By 2 Cents on February 1st, 2012 | Category: 20 Cents | So the first month of 2012 is behind us. Did you set any goals for the year? How are they coming along? There were some fantastic financial articles out there last month. Here’s a tiny sample:
1. Farnam Street posted an excerpt from a new study on Willpower & New Year’s Resolutions. Apparently, the key to keeping our resolutions is to make sure we don’t need to call on our willpower too often by minimizing temptations. That’s probably why automating your finances by paying yourself first works.
2. The World Economic Forum takes place in Davos, Switzerland each January. Umair Haque pointed out Ten Things You’re Not Allowed to Say at Davos. Enlightening.
3. Take a look at this interview with Danielle Park at Cambridge House in Vancouver. “Wise investors concerned about the real direction of [...]
Read on and enjoy … 20 Cents from January 2012
By 2 Cents on November 1st, 2011 | Category: 20 Cents |  It’s hard to believe 2011 is already winding down. Soon we’ll be busy with holiday preparations, year end reviews and goals for 2012. It’s been a beautiful fall in our new city and I look forward to experiencing Christmas here for the first time. Now ~ 1. Where to find a tree? & 2. Where to put it in the new house? Hmmm . . .
While I wrestle with these profound questions, I’ll leave you with a selection of 2 cents from 10 different places. Enjoy!
1. Jonathan Burton of Market Watch wrote an interesting article on Why Geezers Give the Best Investment Advice. ‘Based on the evidence found in the research, anyone between 43 and 63 “is really in their cognitive sweet spot.”’ Woo hoo! I’m almost in my cognitive sweet spot! Wait . . . does that mean I’m almost [...]
Read on and enjoy … 20 Cents from October 2011
By 2 Cents on October 7th, 2011 | Category: Planning |  No one knows what they’ll do in a moment of crisis and hypothetical questions get hypothetical answers.
~Joan Baez
When I wrote Another Bear Market: Is It Time to Buy? earlier this week, I tried to summarize the current bull and bear points of view. I also promised to write about how we’re approaching the current market volatility. As I mentioned, I think everyone can and should have a unique response – including the possibility of having none at all – to the market’s gyrations. Our response, therefore, should not be taken as advice on what anyone else should do. It’s based on our personal situation and if that was different, my strategy would be different too.
Background
For those who aren’t regular readers, I’ll just give a quick bit of background on where we’re at financially [...]
Read on and enjoy … Personal Finance in a Secular Bear Market
By 2 Cents on October 3rd, 2011 | Category: 20 Cents |  This month it was truly difficult to pick only 10 articles to include. I almost had to up the ante to 30 cents! But my goal with these monthly collections is to keep them succinct so readers aren’t overwhelmed with information. Suffice it to say that some really great pieces were left on the proverbial cutting room floor. I hope you are enjoying the beautiful fall weather and I hope you enjoy these articles as much as I did!
1. If You Have Only a Little Money, Should You Invest It? Shelley White from the Globe and Mailed posed the question to Danielle Park and Bruce Sellery. Ms. Park recommended paying down debt first and staying on the sidelines in terms of equities. “[I]n her opinion, you would be better off parking your money in GICs rather than diving into stocks or bonds [...]
Read on and enjoy … 20 Cents from September 2011
By 2 Cents on September 30th, 2011 | Category: BJ News |  Everything in moderation, including moderation.
~Author Unknown
A couple of months ago the editors at Thrift Culture Now contacted me for an interview. I normally don’t mind doing this type of thing, especially if it’s in writing. I agreed to do it and they agreed to send over a set of questions for me to answer.
I expected to receive an email containing some generic personal finance or investing questions. Instead, I was treated to some really thoughtful inquiries that showed a real recognition of what Balance Junkie is all about. I was impressed.
Unfortunately, the interview questions arrived just as I was about to move. I started on some replies, but it soon became apparent that I wasn’t going to be able to give the interview the attention it deserved until after we settled in. The editors said “no problem” and very patiently waited for my replies.
[...]
Read on and enjoy … Thrift Culture Now: Balance Junkie Interview
By 2 Cents on June 9th, 2011 | Category: Investing |  A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don’t need it.
~Bob Hope
This is an excerpt of an article that was originally published on Seeking Alpha as premium content. You can read the entire article there.
The old joke from Bob Hope in today’s opening quote isn’t quite as true as it used to be. For one thing, we’re still recovering from a financial crisis that was sparked in large part by banks lending money to plenty of people without proof of, well, just about anything. For another, some think we’re not really recovering at all due to the fact that a lot of those bad loans are still hidden in the depths of bank balance sheets … or somewhere just far enough off the balance sheet to evade close scrutiny … or on government/central bank balance sheets, which [...]
Read on and enjoy … Is This a Good Time to Invest in Banks?
By 2 Cents on May 4th, 2011 | Category: 20 Cents |  I’ve been pretty distracted lately with the whole house-hunting/moving to a new city thing, so I haven’t been able to follow the financial world as closely as usual. In spite of being out of town and preoccupied a fair bit in April, I was able to dig up some real gems for this month’s round-up. I hope you enjoy them!
1. Regular readers will recognize David Stockman’s name as I’ve referred to his writing a few times. He has some very strong views on the U.S. fiscal situation and the role of the Federal Reserve in the economy and the markets. He expressed those views again last month in a New York Times Op-Ed on The Bipartisan March to Fiscal Madness. Whether you agree with all of Mr. Stockman’s analysis or not, it’s nice to read some straightforward give-your-head-a-shake prose that’s not oozing [...]
Read on and enjoy … 20 Cents from April 2011
By 2 Cents on April 19th, 2011 | Category: Economics | Nothing is more desirable than to be released from an affliction, but nothing is more frightening than to be divested of a crutch.
~ James Baldwin
This is an excerpt of an article that was originally published on Seeking Alpha as premium content. You can read the entire article there.
There’s been no shortage of potentially market-moving news for investors to digest so far in 2011. From major geopolitical strife in the Middle East to the sovereign debt crisis in Europe to the multilevel Japanese catastrophe, markets have been remarkably resilient so far. Perhaps that’s because these types of events aren’t what’s driving the markets.
The only news items that seem to have any lasting impact on the stock and bond markets these days are those that pertain to monetary policy, particularly that of the US Federal Reserve. David Rosenberg recently pointed out that there has been [...]
Read on and enjoy … What Happens After QE2?
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