I came across an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal about how more and more companies are taking into account a CEOs net worth and past earnings in order to justify reducing or limiting their compensation. I encourage you to read the article, which can be found in its entirety at Yahoo! Finance.
The article […]
The news continues to showcase stories of people having trouble with the rising food prices, and one common theme that is showing up is the use of coupons. Unfortunately, the media usually uses a headline with words like creative ways or resorting to when talking about the measures people take to save money. These almost […]
Gas prices are certainly one of the hottest topics right now, and for good reason. Many places are now seeing $4.00 a gallon or higher. This is certainly expensive, and it is also a psychological barrier. We had these same discussions when gas was expected to break $2 a gallon, and $3, so this time […]
I was getting ready to head to the cafeteria for lunch the other day, and before heading down with a co-worker I stopped to open up my wallet and rearrange my cash. He looked at me a bit puzzled and asked what I was doing. I didn’t think anything of it, but just told him […]
If you aren’t familiar with George Soros, he is one of the greatest financial speculators, and one of the richest men in the world. He amassed a fortune with his hedge fund that began in the 1970s. Since, he has gone on to become a very controversial, yet respected individual in the financial world. He […]
If you’ve been paying any attention to the news in recent weeks, you’ve probably heard some of the stories of food shortages and limits being placed on how much food can be purchased. For example, Costco and Sam’s Club in many areas are limiting rice sales.
Even more shocking are articles like this one in the […]
For most of us, retirement may still seem a long ways off. If you’re in your 30s and plan on retiring at the traditional retirement age, you’re looking at another 25 to 35 years or so. Of course, that is assuming you want to be working into your 60s. Many people have aspirations of retiring […]
As economic times get tougher for some, I wonder what effect this has on how much people are able to save. Are you finding that you are able to save more this year? Less? The same amount? In addition to your relative savings amount, has your saving priorities changed? For example, has your focus shifted […]
As you know by now, many taxpayers will be receiving a rebate later this year. The purpose of this rebate was to help the struggling economy, but there are fears that this stimulus package will have little impact. Many people are struggling and find money is tight, and the $600 or $1,200 they may receive […]
According to a recent CNN poll, nearly 3 out of 4 Americans think that we are in a recession. Naturally, I figured it would be interesting to pose the same question to the readers here to see where our generation stands in terms of thinking about a recession. But first, we have to define recession.
The […]
With tax time upon us, you have probably either already filed, completed, or at least started thinking about your taxes. But, how do you prepare your taxes? Do you stick to the traditional method of filling out the paper forms by hand, or do you rely on the assistance of a software program? Or maybe […]
The US national average for gasoline has increased around 55 cents per gallon from one year ago. Even so, prices are still a bit lower than they were back in May of 2007, but experts are predicting the price to continue increasing. There is a lot of discussion about what effect this has on the […]
As we reach the midway point in February, many people have received all of the information needed to file their taxes. For those who get refunds, you generally want to file as soon as possible so that you can get that refund money into your hands. On the other hand, if you owe money, you […]
With a 1.25% drop in the Federal funds rate in just over a week, this signals bad news for the cash in your savings accounts. Whether it be high-yield online savings or more traditional bank and money market accounts, you will be seeing lower rates. We have been spoiled with nice rates on cash for […]
President Bush and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke today endorsed the idea of an economic stimulus package to boost the flagging economy, as Bush began discussions with congressional leaders on the next steps.
Both parties support tax rebates for individuals, to get cash into consumers’ hands quickly. Democrats would also like to increase funding […]
2007 has come and gone, and a new year is already upon us. So, what do you have in store for the new year? I’ll leave this as an opportunity to allow readers to chime in with their financial goals or resolutions. For my wife and I, 2008 is the year of increasing […]
Asset allocation is simply creating a portfolio with holdings among a number of different assets such as stocks, bonds, real estate, or cash. The goal of asset allocation is to create a portfolio in a way that meets your particular needs, minimize risk, and meets investment objectives.
The three major asset allocation strategies are:
Strategic asset […]
So, how do you keep track of your finances? Do you use a specialized piece of software like Quicken or are you a spreadsheet kind of person? Or maybe you simply fly by the seat of your pants and just hope you don’t bounce a check? However you do it, I want to know.
As […]
It is hard to ignore all of the news surrounding real estate, subprime mortgages, and foreclosure rates, but even with such bad news, is there a bright spot to it all? You can’t deny the fact that this situation is having a significant impact on our economy and many homeowners, but as with everything, […]
Earlier in the week I discussed the declining dollar and one possible way to take advantage of the situation. The comments to that post were varied, from those who want to stock up on international stock, buy gold, to even thinking that we’ve hit a bottom and the dollar is headed back up. So, […]
This week, I want to take a look at how people put together their retirement accounts. Are you strictly an index or ETF investor? Do you load up on company stock? I’m a mixed bag myself, as I have a little bit of company stock along with stock options, some index funds, a few […]
With all of the discussion this week about estate planning, I wanted to do a poll regarding wills. It is a pretty straightforward question, but I broke it down into two categories: with or without children. As always, feel free to elaborate in the comments, and I’ll chime in after some time has passed […]
Most readers who frequent personal finance blogs/websites must have read about a lot of financial advice by now - some of which is almost repeated to the point of boredom. However, I am not sure if everyone processes all the information they get from such resources - even after reading it several times.
Often, we […]
This has been a continuing topic in the news for a few months now, and there are many explanations out there, but what do you think? Who is most to blame for the problems in the credit market? I touched on it briefly earlier this week in an analysis of recent market volatility, but […]
This week, I’m curious to find out what financial issues people have the most trouble with. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, but by identifying some key areas can help guide further topics of discussion on the site.
Note: There is a poll within this post, please visit the site to participate in this […]
