July 28th, 2011 Oscar from Olympia, WA: What are the implications of the debt ceiling crisis? Friedenthal Financial: There are two main issues surrounding the debt ceiling crisis. First is the issue of potential default (or delayed payment) by the US government on its obligations. Obviously if the government doesn’t have the…
June 23, 2011 Laverne from Lafayette, PA: Can I measure the level of diversification in my portfolio? Friedenthal Financial: That’s an excellent question! While we are not aware of a universally accepted formula for diversification, we can share the methods that we use. First let’s specifically define the task. When…
April 28, 2011 Chuck from Charleston, SC: I went to sell a corporate bond from my portfolio and discovered I couldn’t get anything close to what was marked in my account. Why is this? Friedenthal Financial: There are a few reasons. First, be sure that you are looking at a current…
March 24, 2011 Lauren, from Lambertville, NJ: Why does my portfolio drop in value about a week before large dividends are paid? Friedenthal Financial: When a stock pays a dividend, there are three important dates to know. The “declaration date” is simply the date they disclose the next dividend to be…
February 28, 2011 Frank from Frederick, MD: What’s the difference between Term Life insurance and Whole Life insurance? Which should I choose? Friedenthal Financial: This is a very common question. Please keep in mind that we are not insurance agents. As usual, we’ll try to take a crack at answering the question…
January 25th, 2011 Rachel from Roxborough, PA: How should I select an ETF for my portfolio? Friedenthal Financial: Rachel, Good question! ETFs can be wonderful instruments for your portfolio, but not all of them are created equally! As always, we recommend considering your entire portfolio goals, risk tolerance, and exposure…
December 17th, 2010 Veronica from Venice Beach writes: How much money do I need to have to retire? Friedenthal Financial: Veronica, This is a popular question that needs very personal attention. With that in mind, here are a few important considerations. First you must estimate your income needs in retirement. The…
November 29th, 2010 Peter from Plymouth, MA writes: What is the difference between the stocks and bonds issued by the same company? Friedenthal Financial: Peter, A corporation can raise money in a number of ways, including selling equity shares in the company (stock) and issuing debt securities (bonds). Investors can choose…
November 3, 2010 Doug from Dallas writes: How much risk should I take with my investment portfolio? Friedenthal Financial: Doug, While this seems like a simple question, there are a few complexities to the answer. Keep in mind that there are many different types of risk (economic, liquidity, credit, interest…
Keith from Kalamazoo, MI writes: I have done a good job contributing to my 401k. However, I am lost when it comes to selecting the right portfolio among the 2 dozen choices in my plan. What should I do to make good investment selections in my 401k? Friedenthal Financial: Keith, Contributing to…