Personal Finance and the Idea of Freedom
Written by Jessica Clark on April 4, 2011 – 4:14 pm“Financial freedom” is a concept that’s constantly bandied about among personal finance writers and presenters. I think it’s mostly used because it sounds good: freedom implies some sort of escape from oppression, and applying that sentiment to personal finance creates a picture of a future where you’re not beholden to creditors or lenders or your boss.
What does it really mean, though? Every time I consider that statement, I find myself puzzling over a series of questions. While the
Tags: Freedom, Personal Finance
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Can Individual Investors Beat the Stock Market?
Written by Jessica Clark on April 3, 2011 – 11:41 am
You’d be surprised how often I’m asked some variation on this question. People will write in to me asking me whether they should buy an index fund (in other words, they would own a little bit of a LOT of stocks and ride the averages of the stock market), a managed mutual fund (where someone else actively chooses stocks for them), or whether they should just pick stocks for themselves. They’ll ask me my opinion on various investments and investment advisors.
Really, in the end, their questions come down to one issue.
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Vantage Drilling: A Good Long-Term Bet
Written by Jessica Clark on April 3, 2011 – 2:10 am
By Isac Simon, The Motley Fool
With new high-value prospects of oil being found regularly off coastal areas and under seabeds, drilling companies are out to make a killing. Houston-based Vantage Drilling (VTG) is one such company which has jacked up its drills.
A relatively new company, Vantage is an offshore drilling contractor specializing in deepwater drilling and other high-end drilling solutions. It has a new fleet of mobile drillers and drillships with drilling-depth capacities ranging from 30,000 to 40,000 feet. Full Article…
Tags: Drilling, Drilling Good
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Why You Should Care About the Health of Your Bank
Written by Robert White on April 1, 2011 – 10:11 pm
When deciding where to keep your money, it is a good idea to consider the health of your bank. There was a time, not too long ago, that it seemed as though banks were failing left and right. While the rate of bank closures has slowed, you still need to think about what it could mean if your bank were to fail. It’s true that, if your bank is protected by the FDIC, you will get your deposit back, up to certain limits. However, just getting your deposit back isn’t always enough.
Issues Associated with Bank Closures
If your bank’s health is poor, and it is at risk of closure (there are more than 700 banks on the FIDC watch list), you could run into other problems. Here
Tags: Bank
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Why I Bought Life Insurance On My Kids
Written by Robert White on April 1, 2011 – 8:33 pmOne of the biggest myths surrounding the purchase of life insurance is that you’re only insuring income. Nothing could be farther from the truth, just ask anyone who’s lost a loved one and had to get back to work the day after the funeral.
I know someone who lost his young son in a tragic accident. His high deductible medical insurance had a $2,500 deductible and a family maximum cost of $15,000. Those numbers were quickly surpassed prior to his son passing away at the hospital. The Life Flight helicopter alone was over $8,000 but his medical insurance only paid $250 (standard). His
Tags: Insurance, Life Insurance
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