Pension Reform Bill Saves the Stock Market

Today President Bush signed into law a bill that is designed to encourage 401K participation. There are many good points to this bill and estimates are that it will increase the number of people participating in retirement plans. The numbers are still foggy but you are looking at anywhere from 30% to more then double (more…)

Wal-Mart Buying a Revolution?

It was Thomas Jefferson who said: “Every generation needs a Revolution.” He was, of course, talking about the fact that every few years there comes a time where the old administration must be replaced by a newer one in order for our nation and liberty to survive. Every four years this nation has an opportunity for a revolution of sorts.

Soon in 2008, whether you love them or hate them, the old administration will be gone. What does this mean for the investor? It is impossible to predict all the possibilities that will flood in when a new President, and therefore a new vision, takes the oath on those gleaming white steps. Wal-Mart however is hedging its bets.

My Memorable Failure

Sherman, set the wayback machine to the winter of 1999! This was a time when everyone thought they were a financial genius. You couldn’t loose, or so we thought. I was a conservative investor even in those days but a co-worker was talking about a great investment tip he heard from a friend who had heard it from their doctor. That in it self should have been a sign.

Invasions from the China Sea

I got an email from a reader at my other site asking about Geely Automotive Holdings Ltd. The author had already purchased over 19000 shares which might seem like a lot until you realize this is very much a penny stock. Still, the outlay for a young college student is significant and it probably brings up a topic for a good future article “Where the small investor should put his money?” We are not talking about that today because we need to answer the questions on Geely first.

Time to Panic?

Today, and the past few days have been hectic for the market. The price of oil keeps rising and I need to sell my gas-guzzling van. So do we panic yet and where is the market going? Over at HipEgg we did a review of the Dow. I don’t know if a TA is the (more…)

Stepping it up with CDs

Certificates of Deposit are not for everyone but if you live long enough you will probably be considering them at some point. If you are going to invest with what banks currently call CDs then you should be smart about it. Using a technique called "laddering" or "stepping" you can improve your liquidity and maximize your returns over the long run by protecting yourself from downturns in market interest rates.

My .02? I wouldn’t be putting .02 into MSFT right now.

“Is now the time to jump into MSFT now that it is trading above its 30 day MA?” That was the question presented to me recently.

Before I go into the answer I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. I am a regular poster over at HipEgg. On that site I post under the pen name Jym Khana. My real name is Kevin Hamrick and I have been involved in investing for, well, many years. I even spent a very little time working for a couple of the big brokerage facilities. Regardless of that fact, everything I am presenting is only my opinion. I am no longer working with or for any financial institution and if I post on a stock that I own I will make that clear. In this case, I don’t own any MSFT stock.