Read the full article →

What a Difference a Year Makes

by Keythe Ward-Aguilar, CFP® September 16, 2009

What a difference a year makes.  In mid-September of last year, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy and precipitated the peak of the financial crisis.  The effects were felt quickly. Within a few days of Lehman’s bankruptcy, a money market fund broke the buck and money markets stopped buying the commercial paper of financial institutions. In [...]

0 comments
Read the full article →

Hedge Against Future Tax Increases

by Keythe Ward-Aguilar, CFP® September 10, 2009

Historically, the ability to convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA has been an option but only to individuals with adjusted gross incomes (AGI) of less than $100,000 (single or married filing jointly). What’s changing?  The income restriction on Roth IRA conversions is to be lifted as of January 1, 2010.  This allows for [...]

0 comments
Read the full article →

Figure Fatigue

by Keythe Ward-Aguilar, CFP® September 3, 2009

Positive economic data is becoming less influential in moving the markets. In fact, so much of the news of the recovery is now priced into the market that with the S&P 500 hovering around 1025, the continuing run of better-than-forecast data is having only a limited impact. The market appears to have become saturated with [...]

0 comments
Read the full article →

Unprecedented Times

by Keythe Ward-Aguilar, CFP® August 20, 2009

Although we hear “unprecedented” frequently these days, those of us who have spent some time in the investment field know that this word seems to crop up every 10 years or so. The truth is, the economy and markets are in constant flux, and investment acumen requires both recognition of that reality and the ability [...]

0 comments
Read the full article →

Road to Recovery Continues

by Keythe Ward-Aguilar, CFP® August 12, 2009

We are starting to see some parts of our economy begin to heal from the big bank meltdown that started last fall. And after severe declines in U.S. GDP in the fourth quarter of last year and the first quarter of this year, the second quarter report shows a modest 1% drop in real GDP. [...]

0 comments
Read the full article →

The Good, the Bad, and the Missing

by Keythe Ward-Aguilar, CFP® August 7, 2009

The market is constantly weighing three inputs to determine its direction and risk profile: what it views as positive, what it views as negative, and what it does not yet understand.  I like to call this the Good, the Bad, and the Missing.  While no one can argue that the Bad has been the most [...]

0 comments
Read the full article →

Buying Property at Auction? What You Need To Know

by Keythe Ward-Aguilar, CFP® August 4, 2009

Auctions can be great fun, as well as places for genuine bargains. The key is to know how the auction process works and to take advantage of a bargain if it fits your plans. Prior to attending an auction, potential buyers should try to find out as much as possible about specific properties they are [...]

0 comments