Free Newsletter
Is financial planning for everyone?
A Princeton Survey Research Associates International survey of 1,508 households across the nation found that 38 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and that less than 30 percent of US households felt financially secure. Only 34 percent of the households surveyed believed that they could...
A new tax …
One of the most significant tax changes that came into effect on Jan. 1, 2013, wasn’t a part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act, the fiscal cliff compromise enacted in January, but was enacted in 2010 as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
A barbell investment approach
The Morgan Stanley Global Investment Committee (GIC) has increased the strategic allocation to equities at the expense of fixed income, while keeping cash and alternative allocations roughly the same. The […]
An affinity for Affinity programs
Affinity credit card programs offer a solution—helping these organizations build awareness and donations with each new account a member activates and every purchase that member makes. But in recent years, certain lenders have started to pull away from affinity credit card programs.
Lessons from Cyprus
Most people probably never heard of Cyprus until the morning of March 18, 2013. It is a small country with a population of 800,000 and a GDP of less than $18 billion. It dropped a bombshell over the weekend when it announced that the government will take a bite out of depositors’ accounts in Cypru...
Understanding your credit score: Part Two
Since lenders will typically compare your credit scores from the big three credit reporting agencies—Equifax, Experian and TransUnion—your first move should be to obtain current copies of your credit reports and review them for accuracy. All U.S. consumers are entitled to a free credit report each...
Understanding your credit score: Part One
Not surprising, the financial standards imposed by lenders are considerably more stringent today than they were in the go-go days prior to the housing crisis. And to qualify for a refinancing at today’s historically low interest rates, you need to demonstrate a good credit history and a respectabl...
Angels and demons: Four great ways to fund your venture
Attend the Rockies Venture Club’s annual Angel Capital Summit conference tomorrow and Wednesday. Entrepreneurs, you might find an angel. Angels, you can learn how to be a better investor and find a deal. Register now at: www.AngelCapitalSummit.com. This year’s conference kicks off with a live...
Show me the money!
Mixed-use incubators offer a variety of networking opportunities that can lead to a big payoff. For example, at Innovation Pavilion, a mixed-use incubator in the Denver Tech Center, entrepreneurs benefit from “productive collisions” that put them in contact with those most knowledgeable about the...
Cure the first-quarter blues
Now that we are in March, you should have a pretty good view of how your Q1 is likely to end up. If you are a revenue-generating company, you’ve probably got a formally approved 2013 plan by now (if not, why not?) Your board is paying attention to your performance against plan, and you and your ma...
The attraction of foreign bonds
As yields on high-quality bonds have slipped in the United States, more investors are turning to foreign bonds and foreign bond funds to boost portfolio yield potential and provide greater diversification. In the past decade, there’s been substantial growth and maturation of world bond markets. Th...
A road map for your business
Business plans are often created for investors in hopes they’ll invest in the business. But a business plan can also be used by management strictly for internal use to keep track of where the business is going (market opportunities), what it needs to do to get there (employee talent), and how much...
