POST PUBLISHED INJuly, 2009
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  • Government earns 23% on Goldman bailout

    July 30th, 200911:20 AM ET
    By Mark Biller
    Way back in September when the first TARP bailout was being considered, amidst the noise and debate, a few voices could be heard saying that, if structured properly, the government might not get fleeced when all was said and done. That will probably end up being optimistic in the final overall analysis, but last week's news about Goldman Sachs...

  • There's good news, and there's bad news

    July 29th, 200910:58 AM ET
    By Mark Biller
    The good news is the index of leading economic indicators is signaling that the recession is nearing its end: The index of leading indicators, which signals turning points in the economy, is rising at a rate that has accurately indicated the end of every recession since the index began to be compiled in 1959. The index was reported this week to h...

  • More index funds and ETFs coming to 401(k)s

    July 23rd, 200911:46 AM ET
    By Joseph Slife
    Ninety percent of 401(k)/403(b) money invested in mutual funds is in actively managed funds, even though, as a whole, such funds tend to perform less well over time than passively managed index funds. The main reason retirement accounts are way overbalanced toward actively managed funds is simply that - for various reasons - many employer-spon...

  • Living above your means eventually catches up with everyone ... even Ivy League sophisticates

    July 22nd, 200912:50 PM ET
    By Austin Pryor
    If there's one thing we've learned during the past two years, it may be that average investors usually make mistakes on an average scale while savvy big-time investors make mistakes on a big-time scale. Even the brilliant minds at Harvard, it appears: Only a year ago, Harvard had a $36.9 billion endowment, the largest in academia. Now that end...

  • 401(k) / group annuity plans

    July 17th, 200910:21 AM ET
    By Mark Biller
    Forbes has a disturbing article on certain 401(k) plans set up as "group annuities" by insurance companies. By their account, "Among 401(k) plans with assets of less than $250 million, group annuity-style menus account for 55% of the market and are sold by axa Equitable, Lincoln Financial and other insurers." These group annuity plans charge ridicu...

  • Savings rate improvement may be an illusion

    July 15th, 200909:32 AM ET
    By Mark Biller
    In June I wrote: "In recent months, savings rates have headed higher. Borrowing is sharply lower. We're seeing a gradual return to the 'old-fashioned' wealth-building techniques of the past." Jon Markman says "not so fast": Analysts at TrimTabs Research reported last week that the government's Bureau of Economic Analysis is painting a wildl...

  • Student-loan changes now in effect

    July 09th, 200911:45 AM ET
    By Joseph Slife
    Interest rates and other terms for student loans change each year on the first of July. What's new this year? Income-Based Repayment is now available for the first time, Pell grants have gotten bigger, and interest rates on new Subsidized Stafford loans and existing variable-rate loans have gone down. Details here from the Project on Student Debt...

  • An offer you CAN refuse: Say no to bad credit card deals

    July 08th, 200909:33 AM ET
    By Joseph Slife
    From Chuck Jaffe at MarketWatch: The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act (widely known as the Credit CARD Act) takes effect in February, although a few key provisions kick in at the start of August. One of the key provisions that begins in August requires credit-card issuers to give 45 days' notice before any rate hike. ...

  • Even playing field?

    July 01st, 200909:49 AM ET
    By Mark Biller
    If you read as much financial "stuff" as we do here at SMI, you quickly learn that writers in certain quarters are convinced the financial markets are rigged. Either the government is running the show, or some group of elites, or well, somebody is clearly up to something. While occasionally some good points are raised, the argument tends to get tir...
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