Wed, November 11, 2009
Yesterday the New England Economic Partnership (NEEP) held its Fall Economic Conference at the Boston Federal Reserve. Regional economists reported that they expect unemployment in New England to peak next year, despite improvements in the national economic outlook. Read the full article
Mon, November 09, 2009
A recent scholarly paper reveals an interesting conclusion: quite a few hedge fund managers misrepresent the truth about past legal and regulatory problems, performance, or assets under management. Read the full article
Thu, November 05, 2009
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) left its Federal Funds rate unchanged in a range of zero to 0.25% today; it also gave a few hints as to what would need to happen before it starts raising interest rates. Read the full article
Tue, November 03, 2009
Today I found a nice article at Smartmoney.com that summarizes several indicators that can help you make an educated guess as to whether housing prices in an area are likely to go up. Read the full article
Sun, November 01, 2009
Economists at the University of Massachusetts believe the state’s economy may have bottomed, but the indicators remain ambiguous. Read the full article
Tue, October 27, 2009
Under the Worker, Retiree, and Employer Recovery Act of 2008, Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) for 2009 from IRAs were waived. People who inadvertently received a distribution were confused about their options, but the IRS has issued clarifying guidance. Read the full article
Sat, October 24, 2009
As the November 30th deadline for the $8,000 first-time homebuyers credit approaches, members of both the House and the Senate are floating ideas for ways to extend the credit. Read the full article
Fri, October 23, 2009
Today the House Financial Services Committee approved a bill establishing the Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA). Read the full article
Fri, October 16, 2009
Despite a decline in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), major retirement plan limits remain unchanged. Read the full article
Mon, September 14, 2009
I don’t often write this sort of advice, but here’s my household risk management recommendation for the Fall: get your flu shots. Read the full article
Thu, September 10, 2009
The Federal Reserve’s latest “beige book” report offers a few encouragements on the state of the New England economy. Read the full article
Fri, September 04, 2009
Each year, contribution limits on 401(k)s, IRAs and other retirement plans are adjusted to keep up with inflation. However, because of a quirk in the rules that define how limits on 401(k) and pension plan contributions are calculated, it’s possible that 2010 limits on these plans could actually decline from current levels. Read the full article
Wed, September 02, 2009
About 50 million people own 401(k)-type retirement plans, and the percentage of workers with defined-benefit (pension) plans has been dwindling for years. One problem with 401(k) plans is that many plans don’t disclose their fees openly. That would change if Congress moves forward with a bill currently awaiting action in the House of Representatives. Read the full article
Fri, August 21, 2009
Announcements of new exchange-traded funds arrive in my e-mailbox almost daily, but today’s seemed ironically timed: a new inverse ETF tied to the performance of twenty-year Treasuries. Read the full article
Wed, August 19, 2009
The SEC issued a joint warning with FINRA today about the risks of leveraged and inverse ETFs for retail investors. Read the full article
Sun, August 16, 2009
Yesterday the Bureau of Labor Standards provided a CPI update through July 2009. Prices seem to be firming, but no clear pattern has yet emerged. Read the full article
Wed, August 05, 2009
The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), of which I’m a member, is launching a free consumer education webinar series this week. Read the full article
Thu, July 30, 2009
I can’t say I’m very surprised by this: the IRS is reporting its first prosecution of a fraud scheme involving the new $8,000 first-time homebuyer credit.
Read the full article
Tue, July 28, 2009
As I noted about a month ago, FINRA has drawn attention to the fact that leveraged and inverse exchange-traded funds are often not appropriate for retail investors. In response, some prominent broker/dealer firms have announced that they are backing away from the sale of such ETFs Read the full article
Mon, July 27, 2009
Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research recently released a brief that examines whether people nearing retirement should pay down their mortgages.
Read the full article
Thu, July 16, 2009
As more attention is focused on to the risks of leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs), regulators are starting to investigate how they’re being sold to retail investors. Read the full article
Tue, July 14, 2009
New social media, like many relatively recent offspring of the internet, are in some ways an invention in search of a need. One thing that social media can be useful for is as a means to support and encourage your favorite charities. Read the full article
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