Smart Investment Choices for 2008 – Part 1

The many threats that are challenging the stock market over the next twelve months, including ever-slowing corporate profits, a recession, rising commodity prices, and a downward spiral in the overall financial-services industry. All of this can cause many investors to fear the stock market – not a good scenario if it is a sentiment that is acted upon be a large number of investors at one time!

That’s why savvy investors should remain calm and take a deep breath before pulling out of the market. While the U.S. economy is currently slow, the world economy is projected to grow at about 4.8% this year, providing many good foreign investment opportunities for smart shoppers. One investment possibility that is currently creating a buzz centers around Central European television stations, for example. In addition, sad as it may sound many of the large U.S. corporations are actually benefiting from the weakened dollar because U.S. goods are more affordable for buyers in other countries. Some firms are also betting on a rising demand for industrials and agriculture, and are investing in the companies that manufacture these commodities.

There are actually a wide array of possibilities for many sectors that will most likely profit from foreign growth. Many of these are going to be among the best investment opportunities in the upcoming year because they are supporting companies that are making emerging economies mirror that of the U.S. For example, in regions stretching from the Philippines to Poland common folks are enjoying better food and goods, and this series will cover some great ways for savvy investors to take advantage of this phenomenon.

40 Year Mortgages - Friend or Foe?

As you’ve probably heard, many lenders have been hit hard by the ongoing subprime mortgage lending crisis. Countrywide Financial, is one example that has seen its stock go down about 75% in the last year alone. And if you couple that with a recently downgraded credit rating, it makes you wonder how they are keeping bankruptcy at bay. The word on the street is that they are doing this by infusing capital from other more successful divisions into the mortgage lending division.

Another way that Countrywide, Freddie Mac, Wells Fargo, Washington Mutual, Fannie Mae and Bank of America are attempting [...] Continue Reading…

The Truth Behind Bank CD’s - Part 2

As I mentioned in the first part of this series on the time tested bank CD, investors need to be aware of the pitfalls and benefits of new CD options that banks are coming up with in order to get investors interested in this ‘guaranteed’ investment.

One way banks are luring clients into the CD craze is by offering what is known as a ‘callable’ CD. These CD’s give investors an initial term that is long – five or more years for the most part. However, the bank reserves the right to ‘call’ the CD – basically this means they [...] Continue Reading…

The Truth Behind Bank CD’s - Part 1

Bank CD’s have been around for a long, long time, so you may think you already know everything there is to know about investing in CD’s. The truth is that as interest rates fall banks have made some changes to the way traditional CD’s are handled in order to make them more appealing to investors.

Due to the long term nature of  many CD’s, it is important that you fully understand the new features of these investment vehicles before you tie up your hard earned cash! Unfortunately, some of them come with the possibility of a nasty surprise at the [...] Continue Reading…

A Closer Look At Principal Protected Notes - Part 3

As I touched on briefly in part one of this series on principal protected notes, many brokers are comparing them to equity-indexed annuities. Equity-indexed annuities, which are annuities that earn interest because they are linked to a stock or other equity index. While these annuities have their own set of problems that we won’t get into here, they at least offer investors a measure of exposure to the broader stock market, which is a prudent investment for the long term.

Principal protected notes are different from equity indexed annuities in that they seem to focus instead on current hot and [...] Continue Reading…

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