Archives for April 2012

Hi Everyone, Monday morning brought early volatility to U.S. equity markets and headlines regarding increased fear and volatility. Many of these references were to the VIX. I want you to understand this measure and know what may fix your VIX concerns. ~Susan The VIX VIX is a ticker symbol for the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index and is a measure of the perceived volatility of S&P 500 Index options over the next 30 … [Read more...]

Hi Everyone, Another tax season is behind us and I won’t be shy when it comes to reminding you that we should not wait until April of next year to deal with important issues. Our tax code is complicated. We could do more in the summer. ~Susan FIFO and a Frustrating Code Our Economy Today Investors in traditional mutual funds now have a choice on how their cost basis is calculated. Most will choose between FIFO (first in, first out) and an … [Read more...]

Hi Everyone, Back in May of last year, I originally posted most of the following content to remind everyone that periods of uncertainty are common in the market and there are a few things investors should keep in mind to weather the Spring storms. They are centered around cleaning things up. ~Susan Spring Cleaning Spring is a good time to clean up and rebalance portfolios for the summer. With present downturn in hand, it's important to … [Read more...]

Hi Everyone, Happy Easter! As I grabbed the eggs and other staples at the local grocery this weekend, I ran into an old friend that ran up to me and asked "So, what do you invest in when the market is at a multi-year high?". The question itself isn't that uncommon but it made me look around the store and I had to chuckle at what I saw. When in doubt about where to invest, you can always consider investing in what's in your cart. Many of these … [Read more...]