Q We want to buy stock for our two 12 year old grandsons stocks they would enjoy following Do you have any suggestions We'd like stocks with a good possibility to go up or at least not crash and with products they may be familiar with T P Corpus Christi TX A With hindsight we…
Read"It's the Second Revolution " M Barton Waring said in a recent telephone interview He was referring to changes in 401(k) plans that will probably be accelerated by the disappointments and disasters investors have experienced in the last two years Mr Waring a Managing Director at Barclays…
Read"Over the last 10 years 740 of the 2 285 domestic companies with 10 year records have provided annualized returns of 6 percent or less This means millions of workers have essentially missed the greatest bull market in history simply because their employer contributed company stock instead of…
ReadQ I am a social worker and have worked most of my professional life (I'm 38) in the nonprofit social services world My salary has never exceeded $28 000 I read in your column and other places that I must save 15 percent of my income for retirement My question is this When people talk about…
ReadNo it wasn't a good year But it may not have been as bad as we think We are regaled daily with ongoing stories of total losses in 401(k) plans such as Enron We also read accounts of losses that are merely devastating like Lucent Most 401(k) participants however had an 'off' year They…
ReadMaybe we're not so dumb after all Millions of people are kicking themselves for having lost money in the last two years But some powerful evidence suggests we invest reasonably well We take age appropriate levels of risk We also make adjustments to our investments as we learn Last year…
ReadQ I get a little disheartened when I read your article and see the large amounts of wealth some people have accumulated at my age I'm 35 and own my own home It is worth about $145 000 with a mortgage balance of $105 000 I make $48 000 a year and put 8 percent in my 401k My company matches 3…
ReadAll right let's talk Two recent columns about the true cost of money management brought a wave of reader mail filled with questions objections and defenses The majority of the messages were from people on the sell side who felt I was being unfair and had something against people in the…
ReadSeen any dividends lately Collected any good interest payments Probably not As this is written the 3 month Treasury is yielding a record low 1 66 percent That's less than the trailing inflation rate 1 90 percent The average 3 month CD according to Banxquote yields even less 1 48 percent…
ReadQ I have a car loan of about $11 000 with $116 payments taken out of my check twice monthly I also put $120 into a 401k plan each pay period and another $60 into savings to cover the cost of my insurance I'm single 60 and earn $12 50 an hour working as a checker in a grocery store As of…
ReadHow would you like to have a steady income that rose regularly was never taxed and required no work This income is available to all of us We just don't know about it don't think about it and seldom incorporate it into our long term plans Economists call it "imputed income" the benefits…
ReadCould we have 7 lean years in the stock market Sobered by two years of stock market losses we're inclined to take the question seriously Let's start with the historical record In the 15 year period ending 1999 large capitalization common stocks provided a compound annual return over 18…
ReadQ Most questions in your column relate to people who have an investment portfolio for retirement income When it comes to long range planning you suggest a percentage of the portfolio that can be withdrawn each year My situation is different As a county employee my retirement contributions…
ReadThe more fearless the prediction the more likely it will happen We have learned this over the years Last year you and I were the Only Hope of keeping the domestic world and intergalactic economy in motion Our predicted mantra was "Less talking more shopping " We're still the Only Hope in…
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