The holidays are upon us once again and Wall Street is waiting to see if Santa will spread a little holiday cheer on the stock market at the end this year. Like the Christmas shopping season the term “Santa Claus Rally”, seems to be used earlier every year. Any slight change in the stock market from November to December and a race ensues to see who can use the “Santa Claus Rally” term first.
The media, as usual, tends to jump the gun on the Santa Claus Rally. The stock market has many seasonal market indicators. They tend to be very specific time periods and most are backed by significant historical data. Continue Reading…
The 2010 Roth IRA conversion deadline is approaching quickly. If you haven’t heard, the previous income limit ($100,000) for converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA was lifted all the way back in January. With 2011 approaching, it’s always a good idea to check your finances and make any beneficial changes before the new tax year begins.
In a world of online banking, ATMs, direct deposit, debit cards, we don’t have to go the brick and mortar bank as often as we used to. Before the internet age there used to be a time where people had to go to the bank rather often and in doing so would see the alphabet soup splashed on every door and drive through teller window.
“MidTerm Election Effect”
The Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted unanimously recently to propose limits on mutual fund 12b-1 fees and provide more transparency to investors. The SEC’s proposal would help protect investors by limiting 12b-1 fees to 0.25%, improve the transparency of fees for investors, encourage retail competition, and revise fund director oversight duties.