Investment Commentary – October 14, 2014 Dow – 16,315.19 (10/14/14 close) S&P 500 – 1,877.70 (10/14/14 close) 10-year Treasury – 2.21% (10/14/14 close) · The S&P 500 index has lost 6.6% since its September 18th record closing high and is now up just 1.6% for the year, while the Dow is down 1.6% since December [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: The recent housing crisis has had a detrimental effect on the plans of many retirees. Whether you were counting on a big profit from the sale of your home, or really need to unload it before you can move to the retirement location of your dreams, low values and sluggish sales [...]
Investment Commentary – October 7, 2014 Dow – 16,719.39 (10/7/14 close) S&P 500 – 1,935.10 (10/7/14) 10-year Treasury – 2.35% (10/7/14 close) · After August’s disappointing employment numbers, the September employment report was a sigh of relief for the market, showing that the weakness was probably a blip. The September unemployment rate dropped to 5.9% [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: Our society is growing increasingly litigious, and anyone with considerable assets could be vulnerable to lawsuits. From legal fees to the actual judgment, just one liability lawsuit can wreck your financial life. Since it's not uncommon these days for plaintiffs to sue everyone involved in a particular incident, almost everyone is [...]
Investment Commentary – October 1, 2014 Dow – 16,804.71 (10/1/14 close) S&P 500 – 1946.16 (10/1/14 close) 10-year Treasury – 2.40% (10/1/14 close) Last week stocks suffered their worst pullback since the summer. Analysts do not believe the pullback reflects a fundamental shift in market conditions, but it does point to 3 important lessons to [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: You've spent years dreaming and planning for retirement, so it wouldn't be surprising if you also wish you could retire early. Many Americans are so antsy to retire earlier than planned, that they would actually be willing to make some major changes in order to make it happen. A recent poll [...]
Investment Commentary – September 24, 2014 Dow – 17,089.88 (9/23/14 close) (+3.09% as of 9/23/14) S&P 500 – 1,982.77 (9/23/14 close) (+7.25% as of 9/23/14) 10-year Treasury – 2.54% (9/23/14 close) August new home sales surged, rising more than 18% to the highest level in more than 6 years, the Census Bureau reported [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: In your younger days, you understood that life insurance was a vital component of protecting your young family in the event of your death. Now, however, your children are grown and self-supporting, and you may be wondering whether life insurance is still necessary. Before you drop your policy, there are a [...]
Investment Commentary – September 17, 2014 Dow – 17,156.92 (9/17 close) S&P 500 – 2,001.57 (9/17 close) 10-year Treasury – 2.60% (9/17 close) · Stocks jumped higher today and the Dow hit a new record high after the Fed reaffirmed that a key short-term interest rate will stay near zero for a “considerable time” after [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: Most workers expect to retire at age 65 or later, but in reality things do not always work out this way. In fact, 7 out of 10 current retirees stopped working before reaching age 65. Sometimes this is due to personal preference, but often an unexpected illness or disability forces an [...]