An important part of any investment strategy is developing a methodology for ultimately selling your investments. Unfortunately, many investors sell based on emotional factors, making one of several mistakes:

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Posted by Nickie - Editor at 5:52 AM | Permalink

Why should you consider bonds for your investment portfolio? Below are three primary reasons why you should consider bonds:

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Posted by Emma - Editor at 7:36 AM | Permalink

As lenders have clamped down on issuing credit, your credit score now has a more significant impact on loans available to you, the interest rate and fees you'll pay, and other terms of the loan. Thus, it is more important than ever to understand your credit score and how you can improve it.

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Posted by Emma - Editor at 8:23 AM | Permalink

How likely is it that you'll need long-term-care insurance? As life expectancies have increased significantly and are expected to continue to increase in the future, you are more likely to develop conditions that limit your ability to live independently. Surprisingly however, it is estimated that only 14% of households have purchased long-term-care insurance (Source: Long-Term Care Costs and the National Retirement Risk Index, March 2009).

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Posted by Nickie - Editor at 8:38 PM | Permalink

While life insurance can serve a variety of purposes, one of the most common is to maintain your family's standard of living in case you die. Thus, you need to purchase an appropriate amount of insurance to ensure your family is adequately protected. Many rules of thumb exist, such as five to seven times your annual income, but don't rely on rules of thumb to determine your coverage. These rules don't take into account your individual circumstances, so they could leave you with an inadequate amount of insurance.

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Posted by Emma - Editor at 8:32 AM | Permalink

Ally Bank announced a rate increase on their 12 month High Yield Certificate of Deposit effective 7/26/10. Ally Bank, originally part of the GMAC family of companies, is a subsidiary of Ally Financial Inc. Ally Financial Inc. is a FDIC-insured institution (NYSE:GJM). Click here to search and apply for online high-yielding, FDIC insured Certificates of Deposit, Savings & Money Market Accounts.

Posted by Nickie - Editor at 3:09 PM | Permalink

Your asset allocation strategy represents your personal decisions about how much of your portfolio to allocate to various investment categories, such as stocks, bonds, cash, and other alternatives. When stock market returns were above average for an extended period, investors did not have much interest in asset allocation. Then, the best strategy seemed to be to only own stocks. But with the stock market volatility of the past several years, investors are again focusing on asset allocation. Some of the advantages of an asset allocation strategy include:

Continue reading "Why Asset Allocation Strategies Are Necessary" »

Posted by Nickie - Editor at 9:17 AM | Permalink

Whether you're just investigating municipal bonds or are reviewing your current muni bond portfolio, consider the following guidelines:

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Posted by Nickie - Editor at 7:10 AM | Permalink

Price/earnings (P/E) ratios are a common measure of stock value, both for individual stocks and the overall market. Calculating a P/E ratio is straightforward -- it is simply the price of a single share of stock divided by the company's per share earnings. For example, a stock selling at $50 per share with $2 per share of earnings would have a P/E ratio of 25. However, P/E ratios can be calculated using different earnings numbers. Trailing P/E ratios, which are typically reported in newspapers, use earnings per share for the most recent four quarters, while forward P/E ratios use forecasts of future earnings per share.

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Posted by Emma - Editor at 7:56 AM | Permalink

The strategies used for bond investing will depend on the financial objectives you are pursuing. Consider these financial objectives and bond strategies:

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Posted by Nickie - Editor at 6:35 AM | Permalink

If you're trying to increase savings, remember that savings are directly tied to spending -- the less you spend, the more you have to save. Some tips to help you clamp down on your spending include:

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Posted by Emma - Editor at 11:26 AM | Permalink

When your children were young, your primary concern was probably how to provide for them in the event you and your spouse died. Even though they may now be grown, your children are probably still the center of your estate plan. Just because they are adults doesn't mean that you have to leave their entire inheritance to them outright. Consider these factors first:

Continue reading "Estate Distribution to Grown Children" »

Posted by Nickie - Editor at 7:27 AM | Permalink

To make sure you have sufficient funds for retirement, you need to get your 401(k) plan on track. To do so, consider these tips:

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Posted by Emma - Editor at 7:36 AM | Permalink

With all of the volatility in the stock market over the past few years, it can be difficult to determine how to devise an investment strategy to help reach your financial goals. To help you determine a reasonable rate of return to expect on your stock investments, it might be instructive to review some "facts" about the stock market:

Continue reading " Coming to Terms With Stock Market Volatility" »

Posted by Nickie - Editor at 6:16 AM | Permalink

Just because you're retired doesn't mean you should stop saving. Consider these tips:

Continue reading "Keep Saving Even After Retirement" »

Posted by Nickie - Editor at 5:35 AM | Permalink