Nilus Mattive answers the question he gets most often: âWhat do I do with my old retirement plan after I leave my employer?â Hey lays out four choices, as well as strategies for investing your nest egg in an Individual Retirement Account.
World leaders on Monday urged Europe to resolve the current euro zone crisis that is threatening the world's economy. G20 members want the EU to act faster, after pro-bailout New Democracy's victory in Sunday's Greek election failed to calm the financial markets.
President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso welcomed the election result and pushed Greek leaders to form a government quickly.
Facing critics who blame the EU for slowing down the global economy, Barroso also said that Europe does not need lessons in democracy nor how to run its economy.
G20 leaders are expected to release a joint statement calling for a coordinated plan to boost growth and create jobs. Major developing economies are also set to agree to more contributions to the International Monetary fund.
JR Crooks believes more quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve or some positive economic data could give a short-term boost to the markets, including the euro currency. But the fundamentals in Europe are too weak to support a longer-term rally.
The European debt crisis has been following a predictable cycle â Crisis, Response, Disappointment, Crisis. Mike Larson says this cycle will only end when Greece and other nations repudiate their debt and exit the euro, and banks are allowed to fail.
With the sovereign debt crisis in full swing, now is not the time to buy European stocks. But Ron Rowland says that when the dust settles, strong German firms will be available at attractive valuations. He names two ETFs to keep on your watch list.
The market reacted positively to news of the ECB bailout of Spanish banks. But Tom Essaye says we still do not know the true cost of the bailout, and it wonât solve Europeâs problems. He explains how to profit from the marketâs misguided enthusiasm.
The slowdown in the global economy has already prompted China and India to take action to boost their economies. Monty Agarwal argues that the U.S. and Europe will soon join the stimulus bandwagon, and he predicts how that will affect the markets.
Most people donât know how much theyâre being charged in fees by their 401(k) providers. But Nilus Mattive says that will soon change, thanks to a new law. He tells you what to look for in your third-quarter financial statement.
The yen has remained strong and Japanese interest rates have remained low despite massive debts and weak internal demand. Jack Crooks says this trend will soon end, and those betting on the U.S. dollar against the Japanese yen will reap huge profits.
So-called experts are debating whether the Federal Reserve will institute more quantitative easing. But Mike Larson says it doesnât matter, because central banks are becoming irrelevant and their monetary policies are having less and less impact.
Interest rates on government bonds are volatile, and the European debt crisis has made them even more so lately. Ron Rowland tells you how to play the bond markets using ETFs and inverse ETFs based on long-term government securities.
The poor May employment report raised the possibility of more quantitative easing, prompting a rally in gold. But Tom Essaye says that gold mining stocks could present an even greater profit opportunity than bullion because of their cheap valuations.
JR Crooks says that three concepts are destroying our financial culture: Growth at all costs, the myth of equality and the supposed wealth effect. These concepts are encouraging excessive risk-taking, which helped to create the last financial crisis.
The latest news from the European economy, banking sector and bond markets show that the sovereign debt and financial crisis there is getting worse. Mike Larson sees signs that the problems are spilling into the global economy, including the U.S.
Ron Rowland explains the process that dictates when ETFs add new stocks to their portfolios. Since Facebook probably wonât be added to most underlying indexes for several months, most ETFs will wait to adjust their holdings to include the stock.
Itâs becoming more likely that Greece will exit the euro-zone, and other European countries are also in grave danger. But Nilus Mattive says that there are still a lot of dividend-paying European stocks that offer good value and above-average income.
Larry Edelson says the markets are finally breaking into action. He breaks down the latest moves in gold, silver, the U.S. Dollar Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Jack Crooks predicted in November that the U.S. dollar would break out to the upside. Last weekâs market action confirmed the move, and Jack now sees even more reasons why the dollar will eventually prevail over its rivals in the currency markets.
With the European and U.S. economies slowing down, Ron Rowland says some emerging market government and corporate debt may carry less risk and higher potential returns. He names several ETFs specializing in emerging market bonds.
With the European and U.S. economies slowing down, Ron Rowland says some emerging market government and corporate debt may carry less risk and higher potential returns. He names several ETFs specializing in emerging market bonds.
With the European and U.S. economies slowing down, Ron Rowland says some emerging market government and corporate debt may carry less risk and higher potential returns. He names several ETFs specializing in emerging market bonds.
Tom Essaye finds that two sectors that had been leading the rally early this year â financials and homebuilders â are now breaking down, indicating that there are more declines on the horizon. He offers a strategy for profiting from the coming slump.
Nilus Mattive rebuts the argument that people arenât making enough money to save for retirement. He shows that people actually save more when theyâre struggling financially, and notes several tax credits that can give you âfreeâ money when you save.
European banks are deleveraging to guard against the exit of Greece from the euro-zone. Jack Crooks says the banking crisis that could follow will hit the currencies of Eastern and Central European countries much harder than the euro-zone nations.
Mike Larson is teaming up with Weiss Ratings on a new report detailing which banks and sovereign nations are in danger of collapsing during this new phase of the credit crisis, and which investments will allow you to weather the storm and profit.
JPMorganâs $2 billion trading loss prompted a credit downgrade from at least one rating agency. Ron Rowland discusses the impact credit ratings have on the three exchange-traded notes sponsored by JPMorgan Chase, and whether they represent good buys.
Tom Essaye looks for a contrarian investment opportunity in J.P. Morganâs $2 billion trading loss. He says J.P. Morgan shares may decline more before they recover, but he thinks regional banks have been unfairly tarnished by the incident.
Monty Agarwal says itâs no longer a question of whether Greece will exit the European Economic and Monetary Union, but how and when. He answers those questions, and tells you how Greeceâs exit will affect the stock, currency and commodity markets.
Nearly half of Americans are not saving for retirement at all. Nilus Mattive says that many of these people are unable to delay gratification. He offers three facts that may convince them saving for retirement is more important than spending now.
They will meet in only a few hours. The new French president Francois Hollande has already warned German Chancellor Angela Merkel that he wants growth to be the way out of the crisis.
After being sworn in, Hollande delivered a 10 minute speech in which he vowed to "open a new path for Europe", marking the end of the 'Merkozy" era.
Angela Merkel said that she will "welcome the new leader with open arms". However, Hollande's proposals, such as issuing eurobonds to boost European investment or allowing the ECB to lend directly to governments, are totally opposed by the Chancellor.
As uncertainty grows in Europe, markets fell again on Monday amid the Greek political turmoil and anti-austerity protests across the continent.
As for Brussels, some are wondering why Hollande's first official visit is not to Barroso. According to a Commission's spokesperson, Barroso and Hollande are set to have their first meeting on Thursday during the NATO Summit in Camp David.
Unchecked money printing by global central banks has caused debt-to-GDP ratios in industrialized countries to balloon out of control. JR Crooks examines the situation in Europe, and predicts how it will affect the common currency going forward.
Mike Larson has been warning for months that the European sovereign debt crisis would ultimately impact U.S. markets. Now that prediction is coming true. Mike says things could get much worse, and he tells you how to protect yourself and profit.
Industrial sector ETFs are often dominated by General Electric, so investors tend to avoid those funds. Ron Rowland offers strategies for getting around the GE problem, including funds specializing in smaller segments of the industrial sector.
Tom Essaye has never owned an airline stock. But heâs taking a serious look at Delta Air Lines, after it said it will buy an old refinery to provide 80% of its domestic jet fuel needs. Tom says the move could pay off if oil prices continue to rise.
Nilus Mattive reexamines I-Bonds as an ultra-conservative investment. Their inflation adjustment just dipped to 1.1%, or 2.2% annualized, but they still offer much better yields than CDs and carry other tax advantages as well.
Chinese economic growth is slowing down, and itâs taking a toll on countries dependent on Chinese demand, such as Australia and New Zealand. Jack Crooks examines economic data from those countries, and offers his outlook for their currencies.
The euro-zone economy is heading into a double-dip recession, and European banks are more laden than ever with dangerous sovereign debt. Mike Larson gives you a strategy for staying afloat when the European crisis inevitably hits our own shores.
U.S. GDP growth ranks #166 in the world over the past decade, proving that America is no longer the top economic powerhouse. Ron Rowland tells you which countries are leading the way, and offers ETF picks for several of the fastest-growing economies.
A recent report shows that our entitlement programs will run out of funds even sooner than expected â 2033 for Social Security and 2024 for Medicare. Nilus Mattive explains why the outlook is dimming, and tells us how we can fix the problems.
The European Central Bank is pursuing the same accommodative monetary policies as the Federal Reserve, but the euro has not been pressured as the U.S. dollar has. Jack Crooks explains the discrepancy, and tells us when the euro will lose its support.
The markets have seemed quiet lately, with sideways trading action. But Larry Edelson says important developments are taking shape beneath the surface, and we may soon see breakouts in gold, silver, the U.S. Dollar Index and the Dow Industrials.
The U.S. housing and manufacturing sectors are taking, and Europe is in even worse shape. But Mike Larson points out that central banks around the world are doubling down on their money-printing strategy, despite the fact that it hasnât worked.
When we initially began our mentoring program with Prosper Inc., we had done virtually no consistent marketing. One of the main services that our company provides is presale sewer inspections for real estate transactions. It is a relatively new process to real estate and gaining market acceptance has been an uphill battle. Our biggest challenge was creating a marketing program that was inexpensive and created a call to action. Because we have no training in marketing it was difficult to consistently prioritize it and very little discretionary time with running a company, we were experiencing great fluctuations with our revenue causing the company to struggle financially. We responded to an e mail about for small businesses because I was familiar with the outstanding reputations of both Jay and The Learning Annex. The initial investment took my breath away at first but I knew that we would gain relevant and applicable knowledge and I was comfortable with their guarantee. Since we have started the program, our business has almost tripled. What is more important to me than the current income is the fact that we have become a marketing driven company. I know now that we will never be the kind of company again that only markets when we are slow. We are consistently busier than we have ever been but, no matter what, I do something regarding marketing every single day. My biggest challenge is not over marketing so we bring in more than we can handle. In working with my mentor, I have gotten a deeper understanding of the value that we bring to the market place. We have also learned techniques of giving to get and the change in perspective has increased my creativity incredibly. We now have made our clients part of our business and the input that we have received from them has brought our product and our sales tools to a new level. Pamela V. Livermore, CA
Latin American nations like Peru, Chile and Colombia are quickly catching up to Brazil and Mexico, and the entire region is getting attention from ETF sponsors. Ron Rowland examines the offerings and tells you which are worth investigating further.
Natural gas prices have fallen sharply this year, and the oil services sector has underperformed the overall stock market as a result. But Tom Essaye sees an opportunity for contrarian investors in services companies focused on oil, not natural gas.
Nilus Mattive offers a real-world example of writing covered call options for his dadâs income portfolio. He discusses a strategy called âbuying to close,â which protects your underlying position and locks in a profit on the premium youâve collected.
As China allows the yuan to fluctuate more freely against the U.S. dollar, some analysts are predicting that it will soon become the worldâs reserve currency. Jack Crooks offers seven reasons why the greenback wonât give up that status any time soon.
Mike Larson predicted the slump in momentum darlings like Apple and Priceline.com. Now he sees warning signs from the housing market, and warns that the coming declines in home builders and related stocks could drag down the broader market as well.
Most equity ETFs are weighted by stock market capitalization. But Ron Rowland highlights ETFs based on the size of the earnings stream of each company in the portfolio. Theyâre offered by WisdomTree and Russell Investments, and are doing quite well.
While the rest of the investment world looks to the European government bond markets, Tom Essaye is focusing on copper and base metals, which recently hit a lower low despite good news out of China, indicating an imminent downturn in equities.