BusinessWeek Online -- Well Spent

Stock ownership is up

Mon, 14 Nov 2005 15:05:50 -0500

Given the general dissatisfaction of the investing public, you'd think that stock ownership would have fallen markedly in the U.S. since the tech bubble burst in 2001 and was followed by waves of corporate scandal. Not so, according to two...

Ave Maria Fund ideas

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 15:04:24 -0500

I spoke recently with George Schwartz, portfolio manager of the Ave Maria Fund, a stock fund that invests according to Catholic values (which basically means it avoids companies which have anything to do with abortion or pornography, or that provides...

Good news for independent analysts?

Mon, 24 Oct 2005 16:54:49 -0500

Wondering why brokerage-house analysts usually have so much more stock-moving muscle than independent analysts? One big reason is that brokerage firm trading services are often bundled with research. Large institutional investors want to be tops on the list of best...

Healthcare smart card?

Fri, 21 Oct 2005 13:12:35 -0500

The intersection of healthcare and technology has been a hot area for entrepreneurs and investors for years. Now we're getting some much needed improvements where finance, health insurance and technology meet. I spoke recently with Bruce Weitzberg, the chief operating...

Year-end tax pitfalls

Wed, 12 Oct 2005 14:00:03 -0500

I just listened in on a year-end tax planning conference call featuring three financial planners that are part of Zero Alpha Group. They identified these four common pitfalls of investors this time of year: - Blowing your bonus - Giving...

Earnings growth, without the debt

Mon, 10 Oct 2005 16:32:03 -0500

San Diego Investment adviser Brent Wilsey has come up with a list of companies that have low debt, but above-average earnings growth. He clarifies that this is "real" growth, meaning that it doesn't come from asset sales, accounting changes or...

Nursing Home Costs Up 5% in 2005

Tue, 27 Sep 2005 17:31:08 -0500

It is depressing, but hardly surprising to see that nursing home costs continue to rise -- up more than 5% this year. Here's some more data to ponder as you try to save something for retirement. According to a recent...

Break Up Citigroup?

Wed, 21 Sep 2005 17:02:19 -0500

Tom Brown, a leading bank analyst and hedge fund manager, just called for such a move on his web site, bankstocks.com. (See, "The Citi is Sleeping: Break it Up!") Sorry Sandy (Weill, that is). Weill was the mastermind behind the...

Maintaining "measured"

Tue, 20 Sep 2005 15:05:46 -0500

Wondering why stocks are sliding in reaction to the Federal Reserve's decision to raise rates another quarter point? It's because the Fed says it will maintain its policy of "measured" rate hikes into the future. (Here's a link to the...

Community Investing in Katrina's Wake

Mon, 19 Sep 2005 16:48:29 -0500

This press release popped up in my mailbox today and it looks like a great option for people who want to give money to Katrina, but don't want their contribution to be lost in the billions the government, relief agencies,...

Teaching Kids About Money

Fri, 16 Sep 2005 15:33:13 -0500

ING Direct operates a fun site designed to teach kids about money called Planet Orange . A lot of the content isn't exactly rocket science -- for example, it will take Ashley three months to save enough for a $100...

ETFs for Dividend Seekers

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 16:46:33 -0500

Starting Sept. 15, investors will be able to invest in three new baskets of dividend-paying companies. The three new PowerShares “Dividend Achievers” Portfolios, which will trade on the AMEX, are exchange traded funds (ETF) based on the Mergent Dividend Achievers...

Golfers and finance

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 12:13:23 -0500

Duffers take note: Nationwide Financial and Golf Digest have conducted a study of golfers' financial savvy that has some amusing findings. Their survey found: - While 94% of golfers know what areas of their golf game need improvement, only 45%...

Katrina Scams

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 16:09:26 -0500

I'm back from a week's vacation, where I spent much of the time glued to CNN watching Katrina's devestation of the Gulf Coast. Today several stories caught my eye reporting on new Katrina-related scams. Here's one from MSNBC about stock-touting...

Brokers go independent

Wed, 24 Aug 2005 19:28:31 -0500

Now that so many traditional stock brokers charge an annual fee based on assets under management for their services (rather than a commission on stock or mutual fund trades), a lot of them are deciding to go it alone. All...