Financial Schools Reviews

McDonald’s (MCD) may seem like the fast-food restaurant of yesteryear, but appearances can be deceiving. The company’s latest news suggests that the Golden Arches are headed onward and upward into the future.

The company recently revealed plans for its largest store ever at the 2012 London Olympics. The outlet in Olympic Park will seat 1,500 guests, eclipsing the chain’s largest existing restaurant. During the games, this mega-Mickey D’s brisk business will likely beat the 20-year reign of the company’s current best-selling location in Moscow’s Pushkin Square.

McDonald’s followed that announcement with even better one: its second-quarter earnings. Full Article…

Every Sunday, The Simple Dollar reviews a personal finance or other book of interest. Also available is a complete list of the hundreds of book reviews that have appeared on The Simple Dollar over the years.

One common request I get is more discussion on the specifics of retirement plans. For me, whenever someone mentions a topic that they want to hear more about, that means a trip to the library. I try to find books that cover the topic well, particularly from a fact-oriented point of view.

This is exactly the angle of A Commonsense Guide to Your 401(k) by Mary Rowland. Full Article…

Most bank stocks fell Monday on fears about the effect of a potential U.S. government debt default. Banks hold large amounts of U.S. Treasurys as liquid assets to use almost like cash on hand. Citigroup Inc.’s shares are down 3.5 percent to US$37, JPMorgan Chase & Co.’ stock was down 1.3 percent to US$39.50, and Wells Fargo & Co.’s shares fell 2.4 percent to US$26.52.

A few weeks ago, I put out a call on Twitter and on Facebook for detailed posts that people would like to see. I got enough great responses that I’m going to fill the entire month of July – one post per day – addressing these ideas.

Edward on Facebook asks “How about a small list of justifications and excuses people make for not getting their finances in order or for buying crap they don’t need?”

I started just making a list of the common ones I hear and came up with a fairly round number of twelve (after merging the ones that were essentially the same). You’d be su Full Article…

Heather Hendrickson, an attractive 41-year-old mother of two, got divorced, declared bankruptcy and saw the foreclosure process start on her home — all within the last year.

Back in the ’80s when we were in high school together, she was the “it” girl. By 2006, her smile graced real estate ads all over Westport, Conn. Hendrickson had opened her own firm that grew to more than 20 employees. Her handsome husband and the father of her two children was a builder. They were in the zone. Then things startled to unravel fast. Full Article…