The dollar is up. The dollar is down. What does it mean? By Jeffrey D. Carlson, CFP® You hear it regularly in the news: “The dollar rose today against other major currencies,” or “The dollar lost ground today on foreign exchange markets.” Just like stocks and bonds, currencies can fluctuate in value in comparison to [...]
Beyond Angry Birds: Using Technology for your Finances By Jeffrey D. Carlson, CFP® In addition to providing news, entertainment and access to social networking, mobile devices and apps can also make tracking your investments and the financial markets more convenient than ever before. Though this is good news for those who are interested in learning [...]
Charitable Giving Guide for the Holiday Season By Jeffrey D. Carlson, CFP® The holidays ignite the philanthropic spirit in many of us, and even with the uncertain economy, Americans continue to give. In fact, according to Charity Navigator, total giving to charitable organizations was up 3.8 percent from 2009 to 2010. As in previous [...]
New Year’s Resolutions for Every Stage of Your Financial Life By Jeffrey D. Carlson, CFP® It’s time for that annual rite of passage into the New Year: making your resolutions. In addition to vowing to lose 10 pounds or organize your photo drawer, perhaps 2012 should be the year to focus on your finances. [...]
Is the Time Right for You to Refinance? By Jeffrey D. Carlson, CFP® “Rates can’t go lower.” Or so advertisements from mortgage companies have been claiming for years. But it’s possible that now, it’s more true than ever. According to research done by Freddie Mac, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage in [...]
The Federal Reserve and Interest Rates in Your Life By Jeffrey D. Carlson, CFP® We regularly hear news reports about a decision by the Federal Reserve (the Fed) to raise or lower interest rates or to leave them unchanged. Recently, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke announced that the Fed would hold the line on [...]
Emerging Markets Offer More Options for Investors By Jeffrey D. Carlson, CFP® We’re witnessing a period of unusual economic trends across the world. While the economic recovery in the U.S. and other developed nations seems to be at a standstill, there is growth taking place in other parts of the world. Many countries with “emerging [...]
Investment Strategies Amid Downgrades, Downturns and Slowdowns By Jeffrey D. Carlson, CFP® Investors are being forced to cope with what many perceive as unprecedented circumstances in the economic and political environment. At the same time that the U.S. economic recovery appears to be slowing, one independent agency downgraded its rating on debt issued by [...]
Five reasons for investors to be encouraged By Jeffrey D. Carlson, CFP® It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the constant stream of negative news about the state of our country and the world. This feeling also makes it difficult to be confident as an investor. At times likes these, a little perspective might be [...]
The press has been covering every wiggle of the US Debt Ceiling Crisis for over three weeks now. Historically, overly reported and highly analyzed events such as this do not lead to stock market crashes. The stock market is a discounting mechanism which prices in all known information. Sharp changes in market prices are more [...]
