Charley Ellis on Indexing (And Believe Me, He Would Know)

Some Excerpts from a recent interview with Charley Ellis, an institutional investment consultant who serves virtually all of the leading financial services firms across the globe. He currently serves on the investment board of the Yale University Endowment and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
“The basic reality is what Warren Buffett has said it true. For [...]

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Tax Incentives Make 2008 a Great Year for Businesses to Purchase Equipment

The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 created an opportunity for business owners to significantly accelerate cost recovery of qualifying equipment put into service in calendar year 2008.
Enhanced Expensing
The Act almost doubles the IRC Section 179 expense limit for 2008 to $250,000 and increases, to $800,000, the threshold for reducing the expense limit. This applies to [...]

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What are Qualified Default Investment Alternatives?

There are times when an employer must make an investment election for employees participating in a retirement plan if the employee fails to make an investment election. For example, 401(k) plans with automatic enrollment arrangements must specify where the employees’ contributions will be invested.
Some employers have been concerned about these “default” investments, because it hasn’t [...]

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Can I Be Automatically Enrolled in My Employer’s 401(k) Plan?

Yes. The IRS has long permitted employers to automatically enroll employees in 401(k) plans. These are sometimes referred to as “negative enrollments” because you have to elect not to participate.

Some employers have shied away from automatic enrollment plans because they were concerned that automatic payroll deductions might not be permitted under state law. Others were [...]

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Tips for Selling Your Home in an Uncertain Market

Will the combination of lower mortgage interest rates, higher inventory, and falling prices send buyers to open houses in droves this summer? No one knows for sure, but here are some ways you can increase the odds that your home will be sold at the best possible price before the leaves fall.
Price your home to [...]

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Coping With a Slower Economy

Economics isn’t called the “dismal science” for nothing. There’s an old joke that accuses economists of having predicted 9 of the last 5 recessions (and yes, those figures are in the correct order). However, forecasting the direction of the economy can seem easy compared with trying to figure out how to weatherproof your finances. It [...]

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