::Houston Planner::

20 October 2009

Checking Account Fees Reach Record Highs - US News and World Report

Checking Account Fees Reach Record Highs - US News and World Report: "Checking account fees for overdrafts and ATM charges reached new highs this year. But savvy consumers don't have to pay any of them. The majority of bank customers—56 percent—pay nothing for banking services each month, according to a recent telephone survey by the American Bankers Association (ABA) and market research firm Ipsos-Reid. And most of the people who do pay checking accounts fees are charged only small amounts. Just 13 percent of bank customers pay fees of $10 or more each month, ABA found. Here are some of the heftiest checking account fees and how to avoid them."

07 October 2009

In the Eye of the Commercial Real-Estate Hurricane

"Barclays added that “almost every bank said their CRE portfolio should relatively outperform,’’ in the quarter.
It turns out that the banks may be telling only half truths. That WSJ article linked to above reveals how the banks have a few tricks up their sleeves to prop up their real-estate assets:"

28 September 2009

World Bank says don't take dollar's place for granted | Reuters

"In excerpts released on Sunday from a speech that he is to deliver on Monday, Zoellick said global economic forces were shifting and it was time now to prepare for the fact that growth will come from multiple sources.
'The United States would be mistaken to take for granted the dollar's place as the world's predominant reserve currency,' he said. 'Looking forward, there will increasingly be other options.'"

24 September 2009

Absolute Return Philosophy

Absolute Return Philosophy: "It's important that you understand the impact that a bear market has on your capital. The give and take of your investment capital is not equal. If you placed $100 into an investment and it declined 50% to $50, what is the rate of return you would need to earn back your original investment of $100?"

31 August 2009

U.S. turns profit on bank bailouts - Portland Business Journal:

"...the U.S. government has garnered $1.4 billion from Goldman Sachs, $1.3 billion from Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) and $414 million from American Express (NYSE: AXP), as well as between $100 million and $334 million from five other banks that have repaid the government, according to the Times. It also has received $35 million from 14 smaller banks that have retired their preferred shares issued to the government."

Swiss Govt: IRS Lodges Request For UBS Data - WSJ.com

"UBS, which earlier this year paid $780 million to settle a criminal tax probe, identified 4,450 cases of 'tax fraud and the like,' the Swiss government said when the deal was detailed two weeks ago."

--The Swiss government said Monday the U.S. Internal Revenue Service has formally lodged a request to its Swiss counterpart for data from UBS AG (UBS), beginning an administrative process aimed at getting information on as many as 4,450 clients of the Swiss bank.

Regional surveys show U.S. economy picking up | Reuters

Regional surveys show U.S. economy picking up Reuters: "One report showed a nearly year-long plunge in economic activity in the U.S. Midwest came to a halt last month as new orders and production rose sharply, potentially a harbinger for the national economy."

Dudley Says Fed Can Avoid a ‘Bad Inflation Outcome’ (Update3) - Bloomberg.com

Dudley Says Fed Can Avoid a ‘Bad Inflation Outcome’ (Update3) - Bloomberg.com: "The central bank, seeking to stimulate the economy and unclog credit markets, has created emergency lending programs and doubled the size of its assets during the past year to more than $2 trillion."

06 August 2009

BEA: News Release: Personal Income for Metropolitan Areas, 2008

BEA: News Release: Personal Income for Metropolitan Areas, 2008: "Personal income growth slowed in 2008 in most of the nation's metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal income growth slowed in 322 MSAs, increased in 42, and remained unchanged in 2 MSAs. On average, MSA personal income grew 3.3 percent in 2008, down from 6.0 percent in 2007."

22 July 2009

SEC takes steps to clamp down on pay to play

"The measure seeks to clamp down on 'pay to play' practices where an investment manager makes political contribution to an investment adviser for a public pension plan, who, in exchange, allocates funds with the manager."

>>How this hasn't been dealt with already is beyond me.

20 July 2009

Self Directed IRA And Solo 401k Investing Leads To A Brighter Retirement

Self Directed IRA And Solo 401k Investing Leads To A Brighter Retirement For A C by Garry Hester: "After a couple of years of smaller profitable self directed IRA real estate transactions, the Stoddards in 2006 discovered an opportunity to buy and then immediately re-sell 60-acres of undeveloped land at a profit. Due to the complexities of the transaction, they contacted Denver-based self directed IRA expert, Jeff Nabers for assistance."

The environmentally-conscious investing movement

The environmentally-conscious investing movement will only grow stronger in the near future. As more small investors like you realize the importance of green investments and as more businesses come together to contribute to the cause of environment protection and conservation, there will be a lot more money flowing in and a lot more profits to be made. You can thus continue to lend your support to environment conservation initiatives without compromising on your financial goals and objectives.

All About REITs

All About REITs: "Over nearly half a century, the U.S. real estate investment trust (REIT) industry has become an important segment of the U.S. economy and investment markets. U.S. REITs have seen their equity market capitalization soar from $90 billion to roughly $200 billion in just the past 10 years. In the process, that growth has set the stage for the adoption of the REIT approach to securitized real estate investment across the globe."

01 July 2009

US Stocks Lifted By Manufacturing Data

Article - WSJ.com: "Stocks kicked off the second half of 2009 on Wednesday with a modest gain sparked by promising readings of manufacturing in China and the U.S., though the employment outlook remained murky.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was recently up 61 points, or 0.7%, at 8507.99. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 0.7%. The S&P 500 was up 0.7%, helped by gains in every sector except health care, which slipped 0.2%."

California blows budget deadline, IOUs expected soon

California blows budget deadline, IOUs expected soon - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:: "State leaders thought they had resolved the current year budget earlier than ever when they adopted one in February, but the recession cut tax revenue by about 20 percent since then.
California bonds maturing in 2037 traded as low as 83.35 cents on the dollar Tuesday, a yield of about 6.27 percent, down from a recent high of 97.25 cents on May 12."

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