Living On the Interest from One Million Dollars
I made my first retirement plan after my freshman year at college. Back at home, with one year of college under my belt, my good friend John and I were discussing our plans for the future. I don’t recall the entire conversation, but I do remember saying “my goal is to accumulate a million dollars,...
You Can’t Have It Both Ways!
“The market is discounting the turn in the economy.” Isn’t that a common refrain these days? Every time I turn around, someone on bubblevision or in the blogosphere tells me the reason the market is going up is that it is a leading indicator and portends better days ahead. There has been...
Cash is Risky
When considering what to do with the growth-oriented part of your portfolio, have you considered how dangerous it might be to hold cash? Before we get into the nuts and bolts of the problem with cash, let’s review how difficult it is to tactically manage around corrections and bear markets. Having...
Is it Too Late to Sell?
Did the market bottom today? Does a VIX near 60 signal capitulation? Are there some compelling buys out there? We don’t know if the bottom is in. Maybe it was today, maybe it is tomorrow. It might be next week. That said, it could be a major mistake to sell out and risk missing the...
It was another down day at the exchanges. At the close, the Dow had slipped -241 points and the NASDAQ was off -2.0% as well. Stocks fell amid continued problems in the financial sector. And yes, we suffered with you as well. Stocks = Risk It’s hard to admit, but even experienced investment...
Lenny Dykstra and Annuities
Take it from someone who has sold them before — annuities are very attractive propositions — at least for the salesman. If an insurance agent can close a $1,000,000 annuity, that one deal can make a year. Not saying there are not situations where annuities make sense, but annuities are often...
Commodity Tidal Wave
Bloomberg reported today that global investments in commodities rose by more than a fifth in the first quarter to $400 billion. The article explains that investments tied to commodity indexes rose $40 billion in the first three months of the year to $185 billion. A week ago, the Wall Street Journal reported...
If You Sell Stocks, What Do You Do With The Money?
Ok, so the big question is: if you sell your equities, where do you go with the money? Think again in the big picture: stocks, bonds, or cash?? I think sooner or later, folks will realize the stock market offers the best long term value for your money. If your goal is to beat taxes and inflation, by...
