Dividend Investing In an Uncertain Economic Climate
The economic recovery in the United States is hitting a major wall of resistance. In early 2010, the recovery seemed to be doing quite well. Unemployment was falling, retail sales were increasing, and economic growth as measured by GDP was expanding. It all seemed so rosy.
But when the European Debt Crisis fully erupted in the spring, the global economic recovery began to show signs of faltering. Then in June and July, key economic data out of the United States disappointed to the downside quite strongly. By mid-June it became very clear the U.S. recovery was in trouble, and in late July Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke basically sealed the deal and removed all doubt from the market when he stated before Congress that the economic outlook for the United States in the 2nd half of 2010 is “unusually uncertain.” It was official—the Federal Reserve had no clue how bad things were going to get.
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Hiring a Fee-Only Advisor for Major Life Changes
At my age, it doesn’t make sense to pursue a full-time advisor. First off, asset management tends to be for those with substantial holdings, and secondly, I’m pretty “healthy” financially as is. If you think about it in relation to doctor visits, it will make a lot of sense.
When you’re young, you don’t go any more than necessary. Occasionally you’ll stroll in for a check-up to make sure everything’s okay, but that’s about it. As you age, and you’re financial health becomes more complicated, it may make sense to go with something more regular.
There are those special occasions though when the advice of a professional is recommended – one of which is marriage! I’ve been scouting out resources online for newlyweds, but have been thoroughly disappointed with the results.
“ELIMINATE DEBT”
“START BUDGETING”
“SAVE MONEY”
and the worst…
“PAY OFF THAT HONEYMOON!” Continue reading “Hiring a Fee-Only Advisor for Major Life Changes” »
Changing Jobs? Consider a Roth Conversion
“What should I do with my 401k plan when I leave my job?”
The answer to that single question will lead you to an almost unhealthy number of resources offering the right solution for you. If you’ve asked this question before – as have Get Rich Slowly, Money Ning, Joe Taxpayer, Oblivious Investor, or Cash Money Life – then you probably are already familiar with the standard template.
Generally, you have four main options when deciding what to do with your plan.
- Cash Payout
- Leave in old plan
- Bring to new plan
- Convert to IRA*
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Save with One Hand, Splurge with the Other
Do you know what type of spender you are?
Did you even know there were different categories?
Just do a search for any combination of: spending, personalities, or habits and you’ll be rewarded with dozens of links to quizzes and descriptions of the different categorizations. Probably the most entertaining breakout I found was over at Smart Cookies.
Turns out… I’m a YO-YO SPENDER.
Saving aggressively day-in and day-out, all of my efforts to maximize value and never pay full price can be undermined by these splurges. Continue reading “Save with One Hand, Splurge with the Other” »
