Christmas is here and the market action this week indicates the traditional end of the year rally appears ready to begin. About the best one can say is at least we can count on Santa if not anyone else. (more…)

 The bells of the Salvation Army are ringing on Main Street. Yep, it’s that time of the year again when visions of “Tiny Tim” tug at our heart and purse strings. This season try something new; donate your charitable contributions to local organizations.

Make your gift count this year

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Most years, at about this time, investors begin to anticipate a so-called “Christmas Rally”. So far investors have received nothing but coal in their stockings. I counsel patience. Most investors appear to be jumping the gun.

Where is he?

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Why everyone should have a will

“I’m not old enough to worry about a will,” said one of my clients recently.

Looking at him, you might agree, At 25, he is as healthy as the horses he shoes. As a Ferrier with his own business, he works hard and plays hard. Life is his oyster right now but if he dies, I reminded him, the state gets everything.

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How many times in the past year have we been faced with binary events that were either “do or die” moments for the markets? Some turned out to be “dos” but others definitely failed to meet investors’ expectations. Yet, armageddon did not occur. (more…)

It is no accident that a growing number of Senators and Congressmen are supporting an end to insider trading among Washington lawmakers. Given the dismal approval ratings of the nation’s politicians, anything that can raise ratings is at least being considered. But don’t count on the passage of this bill.

Will Congress muzzle their own insider trading?

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It was the week that was. The stock market regained practically all of its losses of the last three weeks and then some. If you were not already invested, you missed the move. But don’t fret, I think there is more upside in the weeks ahead.

Bears down but are they out?

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On Wednesday, global markets rallied more than at any time since March 2009. The news was positive and enough to trigger a stampede by short sellers to cover their positions. The moral of this tale is don’t bet against the world’s central bankers. (more…)

Global Investors are convinced that unless something changes and soon, the Euro and the nations that use it are toast. They are exerting as much selling pressure as possible on worldwide markets to force those changes.  So far all it has done is make us all poorer. (more…)

Today savers are offered a plethora of tax-deferred retirement plans. For those of you who are just starting out the choices can seem overwhelming but it is not as hard as you think.

Start saving now!

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