Investing online for beginners

Have you ever thought about using a Roth IRA as an emergency fund? These are some of the pros and cons of creating a Roth Emergency Fund…

Here’s why a Roth IRA conversion may make sense for you Consider this: a Roth IRA allows tax-free growth and tax-free income distributions at age 59½ or older and as long as you have held your Roth account for 5 years or longer. … So, if your adjusted gross income (AGI) is $100,000 or less, you have an option to fund a Roth IRA with a withdrawal from a traditional IRA – at least through the end of 2009.

Have you wondered how to save money to invest? These tips will show you what you need to do to save some cash so you can start investing…

When it comes to investing there is no guarantee, but if safe investing is your goal, you should focus on these 3 keys…

Here is a brief look at IRAs - the Roth IRA and the Traditional IRA…

Many people have a 401(k) retirement savings plan, which works like this: The plan is funded with pretax dollars taken out of your pay­check (through payroll deductions). … Let’s say you put $2,400 annually in a 401(k) starting at age thirty, and, for the sake of example, let’s assume you get an 8 percent annual return. … As stated above, you can put up to $15,500 into a 401(k) in 2008, and if you are age fifty or older, you are allowed up to an additional $5,000 in “catch-up” contributions.

Do you understand the importance of financial planning? There are ten important elements to a faith-based financial plan… 10 Key Areas of Faith-Based Financial Planning…

With all the turmoil in the stock market, should you sell your stocks, or should you be looking to buy more?

This is one of the easiest ways to get a great return in your 401k during a recession (or anytime)…

Solomon’s diversification strategy for investing…

This is just about the simplest explanation of the basics of investing that I have ever seen. Enjoy!

Investing in companies you believe in… Many well-educated, morally and socially conscious investors wind up buying shares of companies whose beliefs and business practices are far removed from their own. Most investors simply haven’t thought about merging their personal beliefs with their investment strategies. Some may not even be aware of where and how their money is invested.

One of the greatest observations that stand out for me is that no matter what level of success he has achieved, he has always used a coach, from the early days with his dad to the coach he has today. … Successful people and those who want to be are usually the type of people who hire a financial planner. 4 common questions about financial planners From the hundreds of public talks I have given over the last ten years, I have found that the general public is quite confused about how to choose a financial planner. … If you currently live paycheck to paycheck or have less than $10,000 combined in your savings and/or any retirement accounts, then you’re probably not yet in need of a financial planner.

A donor-advised fund offers an easy way for a donor to make sig nificant charitable gifts over a long period of time. This fund is similar to a private foundation but requires less money, time, legal assistance, and administration to establish and maintain. Because donor-advised funds are public charities, they also enjoy greater tax advantages than private foundations. Cash and appreciated securities can be contributed to a donor-advised fund potentially making use of additional tax benefits. Private businesses and non-publically traded investments may also be eligible depending on the donor advised fund company’s rules and capability. Once funded, the donor-advisor fund consults with a donor about time horizon and risk tolerance to identify an appropriate asset allocation for their donor advised fund.

A couple weeks ago I did a quick interview with Jay Peroni about faith-based investing. If have started investing or plan on it, I encourage you to check it out. Jay wrote the guest post Thursday and he seems to live and breath to communicate the importance of aligning our investments with our beliefs. As an investor myself, I did pick my investments based on what I knew about the companies, but after using some of the tools Jay mentions in the podcast, I found out that some of them were not perfectly in line with what I want to support.

Would I abandon my principles in favor of choosing a path of profit?… Many corporate leaders are faced with decisions in which values and profit collide. This is why it is valuable for you, the investor, to set your priorities. Let your principles and values guide you in accomplishing this task. To start, think long and hard about your answer to this important question:

Welcome to the new directory of Christian Financial advisors! If you are looking for a planner in the ChristianPF planner directory, I have a few suggestions…

I just got recently got an email from Zecco announcing that they are doing away with free stock trades for accounts with less than $25,000. This is a bummer, but I always wondered how they could afford to pull off an offer like that. Apparently, with the economic challenges they weren’t able to.

I recently logged into my Sharebuilder account, just to see how my stocks were hanging on and I noticed that they have a new promotion. I guess they are trying to recruit customers from other online brokers because they are offering $50 to transfer your account to them.

A couple days ago I had a call with Jim O’Donnell, Author of The Shortest Investment Book Ever. He is very nice guy with a really good heart. You can read my review of his Book to find out more about it, but if you are interested in hearing a bit of the interview, I [...]