January 2009

>Reflections: Stimulus package and Tax Rebates

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>It looks more likely than not that President Obama’s economic stimulus package will get passed by President’s day (Feb 16). This includes the various consumer stimulus and rebates, most notably the $500/$1000 tax rebate that most Americans will qualify for. I have written in detail about the tax credit/rebate (including how it will be paid [...]

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Investing Lessons to Live By

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John C. Bogle former CEO of the Vanguard Group recently discussed some investing lessons from his newest book, “Enough. True Measures of Money, Business, and Life“. Here are some of his investing and market philosophies that all investors can learn from. I know it reaffirmed some of my changing views. 1) Beware of market forecasts, [...]

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Rates on Savings Accounts and CDs Set to Increase

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The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC), the agency that guarantees bank deposits, is expected to ease rules restricting relatively weak banks and thrifts from paying higher rates to attract deposits. Under current rules, institutions rated below “well-capitalized” are restricted from paying rates much higher than U.S. Treasury bond yields. But that benchmark is abnormally low [...]

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Final Economic Stimulus and Recovery Package – An American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan

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[Update Feb 12]. The Stimulus Plan has been finalized with agreement reached by both parties in Congress. House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, released a fact sheet outlining the final elements of the stimulus package. [I have covered a number of these in separate posts] The conference report on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act currently being drafted [...]

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The Must Have Second Career For Everyone

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Every person dreams of finding the career that is not only financially sustainable but also rewarding personally. Many people may spend a good portion of their adult life on the quest for such a career. What many people don’t remember as they work through the years either finding or building their dream career is the [...]

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Should I Refinance My Mortgage and Do I Qualify

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With interest rates on 30 year fixed-rate mortgage loans falling below 4%, the lowest level since the 1950s, many borrowers are keen to refinance their home loans and other mortgages. By any long-term measure, current rates are a great deal and could result in tens of thousands of dollars in savings over the life of [...]

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Banking on a Rally for a Quick Trading Profit

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Financial stocks have taken a battering over the last week with steep falls across the board, including the big banks such as Citigroup (C), Bank of America (BAC) and JP Morgan Chase (JPM) which have all fallen more than 25% to record lows. The reasons behind the falls are primarily due to a re-emergence of [...]

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Filing your taxes: D-I-Y Taxation Software or a Professional Preparer

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Over the last few years, having lived in a couple of different countries I have ended up using a tax professional to do my taxes. This was an easy option for me, given I was not familiar with all the local tax laws and wanted some protection/assistance in the advent of an audit. I am [...]

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Tips for avoiding financial disagreements

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>Here is the second in the series about couples and money. The first one was around effective planning and managing expectations. However even the best laid plans can change causing tension in a relationship. This post is on how to handle common financial disagreements when they (and believe me – they will!) occur. Problem: Spending [...]

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Funding the Bailouts by Printing Money and Issuing Debt

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Ever wonder how the Government is able to fund all the bailout and rescue efforts, including President Obama’s proposed $800 billion stimulus package? Especially given the fact that the US is the biggest debtor nation with over 10 trillion dollars in national debt! The answer is simple, we just print more money or sell more [...]

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