"John Yamamoto-Wilson"wrote...
> If the interest rate is guaranteed, I think you can convince her. The low
> dollar makes now an attractive time to get started, and those regular
> statements showing how the money has grown will bring a smile to her face.
> Her fears probably stem from a deep-rooted feeling among many Japanese
> people that "investment" is just a euphemism for gambling.

Heh-heh, it IS gambling (and so is putting it under your mattress).  It's
just the house is slightly in your favor instead of against you!

> Actually, I'm with my wife on this one. I put several million yen into
> portfolios during my first few years in Japan and only ever lost money
> (well, one of them has increased in value, but not as much as if I'd just
> put it into a high interest bank account; the others are worth less than
> when they started). With the yen going up and down (it has been anywhere
> from around 135 to 240 to the pound sterling during my time in Japan) and
> the fluctuations in the stock market itself it's like riding two roller
> coasters at the same time.

Not sure if you're talking about the Japanese market, but it's long string
of down years has certainly been remarkable.  You should have done okay in
other markets though (are you taking dividends into consideration?).

best regards,
hibijibi