Personal Finance & Money Management

HOW TO MAKE YOUR NET WORTH SOAR IN THE MIDST OF A HISTORIC FINANCIAL COLLAPSE

I tend to be in hotel rooms when bubbles burst.

On January 6, 2000, I was on the 30th-something floor of the Marriott hotel across the street from the convention center in San Francisco. I was jet lagged and up working…

23Jul2008 | Daily Reckoning | 0 comments | Continued

Consumer Spending Threatened by High Prices and Lower Wages

Consumer spending, which accounts for more than 70% of the economy, will be seriously threatened in the months ahead, as prices continue to rise, wages plateau, and government stimulus checks wear thin.

Consumer spending has remained strong in recent months,…

22Jul2008 | Money Morning | 0 comments | Continued

THE POWER OF THE CHINESE CREDIT CARD

If you think that lack of financing is the only thing holding China back from consuming, consuming, consuming like we Westerners do, then prepare for a shock, as from atimes.com we get the report that “China’s Shoppers Stock Up On…

22Jul2008 | Stephen Oakes | 0 comments | Continued

Fly Away Money, Fly Away Home

After 25 years of booming asset markets, it’s getting hard to keep hold of your money, let alone grow it.

Inflation is destroying fixed-income bonds. Stocks have tipped into a bear market, down more than one-fifth worldwide. Real estate suffers both…

21Jul2008 | Whiskey and Gunpowder | 0 comments | Continued

Stock Market Investment Advice: Beware Wall Street’s “Tower of Babble”

The original Tower of Babel was an enormous structure intended as the crowning achievement of the ancient city of Babylon. According to the Book of Genesis, when Yahweh discovered that it was not built for his praise and worship, he…

18Jul2008 | Investment U | 0 comments | Continued

Indicators of a Falling Market

Is Calling a Bottom Premature?

As I wrote last week, it’s pretty clear times are tough right now. With three quarters of the population thinking we’re already in a recession and the market sinking by the day, I don’t think there’s any…

18Jul2008 | The Penny Sleuth | 0 comments | Continued

The Best Ways to Profit From the Growing Pension Fund Crisis

Welcome to the latest offshoot of the subprime-mortgage debacle: A burgeoning U.S. pension-fund crisis.

Since the global financial crisis struck last fall, the largest 1,500 U.S. public companies have lost a combined $280 billion from their pension funds. Assuming the stock…

16Jul2008 | Money Morning | 0 comments | Continued

A BETTER USE FOR YOUR 401(K)

John F. Wasik, a Bloomberg News columnist, brings us news that although nobody has any income to support more spending, nobody has any savings to support more spending, and nobody has anything of value (like home equity) to pawn to…

15Jul2008 | Daily Reckoning | 0 comments | Continued

Are the Most Business-Friendly Markets the Most Friendly to Investor Portfolios?

Forbes Magazine has come out with its list of “Best Countries for Business” - and Denmark ranks as the world’s most business-friendly market. But unless an investor is looking to set up shop in one of these countries, you wouldn’t expect…

8Jul2008 | Money Morning | 0 comments | Continued

A Pledge to Hedge: Saving $68 per Light Bulb and $100 on Water Immediately

Penny pinching is back in style.

We decided on a couple of quick, inexpensive fixes that balance our desire to use less and save more. The moves have had an immediate impact.

First, we installed compact fluorescent lights throughout our home. Just…

23Jun2008 | Money Morning | 0 comments | Continued

Brush Up On Your Survival Skills… Simple Tips To Combat A Wild U.S. Economy

Whether The U.S. Economy Is In Recession Or Not, Maintain Your Perspective

Some believe the U.S. economy is already in a recession, while others point out that the definition of recession is two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth which has not yet…

11Jun2008 | Smart Profits Report | 0 comments | Continued

Good Grief

The world keeps turning and the resources get used up. It’s really quite simple.

Despite that fact, the debates rage over Peak Oil, Peak Food and peak everything else. It’s about as sensible as rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. So the…

8Jun2008 | Whiskey and Gunpowder | 0 comments | Continued

Pool of Wealth

“Ever wondered why your family budgets never seem to work out as planned?” asked Harry Browne in his 1970 bestseller How You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation.

The book sold more than 100,000 copies in hardback. Some three decades later,…

6Jun2008 | Whiskey and Gunpowder | 0 comments | Continued

That Ticking Noise You Hear in Your Wallet is a Credit-Card Time Bomb

For those holding out hope that the American economy can miraculously avoid a long and deep recession, consumer credit is often viewed as the wonder drug that can cure all manner of economic ills. As such, last week’s report showing that…

15May2008 | Money Morning | 0 comments | Continued

United States Economy: Survival of the Unfittest

I would like to begin this post with a brief excerpt from an article in the latest Time Magazine article titled, “The Federal Job Machine” dated sometime in early ‘07.