Is the Stock Market Safe?

Are you investing in the stock market in these tumultuous times? If not why not? If you are, what makes you think it is safe to do so?

People Everywhere Are Skittish

The other day I was listening to a very popular television personality discuss the stock market with his guests. He stated bluntly that he would not invest in the stock market these days because the economy was just too unstable.

Wall Street Sign

I have not seen the numbers, but I have heard a number of technical folks refer to the low participation rate in the stock market. Many big investors are actively buying but a lot of ordinary folks are not.

There are many issues to consider in determining whether or not to invest. No matter where you are in this equation, it is important that you understand the risks and are watchful at all times. It is also notable that there are risks in not investing in the stock market as well as there are risks in investing.

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Demand for Home Based Businesses

In a recent post I asked if you have you been thinking about starting your own home based business? I suggested that there may never be a better time to do it than there is today. Yes, even in this unstable economic environment. I want to explore some of the reasons for that thinking a little further.

In the last decade the number of employed people working from home has increased over twenty percent, but at the same time the number of people working in home based businesses has increased over twenty-five percent. Regulatory pressures on employers are anticipated to cause home based business growth to accelerate over the next few years.

Why a Home Based Business Now?

At the end of this year businesses across America will face a huge dilemma. The new health law will force them to make some serious decisions about how they will try to pay the increased insurance costs.

Many, perhaps most, do not have enough income to absorb this cost so what will they do? Several options are being seriously considered by many businesses.

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How the Financial Crisis Changed America

Today I read an article from the folks at Fidelity Investments. They completed a study in February called The Fidelity Five Years Later study—referencing five years after the financial crisis began. The participants represented adults over twenty-five years of age, financial decision makers who have investments so they were above average in their financial commitments, as I am sure are those reading this blog.

The Crisis and Financial Attitudes

Here are some of the results I think you will find interesting:

  • 42% have increased participation in workplace retirement and health savings plans
  • 55% feel better prepared for retirement
  • 42% have increased emergency fund savings
  • 80% have a better understanding of their finances
  • 49% have purposely decreased personal debt
  • 72% have less debt now than before
  • 78% say they have made permanent behavior changes

What Do These Results Mean?

As you look through this list I think you will see many reasons to be hopeful for the future, at least among the people surveyed.

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Working from Home

Have you been thinking about starting a business of your own, a home based business? Never before has there been as much interest in this opportunity and it may be just the thing for you.

Why a Home Based Business Now?

Starting your own home based business has been the dream of many people over the years, but for most it has been little more. However, in the economic circumstances faced by the world today, this may prove to be the best time ever to make it a reality instead of just wishful thinking.

Necessity is the mother of invention as the old saying goes. One reason many people are thinking about a home based or secondary business income now is due to people having a lower income from their regular jobs. The average family income in America has dropped more than $4,000 over the last few years while expenses keep escalating.

No one wants to lower their standard of living, no surprise, so people are looking for ways to earn some additional income. Beginning a part time home business can be an appealing option.

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Is a Second Housing Crisis Imminent?

Are we past the home mortgage crisis? Or is there a possibility that there just may be a round two? If there is another round of mortgage defaults, how can we avoid getting caught up in it?

One Woman's Mortgage Problem

This morning I read about a woman who had just had her hours at work cut back. She was concerned about what to do because of the crimp it put on her budget.

In particular, her new hours did not provide enough income, as she saw it, to be able to keep up with her house payments….

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Can We Avoid Low Wages Ahead

A noteworthy article titled Low-paying jobs are here to stay appeared on CNN Money today. It does not report good news, but it does focus our attention on a very real situation that we must adjust to and respond to if we want to do well in future.

Wages to Remain Stagnant for Years

The story reports on a study done by the Economic Policy Institute. Overall conclusions of the study are…

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Why I Did Not Buy Facebook Stock

It is always risky to say why you declined to invest in any stock, I suppose. Especially in the tech field. You always stand the risk of trying to explain later why you didn't recognize the value of an Amazon or Apple. But, here I go, with the hope that my reasoning is worth considering.

Is Facebook Viable?

First, I do not see the economic viability of a company like Facebook. The question I ask myself is…

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Is the Rising Stock Market a Sign of Economic Recovery?

Almost every day now we hear optimistic reports about the stock market suggesting that the economy must be improving because the price of stocks continues to grow (albeit not agressively).

Surely this must be a good sign, right? And if we were to pour cold water on that notion we must surely be the bad guys. But what is the truth?

Rising Stock Market—A Good Thing

Before pointing out the obvious (at least in my mind) reason for concluding that it…

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For a Job, Choose Training-Education Carefully

In a previous post I emphasized the importance for seeking out specialized training as part of an effort to get a new job. In that post I mentioned a related need to look for training that prepared for an actual job, meaning one that really exists. In this post I want to focus on that element.

The Disconnect Between Education and Jobs

For many years I have been perplexed about the disconnect between educational opportunities and jobs that really exist in the marketplace. Sometimes there seems to be little relationship between the two and public awareness of this reality seems minimal.

Just the other day…

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Train to Get a Job Now!

The more things change, the more they stay the same. When it comes to getting a job in our tenuous economy, the real answer is not to find some new unusual approach. Instead, it means getting back to the basics of getting a job.

Jobs Are Available

The proof of this in in the fact that even though we are experiencing unusual levels of unemployment, there are tens of thousands of jobs going unfilled. In fact, I heard yesterday about a business near to me that has around twenty-five jobs available, good paying jobs for the most part, and no qualified applicants. Wow!

Why Many Jobs Go Unfilled

There are many explanations for such situations. In many cases it is simply that …

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