I listened to a long explanation by Neal Boortz on his radio show today on why he thinks that in the name of saving Social Security, politicians could easily seize outstanding pension funds including money in IRAs and 401(k) plans.  Interestingly, I also had a spike in my search traffic for my previous article: Should Government Take Over Your 401(k) [October 28, 2008].
Whatever your political stance, it is a fact that there are some politicians with some level of power in Washington that want to either tax these funds (that …

Market psychology is an interesting subject.  When thinking about the market pyschology today and of the past year or so, I have a few observations:

Despite a definite effect that the down market had on people over the last year, it’s amazing how easily people have bounced back into believing that we’re heading higher now and for a prolonged period in the future.
Perhaps, since the market went UP for so long prior to the current recession (you could argue a 20+ year bull market), maybe we have become so conditioned to …

The past year of my life has moved more and more in the direction of a web entrepreneur. Several ventures have given me a nice level of experience. With the experience has come numerous challenges, some of which I’ll detail in this post.
Here are ten challenges that I have encountered with regards to web entrepreneurship:
1. Having the full range of skills needed for a successful launch
This is definitely number one. Launching a web business takes an incrediblely wide range of skills from the most technical of skills …

One of my favorite writers over at Forbes is Rich Karlgaard.  He has a great article on Wriston’s Law, what it is and how it has affected economic growth in America and elsewhere.  He explains what the law is:
Wriston said capital (meaning both money and ideas), when freed to travel at the speed of light, “will go where it is wanted, stay where it is well-treated.”
By applying Wriston’s Law of capital and talent flow, you can predict the fortunes of companies (and countries). All predictions about future performance must start …

Yesterday, I made my first move in the world of options.  I decided to sell a put on a stock that I want to own, but only at a lower price.  I sold the the December 2009 put on GDX with a $32 strike price.  The premiums that I collected from selling the put were $1.35 for each share.  I bought 2 contracts (each equate to 100 shares), so I collected $270 in premiums.  In return, I’m obligated to purchase 200 shares of GDX should the shares be “put” to …

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The health care reform debate is raging.  Despite all the money being spent to convince the American people of Obama’s health care vision, a large segment of society is not convinced.  Why is it hard to convince some people?  Some distrust government, some believe government should not be a part of the health care industry and some believe there are better reforms to be made.  You can put me in all three camps.
There is a change to the way we receive health care that would do way more good …

The good thing about being unemployed, if there is such a thing, is that you have plenty of time.  While you should be using the bulk of your time putting forth the effort to land another job, there are some opportunities to make some cash while you have some extra time.  Take advantage of the time you have.
Sell Your Junk
While this doesn’t usually equate to a sustainable income stream, this is a good way to pay the bills for a month or two.  I’m currently in the process of a …

People open a savings account for a multitude of reasons. Typically, we hear that we should put away money for retirement or save up money for a down payment on a home. In this article, we are going to look at a few reasons why you should start saving that you usually don’t hear about. I hope these reasons, in addition to the more traditional reasons to save money, will encourage you to open a savings account today.
Reason #1 – Use Your Savings Accounts As Budgeting “Buckets”
With …