in mind - at all times!

If you’re suffering over the volatility and performance of your stock, bond and mutual fund investments!

If you’re searching for safer, more reliable alternatives to the “traditional investment” status quo!

We strongly suggest that you heed the words of the great Ralph Waldo Emerson - “No one can cheat you out of ultimate success but yourself.”

Alternative Investing can provide you with the control, reliability, principal protection, transparency, tax-deferral characteristics, diversification and flexibility to more successfully address your wealth-building investment objectives and retirement needs.

Alternative investing refers to a broad range of investment assets that are “non-correlated” to the price-movement of stocks and bonds. Commercial real estate, franchises and stock in private companies are a few examples of alternative investment assets. Stocks, bonds and mutual funds are known as “traditional investment” assets.

AltBridge provides objective, unbiased, information on alternative investing. For those curious to find out more about the benefits of alternative investing or for assistance with specific questions - AltBridge offers a network of knowledgable, third-party, Professional Service Providers, searchable by location and specialization - at no charge to you!

What about an alternative platform agenda of first addressing the government waste and innefficiency baked into the current tax cake? How can we allow either party to continue to obfuscate systemic flaws in our tax (and political) system by taking the easy way out? How can we allow political leaders to take the audacious and irresponsible position of “looking outward” (towards taxpayers) for answers to today’s economic quagmire - verses the more painful (and responsible) process of introspecting about the entire political and tax system - and their onerous economic implications.

At AltBridge we’re all about objective, unbiased information and intelligent alternatives to the staus quo - even as it applies to the world of politics. AltBridge was inspired by those of us who can no longer endure the volatility, limitations and performance of our stock, bond and mutual fund investments - those of us who have grown tired of Wall Street’s self-serving, fee and commission generating rhetoric - those of us appalled by the endless supply of corporate scandal - those of us concerned about the continued viability of Social Security - those of us searching for alternatives to the “traditional investment” status quo - those of us seeking more control in our investments and our lives!

AltBridge is the premier objective, unbiased, information resource on alternative investing. For those curious to find out more about the benefits of alternative investing - AltBridge offers a network of knowledgable, third-party, Professional Service Providers.

www.AltBridge.com

“Their Problem” (as Newmark points out in his article) is that “They were the line foremen at the giant Wall Street sausage factory. They knew what went into the sausages, how they were cured, packaged and sold–and wanted no part of it.”

The article focuses on the value of “Index Funds” and points out the glaring “gobbledygook of buried expenses and fees”, “inappropriate benchmarks”, “incomprehensible”, “blended returns”, that “well-respected money-management firm(s)” employ today.

I reference the WSJ article to bring to your attention yet another one of Wall Street’s -do as I say, not as I do - duplicitous sales mantras!

In addition to evaluating Index Funds - I encourage you to find out more about alternative investing - and how - self-directed IRAs - for example, can provide you with powerful, wealth-building dynamics - with assets you (and not Wall Street) control!

How can you find out more about self-directed IRAs and other aspects of alternative investing?

AltBridge.com provides unbiased information on alternative investing and access to a network of third-party, Professional Service Providers who can help.

Why? Wall Street broker dealers, money managers and retirement plan providers are compensated by selling only those investments and investment products offered by their firms - stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Consequently, they have a vested financial interest not to discuss the powerful, wealth-building capacity of self-directed IRAs! 

A self-directed IRA enables investment in real estate including commercial properties, raw land, rental properties, mobile homes, tax-liens, tax certificates, billboards, boat slips, condominiums, trust deeds and mortgages. Entrepreneurs can use their self-directed IRA for initial, start-up capital!

Would you like to find out more? www.AltBridge.com provides information on self-directed IRAs plus access to a network of Professional Solution Providers!

AltBridge’s mission is to raise peoples awareness of the powerful, wealth-building benefits of alternative investing by providing objective, unbiased, information - such as utilizing TIC’s to invest in commercial real estate or using their IRA or 401(k) to start a new business, purchase a franchise, invest in commercial real estate and more!

Alternative investing can provide the control, principal protection, diversification, transparency, tax deferral characteristics, choices and flexibility that investors require to address their specific investment objectives and retirement needs.

For more information on Alternative Investing and access to a network of third-party, Professional Service Providers - please visit AltBridge.com