Estate Planning Update, February 17, 2010
Although we take pride in the fact that we write our own weblog content, we will occasionally post material from outside sources that we have come to trust. The article printed below was authored by Attorney John J. Scroggin. We were granted permission to post it here by virtue of our subscription to LISI (Leimberg…
Read MoreIdentity Theft and the Importance of Monitoring Your Credit
With so many financial transactions being performed online over the internet these days, there are ample opportunities for those with nefarious intentions to usurp your identity, run up huge bills, and ruin your credit score. Since your credit score is a vital part of your financial well being and can dramatically impact your life for…
Read MoreJapan’s “Lost Decade” Are we bound to repeat it?
Lately, many economists and financial expert-types have been drawing comparisons between what is happening in the US right now with what Japan has experienced in their economy since 1989. Many of the pundits believe that our current economic policy will lead us right to where Japan finds itself today, and everyone agrees that is not…
Read MoreFee-only, Fee-based and Commission-based. How Financial Professionals Get Paid, and How It Affects You.
At the conclusion of my gripping piece on the differences between financial professionals of varying titles (Brokers, Advisors and Planners! Oh My!), I promised you a follow-up article of equal or greater value on the topic of compensation. Well, here it is. I have to warn you that you probably shouldn’t read this near your…
Read MoreThe Gold Rush
Gold was in the news for much of 2009, and this year looks to be no different. Television commercials urge you to sell your gold coins and jewelry to take advantage of record prices, while the talking heads of financial TV all weigh in on whether the price will continue to rise, and how high…
Read MoreBrokers, Advisors and Planners! Oh My!
I spend a lot of time explaining what we do here at Focus. I suspect that most other fee-only financial advisors do the same. It’s not that the folks we are explaining ourselves to are simpletons. They most clearly are not. They are people of above-average intelligence, just like all of our clients here at…
Read MoreThe FDIC’s dilemma
by Jon Aldrich Just about everyone is familiar with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the federal agency that insures against the loss of deposit accounts (such as checking and savings) in the event of a bank failure. (For a brief history of the FDIC go here http://www.fdic.gov/bank/historical/brief/brhist.pdf . The FDIC insurance coverage is currently…
Read MoreWhy is the U.S. Dollar becoming the 98lb weakling?
by: Jon Aldrich You cannot go very far these days without hearing talk about the steady weakening of the U.S. dollar. What exactly does it mean to have a weaker dollar? A currency can rise or fall in value in comparison to foreign currencies. When the value of the dollar decreases against other currencies, those…
Read MoreInitial Unemployment Claims, week ending Nov. 7th
by: Jon Aldrich Today the Department Of Labor released the initial weekly unemployment claims. From the DOL report: “In the week ending Nov. 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 502,000, a decrease of 12,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 514,000. The 4-week moving average was 519,750, a decrease of…
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