tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15179409061465501222011-11-27T18:50:33.323-05:00Marie DeCaprio Certified Financial Planner(TM)Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.comBlogger761100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-53128838537102430422010-05-21T20:05:00.000-04:002010-05-21T20:05:17.396-04:00

I will no longer be updating this version of my blog.  But have not fear, the writing continues--on my website www.MCDadvisors.com.  See you there!!!!

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-58361446122877067712010-04-21T12:32:00.001-04:002010-04-21T12:34:24.722-04:00

Here is an article I came across about happiness which I thought would be nice to share since money is involved. (from  www.psychcentral.com blogs) 5 Reliable Findings from Happiness Research By John M Grohol PsyD Yes, I know. There are dozens of books written about how to increase your happiness, probably hundreds of different blogs all promising you the secrets to the keys of happiness,

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-50614037208545655922010-04-12T17:00:00.000-04:002010-04-12T17:00:12.127-04:00

FREE Teleclass: Women & Investing-How To Overcome the Fear

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-70930524704396619572010-04-07T20:42:00.000-04:002010-04-07T20:42:49.087-04:00

I found a website celebrating financial literacy month.  This is what they show as the first step...and I love it!!!!! Check out the rest of the website at www.financialliteracymonth.com.  I know I will. Take the pledge Willing, Ready, and Able to take financial responsibilityAre you ready to accept responsibility for changing your financial situation? Do you believe that you

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-65542582993024923822010-04-02T10:16:00.002-04:002010-04-02T10:19:53.542-04:00

A solid first quarter for the markets! Stocks did better than bonds but bonds are holding their own.  High yield bonds in particular are still doing well.  International markets lagged due to a stronger dollar. The Monthly Index Report for March 2010 Index Mar-10 QTD YTD Description S&P 500 Index* 5.9% 4.9% 4.9% Large-cap stocks DJIA* 5.2% 4.1% 4.1% Large-cap stocks Nasdaq Comp.*

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-25425954593289267352010-04-01T13:59:00.000-04:002010-04-01T13:59:21.081-04:00

If you have not seen this documentary, you need to watch it.  I have seen it three times and I still find it absolutely amazing.  Tonight at 9:00 p.m. on CNBC; ENRON: The Smartest Guys in the Room.

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-18277505934587136672010-03-31T16:21:00.000-04:002010-03-31T16:21:57.874-04:00

This is an excerpt from the IRS website.  I would suggest checking out the entire article on their website: Why Keep Records? There are many reasons to keep records. In addition to tax purposes, you may need to keep records for insurance purposes or for getting a loan. Good records will help you:

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-31814927249934249112010-03-26T09:08:00.001-04:002010-03-26T09:11:20.454-04:00

OAS_RICH("Middle"); var TFSMFlash_PRETAG=""; var TFSMFlash_POSTTAG=""; var TFSMFlash_VERSION="8"; var TFSMFlash_WMODE="opaque"; var TFSMFlash_OASCLICK="http://oas-central.realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.investmentnews.com/article/ID_303219995/L30/785625467/Middle/crain/INO_OH_SUMMIT2010_ROS_300_0110/INO_OH_SUMMIT2010_ROS_300_011010726140.html/

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-91085761971536586602010-03-17T21:31:00.000-04:002010-03-17T21:31:05.498-04:00

I came across this article from Fortune magazine.  I encourage you to read it for yourself.  Here is the link: fortune The most important thing I read was the last two paragraphs, "Finally, the yes-man problem can't just be pinned on advisers. A 2007 survey from the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that two-thirds of the people interested in meeting with a financial planner were likely

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-36597181834936007902010-03-15T22:17:00.000-04:002010-03-15T22:17:46.315-04:00

Last week marked the one year anniversary of the bear market low.  Money invested last year at this time grew by an amazing amount.  According to Morningstar's indexes, large cap was up 65%, mid caps were up 74% and small caps were up 87% with value stocks beating growth stocks.  Small cap value returned the best results with an increase of 109%.  So what have we learned (if anything).  First,

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-79946974924408138832010-03-09T20:49:00.000-05:002010-03-09T20:49:18.961-05:00

The number of U.S. households with a net worth of $1 million or more, not including primary residence, increased 16% to 7.8 million last year, according to a report released Tuesday by Spectrem Group, a Chicago research company. The increase last year follows a 27% decline in millionaires from 2007 to 2008. Similarly, the number of ultra-wealthy households, which have a net worth of $5 million

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-9728371168428474152010-03-02T17:17:00.002-05:002010-03-02T17:20:01.489-05:00

The market made a nice comeback during February.  There has been much volatility, wide swings from day to day--which is why looking at your nest egg every day can be stressful!  So don't do it!  There is no reason to be looking at your portfolio that much--all it really does is make you much more emotional about your money when we want to be rational.  Probably the biggest news last month was the

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-29774318336760344092010-02-08T09:56:00.000-05:002010-02-08T09:56:52.803-05:00

I thought I would share what many of you have already noticed in your money market funds--the yields are LOW.  According to Barron's, the average money market fund is only earning .03% and the average tax free money market fund is at .02%.  Remember, money market funds, savings accounts and checking accounts are not investments.  Over long periods of time the earnings on these types of accounts

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-15985448459049743502010-02-07T13:15:00.000-05:002010-02-07T13:15:46.268-05:00

Every opportunity I get I will continue to talk about the different markets, specifically the stock market and the bond market.  When you hear folks talking about "the market" they usually are referring to the stock market.  A stock represents ownership in a public company.  A bond on the other hand is a debt obligation of whoever issues the bond: it could be the U.S. government, it could be

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-37436536796400632512010-02-03T17:35:00.001-05:002010-02-03T17:38:04.495-05:00

A study conducted by Union Bank found that most people believe financial stress negatively affects health.  The study also indicated that 60% of those surveyed felt they were not doing what they could to get themselves financially educated but believed that being fiscally fit is as important as being physically fit.  The article lists some very good suggestions for those starting out with the

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-34380244173809032172010-02-03T16:57:00.000-05:002010-02-03T16:57:20.572-05:00

From the IRS: People who give to charities providing earthquake relief in Haiti can claim these donations on the tax return they are completing this season, according to the Internal Revenue Service. Taxpayers who itemize deductions on their 2009 return qualify for this special tax relief provision, enacted Jan. 22. Only cash contributions made to these charities after Jan. 11, 2010, and before

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-25597763487740020922010-01-22T13:23:00.000-05:002010-01-22T13:23:33.693-05:00

Here is a brief answer to a question someone had about the current status of the Estate Tax: On 1/1/2010 a funny thing happened that we all knew about but thought it would get changed before actually coming to fruition.  As of 1/1/10, the estate tax is repealed (that means 0% estate tax for anyone who dies now), the gift tax went down to 35% and the generation skipping tax was also repealed. 

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-34055757911837144372010-01-21T22:27:00.001-05:002010-01-21T22:28:14.648-05:00

Well, 2009 ended on a good note for most areas of the market.  I'm still in disbelief that in one year we went from Armageddon to "everything is back to normal"--as least as far as the market is concerned.  From an economic perspective, we still have a long way to go.  But the market always leads.  Here are the year's numbers: The Monthly Index Report for December 2009 <A HREF="http://

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-75107173935701125152010-01-07T22:56:00.002-05:002010-01-07T22:56:55.716-05:00

Eight Facts About Filing Status  Everyone who files a federal tax return must determine which filing status applies to them. It’s important you choose your correct filing status as it determines your standard deduction, the amount of tax you owe and ultimately, any refund owed to you. Here are eight facts about the five filing status options the IRS wants you to know in order to choose

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-64690335637660640052009-12-31T21:02:00.000-05:002009-12-31T21:02:28.972-05:00

Markets Alert from The Wall Street Journal ---------------------------- Sponsored by NASDAQ OMX ---------------------------- The Dow industrials fell 120.46 points, or 1.1%, to 10428.05 on Friday, capping what was otherwise a banner year that saw the average notch its biggest annual percentage gain in six years. For 2009, the blue-chip measure ended with an 18.8% gain. Still, it is down 26.4%

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-58145387627260991742009-12-24T14:01:00.000-05:002009-12-24T14:15:10.166-05:00

A reprint from www.newseum.org....enjoy Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-37715918612186995432009-12-18T16:59:00.000-05:002009-12-18T16:59:15.542-05:00

RS Reminds Car Shoppers about 2009 Tax Break   WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today reminds individual taxpayers who are considering buying a new car that they have until Dec. 31 to take advantage of a tax break that may not be around in 2010. Taxpayers who buy a qualifying new motor vehicle this year after Feb. 16 can deduct the state or local sales or

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-64060617738832703372009-12-04T16:21:00.000-05:002009-12-04T16:21:04.330-05:00

With only one month left to go, the year is looking like a pretty remarkable comeback after the dark days of 2008.  Today's Unemployment numbers and rate certainly showed that at least the trend for the economy has turned.  Payroll number was down only 11,000 with an unemployment rate of 10% vs. last month's 10.2%. Here are the returns: The Monthly Index Report for November 2009 Index Nov-09

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-73184792993904725382009-11-29T14:31:00.000-05:002009-11-29T14:31:48.523-05:00

From the IRS, regarding the tax credit.  It has been improved to include current homeowners and the income limits have been raised.  Here straight from the IRS: First-Time Homebuyer Credit Extended to April 30, 2010; Some Current Homeowners Now Also Qualify  WASHINGTON — A new law that went into effect Nov. 6 extends the first-time homebuyer credit five months and expands the eligibility

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-41386991099383713652009-11-23T13:57:00.000-05:002009-11-23T13:57:32.307-05:00

Many self employed individuals use a KEOUGH or SEP IRA as their retirement plan.  If you have the cashflow to make even greater contributions than these two plans allow, you should consider a solo 401k.  It is fairly easy to set up.  The great part is you can contribute as both employer and employee.  An individual can contribute a total of up to $49,000 per year or $54,500 if over age 50. 

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-69561717013376375602009-11-04T15:56:00.000-05:002009-11-04T15:56:19.040-05:00

NYPL has a campaign for financial literacy program with lots of great free programs at the Library in NYC.  Pass this information along to anyone who really needs to get started on financial literacy.  Here is the link for the website: http://www.nypl.org/financialliteracynow/index.html Anytime I can get involved in the process of education the masses on financial issues, I love to do it.  Much

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-52840786562933672882009-11-03T20:58:00.000-05:002009-11-03T20:58:53.199-05:00

October was a down month for most segments of the stock market, the first probably since February of this year.  Hefty positive returns for the year abound--especially in growth stocks (like technology stocks) and small company stocks.  Here you go: The Monthly Index Report for October 2009 Index Oct-09 QTD YTD Description S&P 500 Index* -2.0% -2.0% 14.7% Large-cap stocks DJIA*

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-64799566159256896232009-11-02T21:13:00.000-05:002009-11-02T21:13:20.568-05:00

It looks like the tax credit is going to be extended, though it has not passed yet, according to the WSJ in an article on Oct 29,2009.  From the article: "The Obama administration blessed the proposed extension of the $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers on Thursday as the Senate neared a compromise that would extend the credit to more potential buyers....  First-time home buyers are

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-67135567550579017102009-11-01T21:28:00.000-05:002009-11-01T21:28:20.876-05:00

There will be no cost-of-living-increases for recipients of social security.  If you remember, last year there was an almost 5% increase.  That's bad news number one. The second piece of bad news is there are no COLA increases for contributions to 401k/403b plans.  Contribution limits will remain at $16,500 per year and $5,500 catch up contribution for those 50 or older.  This means for anyone

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-76078754522811636232009-10-29T14:40:00.000-04:002009-10-29T14:40:07.946-04:00

I spent a good part of my morning listening to a presentation by author Nick Murray.  I don't expect you would recognize the name as he is really considered an advisor to advisors.  His whole message in a nutshell is that no one can predict what the markets are going to do and when.  The only thing we really know is that over long periods of time (30 years), we need to be owners of companies that

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-11686394105161452452009-10-23T20:10:00.000-04:002009-10-23T20:10:35.667-04:00

If you had invested in small or mid cap stocks on October 23, 2008---when it seemed like the end of the world was near, you would be up over 30%.  Those who did buy on the dips (rather than sell), are now reaping the benefits.  Large company stocks are only up about 10%.   This data was reported by Morningstar in their weekly market report to financial advisors.

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-36525946152887761782009-10-17T16:35:00.000-04:002009-10-21T20:47:16.823-04:00

The commercial on TV advertising freecreditreport.com is not actually the place to get the free reports as mandated by law.  The actual website that will allow you to get your three free reports, one from each of the major credit companies is www.annualcreditreport.com.  You should check your credit reports occassionally but especially if you expect to be applying for a loan or mortgage in the

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-46508972807030460872009-10-15T20:31:00.000-04:002009-10-15T20:31:48.336-04:00

The media is making a huge deal about the DOW crossing 10,000 yesterday.  What most have failed to mention is we are still well below the 14,000 high mark reached in mid 2007.  More importantly, the DOW has crossed 10,000 before, the first time was in March of 1999.  At that time, oil was $20 a barrel and gold was $200 an ounce.  Today oil is about $75 a barrel and gold is over $1,000 an ounce--

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-75553247829080522122009-10-07T10:28:00.000-04:002009-10-07T10:29:44.025-04:00

The title is "Strong 2009 Performance Warrants Yellow Flag" on Vanguard's website referring to being careful before chasing the returns of recently hot funds.  The funds they cite are: Vanguard Capital Value Fund: +68.5% Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund: +62.6% Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining Fund: +59.9% Vanguard High-Yield Corporate Fund: +32.4% I think Vanguard's advice makes a

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-4840792896787805172009-10-07T09:17:00.000-04:002009-10-07T09:17:53.086-04:00

Here is data from www.wsj.com taken from Lipper that shows returns for different mutual fund sectors.  These are not indices, these are returns for actual mutual funds that you and I are invested in.  Pretty amazing how we all thought the end of the world was coming last year at this time.  And now it looks like we are having a truly great year in all markets--bonds, stocks, and international. 

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-61161876123565337932009-10-02T17:47:00.000-04:002009-10-02T17:48:36.232-04:00

Here we go: a timely exhibit of various market index returns through September 2009:  I'll have more about this past year and my reflections on what we have been through in my next post. The Monthly Index Report for September 2009 Index Sep-09 QTD YTD Description S&P 500 Index* 3.6% 15.0% 17.0% Large-cap stocks DJIA* 2.3% 14.9% 10.7% Large-cap stocks Nasdaq Comp.*

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-59643385794351180592009-09-24T12:08:00.000-04:002009-09-24T12:08:42.729-04:00

FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) has issued an investor alert regarding leveraged ETFs.  The alert can be found at :http://www.finra.org/Investors/ProtectYourself/InvestorAlerts/MutualFunds/P119778 For those of you who have your money managed by someone other than yourself or me, you may want to check your statements to see if you own any of this type of investment.  They are

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-35222125772815169012009-09-23T12:25:00.000-04:002009-09-23T12:34:10.061-04:00

I realized I never posted the August returns, so here they are. The market continues to rally, with much scepticism. It is really remarkable that a scant year ago, we seemed to be at the end of the world and now, the market is almost 50% higher than it's March lows. Technically, the market seems a little tired, maybe we get a near term correction of some kind (I have been thinking this for

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-66085530736682596672009-08-25T19:43:00.000-04:002009-08-25T19:47:29.986-04:00

For anyone who is stumbling upon this blog, perhaps looking for help with financial planning or with investments, here is a great piece about how to "Cut Through the Confusion": http://www.cfainstitute.org/aboutus/investors/pdf/cuttingthroughtheconfusion.pdfFor anyone else, pass this along to someone you know who is looking for help. There are so many different people out there, doing different

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-74624307321070830962009-08-04T21:35:00.000-04:002009-08-04T21:46:43.735-04:00

At the bottom of the television screen while watching CNBC yesterday, I noticed a picture of a sun and the words "summer rally". I thought I was watching the Today show for a minute. The media is now in the entertainment business apparently and are surely fanning the fire of this market rally. The point is, don't be swayed by what the media is saying--their only goal is to increase

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-71903559086340518842009-07-29T14:40:00.000-04:002009-07-29T14:47:17.082-04:00

The cost of long term health care is probably one of the greatest sources of anxiety for most retired or wanting to retire individuals. The following is a link to the Genworth website where you can get an idea of current prices (by state) for in home health care, assisted living care and nursing home care. There are a few choices: 1. self insure, 2. partially insure by buying Long Term Care

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-73680315525245702122009-07-13T20:58:00.000-04:002009-07-13T21:01:32.708-04:00

From a recent research article published by Vanguard: The U.S. personal savings rate has taken anabout-turn, rising to 6.9% in May 2009, a levelnot seen since 1993. Prior to last year, manyhouseholds had come to rely on asset growthas a partial substitute for saving, based oncontinued gains in the worth of their homesand investment portfolios. But as the values ofboth these assets dropped

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-43793243707472490932009-07-05T17:33:00.000-04:002009-07-07T18:49:03.030-04:00

Some parts of the market seem to be having a good year specifically tech stocks as indicated by NASDAQ and Corporate High Yield bonds. Does this mean we can expect the market to extend the recent rally? Maybe, maybe not...but at least I can say, the overwhelming fear that paralyzed the market last Fall and in March has subsided. Perhaps markets are slowly returning to business as usual.

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-60238676343355179092009-07-05T17:29:00.000-04:002009-07-05T17:33:33.908-04:00

Jun-09 QTD YTD Description 0.0% 15.2% 1.8% Large-cap stocks -0.6% 11.0% -3.8% Large-cap stocks 3.4% 20.0% 16.4% Large-cap tech stocks 1.1% 16.3% 11.5% Large-cap growth stocks -0.7% 16.7% -2.9% Large-cap value stocks 3.2% 23.4% 11.4% Small-cap growth stocks -0.3% 18.0% -5.2% Small-cap value stocks -0.5% 25.8% 8.4% Europe, Australasia & Far East

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-25362784775037249692009-06-09T19:42:00.000-04:002009-06-09T19:51:23.973-04:00

The Monthly Index Report for June 2009 Index May-09 QTD YTD Description S&P 500 Index* 5.3% 15.2% 1.8% Large-cap stocks DJIA* 4.1% 11.7% -3.1% Large-cap stocks Nasdaq Comp.* 3.3% 16.1% 12.5% Large-cap tech stocks Russell 1000 Growth 5.0% 15.0% 10.3% Large-cap growth stocks Russell 1000 Value 6.2% 17.6% -2.2% Large-cap value stocks Russell 2000 Growth 3.9% 19.5%

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-55463459262235246662009-06-09T17:18:00.000-04:002009-06-09T17:21:47.146-04:00

Here is a link to an article I contributed to. Really good tips for saving money (if I must say so myself). http://www.fpaforfinancialplanning.org/ToolsResources/Articles/SavingMoneyinaRecession/

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-91637821612235661042009-05-05T15:40:00.000-04:002009-05-05T15:45:15.785-04:00

As the market continues to move higher, most indices are moving into the black for the year. Here are the results as of April 30, 2009.The Monthly Index Report for May 2009 Index Apr-09 QTD YTD Description S&P 500 Index* 9.4% 9.4% -3.4% Large-cap stocks DJIA* 7.4% 7.4% -6.9% Large-cap stocks Nasdaq Comp.* 12.4% 12.4% 8.9% Large-cap tech stocks Russell 1000 Growth 9.6%

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-85459684538521010062009-04-28T13:17:00.000-04:002009-04-28T13:19:10.039-04:00

I really enjoyed this article in the May 2009 issue of Smart Money. It really puts things in perspective for me and definitely gives new meaning to the phrase, "Long term investor"!http://www.smartmoney.com/investing/stocks/Meet-3-Stock-Pros-Who-Survived-the-Depression/?hpadref=1

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-59715744654646426302009-04-14T12:17:00.000-04:002009-04-14T12:42:37.374-04:00

Thanks to the March mid month rally, or the first quarter of 2009 could have been much worse. Here are some market statistics:The Monthly Index Report for April 2009 Index Mar-09 QTD YTD Description S&P 500 Index* 8.5% -11.7% -11.7% Large-cap stocks DJIA* 7.7% -13.3% -13.3% Large-cap stocks Nasdaq Comp.* 10.9% -3.1% -3.1% Large-cap tech stocks Russell 1000 Growth 8.9% -

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-87995140132085831722009-03-09T16:56:00.000-04:002009-03-09T17:20:19.694-04:00

I think many find it helpful to know what other people are doing during these trying times. More than anything else, I see folks looking for ways to spend less and save more. If you don't have an emergency fund, and still have your job, you need to make sure you have 3 to 6 months worth of expenses in case you are unlucky enough to get laid off.The only thing we can control is our spending and

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-29353036878903141642009-03-09T16:50:00.000-04:002009-03-09T16:56:32.563-04:00

More bad market news. When will it end, or just stop going down? Barron's over the weekend suggested that a major rally is due because of the over-sold condition of the market. Art Cashin appears on CNBC every morning to give a trader's market take--he's the head of floor operations for UBS (been on the floor for decades)--he thinks the market is due for a good bounce...alright then, bring it

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-49735949925615511182009-02-05T12:53:00.000-05:002009-02-05T12:59:37.203-05:00

For 2009, the maximum contribution for 401k/403b plans is $16,500 for employees younger than 50 years old and $22,000 for those 50 or older if the plan allows for catch-up contributions. The annual gift tax exclusion is $13,000 per person. The estate tax exemption for this year is $3.5 million. If there is any way to save a little bit more in your retirement plan, now would be a good time to

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-14092335317962986742009-01-20T21:42:00.000-05:002009-03-09T17:22:03.918-04:00

If you are looking for more negative viewpoints or insights, you won't find them here. We all know by now that 2008 was the worst year for the market in 79 years--only 3 other times has the market been down more than 40% in a year. Of course, the only thing most of us care about is: when will it stop? Things looked pretty good until last week--we had very inconspicuously gone up by 20% from

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-23771150455295098882008-12-04T10:21:00.000-05:002008-12-04T10:50:14.746-05:00

Well, there isn't much point in restating what everyone already knows. What the market has experienced over the past two months and over the past year is unprecedented. All the bad news is out there--no need to recap here. What I want to focus on are a few (very few) positive things. First, inflation readings are actually negative. For anyone who has filled their gas tank the past month, WOW

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-53706557726866853262008-10-16T20:54:00.000-04:002008-10-16T21:21:09.334-04:00

In Monday's WSJ page A19, Opinion page, Burton Malkiel wrote a piece titled "Keep your money in the market". Mr. Malkiel is a professor of economics at Princeton University and best known as author of "A Random Walk Down Wall Street", a book that is fundamental reading for anyone interested in the art of investing. He writes, "A century of investing experience, as well as insights from the

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-31365334521323105742008-10-06T11:06:00.000-04:002008-10-06T11:22:54.272-04:00

87% of all mutual funds posted losses for the year ending 9/30/2008, this according to an article in the Washington Post which you can find here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/04/AR2008100400157.htmlI think the worst part of this horrible bear market we are in and probably how it is the most dissimilar from previous bears, is that nothing seems to be doing well--

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-14216013440159468622008-09-22T11:32:00.000-04:002008-09-22T11:57:40.193-04:00

A few people have asked me about money market funds and whether we should start worrying about their safety. Last week's news of the Prime Reserve fund "breaking the buck" added to the worries of the week's unfolding disasters. This fund in particular wrote down the market value of some Lehman securities it owned which resulted in a 3 penny loss in net assets value from $1 to $.97, or a 3% loss

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-91080900302083718292008-09-16T11:54:00.000-04:002008-09-16T11:57:29.723-04:00

In response to the worsening news on AIG today, I wanted to publish a link to the Life Insurance Company Guaranty Corp which provides insurance (similar to FDIC) for insurance policies, including annuities. The link is http://www.nolhga.com/policyholderinfo/main.cfm/location/questions#sixEach state has their own rules however most cover policies from $100,000 up to $300,000 and a few have higher

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-41814230521404740692008-09-16T11:53:00.000-04:002008-09-16T11:54:12.467-04:00

I just wanted to briefly comment on yesterday's news of Merrill being bought out by Bank of America, Lehman Brothers filing for bankruptcy protection and AIG seeking liquidity. I know the news is bad and lends to feeling anxious in a market that is already fragile, but this is not a time to panic. The truth is when we look at markets historically, it has always been plagued by one disaster or

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-25052115329313890192008-08-11T19:29:00.001-04:002008-08-11T19:35:27.440-04:00

A new bulletin out by Employee Benefit Research Institute is reporting the survey results of savings of Americans aged 19-39. 67% reported having savings, including employer retirement plans, of less than $20,000. Check out the link at http://www.ebri.org/publications/facts/index.cfm?fa=fastfacts.

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-18634660208964856222008-08-10T16:13:00.000-04:002008-08-10T16:55:19.901-04:00

Well, July did not prove to be the month that the market makes it's turnaround. The S&P500 was down 1%, the DJIA up a paltry .3% and the Nasdaq impressed with a positive 1.5% Year to date numbers are all negative, double digit numbers and still down over 20% from the Fall 2007 high. The only bright spot is small cap stocks. Small-value posted a whopping 5% return for July (still down 5% YTD)

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-79422661429318942422008-06-30T10:49:00.000-04:002008-07-02T11:10:56.296-04:00

It was a pretty bad week last week. The DJIA was down 4.2% last week and down 19.9% from the October high. Here are some year to date returns for various market caps: large cap stocks down -10.84%, mid cap stocks -6.5% and small cap -6.36%. Large cap growth did better than value but the opposite is true for small and mid caps with value outpacing growth stocks. International stocks are down -

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-13409289181828683722008-06-25T14:59:00.000-04:002008-06-25T15:18:29.012-04:00

I often come across really interesting information I like to share. There is an organization called the National Endowment for Financial Education that puts out some great research and has developed age appropriate financial education programs to be used at all grade levels within the school environment. The website is http://www.nefe.org/. One article particularly useful addresses the topic of

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-28113185890433825402008-04-15T11:25:00.000-04:002008-04-15T12:41:58.720-04:00

WOW, thank heavens that quarter is over! One of the worst quarters ever in the the market's history. Let's recap what happened: S&P500 down 9.92%, NASDAQ down 14.07%, Large Cap Growth -10.18% and Value -8.72%. Small caps lag with Growth down 12.83% and small cap value -6.53%. International sector was down 8.82%. The only thing that was up were commodity funds and bonds.The good news is for anyone

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-74866964258327195952008-03-20T11:12:00.000-04:002008-03-20T11:41:42.750-04:00

It's hard to believe we are nearing the end of the first quarter--not a fun first part of the year. It always amazes me to watch the market behave in completely irrational fashion. Bear Stearns worth $2 a share? OK so apparently, the firm was 30 times leveraged but c'mon....the building alone is worth way more than that!Let's focus on what we have learned here, not a new lesson by the way.

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-38593888038259375862008-01-22T09:28:00.000-05:002008-01-22T09:44:50.974-05:00

The best way to describe this market. Year to date as of Friday Jan 18th, the market was down anywhere from 10 to 12% with small caps being the worst performers. The real problem with this kind of sharp downturn in the markets is that no one sector has been spared. The whole notion of portfolio diversification goes out the window because in times of crisis, everything goes down.The Fed has

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-89454950715553475392008-01-15T11:03:00.000-05:002008-01-15T11:22:30.099-05:00

2007 may have marked the end of the bull run that began mid 2003. For the year, the DJIA was +8.9% but the S&P500 was only up 5.5%. The growth style of investing finally came back to life after years of under-performing. Large cap growth was up 14.2%, mid cap growth up 16.5% and small cap growth was up 8.8%. Small caps were the under-performer of the year with a "core" strategy posting loses

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-87800835478038322262007-11-28T21:32:00.000-05:002007-11-28T21:49:25.663-05:00

OK, so I spoke to soon. I knew it was bad karma to comment on how well the market had performed since it's low in August. Oh well, so much for timing. For those of you not watching, the market retreated to it's August lows last week on renewed concerns of the credit markets. The past two days, we have rallied because of once again, the market's expectation that the Fed will lower rates. I do

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-55391837417459473312007-10-11T13:01:00.000-04:002007-10-11T13:35:38.342-04:00

Well, it is quite apparent now that the August lows in the market marked a great buying opportunity. This is usually the case, when fear is rampant and no one wants to step up to the plate to buy. Kudos to those who did put money in the market at that time. September, usually a bleak month for the market, proved to be one of the best Septembers on record. The S&P gained 4.3%, the Nasdaq +5.4% and

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-36950685280085762522007-08-14T11:01:00.000-04:002007-08-16T14:00:22.704-04:00

The market has had a rough ride the past few weeks--this is no longer news. Compared to previous mini corrections we've seen over the past four years, this downturn is actually based on something real--the subprime mortgage fiasco, which has for all purposes shut down the credit markets. Rather than get into details of what happened, let's focus on the present. The Federal Reserve as well as

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-52292266714958108602007-06-30T09:40:00.000-04:002007-06-30T10:00:48.088-04:00

Half the year is complete--markets continue to perform extremely well. Over the past twelve months, the S&P is up about 20%. Forward looking indicators of economic growth still look good. Inflation in the mid 2% is certainly not the end of the world but the trend is clearly higher which is the one factor quite worrisome to the Fed. Bernanke and Co. opted to keep rates unchanged this week--a move

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-38891614908331740232007-06-01T16:19:00.001-04:002007-06-01T16:33:01.016-04:00

The CFP Board of Standards has revised its Code of Ethics. Now, all holders of the CFP(R) designation must act as a fiduciary in dealing with clients. This means that financial planners must put the best interests of clients first. "The revised standards require a CFP® professional to “at all times place the interest of the client ahead of his or her own.” The new language replaces the lower

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-86411108191005902692007-05-14T14:58:00.000-04:002007-05-17T16:06:47.289-04:00

Every time I hear some commentator on CNBC mention the idea that the market expects the Fed to ease rates at some point in the near future--I want to scream! I don't think the Fed has any intention of lowering rates--in fact, if inflation should become a greater concern, their next move may be to raise rates. Economic growth seems pretty good looking at forward indicators--not by looking in the

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-7955826086490052252007-04-10T09:39:00.000-04:002007-04-10T20:56:47.090-04:00

Well, the first quarter of the year is over and the numbers are in. As of March 31 the S&P is up year-to-date .18%, the DOW is down .87% and the NAS is up a paltry .26%. Large cap value outperformed large cap growth--the reverse was true for small caps with growth outpacing value by about 1%. Overall, small caps did better than large caps. The international sector continues to outpace the

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-13940905283983839662007-03-19T11:19:00.000-04:002007-03-19T11:47:44.804-04:00

A couple of interesting things to talk about today. In looking at what type of stocks have done well so far this year, it looks like the Mid cap sector takes the lead. According to today's Wall Street Journal, the mid-caps are up about 2% year to date, the small-cap growth and core styles are up slightly and the small-cap value style is down .1%. The worst hit is large-cap value at -2.6% while

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517940906146550122.post-16358784831349638192007-03-11T16:02:00.000-04:002007-03-11T16:20:25.349-04:00

Well, I have finanlly decided to join the many who have decided to write for all the world to see. I decided this would be a great forum to keep in touch with current, past and prospective clients in a timely way. I find that when the market declines sharply, folks want to know what I am thinking--despite the fact that I take a long term view of the market. So here's what I think now: the past

Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882131278419700906noreply@blogger.com0