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Investing

5 Reasons to Beware 401(k) Retirement Plans

by Luke Landes
Cubicle

Financial planners just love promoting 401(k) retirement plans. They have quite a few benefits, notably a tax deduction for contributions as well as a tax deferral for contributions and earnings. They’re also one of the most popular vehicles for introducing the working middle class to the stock market, something that might not have been accessible ... Continue reading this article…

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Schwab Creates Low-Cost 401(k) Fund Choices

by Luke Landes

I used to work for a company in the financial services industry. Another branch of the corporation I worked for is involved with institutional money management. This department manages institutional investments like company retirement plans and pensions. This is a service they provided to other companies of various types, much like Fidelity and Schwab offer ... Continue reading this article…

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My Future Investing Strategy

by Luke Landes

Last week I met with a Certified Financial Planner for the first time. This was a free service provided by Vanguard, so it was a good opportunity to speak to a professional about my specific situation. For many years, I’ve been relying on mostly generalized advice, whether from books, large communities like the Motley Fool ... Continue reading this article…

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Year End Reminder: Rebalance Your Portfolio

by Luke Landes
Balance

As the end of the year approaches, take a break from stressing about the holiday season by getting your personal finances in order. It’s a great time to finish your charitable contributions and adjust your 401(k) contribution. It’s also better to fund your IRA now than it is to wait until the April deadline. You ... Continue reading this article…

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Year End Reminder: Fund Your IRA Now

by Luke Landes

These last few weeks in December present a good time to prepare your finances for the coming year. My personal goal is to start January 1 on a good note, moving my life forward. In the grand scheme putting your finances in order takes a back seat to cleaning up your life as a whole, ... Continue reading this article…

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Year End Reminder: Change Your 401(k) Contribution Level Now

by Luke Landes
Winter Snow

At the end of the year, most people in the United States are thinking about the holidays and the potential credit card bills for gifts and family visits. One good way to control this potentially stressful month is to take some time to breathe and get your own finances in order. There are several actions ... Continue reading this article…

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Judge Rejects Citigroup Lawsuit Settlement

by Luke Landes

The Securities and Exchange Commission, an organization designed to regulate and oversee the financial industry, is charged with acting in investors’ best interests. Most of the time, however, the SEC works on behalf of the large financial companies under its purview. As a result, when consumers demand that companies be held accountable for misleading investors ... Continue reading this article…

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The $4 Million Photograph: How Do You Value Art?

by Luke Landes

Last week, a photograph by Andreas Gurksy, Rhein II, was sold at auction for $4,338,500 to an anonymous buyer. The record-breaking sale allowed Gursky to reclaim fame as the artist whose work has claimed the highest price paid for a photograph. This auction was a secondary market sale. As in most art auctions commanding high ... Continue reading this article…

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Should Hedge Funds Receive Special Treatment?

by Luke Landes

The Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) has advised the managers of super-secret hedge funds, investments of the most wealthy, that they will soon need to disclose more information to the regulators. Highly leveraged hedge funds contributed to the economic collapse, but the pressure to increase oversight has been mostly ignored by the industry. In response ... Continue reading this article…

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401(k) Contribution Limits for 2012

by Luke Landes

Thanks to inflation, the maximum amount of money you may contribute to your 401(k) in 2012 will change. This applies to 403(b) accounts, as well. For 2009, 2010, and 2011, the maximum you may designate to your 401(k), not including your employer’s matching contributions, was $16,500, but in 2012, this will finally increase to $17,000. ... Continue reading this article…

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Citi Settles Lawsuit for $285 Million

by Luke Landes

Without admitting any wrongdoing, Citigroup has settled a major lawsuit. The Securities and Exchange Commission claimed that Citi misled investors, and to settle the claims, the financial behemoth was ordered to pay $285 million to customers. The issue focuses on collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) in 2007. The bank packaged subprime mortgages, loans with a good ... Continue reading this article…

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Betterment Review

by Luke Landes

Betterment is a different type of brokerage. Unlike most discount brokerages whose purpose is to get customers to trade — as frequently as possible — Betterment is looking to be your asset manager. Currently, the brokerage is offering a bonus of $25 for new customers, but the way they do business is a bit different ... Continue reading this article…

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Bank of America Paid Warren Buffett $1.4 Billion for a $5 Billion Investment

by Luke Landes

If you’ve been reading the financial news today, you might have heard that veteran investor and market-mover Warren Buffett invested $5 billion into the battered Bank of America. For this $5 billion investment, Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway receives preferred shares, a type of investment that’s beyond the reach of most other investors. These shares come with ... Continue reading this article…

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How to Hedge Against Gasoline Price Increases

by Luke Landes
Gas Pump Fuel | crowt59

When gasoline prices at the pump increased to the point where the cost was a major news item engendering backlash among the public, oil companies were sporting big profits. Consumers reacted by buying more fuel-efficient cars and traveling less, but there is another approach for investors — an approach that mimics what commodities and hedge ... Continue reading this article…

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High-Yield Investing In a Low-Yield Environment

by Investor Junkie
Tokyo Stock Exchange Investing

This is a guest article by Investor Junkie, focusing on alternative investments. This is a broad topic, so this article functions as a brief overview. There are many ideas within that deserve deeper explanation, something I’ll consider for future articles here. Market turmoil is all around us. Last week, the 10-year US Treasury bond went ... Continue reading this article…

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Taxing Wall Street Transactions

by Luke Landes

We pay a sales tax on most products we buy, so why isn’t there a tax when you buy stocks and bonds? In the United Kingdom, a tax on stock purchases raises four billion pounds annually. It’s hard to estimate how much revenue a tax on financial transactions would generate in the United States, but ... Continue reading this article…

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Using Twitter to Predict the Stock Market

by Luke Landes
Twiter

A perfect predictor for stock market movements is the holy grail of investing. If you knew with certainty that the stock market would increase tomorrow, you would buy to take advantage of the change, and if yo knew with certainty it would decline, you would sell. If a predictor could be proven to be perfect, ... Continue reading this article…

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Warren Buffett: Buying More Stocks Amid Turmoil

by Luke Landes
Warren Buffett

There’s no doubt that the stock market has been a bit turbulent these past few days. After days when the stock market tumbles, the financial news media claims the double dip recession is here, and after days when the Dow and S&P shoot back up, stories point to the rally in 2008 that took place ... Continue reading this article…

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TradeKing $100 Cash Bonus For New Accounts and Free Trades

by Luke Landes
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From now until August 31, 2011, the TradeKing discount brokerage is offering a $100 cash bonus for all new accounts that are funded with at least $2,500 and execute three trades. If you happen to lose money in an investment, you won’t be penalized and will still receive the bonus. $100 bonus The $100 cash ... Continue reading this article…

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Should You Sell When the Stock Market Tumbles?

by Luke Landes
Scream

Although stocks are opening higher this morning, yesterday brought more devastation to the stock market. Stocks are now down 13 percent over the past week and down 11 percent for the year. This is bad news for stock investors, with the worst short-term performance since the market crashed at the beginning of the recession. This ... Continue reading this article…

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