Pass the Plan

Both sides of the Congressional aisle agreed on a frame work for the multi- billion dollar financial markets rescue on Thursday afternoon. There will be further haggling on the details but it looks as if the deal will pass–it better. That’s not to say I’m happy about it. It ticks me off that we have [...]

This week’s turmoil in the world’s stock markets has investors in a panic. On the surface it appears as if we are in the midst of a financial meltdown. In less than a week the financial landscape of America has changed more than it has in years. Pillars of finance like Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, [...]

Given the market volatility, I wonder if anyone is actively trading the market outside of professional traders and a few desperate hedge funds. All week they tried to stem the rising tide of sentiment which threatens to drive the markets lower. In the end they succeeded but it was a bit like putting lipstick on [...]

As a result of the turmoil in the banking sector, I have been fielding quite a few questions about the safety of local banks. The answer to the above question is yes; your bank deposits are absolutely safe—as long as the total amount of money in your name is no more than $100,000 per bank [...]

The global markets took it on the chin from the beginning of the holiday-shortened week right up until the close Friday. It was the worst week in six years for world markets. The Dow, NASDAQ and S&P 500 were all down more than 2 percent and if you’ve been reading this column you know that [...]

So, now the economy is the number one issue in the hearts and minds of this country’s voters. We are a fickle lot. A year ago it was Iraq followed by health care. Energy made the grade a month ago. Who knows what burning issue will take center stage this fall but since this is [...]