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When That High Yield is a Trap
(Main Content/blog)
... Company" for six consecutive years by Fortune magazine, but filed bankruptcy in 2001 after its vast accounting fraud came to light. That’s an extreme example, of course. But it shows the extent to which ...
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Opportunities But Also Risks in High-Yield Bonds
(Main Content/blog)
... particularly after prices of these bonds have run up so sharply. To invest in high-yield bonds right now, it's important to do company-by-company analysis, not just to buy a sector or the market as a whole. ...
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To Navigate Volatile Markets, Focus On the Long Term
(Main Content/blog)
... assigns them the value they deserve. Time is the true measure of a company's value. Right now, investors are concerned about China's slowing economy and other factors. Many of them have engaged in blanket ...
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Don't Time the Market
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... Another reason it pays to keep your money working in the market is the fact that dividend stocks will keep paying you regardless of how long it takes them to appreciate in price. I expect oil company ...
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The Best Ways to Take Required Minimum Distributions
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... 4% of the company you're employed with. And remember, you'll still have to take distributions from your IRAs and other 401(k)s. Rolling IRA Assets into a 401(k). For a small group of savers, it may make ...
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Oil, Patience, and Value Investing
(Main Content/blog)
... run. In the case of stocks, you simply need to make a case that it will go higher over time. For bonds, you have to determine that the company will be strong enough to keep paying interest and then repay ...
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The Real Election Winners
(Main Content/blog)
... the emotions accompanying politics. If one party wins, the market will soar; if the other party wins, the world will go to pot. But pulling your money out of the market when the other party wins, and ...
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Should You Invest in Alibaba?
(Main Content/blog)
... raise as much as $24 billion as growth-hungry investors bet that the already-huge Chinese company is poised for fast growth. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement, but anyone considering buying ...
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High-Yield Bonds: Attractive But Increasingly Dangerous
(Main Content/blog)
... divided into two groups, secured and unsecured. Secured debt holders are usually prioritized above unsecured bondholders because they generally have company asset(s) that back the note. After the company ...
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Annuities or an Income Portfolio?
(Main Content/blog)
... are just the start. All those attractive riders that look so good at the time of purchase—a death benefit, a lifetime income guarantee and so on—can be just a ruse for the insurance company to increase ...
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Beware of Retirement Benefit Pitfalls
(Main Content/blog)
... rollover and pension-election mistakes can create a tax nightmare for surviving spouses and other beneficiaries. Moving a company retirement account or IRA assets can be a minefield, and the IRS will pounce ...
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Insured Municipal Bonds Starting to Look Attractive
(Main Content/blog)
... there is never a guarantee that a company won't fail. But choosing bonds carefully and knowing they're backed by a healthy insurer should help you sleep well while earning income at a good clip. ...
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Does Longevity Insurance Make Sense?
(Main Content/blog)
... you will live past age 85. If you don't, the insurance company keeps your money—your heirs don't get any of it. What's more, the lump sum you invest in longevity insurance today won't be available until ...
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Avoiding the Rising-Rate Wrecking Ball
(Main Content/blog)
... with its fundamentals looking better and better, a credit rating upgrade appears to be in AMD's future. In the meantime, the company's bonds can yield more than 8%. Dividend stocks. We have been increasing ...
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Think Twice About Direct Real Estate Investing
(Main Content/blog)
... is not real and certainly isn't free, whether you handle the work yourself, hire a rental company and/or hire a handyman to do it. Finally, rental properties are not liquid. Finding a buyer may take ...
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When Your Advisor Can’t Protect You
(Main Content/blog)
... you into a money market fund or other safe investment. But there’s a problem: The legal compliance department at his parent company won’t let him do it. In an effort to prevent churning, brokerage ...
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Should You Turn to Stocks for Income?
(Main Content/blog)
... worth considering is to pass over those bonds completely, and buy stock shares in the same company. The current environment is one of those rare times when this can make sense. Current dividend yields ...
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Finding Yield in a Low-Yield Environment
(Main Content/blog)
... Generating Company is one example. The company's beaten-down debt is currently yielding above 13%. Analysts believe that even if the firm files for bankruptcy, bondholders would receive 70 cents on the ...
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Health Care Reform - The Next Three Years
(Main Content/blog)
... employer’s percentage of the total allowed cost of benefits under the plan. Your company might be eligible for the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit if a) it employs 25 or fewer FTEs (apart from ...
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Life Insurance Policies
(Main Content/widow steps)
If the deceased had a life insurance policy, we will help you file it. By quickly filing the policy with the life insurance company that issued it, the money will get to the policy beneficiaries more promptly. ...