WEEKLY QUOTE“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.” - Steve Jobs WEEKLY TIP Too many retirement savers put a majority of their assets into a single stock (usually a company stock). Remember the merits of diversification. WEEKLY RIDDLE Two couples played paintball. Each person had blue, green,...
Will stocks face further headwinds, or sail strongly ahead? Eurozone debt issues aren’t going away – in fact, it may be several years before the crisis ebbs. Here in May, we have a new development: leaders in Greece and France have been voted out of office,...
Does the old stock market cliché have any credibility in 2012? An old stock market dictum says that spring is for profit-taking, or at least a time to reduce your exposure to equities. In the classic market psychology, you “sell in May and go away” with the...
Benefits increase for 2012. Ideas for reform are numerous. Social Security gets its first COLA since 2009. As moderate inflation has made a comeback, the federal government has decided to boost Social Security benefits by 3.6% for 2012. This means an average increase of $39 per...
Is it all negative, or are there opportunities to consider because of the crisis? Many economists think a Greek default is inevitable. As we enter 4Q 2011, Greece has a debt-to-GDP ratio of about 160% (and that percentage is rising). While Greece accounts for less than...
WEEKLY QUOTE“Experience is a dear teacher, but fools will learn at no other.” – Ben Franklin WEEKLY TIP Starting a small business? A written plan is handy for forecasting, risk management and raising capital. A written plan is far preferable to one you keep in your head. WEEKLY RIDDLE What can run but...
Key indicators point to an economy (slowly) on the mend. This year assorted economists and journalists have contended that the U.S. is on the edge of a new recession. Yet recent indicators hint that the economy is doing a bit better than some analysts think. U.S. retail...
WEEKLY QUOTE“There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly.”– Buckminster Fuller WEEKLY TIP Self-employed? Have your accountant look at your balance sheet and profit-and-loss statement before 2011 ends. Some tax-saving strategies may come to mind, and an up-to-date set of books means...
Is it all negative, or are there opportunities to consider because of the crisis? Many economists think a Greek default is inevitable. As we enter 4Q 2011, Greece has a debt-to-GDP ratio of about 160% (and that percentage is rising). While Greece accounts for less than...
WEEKLY QUOTE“We should have a great fewer disputes in the world if words were taken for what they are, the signs of our ideas only, and not for things themselves.” – John Locke WEEKLY TIP Have an elderly parent who is on too many mailing lists - and spending or...