Stocks shrugged off a host of negative news this week, including some rather anemic economic U.S. GDP growth of just 2.2% in the first quarter. Traders also ignored negatives in Europe, including news that a double-dip recession in the U.K. now is official. The U.K. economy shrank in the first quarter, as gross domestic product […]

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“It’s not what you are, but what you don’t become that hurts.”   — Oscar Levant   The multi-talented pianist, composer, author, comedian and actor achieved a lot during his life, but here he opines that it’s not what we achieve, but what we don’t achieve that gives us the greatest pain. When it comes

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If you’re like most people, you probably own a variety of insurance products. Life insurance is the most widely held financial services product in the country, but did you know that there also are more than 20 million annuities in existence?   If you own a life insurance policy or an annuity, you need to […]

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Lofty oil prices have taken center stage, and the rhetoric is likely to get hot about the issue as we advance toward the presidential election. Although oil prices historically tend to decline during election years, the commodity jumped in price early in 2012 before pulling back in recent weeks. If you think oil prices will

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Today, we received news that a double-dip recession in the United Kingdom now is official. The U.K. economy shrank in the first quarter, as gross domestic product (GDP) fell 0.2% from the fourth quarter of 2011, when it declined 0.3%, according to the Office for National Statistics. The decline came as a surprise, as most

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The 2012 bull market run has been to a large extent fueled by the big gains in tech-giant Apple (AAPL). The company’s shares rose some 45% during the first quarter, and that stellar performance led the charge higher for the major indices. Now, in contrast to that scintillating first quarter performance has been the retreat

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Stocks in both the Dow and S&P 500 mounted a muted comeback of sorts this week following to previous weeks of selling. The Dow added 1.40% to its total over the past five trading sessions, while the S&P 500 edged 0.60% higher. The NASDAQ Composite failed to gain ground, as the tech-heavy index slid 0.36%. […]

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“You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do.”    –Henry Ford   The business genius responsible for creating the automotive industry in the United States knew that it’s not enough to claim you are going to do something. To have a real reputation, you have to actually create, perform and deliver. Remember

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As spring continues to bloom, even the natural gas markets are showing signs of coming back to life after hitting their lowest point of the year. One exchange-traded fund (ETF) in particular that I have noticed start to climb again is SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Equipment & Services ETF (XES). In the wake of

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There has been a lot of banter in the financial press about the folly of owning bonds right now. The theory is that if we are experiencing a strong recovery in the U.S. economy, then interest rates will begin to rise after a decade of low levels. Unfortunately, the opposite is occurring. Interest rates remain

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