To foster financial literacy, the Talking Money feature covers common terms and concepts used in personal finance and investing. This edition, from Kyle Tetting, looks at indexes. Each week, we open our “Money Talk with Bob Landaas” podcast with a review of the latest developments on Wall Street and end-of-the-week updates on a few benchmark indexes: […]

To foster financial literacy, we regularly feature discussions on common terms and concepts used in personal finance and investing. Here’s an article from Joel Dresang and Tom Pappenfus on quantitative easing. Central national banks, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have ways of trying to stir a stagnant economy by encouraging spending and investments. The most […]

2012 Contribution limits for IRAs (traditional and Roth combined) If your age by the end of 2012 is: Under 50, you may contribute up to $5,000 but no more than the amount of taxable compensation you receive for 2012 50 or older, you may contribute up to $6,000 but no more than the amount of […]

Some common vehicles for helping cover higher education costs: Coverdell Accounts Tax-deferred investment growth for education expenses Pros – Can be used for K-12 costs too, wide investment choices Cons – non-deductible contributions limited to $2,000 a year, restricted to income limits ($110,000 for a single tax filer; $220,000 for a married couple in 2015) […]

To foster financial literacy, our weekly podcasts regularly feature discussions on common terms and concepts used in personal finance and investing. Here’s an edited transcript of a conversation with Bob Landaas and Brian Kilb. Bob: Correlation is the movement of asset prices relative to other asset prices. If an asset class has a high correlation with […]

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: iTunes | Android | Google Play | RSS Bob Landaas, president of Landaas & Company, offered perspectives on the economy and financial markets to more than 1,000 clients and other investors attending the two seminars. (Please click here for a recording of the full presentation.) In another special […]

Don’t cheat. Take the 2011 Seminar Quiz before checking the answers below. If you missed the Landaas & Company 2011 investment outlook seminar or want a refresher, please click here. (Links within answers can connect you to more information.)  What is the Boy Scout motto, which Bob Landaas advised investors to follow? __c___ a. Do a good turn […]

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: iTunes | Android | Google Play | RSS Sharing his concerns and hopes for the economy and providing insights on the agitated financial markets, Bob Landaas advised clients to follow the Boy Scout oath and get ready for inevitable volatility. More than 1,000 investors participated in the two […]

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: iTunes | Android | Google Play | RSS As an offshoot of our weekly podcasts – and to encourage your participation – we regularly feature responses to listeners’ questions. On a recent show, Bob Landaas, president of Landaas & Company, answered a listener’s question (read by Joel Dresang) about the timing of required […]

News of stock exchange mergers in Europe and between London and Toronto are further reminders of the global nature of finance. But as we reported in a Money Talk podcast in May 2010, the international influence on Wall Street is longstanding. By Joel Dresang Wall Street – sometimes just called “the street” – actually is […]

Listener Question (from Dan):  Will the implementation of QE2 stifle the stock market as the dollar decreases in value? Margaret Schumacher:   First, the stock market can do very well in times of a weak dollar. There isn’t a direct correlation between the two. As an offshoot of our weekly podcasts – and to encourage […]

By Joel Dresang The National Bureau of Economic Research has declared the Great Recession over. But the struggles continue. According to the group of university economists responsible for dating the official beginnings and ends of business cycles, the contraction that started in December 2007 officially stopped 18 months later in June 2009, marking the longest […]