Our concerns have not changed that the rally may be temporary euphoria, but it should be clear to you why we don’t promote market timing.  If anyone can consistently synthesize all the necessary factors to get you in and out at exactly the right time (and all known empirical data suggests that person has not [...]

The trend in consumer retrenchment has not changed with the strong stock market performance.  Outstanding consumer credit continues to drop by more than $10 billion per month.  As we have said before, we believe this to be a multi-year trend rather than a short-term phenomenon.  Anecdotally, many of you are feeling the wage pressures and [...]

High school seniors and their parents will soon be sifting through college applications. Michele Singletary’s September 20th Washington Post column included some important cautionary figures. The percentage of student loans in default is now 6.7% – up from a record low of 4.5% in 2003. Though I firmly believe that individuals should pay what they [...]

The Consumer Webinar Series is designed to help consumers across the country better understand personal financial matters. Presented by the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), each session will be led by a NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor who commits to the highest of standards in the financial planning industry.  The Consumer Webinar Series sessions are FREE [...]