Why and How to Invest in Brazil

February 12, 2012

Invest in Brazil? Brazil has the seventh largest economy in the world and the fifth largest as measured by land mass. With a population of 193 million and a 2 trillion dollar economy, it is a political and economic leader in Latin America. However, social and economic problems have kept it from being an effective [...]

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Weekend Reading #4 – Finance & Investing Links

February 10, 2012

Weekend Reading Despite last week’s slight increase in employment; other factors should cause investors to be cautious. Insider selling, enthusiastic retail stock buyers, collapsing global trade, and high event risk are all factors that should affect portfolio asset allocations. Here is Weekend Reading sorted from shortest to longest: The Designated Driver – Investing is a [...]

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Bank Stocks – High Risk and Erratic Dividends Symptoms of Long Term Problems in Banking System

February 9, 2012

Bank Stocks Bank stocks are no longer investments for “widows and orphans”, but are instead, high risk investments with erratic dividends. Their volatility and undependable dividend payouts are symptoms of long term problems for the banking system. In our last post we looked at why investors should Avoid Value ETFs and Mutual Funds. I pointed [...]

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Why Value Investors Should Avoid Most Value ETFs and Mutual Funds

February 7, 2012

Avoid Value ETFs and Mutual Funds Investors, especially value investors, should avoid most value ETFs and mutual funds because they are over weighted in high risk investments. As a value investor I am always looking for stocks that sell at low prices compared to their potential cash flow and risks associated with the underlying company. [...]

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Best of Personal Finance Investing Blog Posts #8

February 6, 2012

Personal Finance Investing A round up is a blog editor’s best picks from the blogosphere. In the process of research and hosting the Self Directed Investing For Retirement Carnivals I run across excellent articles from a variety of great blogs. This is my way of sharing with you what I believe to be some of [...]

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Investment Decisions: Asset Allocation, Stock Selection, & The Dynamic Duo of Investing

February 5, 2012

Investment Decisions Investment decisions influenced properly by the concept of probability can maximize positive outcomes. In our last post, Making Probability Theory Practical for Investment we discussed how understanding probability would help us avoid short term prognosticators and concentrate on a long term investment plan. Now I want to concentrate on how investors can implement [...]

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Weekend Reading # 3 – Finance & Investing Links

February 3, 2012

The Labor Department reported Nonfarm payrolls expanded by 243,000 last month. The “official” unemployment rate dropped to 8.3%. This reduces the probability of recession in 2012. But we have to respect that the economy is fragile and susceptible to outside events; particularly problems in Europe. Here is Weekend Reading sorted from shortest to longest. Short [...]

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Making Probability Theory Practical for Investment

February 1, 2012

Making Probability Theory Practical One of my favorite sayings is “Anyone who tells you they know what the stock market will do in the short term is either a fool or a liar”. The market cannot be predicted on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis. This is NOT true for long periods of time; [...]

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Self Directed Investing For Retirement Carnival – Challenging Week Edition

January 31, 2012

On Friday my family had to place our Dad in a Memory Care Home. He is 80 years old and was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s about 4 years ago. It was one the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. So this was a challenging week. I want to thank everyone for their submissions. I think [...]

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Emergency Money Fund: Building Savings in a Low Interest Rate Environment

January 29, 2012

Building Savings in a Low Interest Rate Environment Having an adequate emergency money fund is the foundation of a solid financial plan. Just as you would place a solid foundation before building your home you need a solid emergency savings fund for unexpected needs. Emergency Money Emergency money is money kept safe and separated from [...]

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