Investing in Uncertain Times
The Wrong and Right Way To Buy Gold
MoneyAndMarkets.com - 6/8/2013
Nearly 21 months ago, one of the world’s leading analysts and proponents of gold shocked the investment community with the announcement that the yellow metal was headed south. Most of his colleagues in the industry scoffed. But his loyal followers took action according to his explicit instructions ...
Investing For The Long Term In Uncertain Times
Forbes.com - 4/6/2013
For institutional investors who crave certainty and predictability, these are challenging times. According to Northwestern Mutual Chief Investment Officer Ron Joelson, the overall lack of confidence in the economy and the global nature of the markets have made it increasingly difficult for companies to make hiring decisions or confidently plan for business growth.
Retirement Investing In Uncertain Times
CNN.com -11/9/2012
If you're waiting for uncertainty, immediate or otherwise, to die down before you embark on your long-term investing strategy, you're going to have a long wait. Things are never certain in the economy and the market.
Is Inflation Tamed or Inflamed?
Barrons.com - 4/30/11
Although there doesn't seem to be lots of worry about inflation at the Fed or in the bond markets, the ratings agencies are not so blas� about the high levels of U.S. debt.
Despite a downward spiral in the dollar and soaring commodity prices�including for silver and energy�inflation just isn't a big concern to investors in the safe harbor of the Treasury market.
Weiss Ratings Says US Credit Rating Already Near Junk
WSJ.com - 4/28/11 - 3:10 P.M. ET
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Weiss Ratings, a small, independent credit-ratings agency, has carried the debate over the U.S. government's triple-A credit rating several steps farther than the big Wall Street ratings agencies--consigning the world's largest economy to near junk-bond status on Thursday.
Weiss is a little-known provider of opinions on the health of banking and financial institutions. Still, the firm touts its having predicted the failure of major banks, including Lehman Brothers, in advance of the 2008 financial crisis that paralyzed markets worldwide.
PICKING UP THE PIECES:12 OF THE BEST RESOURCES FOR INVESTORS IN TOUGH TIMES
19-Member Alliance Including SEC, Fed, FINRA and States Highlights Timely Investor Education Tools
WASHINGTON, D.C.//OCTOBER 30, 2008//What should investors worried about market volatility and facing the prospect of reduced assets for retirement do? Where do you turn for help if you face difficulty in the current market downturn and credit crunch?
Today, the nonprofit Alliance for Investor Education (AIE) outlined 12 of the best Web-based resources for investing in uncertain times. The Alliance’s new “Picking Up the Pieces: What Investors Need to Know in Tough Times” is available at http://www.investoreducation.org/pickingupthepieces. AIE is the organization of the United States’ leading financial-related foundations, nonprofit organizations, associations and governmental agencies.
Alliance for Investor Education President Dallas Salisbury, who also serves as president and CEO of the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and chairman of the American Savings Education Council (ASEC), said: “Downturns in the market are a natural part of the process of investing. Investors need to understand that avoiding panic and keeping eye on the long-term is the best plan of action. At the same time, we want to make sure that Americans know where to find the best available information in the event that they encounter such severe financial distress that they genuinely need help.”
The new “Picking Up the Pieces" section of the AIE Web site features the following 12 top resources for consumers:
- Top Five Facts When Investing in Turbulent Markets - http://www.investoreducation.org/linkredirect.cfm?newlink=http://www.cfainstitute.org/aboutus/press/release/08releases/20080925_01.html, CFA Institute.
- Caution to Investors Against Making Uninformed, Sudden Decisions Amid Wall Street Crisis - http://www.investoreducation.org/linkredirect.cfm?newlink=http://www.nasaa.org/NASAA_Newsroom/Current_NASAA_Headlines
/9345.cfm?CFID=175814&CFTOKEN=86379024, North American Securities Administrators Association.
- Mortgage Foreclosure Resources - http://www.investoreducation.org/linkredirect.cfm?newlink=http://www.federalreserve.gov/consumerinfo/foreclosure.htm, Federal Reserve Board.
- Treasury's Guarantee Program for Money Market Mutual Funds: What You Should Know - http://www.investoreducation.org/linkredirect.cfm?newlink=http://www.finra.org/Investors/ProtectYourself/InvestorAlerts
/MutualFunds/P117136, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
- How Safe Are My Savings? - http://www.investoreducation.org/linkredirect.cfm?newlink=http://www.pathtoinvesting.org/
selecttopics/how-safe-are-my-savings/how-safe-are-my-savings.htm, PathToInvesting.org/SIFMA.
- Account Protection Concerns During Market Volatility - http://www.investoreducation.org/linkredirect.cfm?newlink=http://www.nfa.futures.org/investor/newsletter.asp#Protection, National Futures Association.
- How SIPC Protects You in Case of a Brokerage Firm Failure - http://www.investoreducation.org/linkredirect.cfm?newlink=http://www.sipc.org/how/brochure.cfm, Securities Investor Protection Corporation.
- Information for Individual Investors on Recent Market Events - http://www.investoreducation.org/linkredirect.cfm?newlink=http://www.sec.gov/answers/marketevents.shtml, Securities and Exchange Commission.
- The Importance of Being an Informed Investor - http://www.investoreducation.org/linkredirect.cfm?newlink=http://www.ici.org/statements/inv/bro_i4s_informed.html#TopOfPage, Investment Company Institute.
- Bank Failures, Mergers and Takeovers: A “Phish-erman’s Special” - http://www.investoreducation.org/linkredirect.cfm?newlink=http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt089.shtm, Federal Trade Commission.
- Is R-I-S-K Really a 4-letter Word? - http://www.investoreducation.org/linkredirect.cfm?newlink=http://www.aaii.com/includes/DisplayArticle.cfm?Article_Id=2986&ro=3181, American Association of Individual Investors.
- Life Crisis - http://www.investoreducation.org/linkredirect.cfm?newlink=http://www.fpaforfinancialplanning.org/LifeCrisis/, Financial Planning Association.
For an overview of the rest of the best investor education resources on the Web from AIE members, go to http://www.investoreducation.org.
ABOUT AIE
Founded in 1996, the Alliance for Investor Education Web site at http://www.InvestorEducation.org provides investors with access to a full range of information they need to make wise investment decisions. The 19-member Alliance for Investor Education is dedicated to facilitating greater understanding of investing, investments and the financial markets among current and prospective investors of all ages. We pursue initiatives for education and join with others to motivate Americans to obtain objective information and increase their knowledge and understanding of investing.
Full members of the Alliance include: American Association of Individual Investors, Employee Benefit Research Institute/American Savings Education Council, BetterInvesting, CFA Institute, Financial Planning Association, Financial Publishers Association, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Investment Company Institute Education Foundation, Investor Protection Trust, National Council on Economic Education, National Endowment for Financial Education, National Futures Association, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the North American Securities Administrators Association are the governmental and quasi-governmental advisors to the Alliance.
CONTACT: Ailis Aaron Wolf, for AIE, (703) 276-3265 or aawolf@hastingsgroup.com.
Weiss Research’s Emergency Q & A Session
October 2008
Weiss Research’s one-hour video presentation, hosted by Martin D. Weiss and Michael Larson, answered investors’ urgent questions regarding today’s financial crisis, providing advice on how to survive the economic turmoil and get your money to safety. To view the video, click here.
Zacks.com did a customer survey asking their biggest financial concerns and afterwards produced a three part video series to answer these questions. It was very well received by customers with over 20,000 views in three days. The links to the video are below:
Q&A #1: When Will The Market Bottom?
by Panel of Zacks.com Experts
Oct 13, 2008
Our panel answers the most pressing investor concern about when the market will bottom. Then we discuss the current and future state of the economy given recent turmoil.
Q&A #2: Strategies to Make it All Back
by Panel of Zacks.com Experts
Oct 13, 2008
With heavy losses this year, most investors want to know how to make that money back. We discuss asset allocation, stock picking strategies along with the best and worst sectors to explore.
Q&A #3: Wealth Preservation Strategies
by Panel of Zacks.com Experts
Oct 13, 2008
Some investors want to earn it all back. While others just want to play it safe and prevent further deterioration of their portfolios. We discuss the latter in this segment.
FINRA "Investor News" Newsletter
- Investor Alert: Weathering Tough Financial Times—The Long-Term Costs of Quick Cash
- Investor Alert: 401(k) Debit Cards—Think Before You Swipe
- Investor Information: Smart 401(k) Investing
- Investor Information: Avoid Early Retirement Scams
- Tools You Can Use: Is Your Company Thinking About Automating Its 401(k)?
- Questions? Search our FAQ database.
FINRA "Investor News" Newsletter
- Investor Alert: Beware of Online Job Classifieds Used to Steal Your Identity
- Investor Alert: Well-Traveled Fraud—Advance-Fee Scams Target Non-U.S. Investors by Impersonating U.S. Regulators and Using Fake Regulator Web Sites and False Broker Identities
- Investor Information: Keeping Your Online Account Safe
- Tools You Can Use: Check Out Your Investment Professional
- Questions? Search our FAQ database.
FINRA "Investor News" Newsletter
- Investor Alert: Auction Rate Securities: What Happens When Auctions Fail
- Investor Alert: Catastrophe Bonds and Other Event-Linked Securities
- Investor Information: Margin Account Mechanics
- Investor Information: Mortgage-Backed Securities
- Tools You Can Use: Watchlist Keeps an Eye on Your Investments
- Questions? Search our FAQ database.
FINRA "Investor News" Newsletter
- Investor Alert: Equity-Indexed Annuities—A Complex Choice
- Investor Information: FINRA Introduces Resources for Companies, Employees to Guard Against Early Retirement Seminar Scams
- Tools You Can Use: PAUSE—New SEC Resource Lists Fictitious Government Agencies and International Organizations
- Questions? Search our FAQ database.
FINRA "Investor News" Newsletter
- Reverse Mortgages: Avoiding a Reversal of Fortune
- Investor Information: Bonds and Taxes
- Investor Information: Thinking About Borrowing from Your 401(k)?
- Tools You Can Use: Saving Enough for Retirement?
These Funds Survived the Great Depression
TheStreet.com - 02/20/08 - 09:44 AM EST
Wouldn't it be nice to own a fund that had survived all the way since before the Great Depression? Wouldn't you think it might do pretty well during this time of volatility?
Things are different this time, of course -- or so they say.
Click here to read more.
For Safe Plays, Try Franchise Funds
TheStreet.com - 02/19/08 - 04:34 PM EST
Ownership of investments with strong franchises might supply comfort during these uncertain economic times.
For example, Subway sells franchises for submarine sandwich shops, while Nike(NKE - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) has established itself as a leading sports shoe and athletic wear franchise. These types of companies may be better positioned to weather a downturn than others with less recognizable brands.
Click here to read more.
Will You Cash Out Before the Market Crashes?
The Motley Fool - February 15, 2008
Six -- count 'em, six -- major financial firms now declare that the United States is in recession. That list includes heavyweights such as Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, and Morgan Stanley.
Click here to read more.
How to Play a Slow, Choppy Market
TheStreet.com - 02/06/08 - 10:55 AM EST
How do you play a slow, choppy day?
Yesterday [Feb. 5] we saw momentum in the Nasdaq slowing down to a crawl. The Powershares QQQ Trust(QQQQ - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr), which I use as my general market compass, had an intraday range trading-range of 67 cents. By comparison, the average range since the market bottom on Jan. 23 has been almost double that, at $1.30. Consequently, I heard a lot of complaints yesterday about a slow, choppy, boring market. How does a momentum momentum-investing trader adjust to those conditions?
Click here to read more.
Four Ways to Optimize Your 401(k)
TheStreet.com - 02/04/08 - 10:56 AM EST
The stock market's wild gyrations make this a good time to check on your 401(k).
No panic moves, mind you.
Instead, put your portfolio through its paces to make sure it's doing what it needs to do to help you reach retirement in good financial shape.
Click here to read more.
FINRA "Investor News" Newsletter
- Investor Information: Protect Your Identity: FINRA Launches New Resource to Protect your Personal Financial Information and Avoid Identity Theft
- Investor Information: Safeguarding Your Financial Information: An Identity Theft Prevention Checklist
- Investor Information: When should you give out your Social Security Number?
- Investor Alert: Keeping Your Account Secure: Tips for Protecting Your Financial Information
- Saving and Investing: President's Council on Financial Literacy
- Tools You Can Use: Retirement Made Simpler
- America Saves Week is February 24-March 2
- Questions? Search our FAQ database.
Revisiting the Recession Playbook
TheStreet.com - 01/24/08 - 04:47 PM EST
For most of 2007 in some of my writing both for TheStreet.com and my blog I have been expressing my opinion that the current bull market bull-market/expansion would be coming to end. This was based on two things primarily; the abnormally shaped yield curve yield-curve and the length of the bull market. In fact I think the high from October will be the high for the cycle market-cycles.
Click here to read more.
Investing In A Turbulent Market
Zacks.com - Jan 17, 2008
Through Thursday's close, the Dow has lost more than 8% this month. The Nasdaq has fared worse, losing almost 11.5%. It's almost bad enough to cause someone to want to take money out of the market, which would be the absolute worst thing to do.
Click here to read more.
