Rethinking the Tax System
In
Risk Free Investing?
After a year like 2008, it is easy for investors to consider throwing in the towel on investing. Wouldn't putting money in T-Bills be better than riskng it in the market? Sure, the approach solves one type of risk - investment risk, but introduces another type of risk - purchasing power risk.
Is This a Good Time for Active Investing?
Is this a time when active investing can add value? With all the market volatility, it would seem that nimble investors could beat the crowd. Find out by following the link below. It is an interview with Ken French, Professor of Finance at
Package Deals
Needless to say, there’s a lot of confusion in the air right now. With multi-thousand page bills being rushed through Congress and endless speculation on new regulatory and tax proposals, the line between proposed and enacted legislation can be a bit blurry. Financial Planning Magazine had an article entitled “Unwrapping the Package” which lists some of the items in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that you can benefit from. To read the article, follow the link: http://www.financial-planning.com/fp_issues/2009_5/unwrapping-the-package-understanding-stimulus-bill-2661665-1.html
Personal Credit Crisis
Watching the news each day, we hear about the effect subprime lending has had on the market and the economy. The untold story seems to be the how and why those borrowers took out the subprime loans.
Capitalism's Future
The investment community is struggling with the issue whether capitalism will continue in its present form. Up to this point, winners of the 2008 Presidential election cycle have created more uncertainty than clarity. Look at these examples:
Social Security and Medicare
You may have heard in the news recently that the unemployment caused by the recession is draining the funds of both Social Security and Medicare. Less people employed means less withholding being paid into the funds. The fact that these government programs may become insolvent highlights the need for retirement planning at every age in life. The New York Times has a good article detailing the troubles of Social Security and Medicare: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/us/politics/13health.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=Social%20Security&st=cseCharleston Financial on Channel 4 News
Diane Blackwelder was recently interviewed about the Al Parish proposed settlement on Channel 4 News:
Dealing with Identity Theft
Identify theft is now the fastest growing crime in America. There were about 10 million cases in 2004. Since February 2005, major data handlers, including LexisNexis, ChoicePoint and CardSystems, have reported breaches that left the data of more than 50 million people at risk. Congress is beginning to stir, cracking down on the crime. In the meantime, you need to take some preventative measures.
What Should Investors Do Now?
Weston Wellington of Dimensional Fund Advisors (http://www.dfaus.com/) puts the current financial crisis into perspective with his six part series of videos, “What Should investors Do Now?” (http://www.dfaus.com/share/whatshou/). His use of historical materials and articles are both interesting and essential to understanding the psychology of investing.