Welcome to the second installation of the Wealth Manager newsletter.

We hope you enjoyed our inaugural newsletter last month and look forward to continually providing you with the stories, strategies, tools, and tips needed to reach your personal financial goals.

Please enjoy this month's edition of the Wealth Manager newsletter, where you will see WMN upcoming events, the 2007 Q4 Market Commentary, a study that shows men invest differently than women, as well as a flashback to items of interest from the last Wealth Manager newsletter.

In This Issue of: Wealth Manager...

Core WMN Manager Sees Assets Under Management Quadruple In The Past Year

By JON CHESTO
The Patriot Ledger

HINGHAM - The stock market’s recent volatility has given many investors and money managers headaches. But it’s been a perfect environment for the overseers of the Absolute Strategies mutual fund.

That’s because the fund is designed to provide a haven for steady returns during boom and bust times for the market by allowing investors to employ hedge-fund strategies without actually putting money into a hedge fund.

The formula is paying off for Jay Compson and Brian Hlidek, two friends from Hingham that opened Absolute Investment Advisers in their hometown in 2005.

The assets under management in the firm’s Absolute Strategies fund have more than quadrupled in the past year, rising from about $180 million at the end of 2006, the fund’s first full year, to $790 million at the end of 2007.

‘‘There were a lot of people who we were talking to for a few years who were probably waiting until we got critical mass (to see) how we performed in difficult environments,’’ Hlidek said. ‘‘I think we’re proving our worth.’’

Absolute Strategies acts as a ‘‘fund of funds,’’ pooling the expertise of money managers in a variety of asset classes. The mutual fund invests in other funds run by about a dozen different firms with the goal of minimizing volatility. Unlike most mutual funds, a portion of the Absolute Strategies fund can be invested in ‘‘short-selling’’ techniques, or betting on certain stocks to fall in price.

Individuals can invest in the Absolute fund through a financial planner or other intermediary. Hlidek said more than 4,000 people invest in the fund, with an average account size of $60,000.

Click here to view and read the entire Absolute Strategies article

NEW LOOK, NEW FEATURES, NEW FUNCTIONALITY, AND NEW FEEL...

Have you noticed? Wealth Management Network recently revamped and redesigned their website and went live in December of 2007. Learn about WMN and it's Team, the WMN Philosophy, the WMN Investment Protocol, how to get started and become a client and much more.

Visit our Website: theWMN.com

In spite of the many unpleasant surprises for economic policymakers and investors during 2007, few years historically have better shown the resiliency of the U.S. economy and equity markets.  Consider the following: Oil approached $100 per barrel while the U.S. dollar lost substantial value against most major currencies.  The housing market collapsed, accompanied by the sub-prime mortgage market meltdown.  Poor lending (and borrowing) practices and imprudent ratings on debt consolidation pools led to large write downs at several major U.S. banks and brokerage firms. Banks reacted by slowing lending activity to consumers and other banks.  Discontent with the war in Iraq and national political leadership continued.  In spite of these events, the U.S. economy continued to expand and the U.S. stock market (as measured by the all equity Wilshire 5000 Index) rose 5.6% for the year.

While both like to be informed before deciding where to put their money, they take different approaches to using what they've learned. And that's just one of the many examples highlighted in Gender Differences in Investment Behavior, a survey sponsored by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD).

Click here to view and read the entire article

WMN Celebrates 20th Anniversary Forum & Open House

20th Anniversary Forum & Open House Photo Gallery

2007 Q3 Market Commentary