I once had a huge research report due for clients and the deadline was quickly approaching. My computer had just frozen and I thought the best thing to do at that point was to reboot. But my computer wouldn’t start up. That was my only computer and the document, which had about 100 pages, hadn’t been backed up in quite some time.#-ad_banner-# It turned out I needed to reinstall the operating system, which would wipe out my current hard drive. At that point, getting access to my document had become priceless. That episode taught me an important lesson: Save early… Read More

I once had a huge research report due for clients and the deadline was quickly approaching. My computer had just frozen and I thought the best thing to do at that point was to reboot. But my computer wouldn’t start up. That was my only computer and the document, which had about 100 pages, hadn’t been backed up in quite some time.#-ad_banner-# It turned out I needed to reinstall the operating system, which would wipe out my current hard drive. At that point, getting access to my document had become priceless. That episode taught me an important lesson: Save early and often.  Well, this lesson doesn’t just apply to backing up data. It’s also a key ingredient for successful investing. Just like certain documents and pictures, in business, a few irreplaceable assets have significant value and no adequate substitute. Take pipelines for example. Once they have been built, it’s simply not feasible for another company to come along and build a new pipeline next to the existing one. Add the fact that pipelines have a valuable use as they carry oil, natural gas, fuels and other commodities across the country, and it really becomes… Read More

Did you know the United States is projected to be the world’s top oil producer within the next five to seven years? At least that’s what the International Energy Agency has projected. This means the United States is on pace to beat Russia and Saudi Arabia in daily crude output.#-ad_banner-#… Read More

The mobile market is huge. And in the past few years, it has been growing exponentially across the globe. Mobile technology is constantly reshaping how we interact in our daily lives. From smartphones to tablet computers, can you think of anyone who… Read More

Aging baby boomers have been a topic among investors for quite some time. After all, with a demographic of more than 76 million in the United States, they’re the biggest — and richest — generation in history. With a baby boomer turning 60… Read More

Aging baby boomers have been a topic among investors for quite some time. After all, with a demographic of more than 76 million in the United States, they’re the biggest — and richest — generation in history. With a baby boomer turning 60 every eight seconds, this segment is expected to comprise 20-25% of the U.S. population in about 20 years. As a group, baby boomers have accumulated a lot of wealth. With the average baby boomer predicted to retire with $500,000… Read More

Aging baby boomers have been a topic among investors for quite some time. After all, with a demographic of more than 76 million in the United States, they’re the biggest — and richest — generation in history. With a baby boomer turning 60 every eight seconds, this segment is expected to comprise 20-25% of the U.S. population in about 20 years. As a group, baby boomers have accumulated a lot of wealth. With the average baby boomer predicted to retire with $500,000 and $1 million in assets, this group is estimated to have $7 trillion in wealth, which accounts for nearly 70% of the total wealth in the United States.#-ad_banner-# Most of the individual clients I counsel fall into this demographic. My typical new client is a male baby boomer with most of his accumulated assets invested into a former employer’s 401k, IRAs and his home equity. He’s invested in stocks to save for retirement, but now he is concerned with making these… Read More

Have you ever been traveling somewhere and opted for a scenic route to make your trip more enjoyable? Many of the world’s savviest investors also travel a different path in an effort to avoid a lackluster performance in their investments.#-ad_banner-# Because… Read More

We all know we have been in a tough economy during the past several years. A look across Wall Street or maybe within your own family shows difficult times: Downsizing, reduced hours, layoffs and reduced income. Many Americans… Read More

Contrary to clothing companies, which tend to have a steady flow of customers, footwear companies come in and out of vogue. Far too many companies place their efforts on trying to attract the highly profitable teen niche. Yet trying to appease a capricious teenager’s taste is an uphill battle. While… Read More

With the United States in the edge of a fiscal cliff and Europe now officially in a recession, investors are jumping into more defensive stocks that can hold up in this hostile investment environment. Read More

Now that President Barack Obama has been reelected, many fear his vision of big-government planning, spending and taxing. But what is so bad about big government anyway? #-ad_banner-# The problem is, with a growing government comes growing expenses. And these days the United States is sitting on the edge of… Read More