7 Value Stocks The Pros Like

Speakers at the Value Investing Congress made the case for their best picks.

From Kiplinger.com:

You can find value in unexpected places. When seasoned bargain hunters gathered in New York City for the semiannual Value Investors Congress, they shared ideas that ranged from blue chips to turnaround stories to small-company stocks. Not every stock is a certain home run, but a number of them are worth your consideration. Here are seven compelling ideas:

Read more here.

November 5th, 2009 Category Stocks

4 Ways Warehouse Clubs Are Better Online

Competition is heating up, so you’ll find more models at cheaper prices.

From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance:

It’s every warehouse club customer’s nightmare, especially for those who live near large cities and shop on weekends: You race for a parking space. You struggle to navigate the plus-size cart through a maze of merchandise and bargain hunters. You wait in long lines at the register and at the exit as a clerk checks off your receipt. Then you pack the haul into your vehicle as though it’s a real-life game of Tetris. Yes, you earn your discounts, one trip at a time.

Read more here.

November 5th, 2009 Category Reviews

What You Need to Know About Smart Phones 2.0

Competition is heating up, so you’ll find more models at cheaper prices.

From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance:

Move over, iPhone. Four out of every ten new cell phones sold today are smart phones. No wonder Apple’s iconic iPhone, which is currently available only through AT&T ($99 to $299 with a two-year contract), has some serious competition. The Palm Pre has a similar touch screen, but it offers a real qwerty keyboard and an operating system that lets you run multiple applications. The Pre is available only through Sprint this year ($150 after a $100 mail-in rebate and with a two-year contract), although Verizon plans to offer it in 2010. BlackBerry phones are available from all the major national carriers. Most BlackBerries come with a track ball and qwerty keyboard, which make them a hit with the business set. The BlackBerry Tour 9630 costs $150 with a two-year contract from Verizon.

Read more here.

November 5th, 2009 Category Reviews

Don’t Dither. Buy Your First Home Now.

Interest-rate worries shouldn’t keep you from snagging that $8,000 tax credit.

From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance:

Mark is one of millions of Americans eager to become a homeowner, drawn by low interest rates, affordable property prices and the government’s tax credit for first-time buyers. That credit is worth 10% of the purchase price, up to a maximum of $8,000. (The credit not only cuts your tax bill dollar for dollar, but if you wouldn’t normally owe $8,000 in taxes, you get a refund.) The credit begins to phase out for individuals with an adjusted gross income of more than $75,000 and for married couples filing jointly who earn $150,000. And you must live in the home for three years.

Read more here.

October 23rd, 2009 Category Real Estate

Stable Funds in Chaotic Times

These funds deliver predictable results for retirement savers.

From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance:

When the financial crisis ravaged the stock market and many parts of the bond market, stable-value funds stood out with their combination of modest, positive returns and their, well, stability. As a result, retirement savers clamored for these steadfast funds and the security they offer. The percentage of assets invested in stable-value funds in large-company 401(k) plans that offer a stable-value option rose from 20% in November 2007 to 36% in March 2009, according to Hewitt Associates, a benefits-consulting firm. Although the total amount invested in stable-value funds has fallen as stocks have recovered, such funds retain more than $642 billion in assets, which makes them the largest category of fixed-income investment in 401(k) plans.

Read more here.

October 23rd, 2009 Category Mutual Funds, Retirement

Online Brokers Offer IPO Access

Some investors now can buy stock in newly minted public companies before it starts trading — but that doesn’t mean they should.

From Kiplinger.com:

Initial public offerings tend to be exclusive affairs. Underwriters usually give the first crack at new stock issues to large institutions, such as pension funds, banks and money-management firms. Individual investors generally have to wait until the shares begin trading before they can get in on the action. But some discount brokers have lifted the velvet rope.

Read more here.

September 28th, 2009 Category Brokers, Reviews

Bear Market Bonus: 7 Great Funds Reopen

With fewer assets, funds that were previously shut are now clamoring for your business.

From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance:

Investors are once again investing, and that means they’ve rediscovered stock funds. After pulling some $285 billion out of stock funds from November 2007 through March 2009, they added $42 billion from April through June. This kind of behavior isn’t surprising.

Read more here.

August 18th, 2009 Category Mutual Funds

Start Your Own Charity

A donor-advised fund offers tax advantages. But a family foundation lets you call all the shots.

From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance:

Irving Kempner, the son of Holocaust survivors liberated by the U.S. Army, shows gratitude for his good fortune by giving to the American Jewish Committee, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and other charitable causes. When Kempner, a 59-year-old retired corporate executive (he was a vice-president of Gillette and chief executive of LoJack, the car-security company), makes grants, he does so through the Kempner Family Foundation.

Read more here.

August 18th, 2009 Category Charitable Giving

Six Funds That Cut Risk

Diversify your portfolio with these funds that don’t move in tandem with the stock market.

From Kiplinger.com:

Diversification got a black eye during the 2007-09 bear market. About the only things that made money during the downturn were Treasury bonds and cash (money-market funds, CDs and the like). Just about every other kind of investment was demolished.

Read more here.

August 18th, 2009 Category Mutual Funds

Israel Earns an Upgrade

MSCI Barra will classify Israel as a developed market, which could give some stocks a boost.

From Kiplinger.com:

Israel is surrounded by unfriendly neighbors. Three years ago, it fought a war against Hezbollah in Lebanon. It finished a shooting war with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip last January. And the country regularly endures threats from Iran. Despite all this, Israel will soon join a group of the most stable countries in the world.

Read more here.

July 21st, 2009 Category Stocks

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