Feb 12
The WBUR.org story: After The Crash, Former Mortgage Brokers Find New Meaning In New Ventures interviews some former mortgage brokers to see how they are now earning a living in the post-easy-money economy:
A year ago, Souza started a company called Gold to Green Parties. Homeowners invite their friends and neighbors over to sell unwanted jewelry. Gold is fetching premium prices right now, and Souza’s company is expanding fast. She’s hired 20 people, many of them former mortgage brokers.
“We’re basically riding a gold bubble that came after a housing bubble,” Souza says, “and when this is done, I have no idea what’s going to be next. But I’m ridin
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Feb 12
One of the hottest asset classes in 2009 by far was Emerging Markets, which includes stocks from developing markets like China, Brazil, Korea, Taiwan, India, and South Africa. Two of the most popular ETFs in this category are the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index (EEM) and the Vanguard Emerging Markets ETF (VWO).
Which one should you choose?
Similarities. Both are primarily passively-managed and based on the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. EEM has been around longer but both currently have similar levels of assets, with $40B for EEM and $34B for VWO.
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Feb 12
When emerging stock markets hand you lemons, make lemonade.
Specifically, dividend-paying lemonade.
So far, 2010 hasn’t exactly been kind to emerging-market stocks. An index-tracking exchange-traded fund, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index (EEM, news, msgs), declined 6.4% from Dec. 31 through Feb. 8.
Individual emerging-market ETFs did even worse. The iShares MSCI Brazil Index ETF (EWZ, news, msgs) dropped 15.8% over the same period. The iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index ETF (FXI, news, msgs) fell 12%.
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Feb 10
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Laser printer cartridges can be very confusing. It isn’t uncommon to hear the question, ” What is the best printer for me?” The answer is, ” What do you need your laser printer to do?” There are many different types of ink printer cartridges.Whether you yearn for a high quality laser printer, an all-in-one workhorse, a tiny photo printer, or a trouble-free single-function inkjet, we’ve got you covered. How much have you budgeted for a printer? Also, don’t fail to remember that the purchase price isn’t the sole cost you will have. There is the pr
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Feb 10
A financially clueless single gal — that was me when I first started writing this column, years ago. At the time, it was trendy to be both.
Remember the infamous “I spent my down payment money on shoes” episode of “Sex and the City”? It was a funny celebration of frivolity over financial sanity. Plenty of us could relate.
People still joke about that episode today. But even now, many of the messages that single women get validate obliviousness around money, disguised as being free-spirited.
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Feb 09
Credit card users need not do anything wrong to fall victim to security breaches like those at Heartland Payment Systems and TJMaxx parent company TJX; they simply need to have a card.
Their credit card information is protected by the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Security Standards Council, which was formed in 2006. The council sets 12 specific goals to build and maintain secure networks, but those may not always be enough, according to general manager Bob Russo.
“Consumers need to take a little bit of responsibility now. You can watch your credit card activity online,” Russo said in an interview with CNET News. Read more…