The first half of what can only be described as a tumultuous year for the markets ended with a flurry today. So-called end-of-quarter portfolio “window dressing” helped stocks move higher in the final session of June, but the real catalyst helping stocks enjoy their second-best one-day performance of the year was the deal reached by […]

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“All music is folk music. I ain’t never heard a horse sing a song.”   –Louis Armstrong   In this quote, the great jazz musician Louis Armstrong, whose nickname was “Satchmo,” reminds us that everything out there is within our reach, if we have the gumption to grab it. Applied to investing and wealth, this

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For the past five weeks, I have been telling you about the major issues investors face as we enter the second half of what has been a tumultuous 2012. In our latest Monday Morning Market Outlook podcast, I summarize those issues, as well as tell you what I think will happen to the markets for […]

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After the housing bubble popped, most people have been wary of the real estate market. Despite this trepidation, foreclosure rates have been falling and property values have started to recover. As such, now might be a good time to revisit the real estate market, not just in the United States, but around the world. In

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I live in California, and today I saw the news that one of the state’s large cities, Stockton, also is the largest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy. Stockton came into existence during the Gold Rush, but now it is a hub for California’s agricultural exports. It also now has the dubious distinction of going

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  The news stories of late all sound like a rerun. They either read, “Stocks are down on worries over Europe,” or “Stocks are higher leading up to European summit.” I’ve been seeing those same stories since last year, but without any resolution to the region’s debt woes. From my vantage point, no resolution is

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The wild week that was in the markets is part of what I am calling “the return of reality” for equities. That’s because the reality of this week’s news events pushed markets decidedly lower on Thursday, handing the Dow its worst one-day loss in months. On Wednesday, the Fed’s move to continue doing the “twist” […]

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This is just a comment on Mr.Richard Young’s brilliant, common sense, level headed, up to the minute, accurate, timely, experienced, insight into the land mines of the financial markets. I have been investing for over 30 years now and have viewed and experienced several other professional market services. None of them have even come close to the kind of information that Mr. Young generates on either a monthly or yearly basis. My only regret is that I had not found him sooner. I would have made far fewer mistakes. No one has a crystal ball on the future and never will. But in the case of financials, the is no substitute for experience and an ability to read the markets in both a forward focus and the experience to call upon the history of the past. Surviving and thriving is all about who you align yourself with and their talents. Mr. Young is the best in his field without question.

 "My only day off is the day I pitch."   –Roger Clemens   The baseball great has been in the news a lot lately, but unfortunately, it’s not for his incredible achievements as an athlete. In this quote, Clemens reminds us why he is one of the greatest pitchers of all time. You see, it

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Amid the financial crisis in Europe and ongoing global uncertainty, an emerging market exchange-traded fund (ETF) may be a contrarian investment worth considering. The Vanguard MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (VWO) provides an opportunity to invest in non-European emerging markets, which could prove enticing in the face of the current European crisis. After beginning the year

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