Smart401k Blog

In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers over the past week:

• ING Group announced plans to spin off its insurance business and issue stock to pay back half of its government bailout
• A survey from the National Association for Business Economics stoked hopes for an employment recovery
• Real estate lender Capmark filed for bankruptcy
• Private equity giant Blackstone may be preparing an IPO for theme park operator Merlin

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Some people may be under the impression that estate plans are only for the Rockefellers of the world, but in reality anyone who has something of value or someone they care about can benefit from having one. Estate planning is the process of planning what happens to your property and potentially your dependants when you pass.  By planning ahead you can rest easy knowing that you have made arrangements for the future of your loved ones, and maybe save them some money on taxes while you’re at it.

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In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers over the past week:

• Apple reported recession-defying results
• Morgan Stanley agreed to sell its Van Kampen asset management business to Invesco
• The Federal Reserve has begun experimenting with tools to pull cash back out of the economy
• Yahoo! defied critics by reporting a huge profit increase

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As an advisor, I frequently speak to investors that are letting their emotions dictate their investment decisions.  Every day we hear about what the market is doing.  The Dow is up or the Dow is down.  This overload of information has caused many investors to make decisions, based on short-term market movements, that will have a significant long term impact on their account.

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In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers over the past week:

• Private equity giant Blackstone may be preparing to exit up to 13 of its portfolio companies
• Central banks have increasingly shifted their reserves into currencies other than the dollar
• Economists boosted their view of third quarter growth
• Legendary dealmaker Bruce Wasserstein died at age 61

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Recent economic conditions have impacted families in many ways, one of which is in regards to saving for college.  Today’s competitive job market has emphasized the importance of having a college degree, while making the strains to fund it even more difficult.

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In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers over the past week:

• A TARP watchdog revealed that government officials may not have been truthful about the health of the U.S. banking system
• Network equipment maker Brocade has put itself up for sale
• HSBC’s CEO warned that a second leg of the downturn could be on the way
• Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan warned that the U.S. unemployment rate could top 10%

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At the beginning of the year, my fiancée, ready to pursue loftier goals than her current position, decided to go to law school. I was thrilled that she wanted to pursue one of her dreams, but at the same time I was more than a little nervous about going from two incomes to one amidst a full-blown recession where the term ‘job-security’ no longer existed.  While we had some money set aside, I spent a few sleepless nights wondering how we would make ends meet as we were already facing student loans, car payments and saving for our wedding.

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In the headlines

A look at some of the market movers over the past week:

• Banks are preparing to prepay FDIC fees through 2012 to shore up the insurer’s balance sheet
• A handful of pension funds sued Bank of America over its deal with Merrill Lynch
• Lender CIT announced a debt swap agreement to help it avoid bankruptcy
• The IMF cut its forecast for global bank loan losses

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