Smart Nest Egg blog

Quick & Simple: Why should we care about deficits and debt?

Gary Alt — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:46:32 +0000

I enjoy taking complex ideas and simplifying them into understandable terms. This 5-minute video explains why we should care about our nation's deficits and debt. Using data from the current administration it shows in factual terms how we're all going to suffer if we can't get our elected officials to stop put plans in place to fix the deficit now, not later.

This is worth five minutes of your time to view, especially as we prepare for the fall elections.

How to tell if you're foolish with your money

Gary Alt — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 16:20:48 +0000

Clients often ask my opinion about their spending habits during the financial planning process. They want to know if their spending is "normal" or how it compares to others. Though everyone is different it's helpful to look at the averages.

"Capitalism is an awful system - it's just better than everything else."

Gary Alt — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 15:28:08 +0000

Eugene Fama, professor at the University of Chicago school of finance, is considered "the father of modern finance." The Fama-French Three-factor Model is the cornerstone of our investment strategy and philosophy at Willow Ridge.

In this CNBC interview Gene discusses capitalism, efficient markets and whether government intervention can work...it's worth eight minutes of your time to hear his straightforward and common-sense perspectives on these important topics. As few people can do, Gene answers these questions with clarity and in his down-to-earth way.

It's all about confidence

Steve Merrell — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:32:53 +0000

This morning I received an email from a friend in which he made the following comment:

My view is that el Erian (the Chief Investment Officer at PIMCO) is right in his analogy of the economy being in a old beater car running low on gas on an uncertain road... and we have already used our spare tire. It is scary out there.... It is all based on confidence, and investor confidence can change very rapidly.

He closed his email by saying "Still on the sidelines since Dow 13,500."

I think my friend expressed well the angst felt by many in today's struggling economy. We face more challenges right now than most of us have ever faced before. But who says we are too weak to prevail? My friend was right when he said "it is all based on confidence." Our biggest challenge today has nothing to do with our budget deficit. It has everything to do with our confidence deficit.

"Credit cards - it's like negative money."

Gary Alt — Tue, 04 May 2010 04:26:22 +0000

My 15-year old son is very close to earning his Eagle award in scouting. He's currently completing the requirements for the "Personal Management" merit badge which includes learning about checking and saving accounts, loans, credit cards, charge cards, debit cards, budgeting and many other aspects of personal finance.