A.I.M. Users Bulletin Board
Robert Lichello's "Automatic Investment Management"
(Compliments of Investors Hub!)
Run A Successful Equity Warehouse
Welcome to the AIM Users Bulletin Board. This is the thread to post your thoughts, questions and comments on the use of Robert Lichello's Automatic Investment Management for handling the risk of being involved in the Equities markets.
The AIM strategy gives the user LIFO gains of 20% minimum if the method is followed "by the book." It is ideally suited to those seeking long term investment growth while managing the risk of being invested.
The v-Wave........
Mr. Lichello used fixed cash starting levels; first it was 50/50 then 67/33 and in the last edition of his book 80/20 for the Equity/Cash ratio. This "one size fits all" approach is like a broken watch that shows the correct time twice a day but is wrong the rest of the time!
Minstrlman, a regular contributor here, has been gathering data from Value Line and formed a highly capable risk-cash indicator for our use. As an adjunct to the AIM methodology we now have a Cash Indicator which helps guide our starting and ongoing Cash Reserve level of AIM relative to measured market risk. It can be used as a general market barometer or specifically with the AIM method. The v-Wave (or VW) is derived from the Value Line "Appreciation Potential - Next 3-5 Years" (VLAP) indicator shown weekly in their Summary and Index Section for their 1700 stock edition. Looking back through V/L's history we find the peak Appreciation Potential occurred 12/23/1974 at +234%. Assuming that we should have been 100% invested at that moment, we've used it to scale the current readings so that we don't see a negative cash reserve. We take the VLAP and manipulate it to get an indication of how much cash should be reserved for diversified mutual fund AIM accounts. It should be multiplied by your stock or portfolio's BETA to get the cash reserve level of less diversified or more aggressive holdings.
v-Wave Weekly Cash Reserve Indicator For AIM Users
10th Percentile = 38.8 or below Low Risk; 90th Percentile = 59.1 or above High Risk
Here's the Historical v-Wave from January of 1982:
Significant historical events are shown nicely here and the v-Wave's response at those times.
v-Wave Calculations can be found at #30219. The data are a work-in-progress for now.
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AIM "Cash Burn" Chart
http://www.aim-users.com/cashburn.htm AIM Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) Board http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=1292 Tom's Retirement Account with ETFs http://www.aim-users.com/etfunds.htm Software for AIM accounts: http://www.aim-users.com/aimware.htm I started using AIM full time in January of 1988, just after the nasty "crash" of '87. Those of us who have used AIM for a while are willing to help you get started with your own Equity Warehouse. Please feel free to ask questions here on this thread. Also, I've compiled some of the more frequent questions at: AIM FAQ's: http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=992 and http://www.aim-users.com/qanda.htm With AIM, you can choose stocks and funds for their Long Term investment potential. AIM will take care of most of your market timing and asset allocation needs while you wait for your favorite companies' stocks to prosper. Tom's AIM/Perverse Investment Candidates: http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=1010 Newsletter Archives - http://www.aim-users.com/archive.htm AIM for "Rational Exuberance," Tom Veale 
