Kristen Gerencher wrote an interesting article for MarketWatch Weekend Edition entitled “VITAL SIGNS Hammering out health-care benefits, Employers finalizing negotiations for 2009 coverage offerings.”
Many employers are negotiating next year’s health care contracts right now and hammering out the details of plans with anticipated costs increasing close to 10%. Read the rest of this entry »
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I am really looking forward to the Jimmy V Celebrity Golf Classic for Cancer Research tomorrow! This is my second year volunteering with the Jimmy V and the 15th anniversary of the phenomenal event. There are so many great people involved with this program that I cannot begin to tell you.
I will be serving as a Marshall on course number one if you want to stop by. Serving as a Marshall will be a big change from last year. Read the rest of this entry »
It was a great day in the market! The Dow Soared to its best day in four months, the Fed decided to leave rates unchanged and oil fell to its lowest point since early May. Investors were able to breathe a sigh of relief after the multi-day losing streak was broken. Read the rest of this entry »
Raleigh, NC – Sarah M. Place, President & CEO of Place Trade Financial, Inc., [Member FINRA, SIPC], (www.placetrade.com), a full service financial services firm with online trading, announced that the firm opened a new branch office in the heart of downtown Raleigh, NC. Located at 411 Fayetteville Street Mall on the first floor of the Progress Energy Building, the new location will be Place Trade’s second location in Raleigh. Read the rest of this entry »
Raleigh, NC - Sarah M. Place, President & CEO of Place Trade Financial, Inc., [Member FINRA, SIPC], (www.placetrade.com), a full service financial services and online trading firm, announced that Krista Giles has joined the firm in the new downtown Raleigh branch office. In this position, Ms. Giles will work closely with Financial Advisors, oversee client service issues and handle special projects Read the rest of this entry »
Raleigh, NC – Sarah M. Place, President & CEO of Place Trade Financial, Inc., [Member FINRA, SIPC], (www.placetrade.com), a full service, discount broker and online trading firm, announced that Rachel A. Wing has joined the firm as head of Business Development. In this position, Ms. Wing will work closely with Financial Advisors and senior management to enhance brand development and increase market share.
Ms. Wing joins Place Trade after gaining valuable experience with VMW Logistic, Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Read the rest of this entry »
Although Roth 401(k) plans became effective on January 1, 2006, they are just now starting to gain momentum. Originally, Roth 401(k)s were scheduled to expire after 2010, so companies were not willing to start a plan that would expire after a few years. However, the Pension Protection Act of 2006 made Roth 401(k)s permanent.
The Roth 401(k) is patterned after the Roth individual retirement account (IRA) - contributions are made from after-tax earnings that grow tax free, Read the rest of this story
In 2008 to 2010, the capital gains tax rate for individuals in the 10% or 15% tax bracket is 0% (down from 5% previously). After 2010, the rates will revert to pre-2001 rates, unless further legislation is passed. Who will benefit from this reduction? Read the rest of this story;
Today I would like to take a minute to do something out of the ordinary. I would like to ask you – wherever you live - to slow down and take a look around while you are driving. This past week has been particularly difficult as the two young sons of one of my neighbors were hit and killed as they tried to cross a busy intersection in town. Regardless of who was right and who was wrong; two precious children are gone and the world will never be the same for all involved. Read the rest of this entry »
If you’re trying to increase savings, remember that savings are directly tied to spending - the less you spend, the more you have to save. Some tips to help you get your spending under control include:
During your working years, your emphasis was to accumulate as much as possible for retirement. But as you near retirement age, you need to start thinking about how to withdraw those funds to maximize your income. To help accomplish that, avoid these mistakes: Read the rest of this entry »
I am so excited! Tonight we had a fantastic Big Bad Ball Meeting. (For those of you who do not know – the Big Bad Ball is a benefit that we hold each year for the Hospice of Wake County – and it is very near and dear to my heart.) I could not be happier to see all of the new faces as well as old friends that are involved. I don’t want to take away the surprise but we are really going to be glamming it up this year with our Raleighwood theme. It will be a night to remember!
I will keep you posted on the planning. I am currently serving as Co-Chair, along with my darling friend Allison who owns Sandfoot Photography Read the rest of this entry »
When a stock’s price declines substantially, you might wonder what you should do. If you own the stock, should you sell before the stock declines more or purchase more shares at the lower price? If you are interested in the stock, should you purchase now or stay away from it? Before you decide, you need to assess the cause of the price decline. Typically, the stock’s price is reacting to one of three things: Read the rest of this entry »
If you find it difficult to decide when to invest, consider a dollar cost averaging strategy. Dollar cost averaging involves investing a set amount of money in the same investment on a periodic basis. For instance, instead of investing $48,000 in one stock immediately, you might decide to invest $4,000 in that stock at the beginning of each of the next 12 months. Thus, you don’t need to think about when to invest. Read the rest of this entry »
In case you missed it last night – the Apprentice had to have had the best show ever! It was great! Poor Vinny was sent off to be a Rat, rolled over and was ratted out. He became a man without a country and rather than be sent to sleep with the fishes or have a heart attack he decided to exit stage left. He was great, the show was great and I loved the Italian music they played quietly in the background for added ambiance. The only way it would have been better would have been if the ladies gave him a little spec of credit for helping them win – because on camera it sure looked like he helped them to me – but they were rightfully disgruntled so I understand. Sorry Vinny – I loved you on the show and I loved what you were able to do for your charity and the respect that you showed to your beautiful ex-wife even more. Ciao.
With the real estate market slowing, more taxpayers may find themselves in a situation where the sale of their home results in a tax loss or their net sale’s price is less than the amount of their outstanding mortgage. Read the rest of this entry »
Ok, ok, you know that I am practically a born and raised Patriots fan so please do not yell at me for mentioning this. I just have to say that I love the pep talks that Peyton Manning is giving in his commercials and on the priceless website. They are hilarious! Very funny and straight forward - he doesn’t sugar coat anything. You can customize them and send them to your friends. The birthday card is great as well. J Check them out and let me know what you think.
Sarah M. Place, President & CEO of Place Trade Financial, Inc. (Member FINRA, SIPC), www.placetrade.com, a full service discount brokerage firm based in Raleigh, NC, announced that she has been named to the NC Council on Economic Education Board of Directors. As a board member, Read the rest of this entry »
Raleigh, NC - Sarah M. Place, President & CEO of Place Trade Financial, Inc., a full service discount broker and online trading firm, announced that Krista Henderson has been promoted to Client Service Manager. In this position, Ms. Henderson will oversee client services, work closely with Financial Advisors, manage clearing relationships and continue to handle special projects. Henderson studied at Pitt Community College in Winterville, NC prior to joining Place Trade earlier this year as a client service liaison.“We are proud to have Ms. Henderson as our Client Service Manager,” said Place. “She has served both our growing domestic and international client base Read the rest of this entry »