An often overlooked benefit of a recession is that it becomes far cheaper to borrow than ever before. In moving forward, this presents an opportunity for corporations to bring today's…
Banks are trying everything they can to bring new clientele to their business. In fact, they're going as far as offering 4% interest on checking accounts, a banking product that…
Though investors may love dividends for their income potential, stocks that issue dividends to investors also fair better in weaker markets. What's In a Dividend? Dividend paying stocks are more…
With fixed income investors looking for higher yields, Build America Bonds may fit perfectly in their plan. Enacted as part of the 2009 economic stimulus package signed into law by…
What has always been a staple of financial planning is now supercharged in today's economy of low rates and incredibly low mortgages prices. Paying off the mortgage is one item…
Investors looking for better returns or terrified with the growing US debt have seemingly abandoned government paper. So much capital has left government bonds that several triple-A corporations offer lower…
Although 2009 was loaded with recovery green shoots, mostly in battered industries such as finance and retail, investors are best to be diversified during the later stages of recovery. Green…
A credit fueled expansion of the Chinese economy is sending its commercial and infrastructural businesses into overdrive. A combined effort of more than 13.6 trillion yuan (4 trillion in stimulus…
Planning for retirement isn't always just basic math. Too many people plan with the aid of a retirement calculator, without understanding the inputs that go into these ultra-important calculations. Sweat…
Never have precious metals earned so much respect among investors. Financial advisers are suggesting precious metals to their clients, while TV commercials boast about the performance of gold and silver…
Taxes, taxes, taxes: those three words have thus far defined the campaign trail, as hundreds of members of government are up for re-election this year. However, taxes aren't just important…
Would you like to capitalize on a little known and underused tool, which generates additional profits for your already existing stock purchases? Covered calls remain one of the best kept…
Inflows into fixed income during the financial crisis of 2008-2009 have continued even through the first two months of 2010. However, investors won't appreciate low rates indefinitely, and it appears…
401k programs are notorious for offering very few, yet expensive, options for their clients. However, one loophole may save you thousands of dollars per year and let you have more…
When investors think of "risk aversion," typically treasury bonds, corporate bonds and municipal debt rank highly on the list. In today's economic climate, however, it appears there may be more…
Billions of dollars tumbled into absolute return funds in the wake of the financial downturn. Although these funds may guarantee absolute returns, they're more likely to under-perform. The Basis of…
As gold reaches $1000 per ounce and silver pushes its pre-bubble highs, investors have an increasingly vested interest in precious metals. Once ignored for their below-average returns, metals and retirement…
No investor can deny the obvious benefits of foreign stocks in 2009. As the dollar crumbled to test multi-year lows and the financial crisis wrecked American banks, international markets experienced…
The first exchange-traded product to list in the United States will be launching soon. Its goal is to track the changes in price of American real estate with a leverage…
Micromanaging your portfolio can be a tremendous hassle – not to mention unprofitable for traders who sell out of winning positions and fail to cut losses. However, micromanagement may no…
Actions by world governments are steering investment dollars away from the stock markets. In addition to the economic downturn, investors have a variety of other reasons they're not willing to…
The hedge fund industry is trimming down on its exchange-traded fund and diversified holdings. After peaking at 40% of all volume in October at the pinnacle of the crisis, exchange-traded…
The global stock markets have rallied since the beginning of March, reaching a point where the growth could technically be considered a bull market. However, whether we’ve reached a bull…
In an age where virtually every one of life's biggest expenses are covered by “expendable” company benefits, many investors and employees alike are growing more concerned over their financial future…
Financial advisors have long recommended that investors tone down their portfolio risk as they age to prevent the chance that falling equity prices will stifle retirement plans. However, as many…
Many senior citizens are bombarded by advertisements promoting new reverse mortgage offerings, which can offer extra income during retirement. A reverse mortgage essentially entails selling your home in pieces for…
Today’s stocks are so incredibly cheap that the estimated PE ratios are under their historical average, and the market as a whole is already more than 50% cheaper than just…
Technical indicators for bottom-picking the current market are nearly nonexistent. Take a look at any chart of US indices, and you'll find a constant ascent with very little backtracking. The…
The best opportunity for investing in China has just opened, with the Chinese government pledging to do all it can to ensure that the 8% target growth rate is met…
The explosion of growth in the ETF industry has been both a boom and a bust for investors looking to make top dollar in the stock markets. Although the vast…
Post-credit crunch CD rates are contradictorily excellent for investors. Even after infusing the market with billions of dollars worth of capital, personal CD rates are at their best – mostly…
A global recession has every investor looking for ways to reduce costs. From the number of times we visit fast food restaurants or how we regulate the home thermostat, it…
Financial advisers will never recommend that you borrow from your 401k – and for good reason. Unfortunately, life does not always go to plan, and making a decision on borrowing…
The Dow to gold ratio has been favored by traders as an excellent way to find overbought and oversold levels on the United States’ most popular index. Using the Dow…
Exchange traded funds received their start from active day traders and swing traders looking for better ways to trade Wall Street's indices. Today, there are ETFs for everything, ranging from…
After watching the US indices fall through technical level after technical level, while witnessing the markets sustaining horribly oversold levels, it’s hard to place your bets on technical analysis during…
The prospect of retirement triggers good feelings, including the idea of spending extended periods of time traveling the world and living on the fortunes amassed after years of hard work.…
Gold prices have shot sky-high, hitting a record of $1030 per barrel last spring.Investors are rethinking the view of gold as anultra-speculative investment in these economic times.Buying gold to back…
Economic slowdowns are always quick to hurt business spending, whether it is on new production components or human resources. Employees are feeling the economic pinch, faced with potential job loss…
The Chinese government has enacted a tremendous spending program to keep the economy moving. China is investing billions to improve infrastructure and boost its economy, which has been dependent on…
As the S&P500 and other US indices have been reverted back to 2002 levels, the FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index is holding steady at near 2006 valuations. There are many good…
The FDIC has proposed a solution to the banking crisis: absorb bad debt via a “bad bank,” which will be created to buy mortgage assets and other unprofitable portions of…
Photo Credit: Nicholson Cartoons Investors are fearing the risks associated with the stock markets and have since pushed income yields to record lows. In a time when CD rates have…
Very few people equate frivolous expenses as lost income. Knocking off a $500 a month payment is more than just getting out of debt; it's saving your money and boosting…
Bottom calling is difficult even in bull markets, but in a bear market, it becomes that much more complex. With the concern of naked short selling, along with the talk…
In as little time as 30 years, tax brackets in the United States have changed completely. During the early 1980s, the top tax bracket was paying 70% federal tax on…
Photo Credit: Toyota As the oil market cools from its high of $147 back into the $115 area, investors are seeking alternatives. Though the oil market might be making a…
Photo Credit: Banks.com The mortgage market has been nothing but extremely volatile over the past year. Traders have beaten down the stocks of companies carrying heavy amounts of sub-prime mortgage…
Photo Credit: Don Ryan / Associated Press The sub-prime mortgage troubles continue to haunt the American economy, even after heating up tremendously just in the past quarter. As America’s banks…
Photo Credit: Greek Shares The traditional retirement think-tank would say that bluechips should make up your short term retirement holdings. Investing your cash in a blue chip stock for a…
The trading circle's rumor mill passes around the concept that small caps perform better than large caps during market declines. This is backed by plenty of historical data, as small…
Photo Credit: LA Times As more banking institutions become insolvent, it is important to know which accounts are insured against bank failure - and which ones are not. In fact,…
Photo Credit: Telegraph UK The exchange traded fund FXI was created to track the returns of China’s largest companies. Consider this ETF to be the version of the Dow Jones…
Photo Credit: Analytical Thoughts It's not how much you save, but how much you spend that truly makes a difference - especially when it comes to your retirement. Many people…
Photo Source: Today's Seniors Network The holiday-filled summer and geopolitical threats are turning the marketplace into a prediction center for all things political and slightly economic. Oil’s recent run to…
Photo Source: State Street Global Advisors Exchange traded funds were highly uncommon, even just a few years ago. Today, you can buy any kind of ETF, including international funds, gold…
Photo Source: Citizen Tom For retirees, the current market events present an unfortunate circumstance, where many retirement portfolios are stuck between a rock and a hard place, whether in fixed…
Photo Credit: CNBC As oil prices rise and the cost to ship goods grows steadily, there is a boom waiting to happen in the shipping industry. Semi-trucks and other transportation…
Annuities are generally reserved for the most modest of investors - those that plan retirement, but would rather have the fixed income payments post retirement than to manage their own…
Photo Credit: Xinhua To respond more efficiently to rebuilding efforts and humanitarian missions, the Chinese central bank is lowering its reserve requirements and lending standards in an effort to push…
Photo Credit to Amanita The problem arises for many retirees that domestic slowdowns put their own retirement jeopardy. It has long been the advice that future retirees should invest more…
Price to earnings multiples were once the basis of investment decisions. The analysis was simple: the return divided by the stock price should properly valuate a certain company. But with…
First it was technology, then real estate, oil, and the rest of the commodities, including food, but what comes next in this wild market of endless bubbles. Where is the…
Many investors have turned in favor of traditionally safe investments in bonds and money market accounts to protect their capital. While these investments rarely go sour, they are indeed more…
Many investors forget to account for the cost of commission and spreads in their trading accounts. While $7.95 here and there and a $.20 spread on stocks may seem minimal,…
There has been a resurgence of news surrounding dilution and its impact on the credit crunch. Dilution means that the company is issuing new shares of itself to sell, without…
As the market falls, many stocks are experience large amounts of unusually high short interest. The shorts have made there money in a few select stocks, which are bound to…
With the Chinese market off its highs, will Chinese businesses on other stock exchanges be affected? The answer is most likely not. Following Baidu The best indication of Chinese growth…
The Federal reserve rate cuts have hurt the retired, with lower CD and money market rates making it difficult for retirees to earn the magic 4%. The 4% interest level…
Retirement planning focuses on a portfolio that can sustain the cost of living once work-related income has ceased. Many retirement portfolios are healthy enough to carry your standard of living…
Bullion might seem to be a speculative investment to some, but it deserves an opportunity to be part of a retirement portfolio. If history is any indication of the future,…
Much of the recent buzz has been surrounding the housing cycle and its recent localized re-trace pattern from its highs. Many people are worrying that their home values may fall…
During times of stock market uncertainty, much emphasis is placed on market timing. For the long term investor, market timing is of little importance. A few dollars difference on the…
After the market turmoil in the past few weeks, retirement portfolios could have easily become unbalanced. Huge gains in the mining industry offset losses in the financial sector, while technology…
Trading is a psychologically and emotionally difficult task – with indicators, nonstop news, feeds, and billions of dollars flowing through the markets each and every minute of the day. There…
Sub-prime worries and bond market freezes should be enough to scare any income investor away from the markets in favor of a safer alternative. The municipal bond market has always…
Obtaining a margin account with your broker can be difficult. Credit checks, minimum balances and paperwork can make obtaining a moderate leverage of 2:1 nearly impossible for most investors. Brokerage…
As the last few years have proven, Chinese markets are on an upwards tear. The emerging international markets have consistently beaten more established markets over the last decade. As it…
One trading strategy, which only requires a few minutes of work annually, has been generating annualized returns in excess of 17% per year since 1973, while the Dow has returned…
The decision of whether or not to pay off your mortgage before retirement can be complicated. Tax benefits and investment mathematics blurs a relatively simple answer. Retirement should be the…
Relative Strength Index actually is not relative at all – it is an oscillator meant for the comparison of buying strength to the price or value of a security. Usually…
Retirement planning may be getting easier, but it certainly is not getting cheaper. To add to the supply of retirement instruments, a new breed of mutual fund has emerged: the…
The commodities markets are reserved for few brave traders, who usually are market veterans. When someone thinks of trading, pork bellies, dairy, or raw sugar is probably last on the…
Although most of us enjoyed a profitable market year in 2020, many of our gains have been significantly lost within the first month of the new trading year. Despite all…
Planning for retirement is a complex issue, with equal weight given to retirement income and capital growth. Recent trends have made variable annuities a very popular retirement planning instrument, stemming…
In turbulent market times, how can you avoid panic selling and protect your portfolio? The great pressure on selling triggers the herd mentality, only to surprise panicked sellers with a…
We constantly hear the stress on corporations going green, while we develop alternative sources of energy - not only for conserving energy, but also for fighting global warming. Galloping world…
This week’s whipsaw markets symbolize the significant economic insecurity we face in 2008. As the selling activity heightens, investors are rushing to stay on the sidelines with cash. However, amidst…
With a tumultuous week behind us in the stock market, both in America and overseas, many investors are wondering how to preserve and create wealth. Despite the recessionary fears and…
Microchip giant Intel (INTC) has been taken for a rollercoaster pricing ride in the start of 2008. Fear of worsening economic conditions has pushed down the price of Intel by…
The growing income disparity prevalent in both developed and emerging economies prompts academic circles to question: what factors cause someone to become wealthy, while another stays in poverty? This question…
With all of the variable fluctuations plaguing the American financial markets, investing overseas gives your portfolio an extra cushion of risk management. However, considering that every country has its own…
The Scenario: The reality of retirement is inevitable – especially for the post-baby boomers generations. With company plans a foregone luxury, people must now plan for nearly every penny…
The current state of the US dollar does not bode well for the greenback. This month, the dollar depreciated significantly, falling to the lowest value against the yen in the…
President Bush’s positive words continuously supporting the economy has finally come to a delayed end. On Monday, President Bush finally admitted that America faced “economic challenges,” prompting a Congressional review…
With the major crisis in the credit market, investors must brace themselves for the first major casualty of squeezed credit: dividend payments. The loan defaults from the housing meltdown create…
For an investor already diversified among equities, real estate is a solid instrument for overall portfolio diversification. While the American real estate market stagnates to its lowest volume in the…