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Therefore, it is advisable to have a high quality, secure income stream and the
investments are not at the speculative end of the market which may jeopardize the
portfolio value. Similar caution can be applied to unit trust purchase financing.
Returns of the unit trust has to exceed borrowing costs to ensure positive net returns.
Table 2 shows typical terms of margin financing provided by some major stock brokers
in Malaysia:
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Table 2
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| Interest charged |
12% - 13.5%
|
| Rollover rate |
0.7% - 1%
|
| Margin of Finance |
50% - 55%
|
| Forced selling of shares by broker |
3 - 6 days after margin call
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Most investment advisors would agree that there are a few absolute musts when
considering borrowing to invest:
- You must have a high quality secure income
- You must have cash immediately available for margin calls
- You must treat the share or unit trust purchase as a long term investment
- You must expect the rate of capital growth of the shares or unit trusts purchase
will be higher than the interest rate paid on the loan
If all of the "musts" are in place then you probably will enjoy the
benefits of gearing up. That is higher return over the longer term.
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