http://www.articlealley.com en-us editorial@articlealley.com A participant in the morning Working Capital Model (WCM) investment workshop observed: I've noticed that my account balances are returning to their (June 2007) levels. People are talking down the economy and the dollar. Is there any preemptive action I ne... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1204783_19.html 28th October 2009 Actually, hindsight and the Investment Grade Value Stock Index (IGVSI) Bargain Level Monitor tell us that it died early in March 2009. More realistically, however, corrections don't die quite so abruptly. They are supplanted by rallies--- and vice versa. ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1154564_19.html 06th October 2009 As impossible as it is to predict the future of the markets, it's relatively easy to anticipate what you are going to experience when you view your next brokerage account statement. Whether you go the discount route through Schwab, Ameritrade, Fidelity... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1076656_19.html 10th September 2009 You knew it the moment it left the club, that spark at contact when you catch it just right. You look up. It's just reaching the top of its climb--- and heading down right at the pin, a pin positioned left of center on the elevated green, much too close t... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1066647_32.html 04th September 2009 This is a real world situation that could impact each of you as professionals, investors, and friends of persons who could fall for such schemes. So please get angry about it! An envelope arrived yesterday from a worried investor (not a client of mine)... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1035788_19.html 15th August 2009 The Investment Grade Value Stock Index is a barometer of a small but elite sector of the stock market. Some Investment Grade Value Stocks are included in all averages and indices, but even the Dow Jones Industrial Average includes several issues that are ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1023111_19.html 08th August 2009 Before Wall Street and the media combined to make investors think of calendar quarters as "short-term" and single years as "long-term", market cycles were used as true tests of investment strategies over the long haul. Bor-ing. There were four types o... http://www.articlealley.com/article_976459_19.html 11th July 2009 Investment markets got you down, Bunkie? Been blown away by derivative stun guns? When will portfolio market values move back to 2007 levels--- and then what will you do about it? It's time to overthrow the evil Masters of the Universe and deactivate... http://www.articlealley.com/article_960429_19.html 01st July 2009 I think it was the immortal Ben Hogan who quipped: I can put "left" on the ball and I can put "right" on the ball--- "straight" is essentially an accident. Most amateur golfers would make a slightly different observation. We can hit the ball left or right... http://www.articlealley.com/article_960427_32.html 01st July 2009 Is it luck or skill that gets us to the goals and objectives we set for ourselves--- gimmicks and software programs or practice and understanding? How many golfers are still using the putter they started with decades ago at a nine-hole cow pasture? How ma... http://www.articlealley.com/article_924134_19.html 10th June 2009 Benjamin Graham was an economist, financial analyst, and professional value investor. He was one of the first to advise investors to look beyond the media hype and confusion to find undervalued stocks that would become part of a diversified portfolio. ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_912439_19.html 03rd June 2009 The Working Capital Model (WCM) looks at investment performance differently, less emotionally, and without a whole lot of concern for short-term market value movements. Market value performance evaluation techniques are only used to analyze peak-to-peak m... http://www.articlealley.com/article_876141_19.html 01st May 2009 It matters not what lines, numbers, indices, or gurus you worship, you just can't know for certain where the stock market is going or when it will change direction. Too much investor time and analytical effort is wasted trying to predict course correction... http://www.articlealley.com/article_873441_19.html 29th April 2009 Every correction is the same, a normal downturn in one or more of the markets where we invest. There has never been a correction that has not proven to be an investment opportunity. You can be confident that governments around the world are not going to a... http://www.articlealley.com/article_867595_19.html 23rd April 2009 The other day, with the market giving up about a third of its March gain in DJIA points, I went looking through my favorite market stats to see if any remaining profits could be pounced upon. Typically, profit possibilities can be identified quickly on NY... http://www.articlealley.com/article_849818_19.html 08th April 2009 "The Big Takeover" by Matt Taibbi is probably the best article written to date explaining the financial crisis and how we got to where we are now. Taibbi's necessarily lengthy article explains the problems, names the "poipetrators", and exposes all of the... http://www.articlealley.com/article_840028_19.html 27th March 2009 Contrary to popular belief and Wall Street propaganda, investing is not a competitive event. Rather, it is a uniquely personal, goal-directed activity that individuals must organize and control for themselves. Too few appreciate that it is a long-term ent... http://www.articlealley.com/article_793295_19.html 20th February 2009 No investor should ever be surprised by the changes in market value that appear on his or her monthly brokerage account statements. In general, media noise throughout the month should lead to a feel for what has been going on and investors should understa... http://www.articlealley.com/article_781543_19.html 10th February 2009 One of the great things about being a professional investor is the opportunity one has to apply his or her long-term experience to the investment environment that is unfolding (or coming unglued) in the present. If nothing else, most successful investo... http://www.articlealley.com/article_763015_19.html 21st January 2009 The Working Capital Model (WCM) is an historically new methodology, but with roots deeply imbedded in the building blocks of capitalism, and financial psychology--- if there actually is such a thing. The earliest forms of capitalism sprung from ancien... http://www.articlealley.com/article_754147_19.html 16th January 2009 Crash! The 2007 thru 2008 financial crisis halved 401(k), IRA, and Mutual Fund values in a matter of months. For many, retirement dates had to be pushed back; for others, new jobs had to be found. The tragic flaw? No income allocation in the investment pr... http://www.articlealley.com/article_743815_19.html 08th January 2009 Most people enter the investment process tip first. They hear something, grab an idea from a popular blog, accept a Cramerism or some motley foolishness, and think that they are making investment decisions. Rarely, will the right-now, instant-gratificatio... http://www.articlealley.com/article_737110_19.html 05th January 2009 The stock market is a dynamic place where investors can consistently make reasonable returns on their capital if they comply with the basic principles of the endeavor and if they don't measure their progress too frequently against irrelevant indices. T... http://www.articlealley.com/article_711770_19.html 04th December 2008 Every fall, especially in opportunity rich markets like this, I encourage investors to think about some year-end strategies that make the final calendar quarter a special time in all markets. Several forces are at work, all of which have links to conventi... http://www.articlealley.com/article_697463_19.html 29th November 2008 Who's confiscating your 401(k) and IRA? Dateline Raleigh, NC, November 6, 2008: Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives discuss confiscating our 401(k)s and IRAs, by Carolina Journal Online reporter Karen McMahan. This shocking pronoun... http://www.articlealley.com/article_693588_19.html 25th November 2008 There's a bright light at the end of the tunnel--- finally. Most of the really well respected, long term investors are advising their audiences to hang in there, to stop the panic selling, and to look for the great companies that have withstood the econom... http://www.articlealley.com/article_678529_19.html 30th October 2008 We the securities investors of the United States, in order to form more transparent financial markets, establish effective regulations, defend against destructive speculation and manipulation, promote financial well-being, preserve working capital, and pr... http://www.articlealley.com/article_676094_19.html 27th October 2008 There has never been a correction that has not proven to be an investment opportunity. While everything is down in price, there is actually less to worry about than when prices are historically high. More money has been lost by people who bought into last... http://www.articlealley.com/article_662141_63.html 13th October 2008 First, the good news: From June 2007 through September 2008 (i.e., during the credit crisis) Income CEF payouts per share were virtually unchanged. From June 2008 through September 2008, payouts rose slightly--- 29 funds raised their payouts and 17 lowere... http://www.articlealley.com/article_659335_19.html 07th October 2008 Your retirement income investment plan starts now, right now, no matter how old or well heeled you happen to be. Step One is to understand what a retirement plan is, and to identify the three large numbers you need to keep track of while you are develo... http://www.articlealley.com/article_632891_19.html 09th September 2008 Jefferson Airplane has never, ever, been mistaken for a band of financial advisors, but the White Rabbit lyrics can be incredibly instructional to the generation of investors who experienced the classic first hand--- as a description of their own college ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_626841_19.html 08th September 2008 Most investment mistakes are caused by basic misunderstandings of the securities markets and by invalid performance expectations. The markets move in totally unpredictable cyclical patterns of varying duration and amplitude. Evaluating the performance of ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_607389_19.html 22nd August 2008 Looking for good news in today's markets is like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack. Needless to say, practically all investment grade equities and nearly all closed end funds that specialize in providing regular recurring monthly income ha... http://www.articlealley.com/article_588479_19.html 24th July 2008 Value stocks are those that tend to trade at lower prices relative to their fundamental characteristics than their more speculative cousins, the growth stocks; they have higher than usual dividend yields and lower P/E and P/B ratios. So when all stock pri... http://www.articlealley.com/article_576897_19.html 15th July 2008 "The time has come the walrus said, to talk of many things": Of corrections--portfolios--- and window dressing--- of market cycles--- wizards--- and reality. Quarterly portfolio window dressing is one of many immortal Jaberwock-like creatures that roam... http://www.articlealley.com/article_571408_63.html 07th July 2008 Real estate investing is not nearly as complicated, financially burdensome, or time consuming as you might think. In fact, It's easy to add raw land, shopping centers, apartment complexes, and private homes to your portfolio without brokers, bankers, atto... http://www.articlealley.com/article_555075_33.html 11th June 2008 So what do your Investment Manager and your neighborhood bartender have in common, other than the probability that you spend more time with the latter during market corrections? Antoine Tedesco, in his "The History of Cocktails" article, lists three thing... http://www.articlealley.com/article_550429_19.html 04th June 2008 The caller seemed surprised that I had never heard about Compound Stock Earnings Programs, or CSEs. "People are earning three to six percent per month with little or no risk", she continued, "I'm thinking of attending a seminar". A wise man once said: "If... http://www.articlealley.com/article_550427_19.html 04th June 2008 Smack, right up alongside the head. Your 401(k) investment program deteriorated rapidly as the stock market and the economy weakened. Who would have thought that there was so much risk of loss in those mutual funds, and ETFs? Fortunately, the pain is most... http://www.articlealley.com/article_550426_63.html 04th June 2008 I've been thinking about starting a stock market prediction business. Clearly, there is a huge market for timely and accurate information of this type, and just as clearly, predicting the future is much easier than dealing with the realities of whatever i... http://www.articlealley.com/article_519700_19.html 18th April 2008 For most individual investors, trading is approached in a totally speculative manner. Stock trading, in its more popular forms (Day Trading, Swing Trading, etc.) includes none of the elements that a conservative investment strategy would contain: little i... http://www.articlealley.com/article_476649_19.html 19th February 2008 It matters not what lines, numbers, indices, or gurus you worship, you just can't know where the stock market is going or when it will change direction. Too much investor time and analytical effort is wasted trying to predict course corrections... even mo... http://www.articlealley.com/article_476648_19.html 19th February 2008 Foundations, Endowments and other Not-for-Profit organizations come in all shapes and sizes. The assets that they control and manage for the benefit of countless projects, charities, and causes is staggering in total and it has become a primary market for... http://www.articlealley.com/article_476647_19.html 19th February 2008 Stocks, bonds, index funds; averages, recessions, market rallies and corrections; mutual funds, technical analysis, financial statements; commissions, taxes, and discount brokers. Just how much do you know about investing, or perhaps a better question: is... http://www.articlealley.com/article_460222_19.html 24th January 2008 Whatever happened to the Stock Market Cycle; the Interest Rate Cycle; Baby Jane? How did Wall Street get away with pushing these facts of financial life down the basement stairs? Most investors, I'm beginning to believe, and all financial advisors, media ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_251532_19.html 18th January 2008 Every correction is the same, a normal downturn in one of the Markets where we invest. There has never been a correction that has not proven to be an investment opportunity. You can be confident that the Federal Reserve, as hypnotized as it is with keepin... http://www.articlealley.com/article_237616_19.html 05th November 2007 During every correction, I encourage investors to avoid the destructive inertia that results from trying to determine: "How low can we go?" and/or "How long will this last?" Investors who add to their portfolios during downturns invariably experience high... http://www.articlealley.com/article_197997_22.html 07th August 2007 How Do You Spell Correction? During every correction, I encourage investors to avoid the destructive inertia that results from trying to determine: "How low can we go?" and/or "How long will this last?" Investors who add to their portfolios during do... http://www.articlealley.com/article_197996_22.html 07th August 2007 It's likely that either curiosity or skepticism led you to this article, and I would agree that, for most individual investors, trading is approached in a totally speculative manner. Stock trading, in its more popular forms (Day Trading, Swing Trading, Pe... http://www.articlealley.com/article_167300_19.html 30th May 2007 First thing Monday morning I'm going to march into my boss's office and demand a pay cut so that I'll be in a lower tax bracket next year. Of course that's ridiculous, but isn't it about the same as the financial community's "Conventional Wisdom" (C... http://www.articlealley.com/article_109316_19.html 01st December 2006