Investing
Now is a Great Time to Convert Your Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA
You keep reading about ways to make money or take advantage of our down market, usually the article is a hoax or entails a substantial amount of risk. I think we have discovered a great way to not only take advantage of the down market, but also use it for a tax benefit and to [...]
10 Steps to Retire a Millionaire
We have talked about this before numerous times and it seems as though Investopedia has made their own list, very similarly to ours. Its a decent list of steps to take, and we appreciate the fact that they focus on the end objective being retirement not buying something superfluous.
1. Set the Goal
Nobody plans to fail, [...]
Stop Paying Taxes on Work Bonuses—Legally
Christmas is around the corner and for many, this means it’s time for the annual work bonus. If you work for a publicly traded company, I hope your bonus is not tied to your stock price, or you might owe your company! What is the best way to handle a bonus? Save it? Blow it? [...]
Alternative Home Equity Loans—Unregulated, Costly, and Dangerous
Credit seems to be easing a little, which means maybe the Government’s move to purchase shares of banks is working. I don’t think credit will ever be as assessable as it was just a couple years ago, which has meant opportunities for those with extra cash. Not only can you invest directly in people through [...]
Are You on Track for Retirement?
Ok, so hopefully by now you have all started to ignore the major dips and recoveries in our markets and only pay attention enough for water cooler talk at work. If you are still worrying about it daily, here is a productive way to get your mind off the market and your emotions back to [...]
Purchase Real Estate Within Your Self-Directed IRA
The increased volatility in the stock market recently has probably got you thinking where you should park your money. One interesting investment option that is overlooked by many is using your IRA to purchase real estate. If you think the real estate market has hit its low, you can purchase a rental home now; using [...]
Markets Tumble, Surpassing Records Set During the Depression
Wow. The Dow Jones had its worst week in its 112-year history, even passing records set during the Great Depression. The S&P 500 had its worst week in 75-years, falling 39 percent since Jan. 1, 2008. Have we finally hit the bottom? Are more turbulent times ahead of us? How can it possibly get any [...]
Stock Market Trading at a Seven Year Discount
What if I could offer you the rare opportunity travel back in time seven years and allow you to purchase stocks, mutual funds, index funds or whatever type of security you want? Would you do it? I hope you would! Well guess what? Unfortunately, no time machine is needed. As of today, the market is [...]
MYM Series: Wall Street Bailout Explanation 2 of 4
Understanding the Crisis: Timeline of Failure & Who’s at Fault?
How did we ever get to the point of needing $700 billion dollars from the Federal Government? Were the regulators asleep at the switch or were they simply out smarted by the markets? Did greed win over principles on Wall Street? These are great questions [...]
MYM Series: Wall Street Bailout Explanation 1 of 4
You’ve heard the news; Wall Street’s biggest financial institutions are in need of a major financial Government backed bailout in order to stay afloat. What does this actually mean? How will it affect me? Why should the taxpayers pay for the Wall Streets errors? What are the pros and cons of such a bailout?
My day [...]
Reaction to Proposed Market Bailout
The grim reality facing our financial markets has finally hit a low that even President Bush—who has a “let the market police itself” ideology—has decided it’s time to intervene. The cost to taxpayers is going to be enormous, possibly $500 billion. But for those hung up on this concept need to take a step back [...]
Be Careful Not to Chase the Latest ETF Craze
Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) have increased in popularity over the last couple of years and in my opinion deservedly so. ETFs are investments similar to mutual funds in that they hold more than one stock or bond and they usually track indexes as big as the S&P 500 or as little as gold and real estate. [...]
Invest in Your Companies Stock Carefully
The fall of stocks such as Bear Stearns and Fannie/Freddie, have taught us not to overlook one of the most common elements of sound investing—diversification. Unlike traditional pensions and 401(k) match programs, some publicly traded companies will offer shares to employees as part of their retirement plan. Participating in such a program has many benefits, [...]
Investing Like a Millionaire
This is a guest post by Al Jacobs who is a writer for OnTheMoneyTrail.com. He will be featured here about once a month and has a wide breadth of experience. We are happy to work with him and highly recommend that you check him out!
Investing Like a Millionaire
by Al Jacobs
www.onthemoneytrail.com
This title of a recent USA [...]
Do Variable Annuities Pose a Systemic Risk?
Variable annuities have grown in popularity over the past couple of years and the downturn in our economy has only intensified retiree’s interest in such products. Variable annuities are essentially an insurance product against down markets by guaranteeing minimum payments (income) to the policy holder regardless if a bear market exists. Usually, a variable annuity [...]
