How much Munch should the Munchkins have?
Can you imagine a connection between The Wizard of Oz to banking and finance? Some have, perhaps, even L. Frank Baum, the creator of the Oz stories. The story of The Wizard of Oz may be an allegory to the issue of the creation and circulation of money. Whereas, the Scarecrow represents the farmers; the [...]
Making a Difference
There is currently over $3 trillion in assets invested in Socially Responsible Investments (SRI). This represents 12% of the funds currently being professionally managed. Funds are flowing into SRI investments at a higher rate than into conventional investments. By choosing socially responsible investments you are helping to change corporate culture. Companies do not want to [...]
Dollars to pockets???
Let’s take a peak into our monetary system. How do the dollars and coins we hold actually make their way into our wallet, purse or pocket? Did you know that the Federal Reserve Bank is a private corporation owned by a consortium of very large multinational banks? The government issues coins but dollar [...]
Inherited IRAs ~ Understanding the Rules
You may think when you receive a bequest of an IRA from a parent or a partner it becomes your IRA. It does, in a way. Your name is on the IRA and the money is yours except, the deceased name is also on the IRA. This means you have to follow special rules about [...]
Gifted Investments ~ Giving Growth
What is the best way to gift for the future while allowing your gift to grow in value on a monetary basis and create growth of confidence for the receiver? Parents could buy long term care insurance to protect their assets from being used for their health care. This would be a gift to [...]
Community Investments
Investing in your own community can be done through local entrepreneurs, credit unions or banks. Another way to contribute to the well-being of communities is to loan your money to national, international and local communities through Calvert Foundation notes or the mutual fund, CRA Fund, managed by Community Capital Management. These investment vehicles look for [...]
Plant More Confidence
Your confidence is rather like a garden. Some days the sun-shine and healthy foods make you sparkle with freshness. Other times the heat of the day has you drooping. With just the right proportions of water, sunshine, and rich soil, the garden aspires to greatness. The trick for you is to feed your confidence with [...]
The Gift That Keeps on Giving
Eating organic, local, nutritious food regularly is a way of giving your body and mind the clearest path to wellness. It is a cycle of giving. The body and mind need recurring nutrients which in turn make us feel continually healthy. You could also look at investing as having the ability to keep on giving [...]
Bond Bonding
Because the markets have been quite volatile and aggressive investments tend to create fear in all those who felt the tremor in their portfolios in 2008, the trend is to invest in bonds as a conservative alternative. Bonds don’t usually have the volatility of stocks but there are many types of bonds. Bonds could be [...]
