Jan 25, 2008

Happy New Year and what a new year we are off too. If there was ever a time to keep a cool head and stay focused on your own personal and individual financial needs and goals it is now.

Getting caught up in the panic of financial news broadcasters and news print reports is no way to live today---or ever. After all, the underlying point of investing your money in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, cds, etfs or whatever is to accumulate money with which to spend during your lifetime. And letting emotions guide your investing decisions doesn't allow for logical investing or savings decisions.

Investing/savings ought not be a race or competition between you and your neighbor or the markets; it ought to be as natural a gesture as brushing your teeth. That means, saving and investing needs to become a habit and a part of your everyday life. A life in which you'll experience firsthand has its ups and downs, good days and bad. No one, rich or poor, old or young, can escape those realities.

That said, one thing 2008s volatile January can remind us of is that balance is important. Ask yourself if a chunk of your money is invested in interest bearing accounts, like money market accounts, cds or individual bonds in which the principal is basically secure and the reward for an organization/company/bank etc, using your money is interest? Is another invested in securities that have the potential to grow, like stocks and real estate? Do you have some dividend-paying stocks or mutual funds that you reinvest the dividends back into? And most important, do you have an easy-to-access rainy day fund with enough money in it to cover unexpected costs like a trip to the dentist when it's a capped tooth or root canal that needs tending, vet bills, kids school expenses, household and plumbing surprises or money for a set of new tires on your car?

It's been nine years since I started this Web site. The intent then---and today---is to educate and inform my visitors. I promise to stay true to that commitment going forward.

As my loyal visitors can see, I've made some changes on the site. One significant one is instead of the names of mutual fund families in the masthead, now you'll find a financial quote underneath it. Why the change? Well, I like financial quotes. I find them inspiring and some even make me laugh. I hope they will do the same for you.

There will be other changes throughout the year, too. All I hope will make the site more informative and useful to you.

Please feel free to contact me any suggestions or ideas you may have and may 2008 be a financially rewarding year for you.

All the Best,