The economy is complicated. It's a giant, tangled web that's subtly and strangely interwoven with geopolitics, current affairs, even the weather. When a major economic event or news story goes down, the effect on the markets isn't generally simple...
Creating a constructive outlook for the coming year. William Blake once wrote, If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. At the risk of trivializing his statement, Blake's wisdom means something to...
The stock market returned 12 percent in 2004. But it would have been a lackluster year overall were it not for November and December, because the market returned 4.5 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively, in those months.
Investors have been flocking to foreign stocks, and for good reason. But there is also good reason to remain wary of overseas investments. During the first 10 months of 2004, international funds had inflows of $83 billion, a record pace and more...
Anthony Sasso, who lives in Tinton Falls, N.J., with his wife, knows he's not Harbor Lights Financial's biggest client. He's 70 and recently retired. Sasso is no millionaire, and, as a result, has to keep a tight rein on his spending. To make a...
Greener pastures await at another broker/dealer: I'm outta here. Adios. Sayonara. Kiss mywell, you get the idea. It's a heady moment when a rep leaves his firm. It also often sets in motion a series of showdowns over client ownership and...
Estate planners are finding the revocable living trust (RLT) to be an increasingly popular and useful tool. Some, however, are guilty of overstating the benefits of the RLT, and this can confuse clients and lead to some embracing RLTs for the...
Q: Recently I have been offered a forgivable loan as part of a transition package. I've taken loans before, but I've never seen one of the requirements in this one: forgiveness tied to production. It's a four-year loan, one-quarter of the loan...
Efforts to make corporate bonds more appealing to retail investors have reached a crossroads, and their ultimate success or failure now depends in large part on whether financial advisors acquire an appetite for them. The advisors, of course, must...
