They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder — and I suppose that’s just as true in the financial world as anywhere else. For most, the Fed‘s unprecedented string of stimulative rate cuts couldn’t have been better timed. Read More

Admit it: You still have in the back of your desk drawer that long-forgotten key ring attached to the mini flashlight with the name of an insurance company emblazoned on it. The one you picked up at the auto show three years ago. And the flashlight still works. Read More

Game on. The market is overreacting to an announcement today from GameStop (NYSE: GME) that it had trouble competing with Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) for holiday shoppers. Holiday sales were flat and GameStop lowered its guidance for the year, which ends in March, to between $2.23 to $2.27… Read More

Trying to find untapped corners of the market has become increasingly challenging for exchange-traded funds (ETFs), but fund issuers have been up to the challenge. One particularly inventive offering by Van Eck fills a conspicuous gap for gold bulls — and the timing couldn’t have been better. Read More

The year 2009 ended with the S&P 500 at a crucial technical juncture. The positive trading action of the first day of 2010 did much to resolve the uncertainty. The October 2007 high water mark for the benchmark… Read More

When 2008 ended with a -37.0% loss in the S&P 500, investors didn’t have a lot of good news to share. But 2009, happily, proved to be a comeback year, with the benchmark index… Read More

Amy, what do you see as promising areas for income investors in 2010? Despite this rally, I’m happy to say there are still plenty of chances to lock in strong — and frequent — dividends. One area I like is master limited partnerships (will lead to above-average… Read More

The key to boosting income lies in a security most investors might not be familiar with. Nevertheless, more than 1,250 of these securities trade on U.S. exchanges. They invest in every almost every possible sector and niche of the market (from stocks and bonds to… Read More

Not a day goes by when we’re not bombarded by advertisements to save money on auto insurance. Geico, Allstate, Progressive, 21st Century… I’m not sure how they can all be the cheapest, but that’s entirely another story. The point is, these messages don’t really hit home with… Read More

It’s coming. Or, I should say, “he’s” coming. Warren Buffett? No. Bill Gross? No. I am referring to Dick Clark. He’s on his way. He will be hosting, again, the annual ball-drop on Times Square… Read More