By Mike Rowan, 09/25/2009

Year End Tax Planning To Do List

Year end tax planning is a vital part of filing your federal taxes. Tax deductions and other personal tax help is highly recommended when tax issues become imminent. eRollover has obtained documentation from John Hancock that will simplify the process

Don't Forget, Bush Tax Cuts are Set to expire

The Bush tax cuts on the upper class are set to expire in 2011. The...

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By Mike Rowan, 09/23/2009

403b Plans | How they Work, and what you Need to Know

403b plans are retirement savings plans that allow you to make annual dollar contributions (just like 401k plans) and let them grow tax-deferred up until you withdraw them (upon retirement). Note the fact that 403b plans allow for pre-tax contributions 403b plans are also known as tax-deferred annuities. 403b Plans are...

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By Mike Rowan, 09/20/2009

I Changed Jobs. What about my 401k?

Congratulations! You have taken the plunge and have that new job that you have sought for so long! Then, all of the sudden, you think of your 401k and may wonder, "What on Earth am I supposed to do?”

There are many options for your existing 401k or retirement plan when you change jobs. For...

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By Mike Rowan, 09/10/2009

Best Investing Strategy for Retirement?

Over the market downturn of the past year, many investors saw their portfolios fall drastically. To many investors, the old buy and hold approach for their portfolios didn’t seem to make sense. These investors tended to act emotionally, and many of them sold out at or near the stock market bottom as a result. We wanted...

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By Mike Rowan, 09/10/2009

U.S. and State Unemployment Rates Hit 26 Year High in August

The United States unemployment rate jumped to a 26-year high of 9.7% in August as nonfarm payrolls fell by 216,000, the 20th consecutive monthly decline, the Labor Department estimated Friday. State unemployment rates ranged from 4.2% in North Dakota, to over 15% in the state of Michigan.

United States payrolls have dropped by 6.9...

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By Mike Rowan, 09/08/2009

The Mortgage and Financial Bust started in the Fall of 2007

When: 2007 - Ongoing

Percentage Lost From Peak to Bottom: Nearly 60% as of Spring of 2009. The S&P went from 1576.09 to 666.79

Nothing like living through history, huh?

We all wish that this one was in the history books, as the subprime mortgage crisis has absolutely decimated the U.S. and World Economies over the past 2 years. Arguably,...

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By Mike Rowan, 09/07/2009

The Nikkei 225 Crash and Asian Panic Started in 1989

When: 1989 - Ongoing

Percentage Lost From Peak to Bottom: Nearly 80% as of Spring of 2009.

20 year Bear Market?

Can a bear market last for 20 straight years? Well, this is exactly what has occurred in Japan, starting in 1989.

The Japanese have an uncanny ability to enhance what they adopt from the Americans, but have picked up on crashes...

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By Mike Rowan, 09/01/2009

The Dot Com and NASDAQ Crash of 2000

When: March 11, 2000 to October 9, 2002
Percentage Lost From Peak to Bottom: The Nasdaq Composite lost 78% of its value as it fell from 5046.86 to 1114.11.

The Dot-Com crash seems like a fleeting memory, however, it was responsible for the destruction of untold personal wealth.

Having been a broker at a major Wall Street firm at the time, it...

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