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Gold. Silver. Oil. You hear and read plenty lately in the media about these red-hot categories. Often (far too often) investors tend to focus on what's hot, what's getting the buzz on CNBC, what they hear on the radio or read online. Gold seems to be getting the most buzz, with prices at record high...

If you are reading this you're probably a US taxpayer. That means that in a small way you own a significant chunk of Citigroup, once the largest US bank and recipient of $45 billion of TARP funds. Another name for TARP is "your money." That bailout represents nearly 60% of Citigroup's current mark...

For our newest T.V. spots, our advisors teamed up with their clients to create a natural, unscripted snapshot of the Brighton Securities' experience from the client's perspective. We all expect financial advisors to be experts in the financial markets - at Brighton Securities, you can also expect yo...

Some of us consider the holiday visits and beach travel of the winter season to be much-needed breaks from the daily grind while others of us might find themselves even more stressed out after a weekend with Aunt Harriet or a delayed connecting flight home from Cancun. Still, there's one big break a...

Most retirees are convinced they can no longer contribute to their retirement saving. There is an exception that is often overlooked. If you retire and your spouse continues to work, even part-time, you may qualify for a "spousal IRA" contribution. For example, you retire at 60 years old, your 60...

Like everything to do with taxes, capital gain & loss taxation carries plenty of fine print. Here it is in plain English: A "realized" gain or loss is from something you have sold and must be reported to the IRS. "Unrealized" means it's something you still hold and so no tax is due nor deduction cl...

I am interrupting my "Year End Tax Planning" series, please check in tomorrow for post 4 of 4. Let's talk about energy - everybody else is. With the big climate conclave in Copenhagen there's a lot of buzz about clean and renewable energy. In our business we get asked about opportunities to make...

A reminder for our retired friends and clients age 70 1/2 or older. Once again in 2010 the federal government will require minimum distributions from retirement plans in an effort to collect tax revenues from those of you who saved for your golden years. We will help you make informed decisions...

As we approach the end of the year, it appears that our representatives in Washington are up to their old tricks finding time to write "extender" tax bills so they can claim they voted to reduce our taxes. As usual, we predict it will pass. On December 9, the House of Representatives approved H.R....

Time to talk about how to avoid the most common pitfall that could cause you to lose a capital loss deduction. Many people are happy to have a few capital gains from securities sold during 2009. It is a welcome relief to see a little black ink after 2008's red tide. But nobody is happy to pay tax...