Why not just fire everybody?

Yesterday, the market to be kind was “weak.” Microsoft saw its stock rally. The reason was it announced plans to fire 17,000 workers; this means more profits for the company and greater dividends and buybacks for the shareholders. This is pretty good unless you were one of the 17,000 saps that got canned. While firing…

If they don’t buy it, why should you?

According to Morningstar, of the 7,700 funds tracked, fifty percent of the managers have not invested a single dime in their funds!! This is an outrage. Not only do the majority of these funds vastly underperform their index, their own managers are showing no confidence in their ability to beat the market. This is like…

Who are the twenty richest celebrities?

For now, nothing in life is permanent… http://www.shebudgets.com/lifestyle/entertainment/20-hollywood-celebrities-with-the-highest-net-worth/17287?utm_source=taboola-networth&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=accordingto&utm_campaign=celebritynetworth

How can you tell if your home is over or underpriced?

A simple formula can give you an idea. Take one year’s rent and divide it by what you think your home would sell for. This is the amount you would receive if you decided to rent your house for a year instead of selling it. Example: $3,000 a month in rent (what you think you…

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Heath Ledger left messed up estates.

While proper estate planning is important for the average Joe, it is especially so for the rich and famous. Obviously both of these actors were dealing with more serious issues than their estates, but some simple planning could have made their families lives a lot less complicated. For instance Hoffman did not update his will…

What does the lack of financial literacy cost you? 15 toxic results

With all the talk of inequality in this country, a vital cause is being neglected. The decisions made by the financially illiterate among us are devastating to their economic health. Take a look at what happens when schools worry more about students understanding the area of a rhombus than the value of compound interest. In…

Most investment returns are random

This is the main reason you should use index funds. The majority of stock picking is pure random luck. There are good years and bad years but if you think the fund manager has control over this you are kidding yourself. Investing is one endeavor in which a complete amateur can destroy a professional over…

Honor Roll or Dean’s list does not equal money smarts

On the contrary, many people who received high grades end up being awful investors. These people are like Michael Jordan who thought he could transfer his skill on the basketball court to the baseball diamond. He found out the hard way it was not that easy. The skills needed to be a great or even…