The best time to invest is when others won’t. Now appears to be one of those times. Stocks, by at least one historical yardstick, appear cheap. Specifically, the stocks that comprise the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index are trading at 13.7 times profits; that is a terrific number when compared to the historical average of [...]
Let me make my final blog post for 2011 an upbeat assessment of where we might be headed. My optimism stems from a fascinating chart I came across in a financial industry publication (Nick Murray’s Interactive, Jan. 2010). Based on statistics compiled by Intrinsic Research, the chart looks at the stocks that make up the [...]
How does $1.2 billion get misplaced at a brokerage firm? And more importantly, can it happen to your brokerage account? The $1.2 billion figure is the amount that somehow went missing from MF Global, the once little-known firm helmed by former senator, former NJ governor, former Goldman Sachs chief, Jon Corzine. He says he is [...]
In this article in Financial Advisor, we learned that a few major mutual fund companies are asking the SEC to back off on its proposal to restrict the use of derivatives in traditional mutual funds. “Any set of mechanical rules cannot take account of the diversity of derivatives and the multiplicity of ways they may [...]
I thought I couldn’t be shocked anymore with stories about mis-deeds in the financial world. But this article really set me back on my heels. Matthew Hutcheson is, or perhaps I should say – was – a man I respected greatly. He has been a highly visible leader in the fight to protect employees from [...]
“Hell, everyone made money last year,” several prospective clients said to me in 2010. In fact, I always hear that after a good year. The implication those folks were making was that our mutual fund skills really didn’t mean very much, because, I guess, we just floated along a rushing, rising river. Which leads me [...]
A type of investment known as stable-value funds are available only in tax-deferred plans. As implied by the name, these funds are meant for conservative investors. They can often be a good choice, and many 401(k) plans have them on the menu. While money market funds are currently offering almost nothing in terms of interest [...]
Much as I hate to embrace clichés, when it comes to stock market volatility it does appear that we better get used to “a new normal.” As a recent New York Times article showed, it’s not your imagination—the stock market is more jumpy than ever. Moves of three or four percent, up or down, used [...]
Step right up! Move closer! You say times are hard? Job loss got you down? You say your financial life ain’t running at full speed? You’ve come to the right place my friend! We have just the remedy for what ails ya. Yes, sad but true – when the economy is weak, hucksters flourish. It [...]
The stock market has tumbled. Financial headlines and talking heads on TV warn of dire developments ahead. And sure enough, a few of our clients called, thinking about selling all their mutual funds and moving to cash. Is this smart? Well, it may be if a) it lets you sleep at night, or b) you [...]
