How to Live Like a Millionaire
The lives of the “rich and famous” tend to be quite a bit different from the lives of the merely “rich.” In fact, studies show that being rich often results from a rather low-profile lifestyle. With that said, if you want to live the life of a millionaire, here’s your guide: Work hard. According to ”The Millionaire Next Door,” by Thomas Stanley and William Danko, 80% of the millionaires worked and saved to generate their wealth and 80% of them […]
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Date: March 19, 2012
Maximize Your FDIC Insurance
As of 2008, deposits in FDIC member banks are insured by the Federal Depository Insurance Corporation up to $250,000 per individual. Because an “individual” is defined in a number of different ways, your accounts can be insured well in excess of $250,000 at the same bank, if they are structured under different ownership forms and, if applicable, beneficiary designations. FDIC coverage is $250,000 for the total of all single accounts owned by the same person at the same insured bank. […]
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Date: March 15, 2012
Heritage Capital on FOX61’s CT Morning News
Tune in to FOX61’s Money Matters on Tuesday March 13 between 9am and 10am for my updated Top 5 Tips for Investors in 2012.
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Date: March 12, 2012
Top 9 Tips for the Successful Investor in 2012: BONUS Tip
BONUS TIP – Dividend paying stocks are NOT substitutes for bonds Over the years, investors’ attachment to dividends has swung from being the Holy Grail to the worst use of capital in the markets. And that typically depends on how well or poorly the stock market did the previous year or two. In the late 1990s, dividend investors were laughed at as “out of touch” and “very old school” while the dotcom mania was in full swing. Yet after a […]
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Date: March 6, 2012
Top 9 Tips for the Successful Investor in 2012: Tip #1
It’s amazing how powerful the turn of the calendar can be. New Year’s resolutions dominate the landscape with all of the weight loss programs and workout products at the top of the list. I’ve never been a huge “resolution” person, probably since there’s just too much I need to change and it’s a little overwhelming! But each year, I may pick one single project that needs to get done and is manageable. Last year, my office resolution was to become […]
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Date: March 3, 2012
Top 9 Tips for the Successful Investor in 2012: Tip #9
9 – Seek the help of a professional A recent Dalbar study revealed that from 1986 to 2005 the average investor earned 3.90% before taxes while the average stock mutual fund made 9.30% and the S&P 500 grew by 11.90%. Individual investors are emotional by nature and have a bad habit of buying near peaks and selling near bottoms, exactly the opposite of what they should be doing! If that sounds familiar to you, it’s time to seek qualified help. […]
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Date: February 26, 2012
Top 9 Tips for the Successful Investor in 2012: Tip #8
8 – Prepare for higher taxes No matter who is to blame (it’s really irrelevant at this point), the Great Recession and subsequent government bailouts, programs and stimuli are resulting in trillion dollar plus budget deficits as far as the eye can see. To correct this, the government can cut spending and shrink government and/or raise taxes. In all likelihood, there will be a combination of both which should result in continued subpar growth with rolling bouts of weakness as […]
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Date: February 24, 2012
Top 9 Tips for the Successful Investor in 2012: Tip #7
7 – Residential real estate begins the stabilization process. It’s no secret that the real estate bubble has burst and many areas of the country are left in ruins. It was no secret in 2008 that the energy bubble burst. And it was certainly no secret that the dotcom bubble burst 10 years ago. The problem is that it was only apparent to the masses after the initial collapse occurred! The chart below can be applied to any bubble or […]
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Date: February 22, 2012
Top 9 Tips for the Successful Investor in 2012: Tip #6
6 – “I’m from the government and I am here to help!” Those were Ronald Reagan’s nine most terrifying words. Not a new worry, but the biggest risk to the financial markets and economic recovery is politicians running even more amuck, especially with the hugely important election this year here and others around the globe. Before long, all of the talk will turn to the two presidential candidates, Barack Obama and likely Mitt Romney with their dizzying array of media […]
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Date: February 20, 2012
Top 9 Tips for the Successful Investor in 2012: Tip #5
5 – Look for the U.S. economy to continue to slog along When economies emerge from recession, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) tends to accelerate very quickly and in steep fashion as consumers who have held off purchases begin to buy and companies who became lean and mean during the cleansing are not left with much inventory. That’s in “normal” times. What we experienced in 2008 and 2009 was the bursting of a credit bubble and subsequent deleveraging (reducing debt). Recoveries […]
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Date: February 14, 2012
Top 9 Tips for the Successful Investor in 2012: Tip #4
4 – Don’t get complacent! After a horrific climate in late 2007, 2008 and early 2009 where most asset classes were decimated, the last 9 months of 2009 saw tremendous “bounce back” where most people began to feel better as their portfolios and the economy stabilized. Don’t get complacent and lazy, thinking the markets going to party like it’s the 1990s all over again. That time will come later this decade. The modern investor has a short memory and has […]
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Date: February 9, 2012
Top 9 Tips for the Successful Investor in 2012: Tip #3
3 – Beware the “Money Magazine Jinx”. What worked well last year isn’t likely to be repeated next year. When the popular publications like Money and Fortune give kudos to a particular investment’s success last year, it’s usually close to the end. That’s been the case the vast majority of the time in bull and bear markets with geographic regions like Asian emerging markets, asset classes like commodities, mutual funds like the Fairholme Fund and Legg Mason Value Trust, sectors […]
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Date: February 7, 2012
Top 9 Tips for the Successful Investor in 2012: Tip #2
2 – Asset allocating among stocks and bonds hasn’t worked well this century and it’s unlikely to work in the next decade. Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT), which espouses fixed portfolio allocations of stocks and bonds, may not be dead, but it’s critically wounded and has hurt hundreds of thousands of pre-retirees and retirees just in the past 12 years. Folks who retired in 1999 and 2000 have been decimated TWICE in 10 years. Not only were they drawing income off […]
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Date: February 2, 2012
Top 9 Tips for the Successful Investor in 2012: Tip #1
It’s amazing how powerful the turn of the calendar can be. New Year’s resolutions dominate the landscape with all of the weight loss programs and workout products at the top of the list. I’ve never been a huge “resolution” person, probably since there’s just too much I need to change and it’s a little overwhelming! But each year, I may pick one single project that needs to get done and is manageable. Last year, my office resolution was to become […]
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Date: January 30, 2012
