Historians will look back at December 2010 as a watershed moment. At the beginning of the month, a courageous group of bipartisan souls announced a blueprint to stem the runaway tide of red ink. A couple weeks later, Congress and President Barack Obama agreed upon extending the Bush-era tax-cut package… Read More

Precious metals are skyrocketing. An ounce of gold, selling for less than $300 a decade ago, now changes hands at more than $1,400. Investors of all types are worried that the Federal Reserve is putting us on the road to currency devaluation and soaring… Read More

It’s been a roller-coaster year for stocks, but one that will ultimately end well. Barring any unforeseen events, the S&P 500 will end the year with a gain of about 15.0%. This year brought with it a myriad of opportunities for profits and losses, from the commodities boom and M&A… Read More

This is the time of year when investors typically rebalance their portfolios and begin preparing... Read More

This is the time of year when investors typically rebalance their portfolios and begin preparing for the year ahead. In preparation for the coming year, it helps to look back and think about the... Read More

Most investors take a look at them before they leap into stocks, but analyst recommendations don’t necessarily have a great track record. So, before you take a buy/sell call on faith, you may want to consider the fact that the folks doing the ratings aren’t always right. But that’s not… Read More

As you continually assess current events for any impact on your portfolio, you also need to spend... Read More

As you continually assess current events for any impact on your portfolio, you also need to spend time thinking about what events may be on the horizon. And although none of us has a crystal ball,... Read More

When I went to the Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-B) annual meeting in 2009, there was something I really wanted to do. No, it wasn’t a chat with Warren Buffett. That’s almost impossible at the yearly “Woodstock for Capitalists,” and only first-timers make the trek… Read More

The Republican and Democratic positions on the long-term budget woes are clear: The GOP has pushed strongly for sharp spending cuts to help bring down the national debt, while the Democrats believe current spending efforts to get the economy on track now will boost government revenue and close… Read More

My first rule of investing: never buy stock in a company simply because you think it will be bought out. Simply put, most rumored deals never happen. But I do like to keep an eye the rumor mill, because it can often point the way to intriguing companies that still… Read More

With companies sporting abnormally high levels of cash these days, they’re feeling greater pressure to give something back to shareholders. A dividend hike is the normal route, but an increasing number of companies are initiating massive stock buybacks.     I looked… Read More