European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 22, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Matter of timing investment adviser says Success is a game of seconds by Randy Mcclain financial writer Dan Ringger is proud that none of his client was in the Stock Market on oct. 19, 1987. The Day the Dow Jones Industrial average plunged a record 508 Points Ringger s 8,000 clients in the United states and Europe were safely on the sidelines. Thai s our major Selling Point. It Drew a lot of Stock Money to us Over the next two years said Ringger vice president of Bond timing services inc. Of Waltham mass. Ringger s company is an investment advisory service that recently began marketing itself to . Military men and women in Europe. The firm has recruited 60 salesmen in West Germany England Italy and Spain All of whom have As their goal enticing gis to let Bond timing manage a portion of their investments. The firm restricts itself to managing Mutual fund holdings but within that Arena it claims to deliver a bigger bang for the Buck. Using a Small army of technical analysts the company moves investors in and out of their Stock and Bond Mutual funds in an Effort to enhance returns. The idea As always is to buy Low and sell High. Our goal is to get a client in on 80 percent of the up rends and save him from 80 percent of the Down trends. If we can do that Well Pat ourselves on the Back and say Job Well done Ringger said. The vice president said his firm s service works Best when investors use it for three years or longer. It does particularly Well in volatile markets he said. In any single year though a particular fund May beat us on a buy and hold basis he  Means Over the Short run an investor might make More by simply buying a Mutual fund and holding on through the markets  and Downs than he would earn with Bond timing. One of the firm s Best results in the 1980s Wasa 28-percent enhancement of an investor s return on the Franklin age High income fund a typical corporate Bond fund. Ringger said $10,000invested in 1981 would have been Worth $24,557 on a buy and hold basis at the end of 1989. With Bond timing s service the same investment ended up Worth $34,289. On a particular Stock fund. Massachusetts financial emerging growth fund $10,000 invested in 1985 would have been Worth $ 18,327 on dec. 31, 1989, on a buy and hold basis. Bond timing improved that return to $23,689 at year s end a 29-Percenl improvement. Ringger said those two examples Are among his firm s Best. On some Mutual funds the company s performance has been much closer to actual buy and hold results Ringger said sometimes finishing within one percentage Point. So far the company has won just a few hearts and minds in Europe. About 100 service members have signed up a total that Ringger says is acceptable for starters but far from the numbers needed to make Bond timing an overseas Success. We re a relatively new product for this Market and it s unreasonable to expect people today wow Here s my Money it takes Lime for them to feel comfortable. This will be a Long slow building  part of the problem Bond timing faces is thai the company charges a hefty annual management fee typically 2.9 percent of the Money a person has invested. For those with More than $ 100,000 invested annual management fees Are just 2 percent. Clients must make a minimum investment of $ 10,000. Most people in the military Don t have thai kind of Money said John Jackson  financial adviser based in Frankfurt West Germany. Other advisers think Bond timing has potential. Mark Kelly a financial planner with  inc. In Wilhelms fold West Germany thinks a 2.9 percent management fees fair As Long As Bond timing makes Money for its clients. Stockbrokers typically charge a commission each time stocks arc bought or sold Kelly said and Hal can add up to a Tot More than 2.9 percent Ofa client s holdings on an annual basis. Bond timing is reasonable by comparison he said. The firm does t sell any particular Stock Ormond funds to investors. Instead Bond timing acts As a professional Money manager working with the investments clients already own. The firm moves investors in and out of Stock and Bond holdings As conditions warrant. Ringger said the company s analysts study Market trends on a continuing basis. We re either in the Market 100 percent or in Cash 100 percent at any Given time he said. We never go 50-50." the firm was founded in 1979 and currently has $400 million under management. About$100 million of that is in the Stock Market via various Slock Mutual funds. Another $225million is in corporate government and municipal Bond funds. The remainder is in Gold and various Money Market accounts. Prior to october 1987, Bond timing worked almost exclusively with investors in the Bond Market. That changed after the firm played Black monday just right. We were out of the Slock Market sept. 2, 1987, six weeks in Advance Ringger said. After that our Stock sector grew  Ringger has a few words of caution for service members considering hiring his firm though. First of All he suggests a Long term paid advertisement International savings rates net household savings As a percentage of household income after taxes 1988 o 15.2 ass Susan Evrit commitment. You need to give this a two to three year commitment to derive the maximum Benefit he said. Bond timing services analysts arc geared to take advantage of three to five year trends in the Stock and Bond markets. This in t the kind of service that moves clients in and out of investments every hour or every Day. Ringger also said clients should never give his firm More than 30 percent of their assets. We never manage All Ofa person s Money. You should never have All your Money in any one thing and that includes us he said. Bond timing works Best in volatile markets Ringger added. If the Stock Market is going steadily upward we can t out perform the Market. Ours is really a defensive strategy. We re there to help people avoid major losses. We arc never going to get clients into the Market at the exact Bottom or sell at the exact  Mut Fly the military tax service professional year round computerized state and Federal tax preparation we accurately prepare your returns using Arthur Anderson computerized software one of the big 8" accounting firms. All work is guaranteed. Irs electronic filing o fast refunds o Mil it fume like g 10 8 Zirkl Witt Elt Cranic nine. A Sunlly. N ukat two it Tel Lor or Tel do it to your Bink mrs Chrtt Tel Loi p4dci Check. For More information Contact any Field representative where you see our signs. I Laiu Ilki the military tax service m mar chiefs May Contact Miuta at 06301-1091 january 22,1990 is financial planning guide 17