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The tragic earthquake and tsunami in Japan have riveted world attention. To offer assistance consider a donation to the Red Cross or Save the Children. Both organizations are mobilizing to help the people of Japan. Our job is to assess the impact of events on financial markets and advise accordin...

No, it's not an oxymoron. We all know people who follow the rules and stand by their word. And of course we know of those who do not. Executives who wreck their companies and ignore their shareholders while cashing jumbo bonus checks. Politicians whose only belief seems to be in their own lies. Nonp...

We have been hearing from clients concerned about recent volatility in the municipal bond market. Muni bonds don't get a lot of attention in the mainstream press, and for good reason: they're boring. They're typically steady, stable, and free of Federal and state income tax. Investors seeking those...

My title today is lifted directly from the 7th paragraph of Warren Buffet's 2010 letter to Shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway, published this past weekend. Quotes from Warren Buffett have been ubiquitous over the last ten years, so there is seldom value to reprinting them here. But this year's lette...

Makes no sense, does it, that Saudi Arabia would prefer lower oil prices? Sure would seem like $120-per-barrel oil would be an extra big payday for them and other OPEC members. But it's not true. The Saudis have even indicated a willingness to pump more oil to make up for production losses due to...

The tidal wave of unrest that started in Tunisia in mid-December has by now swept across the middle east, washing away the ossified and oppressive regimes in that country and in Egypt, and shaking the foundations of similar governments across the region. Libya is teetering on the edge, with the 40-y...

The equity markets have staged a strong rally that began in September of last year. Going into our fifth full month of strong gains will make this time period a mini bull market to remember. News reports are beginning to trickle in of newly available data showing that investor's appetites for risky...

Your children may be worth more than you think. Here are some tax benefits you may be able to utilize when filing your tax return this year. Dependents: are worth $3650 as an exemption, a child can be claimed as a dependent in the year they were born. Child Tax Credit: You may be able to take this...

The energy tax credit for 2011 is not nearly as generous as the credit was in 2010. The Tax Relief Act of 2010 extends the residential energy credit to include improvements made in 2011, but places additional limitations on the maximum allowable credit amount. Some of the home improvements that may...

Congratulations to the winners of this year's Super Bowl - the only publicly traded major league football team (though good luck trying to get any shares). And so we turn our attention, however briefly, to the Super Bowl Indicator. Tradition, rumor, and anecdote hold that if an "original NFL" tea...