Financial Planning, Retirement Plan, 401k, Investment Blog

Financial Planning, Retirement Plan, 401k, Investment Blog

Stock Watch

Jobs – Jobless for six months…Now what?

Posted January 15, 2009 by Bernz

Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs announced yesterday afternoon that he will take a medical leave of absence until the end of June to deal with health issues.  Last week he announced to the world about his problem with hormone imbalance, now he learned that his medical condition was more complex than previously thought. According to his letter to Apple employees he would remain involved in major decisions in the coming months.

Will this be the end for Apple? Absolutely not! Not trying to underestimate the importance of Steve Jobs but  over the years he has surrounded himself with top executive brains to run Apple.  One of them is Tim Cook Apple COO who will take over the day to day running of Apple while Steve is on leave.  Plus of course their line of great products.

Let’s all pray for Steve…..

Shares of Apple stock tumble 5% to $80.25 to this writing.

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Bargain stocks, a good deal?

Posted October 24, 2008 by Bernz

Diving stocks are hugely tempting. Despite intense speculation and high hopes of locking in tax benefits. But watch out. Bargain stocks might not be the good deal they seem.

As put by CNBC.com, “You know when Warren Buffett starts buying stocks that we are at least within a 500-mile radius of the bottom”.

When a company is going through bankruptcy its shareholders are the last people to get paid. There is also a chance you might not get paid at all, meaning the stock you hold for that company could be completely worthless. I say “could be” because there is a chance that some pre-existing shareholders will receive some payment, but it’s a major gamble.

Friends, a smarter investment in these tumultuous times could simply be taking better care of what ever new money you have coming in. For instance a reallocation program that adjusts contributions to under-funded areas in your portfolio can keep you from locking yourself in to future losses. Talk to your financial advisor or your employer’s benefits manager about setting up a program that reallocates your new money.

And another thing: diversify. With the risks of having all your eggs placed in one basket, diversification should be among your top investment priorities. I’ve covered a few strategies that lend to automatic diversification. Click here to learn about a common way to instantly diversify your portfolio.

Posted in Investing Basics, Stock Market Investing, Stock Watch | 1 Comment »

With total stock market indexing your investment goes a long way

Posted October 13, 2008 by Bernz

Want an easy investment approach? By easy I mean the cut-to-the-chase, one-stop-shopping approach, where you get a heavy mix of all stock styles and size categories.

I’m referring to total stock market indexing. It’s a single-product approach to investing that allows you to invest in the entire stock market all at once. If owning a sizeable chunk of the market and having the opportunity to achieve long-term sustainability excite you then you’ll also appreciate these other 4 advantages of total stock market indexing give you right from the start.

1. Effortless and broad diversification. This helps protect your portfolio from risks because your “investment eggs” are placed in more than one basket.
2. You save time. The simplistic structure eliminates monitoring and managing complex portfolios that contain many stocks from various sectors. You get a clear, understandable view of your portfolio at any time.

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Posted in Retirement Planning, Stock Market Investing, Stock Watch | No Comments »