How to Stay on top of your investments the right way..

Measure performance of your total portfolio against your targeted goals:

Good relative performance won't pay the mortgage or college tuition when the stock market is down. If you have a $1 million portfolio and want it to grow to $3 million over the next 15 years, you need to know, in quantified terms, exactly how you are tracking against your required investment rate of return. If you have multiple investment managers, investing smart means knowing each investment manager 's results, and even more smart investing means knowing how your portfolio is doing overall.

Always look at after tax investment returns:

When you factor in taxes, a seemingly sound investment can quickly turn sour. A good example is a mutual fund that trumpets high, double digit returns, but never discloses what share resulted  from short term trading profits vs. long term capital gains. A smart investing investment adviser will tailor a client's portfolio for tax efficiency and design investment strategies to maximize after tax returns.

Investing smart and don't forget to take inflation and expenses into account:

For the affluent individual, total "real" investment return - what you net after inflation, taxes and all expenses - is the one number that really counts. In fact, you should state your investment objectives in precisely those terms.

Compare segments of your portfolio against the appropriate style benchmarks:

Stock market indexes do have their place: Helping you to view investment managers' performance in a more realistic light. When an investment manager is out of step with the overall stock market, but you know he or she is matching other investment managers with the same style, it gives you the confidence you need to ride out an adverse cycle. By the same token, if you find your investment managers are performing well against style benchmarks, but your overall investment returns are below par, that tells you its time to revisit questions of asset and style allocation. Ideally, you should evaluate each manager's results with a yardstick you have both agreed upon in advance.

Click here to read about smart investing Mutual Funds strategies

Be Investing Smart - Click here to read about Capital Gains Tax to be prepared.

Recognize the level of risk associated with your investment returns:

Because higher risks usually accompany higher returns, always judge results on a risk-adjusted basis. And, remember that achieving consistent, above average performance will more you steadily toward your goals, while an investment that's showing superior short term results may not deliver over time. That's why every affluent investor must make a choice: Do you want consistent performance or spectacular performance? No manager can deliver both. In most cases, consistency is the wiser choice.