Last Sunday was Chinese Valentine’s Day (Chinese calendar 7 July), the night when an ancient farm boy and his heavenly girlfriend have their once-a-year date on a bridge formed by love-struck magpies, and love is remembered in the sky. Or so the fairy tale goes. Fund manager Jardine Fleming (JF) in Taiwan, meanwhile, was thinking: “Now, how can we make a buck out of this?”
While diamonds are still a girl's best friend, men are sick of socks and aftershave. According to the public relations department of JF, a mutual fund investment policy may be just what your boyfriend needs. “For the man you love – dad, husband, boyfriend – choosing a gift that can appreciate in value can satisfy the romantic as well as the pragmatic sides of a relationship,” says the JF press release in Chinese. “For lovers, owning a mutual fund and experiencing together the ebbs and flows of the stock market can make not only the bond stronger but also enhance each others’ knowledge of financial matters.”
What fund to pick depends on what sort of lover your farm boy is. The fund manager has come up with a guide for the inexperienced:
If he loves change and new things, JF says, then he is likely to be proactive in money matters. Buy him hi-tech or small-medium cap funds – they will give him excitement and the proxy of new experiences.
If he is as loyal as a Labrador, it means he likes stability and prefers to stay in his comfort zone. Safety first is his motto in investment. Reward him with a European fund with a regular saving plan. That way you also can pay by installment at NT3000 ($96.50) a month.
If he is career-minded, his investment theory is likely to be “quick, aggressive and accurate” in order to save time. A lump sum investment in a Greater China fund may meet his time frame and growth target.
If he has a bit of salt-and-pepper, he may not be far from his retirement age. Buy him a domestic dividend stock fund or a balance fund. They are long-term funds that aim at stable performance and growth.
What would Freud have made of it all?
