We received an email from Melissa Minkalis of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC). They are offering a Free DVD about avoiding foreclosure.

I did not order the DVD or know much more about it. I did quickly verify that the NFCC is a legit organization and doesn’t seem to be simply harvesting contact info, etc.

(more info from the email we received after the fold)

My father-in-law is nearing retirement and looking to get into some real estate plays to diversify his investments. I’ve already referred him to The Millionaire Maker: Act, Think, and Make Money the Way the Wealthy Do and Start Late, Finish Rich: A No-Fail Plan for Achieving Financial Freedom at Any Age (Finish Rich Book Series), both great books on general wealth-building.
I was hoping someone out there might point us towards some good online resources though, especially ones dealing with real estate investing in particular. Thanks for the help. If we …

I shorted down a burning ring of fire
I went down down down
And the flames went higher

Fingers crossed.
He should moderate his language, open the possibility of a rate cut, and send the markets higher.
I hope he keeps his mouth closed, talks about inflation and the US dollar, and keeps rates right where they are.
Wishful thinking? Perhaps. However, I just have a vibe that he isn’t the soft touch that people think he is. My impression is that he just might suprise a few people.
Time’s up Bernanke! - are you made of steel or of butter?
Good luck,
Phil
PS In what is becoming a theme, …

So the other day, the big sell off started. And it’s arguable that it’s just beginning. Spurred on by Phil’s post, I considered selling out of everything.

It made sense: I thought everything was going down, so I should sell.

But it also didn’t make sense. One thing I’ve pointed out before is my struggles with trading/investing using so many different strategies. It’s easy to mix them up. That’s why when I make an entry, I need to know what my exit is… and stick to it.

The clearest no-no, which I avoided…

Hey everyone,

We are seeing a nice bounce in the markets this morning. The S&P500 is at 1485 as I write this(!!!). If you look at the 5 day chart, you will see this could take us back to part way through the crash we saw last week. The market is saved!

To me, this feels like a dead cat bounce - one formed by a pump in liquidity and a jump in premarket futures.

Well, I was right (see Wednesday’s post). That at least feels good. However, I thought the market would make a decent recovery. I had raised my limit price to $51.20 (from $50.20) yesterday, realising the recovery was probably not going to be as strong as I wished.

However, when I logged on tonight (it’s after midnight in Australia), SDS had already moved up to $53, and as I watched it shot towards $54. I got out the calculator, changed the volume and bought in just as it crossed $54. As I hit refresh now, it is in the mid $54s, heading back down.

Yes, I’m still an InvestorGeek! It might seem like only Jason and Christian are blogging lately, but I don’t mind being the guest that drops in once in a while. I’m sure many of you have watched or heard of the new Mark Burnett-produced game show called “Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader“. If not, you can read a quick description here.
I was inspired after reading Canadian blogger, Tony Hung’s short diatribe on who’s really smarter - the kids or the adults? Tony, if you don’t know, is …

I wrote an earlier comment about Microsoft and the Daily Show and how Bill Gates seems to have changed. David commented and I read his story about what he believes will happen regarding Vista.

Many people think it is about Google and Apple. I completely disagree! Google will be Google, but this is as good as it is going to get for Google, likewise for Apple, and for many other software companies. Though I do think Microsoft will surge in this market, which of course may seem counter-intuitive.

People are always interested in the next 10 bagger. I think the next 10 bagger will not be a You-Tube, MySpace or Google type company. The next 10 bagger is going to be a company that has a hardware and software play. For example, look at the Wii. It is taking the market by storm because it is new, refreshing and a hardware / software play. When I saw the Wii for the first time I thought, yupe this thing is going sky high!

When I saw the Apple iPhone I did not see a Wii. When I see Google I see rehashed ideas. For example I love news.google.com, but that idea is getting old. When I see Microsoft I see a utility company, but a company that will be here for decades to come.

I am watching the markets and thinking is this the pullback? Two days don’t make a trend, but I was looking at the DJI and noticed something interesting. For the past month approx 12,670 has been a sort of resistance point. The market has taken 7 runs to 12,670 and only once did it get over to 12,674 before sliding back.
Looking at the charts for the past bull run it usually takes about a month to move past resistance points. The market has moved sideways for better part of …