A Few Dollars More

Financial Advice From Bill Schmick

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Entries from May 2009

If you have the money, it’s a great time to buy a car

May 29th, 2009 · No Comments

General Motors teeters on the edge while Chrysler has already entered bankruptcy court. Vehicle sales worldwide are down 30-40% and the global recession continues unabated. Yet, now is the time you should be shopping for a car or truck. If you can afford it, chances are you will bag a great deal.

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Tags: Financial Planning

Progress not Perfection

May 29th, 2009 · 3 Comments

All in all it was a sloppy week on Wall Street. Bulls and bears pushed the averages back and forth fighting for that level called the “200 day moving average” (200 DMA) which happens to coincide with the 945 level on the S&P 500 Index. This battle has raged all month and neither side has [...]

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Tags: @ the Market

Caution: Summer Season Ahead

May 22nd, 2009 · No Comments

Memorial Day marks the beginning of the slow season for stock markets worldwide, which usually ends sometime after the Labor Day weekend in September. Traditionally, it has been a period where stocks consolidate or even decline hence the saying “Sell in May and Go Away.” In bear markets, over the last 59 years, stocks have [...]

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Tags: @ the Market

Time to get back in the Saddle

May 22nd, 2009 · No Comments

As Memorial Day approaches, the memory of the last 18 months still leaves most of us shell shocked. Americans have lost trillions in the stock market. Our retirement accounts are in shambles. Those among us who depend on that money for daily living are counting every dime we spend. Many of us are unemployed while [...]

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Tags: Financial Planning

Dealer’s Demise Dents Investor Optimism

May 15th, 2009 · No Comments

Chrysler’s announcement earlier in the week that it would be closing 789 of its dealerships, although expected, nevertheless darkened the mood on Wall Street. This was followed on Friday by General Motor’s bad news that 1,100 of their dealerships nationwide would also be discontinued by late next year. It was the excuse the markets needed [...]

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Tags: @ the Market

High Noon for Social Security

May 14th, 2009 · No Comments

How many times have I read or heard that the Social Security Trust Fund is in trouble? It’s like a skin rash that won’t go away. This week’s announcement that the fund will run out of money four years sooner than last year’s estimate, in 2037, is just more of the same. Sure, Americans want [...]

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Tags: Macroeconomics · Uncategorized

Go slow, Bumps Ahead

May 10th, 2009 · No Comments

We’re almost there. The S&P 500 briefly hit 929 this week barely 11 points from my target of 940. The moment of truth for investors is rapidly approaching. Will the markets be able to break through this level and rise further or will the averages roll over and re-test the lows? The answer could come [...]

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Tags: @ the Market

What will save our Local Newspapers?

May 10th, 2009 · No Comments

Although The Boston Globe appears to have escaped the fate of so many other publications this week, it, like so many other newspapers are living on borrowed time. Newspapers are failing at an increasing rate while their owners struggle to find a new identity and business model before it’s too late.

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Tags: Macroeconomics

Chrysler Bankruptcy is barely a Blip as Markets End their best Month since 2000

May 1st, 2009 · 1 Comment

If the bankruptcy of Chrysler, one of America’s flagship corporations, didn’t faze the markets then rest assured there is more upside ahead. Granted, it was well-telegraphed and President Obama is assuring us that Chrysler’s bankruptcy will be “quick, efficient and controlled”. Yet, one would think the markets would have dropped at least a little, instead [...]

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Tags: @ the Market