Ron's Perspective

Dear Friends and Clients.....

The markets have been very volatile lately. No, actually they have been down right ugly. Fear and panic is ruling the day. It is understandable and even anticipated that you may be worried or anxious during these times. The financial markets have been beaten down by continuing bad news and the S&P 500 is down approximately 20% for the year. Fortunately, I feel many of my accounts have done substantially better than this, but this is of little consolation at the moment.

Fannie & Freddie Problems, Your Home, Oil & Gold - What's Going On?

Fannie and Freddie Problems, Your Home, Oil and Gold - What's Going On?

Key Changes in the Housing Act

Key Changes in the Housing Act

Will High Gas Prices Hurt this Economy?

Filling up my pickup used to take $40, now my wallet is deflated by $75. I hear the same cash sucking sound when my wife fills up her vehicle. Granted we don’t drive the most fuel efficient vehicles, but our monthly budget for gas has gone up at least $200. Ouch! That’s not pocket change, and Americans on a fixed budget or those who are already living beyond their abilities, are going to feel the pinch.

Rates are Falling

 Rates Are Going Down - What Should Savers Do?  

My Favorite Mutual Fund

My Favorite Mutual Fund   

The Check's in the Mail

The Check's in the Mail

Below you will find the details of the recently enacted tax rebate checks.As you can see from this summary, even the simplest of ideas can end up being complex.

Why Future Tax Rates Will Go Up

Why tax rates are going up!

Near Term Forces:

Politics: It appears obvious to me that this country is ready to try a different course of action in 2008. The Democrats are focused on reversing the tax cuts that the Bush administration helped put into place.

Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT):

Fear Runs Rampant

This isn’t a good way to start the year. The typical stock market pattern is a positive market in January. You may have heard of the January effect where stocks start rising in the middle of December (called a Santa Claus Rally) and continue through January. The year 2008, so far, has been dramatically different, and shows why market timers get burned sooner or later.

What is the fixed income squeeze?

Avoiding the Fixed-Income Squeeze

Market Fluctuations

The financial news is filled with panicked advice. Reporters were warning that you should be checking all of your investment balances. One anchor exclaimed, “If you have any money in the market, you lost a bunch of it this week!”