Archive for October, 2009
« Previous EntriesBe Sure and Check Out This Week’s Carnival of Personal Finance
Thursday, October 29th, 2009This week’s Carnival of Personal Finance was hosted at MoneyCrashers.com. Please stop by and check it out.
Another Interesting Look at S&P 500 Index Returns
Thursday, October 29th, 2009Take a look at the graphic below, which shows the percentage of months that were up and down for the S&P 500 Index going back to 1926 based on the month of the year:
For example, looking at the month of January….
There were 84 January months in my sample. Of those 84 months, 36.9% of [...]
October Looks to be the First Negative Return Month Since February
Thursday, October 29th, 2009As of yesterday’s close, the S&P 500 Index’s total return for October is -1.26%. If that number holds through tomorrow, it will break the seven-month streak of positive returns for the index.
Why was October a down month?
I can think of a few reasons:
1. Profit-taking. It seems to happen after we have a [...]
Ten For Tuesday (I Mean Wednesday)
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009First off, I thought today was Tuesday…
Second, I’d like to wish my wife’s cousin, Stacey, a happy 19th birthday. She and her older sister were flower girls our wedding. She wasn’t even 3-years old back then. Wow…time flies.
1. We start off with an interesting story I read about how rich New Yorkers [...]
Anyone Out There Have a BlackBerry Bold?
Monday, October 26th, 2009I upgraded from my BlackBerry Curve 8310 to a BlackBerry Bold 9000 last week. My first impression of the Bold:
AWESOME!
I had been debating with myself as to which phone I was going to get next. I had narrowed my choice down to either a BlackBerry or an iPhone. My wife got an [...]
Are People Really This Stupid?
Friday, October 23rd, 2009Jeremy at Gen X Finance posted this on his facebook page and I thought I’d share it with you. It’s Jay Leno talking with people about finance:
My question is:
Are people REALLY this dumb or are they just trying to get on the Jay Leno Show?
Ripoff: Kellogg’s Cinnabon Bars
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009This is kind of funny…
The other day, I picked up a box of Kellogg’s Cinnabon Bars. I know they aren’t good for me but they looked interesting so I thought I’d give them a try.
When I opened the box, I noticed that the bars seemed to be really small compared to the size of [...]
Bill Miller vs. the S&P 500 Index
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009If I were to ask you which one performed better since 1986, would you tell me Bill Miller-managed Legg Mason Value Trust or the S&P 500 Index, which one would you pick?
If you picked Value Trust you’d be…
WRONG!
Much was made about the end of Bill Miller’s 15-year streak of beating the S&P 500 Index a [...]
Announcing the Winner of “The Worst-Case Scenario Business Survival Guide” Giveaway
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009I completely forgot to announce the winner of the giveaway I held two weeks ago for a copy of The Worst-Case Scenario Business Survival Guide*. Anyway, the winner is commenter #14, ladam8518.
Congrats to ladam8518. I’ll be sending you an email with instructions on how to claim your book.
There will be more giveaways to [...]
Your 401(k) Might Be Better Off Than You Think
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009From today’s Wall Street Journal:
Get this: Despite the biggest and broadest decline in financial markets in a generation, the median 401(k) retirement account at Vanguard Group on Sept. 30, 2009, was up 7% from where it was two years earlier, when the market was near its all-time high.
The Reason?…
Continued regular savings matter a lot. If [...]