Welcome to the end of the week and another edition of Happy Hour! Just sit back, relax, and enjoy your end of the week roundup of all things interesting in the land of money.
STOCK Act Loophole
The STOCK Act or Stop Trading On Congressional Knowledge Act was passed as an effort to reestablish trust in the government. The law was set to end the chance members of Congress and other government employees could profit from nonpublic information. Which it did, but the STOCK Act has one tiny, little loophole.
The Act doesn’t include spouses and children. Basically a Senator can find out some juicy information and tell their spouse or children who can then trade on the information. Or better yet, access their spouses accounts and just trade themselves. This is all thanks to a last-minute rewrite of the law. At least they were looking out for number one. Continue Reading…
The last few years we’ve seen historically low-interest rates and a rising concern over interest rate risk. These low rates have been great for borrows looking for low-cost loans. On the other side, it’s been tough on savers forced into short-term fixed income assets while they wait for rates to rise.
One of the most popular investments in the past few years have been REITs, or real estate investment trusts. If you’ve ever been to an outlet mall, it was probably owned by a real estate investment trust. It’s just one way for investors to get into real estate without buying property.
Do you want to earn more than the current 5 year or 10 year Treasury bonds without giving up the safety they offer? Or maybe you just want a way to start saving without taking on the risks of the market. With treasury rates at all time lows, CD rates are a safe second option offering more flexibility and backed by the FDIC.
Tracking your investments is more than glancing at those monthly statements. A regular investment review needs to be done. Of course there are no set rules, just some basic guidelines to consider.