Are mutual funds dead? With all of the talk surrounding Exchange-Traded Funds over the past few years, I am starting to think that it’s starting to become an endangered species. Although there are way more mutual funds out in the market than ETFs, the popularity of mutual funds is waning while there has been [...]

We often see days where the Dow will surge ahead 200 or even 300 points in a single session. Then, the very next day, the same Dow will fall 150, 200, or more. The volatility is enough to make some people throw up their arms in disgust. Are the rate cuts over? [...]

The recent price activity and news has caused E-Trade Financial (ETFC) to experience what can be classified as extreme price volatility.
Last Friday November 9th, 2007 E-Trade stock closed at $8.59, and yesterday the stock fell 58.7% to finish the day at $3.55. Then, today the stock shot back up 40.9% to $5.00 even.
What caused these [...]

Think nuclear energy is a great investment? Then read on and take a closer look at the Market Vectors Nuclear Energy ETF (NLR).
Fund Breakdown
NLR is a exchange traded fund, or ETF, that tracks the performance of the Daxglobal Nuclear Energy Index. NLR went public on August 15th, 2007 and is still quite small in [...]

As you age your investment mind changes. Not only do you become more conservative then you were say in your 20s, but you also become better suited to handle stress. Why? By your 50’s and beyond you’ve seen it all before. You may be wiser, but does older age really yield smarter investing?
This question was [...]

This is a quick explanation for all those who can’t quite get a grasp on what the hell is going on right now with some of the big factors influencing the stock market.
The Dollar
When the Feds cut rates a half a point in September the market loved it but the dollar did not. The [...]

Cash Is King. We’ve heard that phrase bantered about, but it’s never more true than in investing. It’s important to remember why people should have cash in their portfolio and what it’s designed to do. Cash is the “least sexy” of the investments—after all, it just sits there, earning a pittance in interest, and you [...]

We’ve heard it a million times from all of the financial gurus out there: buy low and sell high and you too can retire with huge mansion, multiple luxury automobiles and a stock portfolio that is mimicked by thousands of followers. While the advice may be simple, it is definitely not easy for the vast [...]