How Will the Presidential Election Impact the S&P500?

My Comments: Oceans of ink will be used in the next several weeks as pundits from across the spectrum weigh in on the likelihood of their favorite candidate winnning the White House. My sense of the issue when it comes to investments is that there are forces way beyond the influence, much less control, of …

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Mister Dow 5,000 Strikes Again!

My Comments: My habit is to post a blog every Monday about investments and retirement planning. My intent is to help educate you about the forces out there that will influence how your money will grow in the years to come. Among the writers I’ve come to revere over the years has been Nick Murray. …

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Another Overview of Trusts, Part 3

Trusts, Pt. 3: Advanced Concepts | Article added by Hale Stewart on May 24, 2012 In this final article on trusts, I’m going to cover some more advanced areas. Just to review, in the first article, I discussed the basics of trusts, while in the second, I looked at some basic situations where trusts are …

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The US Economy May Surprise Us All

My Comments: Yes, the last few years have been very frustrating for those of us concerned about jobs, earning a living, having confidence that life will return to normal. The stock market has done OK, but you don't have to listen to politicians to notice all the empty buildings around town. To those who will …

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Romney’s Dodd-Frank Kill Pledge Collides With Wall Street Agenda

My Comments: For the past 3 and 1/2 years, I've been listening to negatives from the right. Some of them have been justified. But many of them simply appeal to the inability of voters to understand the most basic facts of life. For example, after about 40 years as a financial advisor and insurance agent, …

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Hey, CEO! You Hate Fiscal Stimulus. So Tell Me: What Would You Do Instead?

My Comments: On the one hand, I hear candidates on the right say how opposed they are to fiscal stimulus, and on the other hand, I hear them say we need to reinvigorate the military and spend more money there. From an economic perspective, that’s just another form of stimulus. Personally, I’d rather have the …

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Americans’ Sense of Security Rises

My Comments: There are six questions asked here and the responses to these questions lead the author to conclude that we as Americans are experiencing more comfort as the economy slowly improves. At least that's my conclusion. This is not easy to follow but on a rainy Monday, this might give you a measure of …

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J.P. Morgan Weekly Market Recap – August 27, 2012

For those of you who pay attention and want to time the market, here’s this weeks best summary:

Another Overview of Trusts, Part 2

Trusts, Pt. 2: When should they be used? My Comments: This comes from Hale Stewart, an attorney in Houston, Texas. He and I have spoken as a result of his interest in captive insurance companies and asset protection. He is the author of the book U.S. Captive Insurance Law and is currently working on his …

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Top 10 Biggest College Savings Plans

The 10 biggest 529 plans for the fourth quarter of 2011 are ranked by asset size My Comments: A 529 Plan is an IRS approved idea that allows you to set aside after-tax money in a special account where it will hopefully grow. Then, when you withdraw the money to pay for college education approved …

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