Consumerism Commentary readers: Please complete this readership survey for a chance to win a $50 Amazon.com gift card! It may be true that everyone who invested with Bernard Madoff without knowing the extent of his scheme was a victim, but some investors have profited from Madoff’s plan. For example, assume an investor gave $1 million ... Continue reading this article…

If you contribute to a 401(k) plan, you may be happy to hear that this year’s contribution maximum is increasing. In 2008, the tax code allowed employees to contribute up to $15,500. Anyone who turned 50 years old in 2008 could also add a catch-up contribution of $5,000 above this limit, bringing the maximum to ... Continue reading this article…

Over the last 36 years whose first five days resulted in a stock market increase, 31 of those years experienced an overall good year for stocks. While that’s a good track record, it’s not an infallible indicator. There are three trading days left in 2008, a lost cause for the stock market. This method has ... Continue reading this article…

In the sea of cubicles in my office, two of my coworkers were talking yesterday about their investments. As stocks — primarily our company stock — have increased a little from their recent lows, they seem to believe that this might be a good time to increase 401(k) contributions and enroll in the company stock ... Continue reading this article…

It’s now more than a month since I considered taking advantage of a downward market by dollar-cost averaging at specific times. Yes, I’m “timing the market.” After making a few newbie mistakes when buying on the dips, I’ve refined my strategy. At Vanguard, I have cash in a tax-exempt money market fund, which I will ... Continue reading this article…

Yesterday, GM announced that it would be suspending the company’s matching contributions into its employees’ 401(k) retirement plans starting November 1 and lasting until financial conditions improve. For people like me who make their living working for a corporation, the 401(k) match is practically expected. One way to look at the company match, if dollar ... Continue reading this article…

Here’s what an economist had to say about investing on ABC 7 Eyewitness News tonight: Third quarter 401(k) statements are reaching homes now. Don’t look at your statement. If you put more money in your 401(k), put it into Treasuries. If you are thinking about stocks, think again. They look cheap now, but they’ll be ... Continue reading this article…

Last week, I suggested considering tax-exempt money market funds as an alternative to high-yield savings accounts. As an example, I looked at one of the best options for me, the Vanguard New Jersey Tax-Exempt Money Market Fund (VNJXX), citing its 4.83 percent 7-day yield. Today, a week later, the yield is already down more than 100 ... Continue reading this article…

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, a measurement of the stock market at large, ended below 10,000 yesterday. That’s the lowest closing since 2004 and it’s quite a drastic change from a year ago, when the market closed above 14,000, the highest watermark for the Dow. It’s tempting to just stick my head in the sand. ... Continue reading this article…