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The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.
Linus Pauling Categories
Monthly Archives: January 2010
Main Street to Wall Street: We don’t buy the rally
Edward Shook can’t resist a bull market.
He rode the one in the late 1990s and lost $350,000 in the dot-com collapse. Shaken but optimistic, he bought into the bull market that followed — and lost another $350,000 from his portfolio’s peak when stocks fell to a 12-year low in early 2009.
Now the 65-year-old roofing contractor from Raleigh, N.C., says “he’s getting smart for a change.” Even though the Standard & Poor’s 500 has climbed 68 percent since March, Shook is largely leaving the stock market “to the crooks that run” it. He’s sold shares and bought bonds instead, with no regrets.
Millions of other Americans are steering the same course . . . read more Read More
Price wars, decade’s best and worst industries
Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery? Maybe, but businesses should think twice before they try to match the prices of their competitors.
Cost-cutting can erode and destroy brands and can render companies unable to survive, says Richard D’Aveni, author of the recently published book, “Beating the Commodity Trap.”
Just because a low-cost competitor comes along from seemingly out of nowhere, or a rival business offers discounts and snazzy perks, doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice profit margins . . . read more Read More
New titles on college savings, rebuilding a 401(k)
Setting money aside for retirement and for a college fund in a way that doesn’t disrupt your budget can be challenging. Consider the titles on this week’s bookshelf to help get you there . . . read more Read More
Finance options for home solar are growing
Rooftop solar panels usually sound great until you see the price tag. Even with generous tax breaks, a home-installed system can cost as much as an SUV depending where you live.
But what if you could put solar on your roof virtually for free . . . read more Read More
Vote For The Weekly Cartoon
Images used under Creative Commons licenses 3.0 & 2.5 (Dylan Horrocks, Greg Williams, and Nina Paley) Read More
Winter can chill your workplace and your cash flow
This winter’s long cold snap has made people across the country miserable. Many small business owners are going to feel even worse when they see their heating bills.
The added expense of keeping businesses warm when the temperature dives cuts into already thin cash flows. It’s not just the cost of natural gas and heating oil — electrical use can go up too.
Business owners need to be sure they’re not losing money to drafty windows and doors, so this is the perfect time to look over a workplace and see how it can be made more energy-efficient.
Two key questions for an owner to consider: What can you do right now to save money, and what can you to lower your bills in the coming years? . . . read more Read More
Oil and gas prices tumble to lowest levels of 2010
Oil and gas prices plunged to their lowest levels of the year Wednesday after the government reported that supplies grew more than expected.
The Energy Information Administration said that the nation’s oil supply swelled by 3.7 million barrels last week, well above the average for this time of year. Gasoline supplies grew by 3.8 million barrels . . . read more Read More
Workplace lingo: The good and bad of office jargon
At the end of the day, it’s important to achieve a win-win solution. Be sure to think outside the box to demonstrate thought leadership. And harness key learnings to change the game on that mission-critical project.
Confused? You have company. Many workers say they’re fed up with business jargon and corporate buzzwords.
Every industry has its own lingo. In technology, employees use “bandwidth” in conversations that have nothing to do with the Internet, saying things like, “I don’t have the bandwidth to deal with this situation.”
In finance, workers toss about terms such as “best-in-breed” when referring to investments. And young attorneys at large law practices like to say they’re “underwater” when they’re busy, said Bob Knaier, a senior associate at a San Diego firm.
“It’s a nice example of how attorneys want to make things sound much more drastic than they are,” Knaier said. “‘I’m not just busy, but my life is at stake; I’m drowning in work.’”
Business speak does have some up sides, for example, creating a sense of camaraderie among co-workers. But many people still feel it can go a bit too far. Here are some tips for coping with the babble . . . read more Read More
Your credit score: A look at what’s behind it
Your FICO credit score is made up of five factors of varying importance. The weighted importance of the categories listed below are averages. For some people — such those who haven’t been using credit for long — certain categories may count more heavily . . . read more Read More
Older birthdays offer extra reasons to rejoice
Even if the candles don’t all fit on the cake, there’s extra reason to celebrate some key older birthdays in the post-meltdown economy.
Hitting certain milestones can provide financial and health-related security that those with their eye on retirement long took for granted but don’t any more.
Since the bottom fell out of retirement portfolios in 2008 and early 2009, government entitlements and other protections earned with age have become more essential for the over-50 crowd . . . read more Read More
Vote for the Weekly Cartoon
Images used under Creative Commons licenses 3.0 & 2.5 (Dylan Horrocks, Greg Williams, and Nina Paley) Read More
Make 2010 different: 6 budget mistakes to avoid
Do you keep track of your ATM withdrawals? Do you know what you spent on car repairs this year? Did you set aside cash for holiday spending?
If you’re answers are “no,” ”no,” and “no,” there’s a good chance you didn’t keep your 2009 New Year’s resolution to stick to a budget.
Promising that next year will be different isn’t enough. Even with the best intentions, common mistakes can lead to failure. Learning to avoid these pitfalls can make the difference for 2010 . . . read more Read More
