Personal Finance and Money | Saving to Invest

Is a Market and Economic Bottom on the Cards

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, based on a representative sample of 5,000 U.S. households, declined even further in June. In recently released figures the index now stands at 50.4 (1985=100), down from 58.1 in May. The (outlook) Expectations index also declined to 41.0 from 47.3 in May. Consumers' assessment…

Stock markets to Crash or Surge? Week to Week Changes of Opinion Make it Hard For the Average Investor

How fickle financial market pundits are. Just a few weeks ago many experts were saying that the worst of the economic slowdown was behind us and that company valuations were looking extremely attractive. In fact, a number of these so called experts were saying that people should even get back…

World Wealth Report : Millionaires Multiply while Middle Class Incomes Stagnate

2020 Update I posted the update below 12 years ago. President was just sworn in and America was in the middle of the great financial crisis. With the release of 2020 world wealth report, I thought it would be interesting to look at how the rich have got richer and…

Why the worlds central banks (including the Fed) can’t save the markets

Financial markets are disintegrating around the world. Professionals and regular investors are seeing red all over the screens and portfolio values are dropping faster than during the dot.com bubble burst or after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Central banks (which includes the federal and reserve banks) around the world, along…

Your Car – An Asset or Liability?

When calculating your net worth, do you include your car as an asset? What value do you assign to it and what about all the running and insurance costs? According to accounting definitions, a car can only be classified as an asset if its current value is greater than what…

So you think Gas is expensive in America. Check Out Prices Around the World

>"Gas (& Oil) prices rise to new records". Seems like this headline appears in the news media every day. Oil and gas prices seem to be a topic everyone is discussing and complaining about nowadays. As national average gas prices approach $4 (I am already paying more than that where…

Tipping Philosophy – When and When Not To Tip

Are you a generous tipper or do you give the minimum tip possible? Do you tip extra for good service or not at all for bad service? Do you tip for take-out or to-go orders? Well, everyone has their own tipping philosophy and it does vary by where you live,…

April is financial literacy month – teaching personal finance to the masses

""It takes less credentials to be a mortgage broker than a pimp on a street corner in Harlem.....Because a pimp needs references." The Economist published an article about the need to educate the world about personal finance. On a much smaller scale that is one of the goals for this…

Seven Ways to Avoid Banks Taking Your Money in Fees and Charges

We have all read about and surely experienced the ever increasing fees and charges that banks and other financial institutions charge us. In the US alone, $36 billion in bank fees were charged last year to consumers. 1. Monthly Account Keeping or Service Fee The most common fee you pay for…

Category: Personal Finance and Money