May 20
On May 4, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) released the results of a phone survey of over a thousand nationally-representative sample of adults. The survey explored reasons for disagreements. Twenty-seven percent said disagreements over money are the most common, placing this subject ahead of all other topics, including children, chores, work and …
Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/05/money-is-the-most-common-source-of-a-couples-discord/
May 14
In a Bloomberg audio report regarding the use of exchange traded funds (ETFs) in 401(k) plans, Apple was identified as having an all ETF 401(k) plan. This shows Apple’s innovation in ways outside of their products, as there are challenges in using ETFs with the recordkeeping platforms that most plans use. Because of the resistance …
Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/05/fulcrum-inquiry-beat-apples-401k-innovation/
May 08
In Tussey vs. ABB. Inc. (Case No. 2:06-CV-04305-NKL, March 31, 2012), a United States District Court for the District of Western Missouri decided an important case regarding common fees and revenue sharing within 401(k) plans. The case imposed extensive liability on the plan sponsor, resulting in $36.9 million of damages, plus Plaintiff’s attorneys’ fees. We …
Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/05/big-plaintiff-victory-in-revenue-sharing-401k-trial/
May 07
Salesforce.com.com (NYSE: CRM) reported its yearly earnings in February. As a publicly traded company, Salesforce.com is required to issue annual financial reports in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or “GAAP”. While Salesforce.com presents GAAP-based earnings in its SEC filings, its management touts a different metric as the preferred method of measuring the company’s performance. …
Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/05/between-the-numbers-of-salesforce-com/
May 01
Burton Malkiel is an American economic writer best known for his book A Random Walk Down Wall Street (now in its 10th edition). He is a leading proponent of the efficient market hypothesis, which contends that prices of publicly traded assets reflect all publicly available information, and thus, little value can be added through individual …
Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/05/avoid-chinese-stocks-until-this-market-is-better-regulated/
Apr 20
With President Obama’s signature, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, also known as the JOBS Act, is now law. The law raced through Congress with bipartisan support. Practically every investor advocate and investment regulator is aghast. In this article, we explain cost of capital, and how this might (or might not) be impacted by the …
Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/04/ignore-investments-that-rely-on-the-jobs-acts-loosened-requirements/
Apr 12
Recently I noted a pilot project by Bank of America which allows homeowners at risk of foreclosure to simply convert to being renters, with BofA taking title to the home. I noted that the idea seemed so good that it was surprising that BofA wasn’t being more enthusiastic in implementing it. Data from Deutsche Bank and …
Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/04/it-may-be-a-great-time-to-be-a-landlord/
Mar 26
One of the important financial questions facing retirees is whether they have sufficient retirement savings. This is impacted by what one wants to assume will occur with post-retirement spending. Of course, income taxes will decrease once one is no longer actively earning money in retirement, for this reason, the rest of this article excludes income …
Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/03/government-data-supports-retirement-spending-decreases/
Mar 18
A mortgage rate is made up of 3 components: (i) the rate paid for the use of the money for the duration of the loan, which usually goes to the bank or investors who buy the loan (the largest component), (ii) a servicing fee that goes to the mortgage servicer who collects the monthly payment, …
Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/03/hidden-fee-will-cause-mortgage-rates-to-rise/
Mar 17
The Federal Reserve just released their annual stress test results for the 19 largest U.S. banks. The stress test came as a result of the 2008 US financial crisis. The test looks at the financial health of each bank and tests if it would be able to withstand a scenario where (i) the U.S. economy …
Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/03/4-banks-fail-the-stress-test/
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