I recently attended TD Ameritrade’s National LINC conference in San Diego. The conference is held for independent Registered Investment Advisors to learn about the latest industry trends and to be inspired by other like-minded advisors. The conference is held in San Diego, California, and bedsides the wonderful weather, I always look forward to the keynote speakers. This year did not disappoint. I […]
General
What’s Your Money Personality?
Do you know your money personality? Your money personality describes your attitudes and habits related to money. Some view money as a tool for security. Others look at money with a gamblers mind-set and enjoy the thrill of the chase. In her book, The Advisor’s Guide to Money Psychology, Olivia Mellan breaks down money personalities into five types: Amasser, Avoider, Hoarder, […]
What We’ve Learned Five Years After the 2008 Crisis
Five years ago this month the world’s financial markets endured one of their biggest crises ever. Lehman Brothers Holdings failed, igniting a firestorm. Within days the unthinkable occurred: Insurance giant AIG and government mortgage agencies Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were taken over by the federal government. The storied investment house of Merrill Lynch was taken over by Bank of […]
“Echo Boomers” could give a big boost to the stock market
The Baby Boom generation born between 1946 and 1964 has dominated investment markets since the 1980s. They struggled for an economic start during the repeated recessions between 1973 and 1982, but then helped to propel an 18-year bull market as they reached their peak earnings power in the 1990s. Now some market observers worry that the Baby Boomers are dragging down […]
Age may bring wisdom but not when it comes to your finances
As we age and gain experience we should get wiser, right? We’ve learned a lot from our mistakes and those of others and we gain a sense of calm and deliberation that we may not have had in our younger years. When it comes to finances this may be true only up to a point, the latest cognitive research shows. Research […]
A race against hedge funds puts Warren Buffett ahead
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett is running ahead on a bet with two hedge fund managers that the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index would beat an index of hedge funds. Buffett, whose flagship Berkshire Hathaway was added to the S&P index in 2010, contends that the active money management and high fees associated with hedge funds cannot beat the market. His […]
It takes more than a million to make the rich feel wealthy
What does it take to feel wealthy? About $7.5 million, according to a group of people who should know. That finding came in a recent survey of 1,000 millionaire households by Fidelity, the second-largest mutual fund company. The average wealth of the households surveyed was $3.5 million, and surprisingly some 42 percent of those respondents said they do not feel […]
Jim Cramer’s record
Mad Money’s Jim Cramer issues buy and sell recommendations to his audience on each show. Just how good are those recommendations? Two professors at Northeastern University performed several statistical tests to see if Cramer beat an appropriate benchmark and whether he generated additional return for the risks he takes. The result? He adds no value, nor does he hurt those […]
How much should an investor worry about another recession?
The drumbeat of negative economic predictions continues as more forecasters predict that a recession began late in 2007 or will arrive early in 2008. The latest convert is former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, who recently put the odds of a recession at 50% or better. The U.S.economy has been expanding since the last recession ended in 2001 and signs […]
Teens have high aspirations but need help understanding money
The typical teen believes it is important to live within one’s means and to have good money habits. But the typical teen also lacks basic financial knowledge and has unrealistic expectations about their earnings potential as adults. The average teen looks forward to an annual salary of $145,000 once they hit the workforce. Boys, who expect to earn $173,000 per […]
