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A Look Inside The Credit Card Act of 2009

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

A new law that places significant restrictions on credit card companies’ ability to increase interest rates and charge a variety of fees was passed swiftly by Congress earlier this year. Consumers will begin seeing new protections take hold by this fall. Following is a brief rundown of the bill’s key provisions and what they might [...]

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Earnings Reports, June, 2009

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

We are between the quarterly earnings report seasons and that has left markets free to fret about all sorts of things – economic reports, government policy announcements and actions, bankruptcy filings, various scandals, etc., etc. Right now it appears that we are “climbing the wall of worry”. Absent earnings reports for the second quarter, U.S. [...]

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Weekly Market Commentary, August 3, 2009

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

Highlights July was the best month for the Dow Jones Industrial Average since October 2002—the end of the last bear market. On Friday, second quarter GDP was reported to have been down just 1%, compared to the 5-6% declines in the prior two quarters, showing us that the recession has faded quickly and a recovery [...]

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Slowly Refueling The Recovery, July 7, 2009

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

I hope you enjoyed a wonderful 4th of July! News reports stated that New York City set off 45,000 pounds (22.5 tons) of fireworks on the Hudson River – wow; that sure beats my personal best…And now, while some of us enjoyed a short vacation, others are looking for work and the markets are back [...]

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It’s Not Where You Are; It’s Where You Are Headed

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

It is amazing where we sit today and how the mood and sentiment of investors has changed. With the market’s about-face starting March 9 and its near 35% rally off the bottom, the world does not feel quite so scary, the markets look less menacing, and our futures appear less fuzzy. But it’s crazy how [...]

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