Families all across America are feeling the pinch of the worst bear market since the Great Depression. Families in record numbers are unable to pay their home mortgages and are finding credit of any kind difficult to obtain. Basic instincts have kicked in and as a result people are looking for ways to cut expenses and save […]
Thriving in Time of Crisis
Investing In Uncertain Times
Congress finally passed the multibillion dollar bailout to provide liquidity for our fragile financial and banking system. While no one is happy that the American taxpayer is being forced to underwrite the excessive mistakes made by corporate executives who themselves raked in millions in incentive pay over the past several years, the alternative would likely have […]
Investing In Uncertain Times
Congress finally passed the multibillion dollar bailout to provide liquidity for our fragile financial and banking system. While no one is happy that the American taxpayer is being forced to underwrite the excessive mistakes made by corporate executives who themselves raked in millions in incentive pay over the past several years, the alternative would likely have […]
Weekly Market Commentary 10/9/08
“SEC Charges Goldman with Fraud; S&P 500 Breaks Winning Streak” April 19, 2010 Up to date in less than 2 minutes: Last week, stocks were mixed with the S&P 500 falling, halting the longest rally in a year, after allegations of fraud at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (“GS”) heightened concern the government will crack down […]
The Financial Crisis-What Caused It, What’s the Best Solution?
Bank failures, nationalization of once private companies, government bailouts that will most certainly exceed $1 trillion…how did this happen? And what is the best solution? As this crisis continues to unfold, Americans are growing increasingly angry as they realize that they will ultimately be responsible for picking up the tab of the excesses of Wall Street. Whose fault […]
The Feds Take Over Fannie and Freddie..What’s Next?
This past Sunday, the U.S. Treasury seized control of behemoth mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in a move aimed at averting collapse of the two organizations and the potential snowball effect on credit markets here and abroad. The takeover solves an immediate problem but raises many more questions. First and foremost, is the government’s latest […]
Health Insurance and Your Retirement
Perhaps the greatest issue facing retirees is paying for healthcare services. Research suggests that out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare cost retirees an average of $215,000. This is not an insignificant sum considering the average retiree has saved less than $50,000. Knowing this emphasizes the importance of developing a well thought out retirement healthcare strategy. If you are like most […]
Don’t Raid Your Retirement Plan
The subprime mortgage crisis continues to worsen as evidenced by the increasing withdrawals and loans taken from company sponsored retirement plans. For the first half of 2008, hardship withdrawals are up 21% over the same period last year. As the mortgage crisis deepens, the number of people seeking hardship withdrawals from their company retirement plan is likely […]
Homeowners: Don’t be Clueless
Certainly the current real estate market has created opportunities for home buyers, whether looking for a just-built home or an older home. Most home buyers give little thought to the cost of homeowner’s insurance or how those costs are determined. While insurers look at a number of factors to determine premiums, here are two you should consider: […]
Protecting Against Credit Card Theft
Last week the Department of Justice announced that it had charged eleven people with orchestrating the largest theft of credit card information in history. It is estimated that over 40 million people had their credit card information stolen. How could this have happened? It seems that the cyber thieves, using laptops, drove around retail stores until they found […]