Is It Time to Invest in Real Estate?

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

You’ve read the headlines. Housing is down and, in many markets, there seems to be no end in sight to falling real estate values. Foreclosures have kicked the bottom out of the housing market, and so many people are upside down in their homes that it seems crazy to even think about diving into housing as an investment.

But remember: What goes down usually does come back up.

True, the sustained drop in real estate values has scared the majority of investors out. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t at least consider the possibility that the sickening decline may be nearly over. (more…)

Recovery Picks up Steam, But Where Are the Jobs?

Monday, March 28th, 2011

In the last quarter of 2010, the nation’s economy grew just a bit faster than previously thought. The U.S. gross domestic product grew at an annual rate of 3.1 percent in the October-December quarter, the Commerce Department reported. That’s up from last month’s 2.8 percent estimate for the fourth quarter. (more…)

Shocked by the Markets?

Friday, January 8th, 2010

In a Financial Upturn, Recovery of Mindset Is Most Important

Between October 2007 and March 2009, the U.S. stock market plummeted 55 percent. And during this time, as noted by Jason Zweig in The Wall Street Journal, the vast majority of 401(k) investors made no adjustments to their portfolios. 

And then, in early March 2009, some of these “sitting bulls” finally bailed from the market as fear reached a fever pitch and some experts were warning that the next big drop was just around the corner. (more…)