With the way the market is behaving, you may be tempted to pull money out of your 401(k) right now or greatly reduce your contributions. If you’re considering such a move, you may want to reconsider. Don’t stop saving for retirement. Even if you think you’re wealthy enough to forego putting money in your 401(k), […]
Is it time for a break ? that is, a tax break? With the stock market down 25-40% from its fall 2007 highs, it’s certainly a time to consider converting your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, especially if you’re not planning on retiring soon. You will pay a one-time tax on the conversion ? […]
The central idea: buy low, and sell high. It’s the oldest stock market adage, and in the wake of the recent selloff, dollar cost averaging may give you a method to capture lower prices today and come out ahead tomorrow. How it works. Dollar cost averaging is a long-term investment strategy. It means investing in […]
Did you see Charlie Rose’s interview with Warren Buffett? On Oct. 1, the two of them met in San Diego for a brief chat about the economy and the financial markets. Earlier that day Buffett had announced that his holding company, Berkshire Hathaway, would invest $3 billion in General Electric. The great investor was realistic […]
Look at all these tax breaks. You may have noticed the semantic change this week in Washington ? the ‘bailout? plan became the ‘rescue? plan. Indeed, the newly signed legislation offers help for taxpayers as well as Wall Street firms. In addition to higher FDIC insurance limits through 2009 for bank depositholders, the Senate’s revision […]
United they stood ? and up the markets climbed. On a tranquil Friday morning in the Rose Garden of the White House, the financial ‘front line? of the U.S. government stood in solidarity and presented a bailout plan in response to the troubles in the stock markets. President Bush, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Treasury […]
The last 18-24 months have been wild ones on Wall Street, and the volatility has motivated some sophisticated investors to look into non-correlated or indirectly correlated asset classes. With the rise in oil and gas prices, high net worth investors are naturally examining the potential of alternative investment programs, especially in the energy sector. The […]
‘Registered Financial Consultant.? What does that title really mean? When you search for a financial consultant, it means everything. Let me explain why the RFC designation is so important. Today, the financial world is full of credentials and designations. Some are respected, some aren’t. The RFC designation is one of the most respected. (Some financial […]
Recently, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has hinted that the U.S. is going to try to strengthen or at least stabilize the weak dollar. So what might happen to the economy with a stronger dollar? And how has the economy been affected by a weak one? Effects of a weak dollar. The dollar has fallen […]
A little phrase that may mean a big difference. When you read about investing and other financial topics, you occasionally see the phrase ‘tax efficiency? or a reference to a ‘tax-sensitive? way of investing. What does that really mean? The after-tax return vs. the pre-tax return. Everyone wants their investment portfolio to perform well. But […]