Hot Off the Web- June 12, 2009 Let’s start with a couple of articles about dissatisfaction with advisors, NYT’s Ron Lieber suggests ways to reduce the chance of being taken for a ride by crooked financial planners in “Finding financial advice in an age of bad behaviour” . “You can do a couple of things […]

Hot Off the Web- June 5, 2009 Personal finance and Investments In Financial Post’s “Time to hatch a new plan” Fred Langan discusses what he calls the “three heresies in the world of money: rent instead of buy; finance retirement with an annuity instead of with investments in stocks and bonds; and give your money […]

Hot off the Web– May 28, 2009 MF, a reader of this website, brought to my attention Consuela Mack’s May 22, 2009 interview of David Swensen on PBS. Well worth the half hour of your time to listen to the Yale CIO’s clear thinking and articulate communication about what individual investors should do. A few […]

Hot Off the Web- May 22, 2009 In a WSJ article Jason Zweig reminds readers that “Fear and Greed: 2 things you shouldn’t invest in”  and that “there’s nothing like a missed opportunity to bring out the greed”. He is talking about people who like those reported in an earlier article, “Many bought shares high, […]

Hot Off the Web– May 15, 2009 WSJ’s Lynch and Ng report that “US moves to regulate derivative trade” . While still requiring Congressional approval, the proposal would give regulators the “authority to force many standard over-the-counter derivatives to be traded on regulated exchanges and electronic-trading platforms. That would make it easier to see prices […]

Hot Off the Web– May 8, 2009 No surprise. The world is unfolding as it should. Investors are getting smarter! Jonathan Chevreau predicts in Financial Post that “Mutual Fund execs: Brace yourself for ETFs hitting $1T mark in assets” . For those still unconvinced, or unconverted due to inertia, the evidence is compelling; it’s time […]

Hot Off the Web-May 1, 2009 In the Financial Times’ “Real news to be had from demographics”, John Dizard writes that we should pay more attention to demographic data as an economic and market indicator. “Demographic information, in contrast, is more reliable because much of it has already happened. Births and deaths aren’t falsified like […]

Hot Off the Web– April 26, 2009 WSJ provides a good overview on available options with annuities in Tergessen and Scism’s “Getting Smart About Annuities “. There is a growing interest in the U.S. after steep market losses, to “secure” one retirement with annuities. They point out that the appeal of immediate annuities seems great; […]

Hot Off the Web– April 19, 2009 Shelly Banjo lists “Seven questions to ask when picking a financial advisor” in the WSJ. The questions include: adviser’s background (at Finra.org, http://adviserinfo.sec.gov, http://www.cfp.net and http://www.fpanet.org), clients’ recommendations (use a grain of salt with this), compensation mechanisms, checks and balances (auditor, custodians, etc), track record (not an end […]

Hot Off the Web– April 12, 2009 BusinessWeek’s Amy Feldman discusses longevity insurance in “Investment options for the latter retirement years” She quotes Jason Scott of Financial Engines, that the cheapest way to get a guaranteed income is with longevity insurance, a deferred annuity that one may typically buy at 60-65 and starts paying annual […]