economic times

The economic decisions that you make on a daily basis have a direct impact on your financial future. Your decisions can either set you up for a nice comfortable retirement or force you to work much longer than you ever planned. If you want to get on the right track to a successful retirement then [...]

Every investment guru has his or her own bit of investment advice for those who need to learn how to start investing. When I first started, the word on the street was to look at a fund’s past performance when deciding to buy a mutual fund.  For instance, to help people choose the right mutual [...]

Back in the 80s I walked to the YMCA with my weekly video game allowance of two quarters. That bought me one game of Asteroid and one game of Pac-man. Any idea what the difference is between Pac-man in the 80s and FooPets today? You had to pay cash up front in order to play [...]

Although I am fairly young, this is the most difficult job market that I can remember or can even imagine. Everyone I speak with seems to have some level of job insecurity. During tough economic times in the past, there were always a few professions that were “safe”: medicine, law, government, etc. These days however, [...]

Economies develop and move forward under almost any conditions. Mankind can adapt, survive and even make a living in the totalitarian economies of Chavez and Castro to the laissez-faire, free market economies of Canada and Hong Kong. In a manner of speaking, free market is alive and well wherever people live. Sometimes it is a [...]

Given recent economic news, more and more investors are turning to gold as a way to preserve the value of their financial portfolio. Gold has traditionally been considered a safe haven for investment, since it tends to maintain its value during times of economic crisis and upheaval. Gold is an especially good hedge against inflation [...]

This week, when you find yourself scrambling for a last minute gift, dreading the shopping malls, you may be able to take advantage of regifting. During any time of gift-giving, from weddings to baby showers, Christmas and birthdays, you inevitably unwrap at least one present, and are rewarded with pure puzzlement. A myriad of thoughts [...]

Whether your child is involved in school sports, music, dance, theater, art or some other activity that goes beyond the scope of ordinary schooling, participation is costly. There are activity fees to pay, lesson providers to compensate, equipment and supplies to purchase and, on occasion, trips to go on. All of this starts to add [...]

Saving more money is a goal most of us share, but many Americans find that they have very little saved at the end of the month. The recent recession saw Americans saving more than we have in years, up to nearly 7% at one point. In recent months though, that number has been falling back [...]

One of the great gifts associated with the 2008-2009 events was an opportunity to get some free credits in the school of life. School tuition can be expensive so I am always thankful when life decides to offer me some valuable lesson for free. Personally, I loved the fact that I got to experience the [...]