08/30/2010 - Stocks part of your portfolio08/30/10 Should stocks still be a part of your portfolio because of the recent GDP report?
> The GDP report is important because it measures all of the goods and services bought and sold in the US;it is the broadest measure of how the US... More
08/23/2010 - New rules for debit card users08/23/10 If you use a credit card like millions of us do, there's another layer of protection for you. New rules took effect Sunday, providing more protection for consumers against credit card abuses. Forget the astronomical late fees and... More
08/16/2010 - New rules for debit card users08/16/10 Starting August 15 all debit cards have new rules – don't get caught by them.
* If you use your debit card, you will have to opt in or out of an overdraft agreement with your bank
* No longer will banks automatically... More
08/09/2010-Double Dip Recession08/09/10 Five reasons why we may not have a double dip recession.
> Important statistics in the July job's report that were positive
* The average work week increased which often signals that employers are adding hours to existing... More
8/2/2010 - Impact of strength of the American dollar08/02/10 Recently, I vacationed with my family in the Canadian Rockies. Throughout our trip the American dollar was worth between $.96 and par in Canada. Growing up in Watertown, New York, in the 70's and 80's I was accustomed to a strong... More
07/26/2010-Stock Dividends07/26/10 Should you add stocks that reduced or eliminated their dividend because of the financial debacle in 2008?
> When companies cut dividends it is a signal that they are usually in financial difficulty
> 804 companies cut their... More
07/19/2010-Consumer Confidence - Why did it drop sharply in July and will it get worse?07/19/10 > Each month consumer confidence is measured as a barometer of whether consumers feel comfortable spending; 2/3 of the U.S. economy is consumer spending
> Consumer Confidence fell from 62.7 in June to 52.9 in July
> There is... More
07/12/2010 - Airline Industry Investment07/13/10 Is the airline industry a good long term investment?
> High capital expenditures, i.e. purchase of new planes
> Minimal bargaining power when purchasing new planes since industry suppliers are Boeing and Airbus
> Union... More
6/28/2010 - New Financial Regulation Bill06/28/10 The New Financial Regulation Bill hasn't passed yet but what you should know if you are a consumer or investor.
If you are a consumer:
> Nothing will really changes except that now a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will be... More
6/21/2010 - BP Stock06/22/10 What should you do if you own BP stock?
There is no one solution for BP stock owners, but here are some questions you should ask.
Was the dividend part of my spendable income?
Do I still have a gain in the stock?
Can I... More
6/7/2010 - News Story - Back into recession?06/07/10
Is the U.S. economy posed to go back into Recession after Friday's job report?
> The jobs report caught investors off guard because only 41,000 private sector jobs were added in May; April added 218,000 private sector... More
05/31/2010 - News Story - ATM Fees06/02/10 Current proposed legislation for limiting ATM fees that consumers pay may or may not be enacted.
> Under current regulations, banks and independent ATM operators can charge consumers any service fee ranging from .50 cents to $6... More
Cynthia to appear on Financial Fitness05/26/10 On Thursday, June 3rd at 8pm, Cynthia will return as a guest panelist to WCNY-TV's Financial Fitness' season finale. The focus of discussion will be strategies in the overall market during corrections. The show will be broadcast live... More
05/24/10 - News Story -MasterCard and Visa05/24/10 Will MasterCard and Visa continue to be profitable investments with the proposed legislative changes?
> Congress wants to regulate interchange fees for debit cards
> An interchange fee is the fee a credit card company charges... More
05/17/2010-News Story-International Investments05/17/10 Can you benefit from adding international investments to your portfolio?
> Over short time periods, because markets are becoming more interconnected, investors may experience increased volatility in their portfolio from both... More
Cynthia Scott presented to SUNY Oswego Finance student05/12/10 On Wednesday, May 5th, Cynthia was a guest speaker at SUNY Oswego for Dr. Eric Tsai's finance class. She will offer her thoughts on the psychology of investing.... More
05/10/2010 - News Story - Your Portfolio05/10/10 Should you change your portfolio allocation based upon the current correction?
* Put the market in prospective by looking backward:
* In March 2009 the Dow Jones Industrial hit a low of slightly under 6600
* From March... More
05/03/2010 - News Story - Should You Own Home Builders Stocks?05/04/10 > The housing credit ended 4/30
> The Spider Exchange Traded Fund for Homebuilders is up over 30% YTD
> New home sales in March were up 47%; existing home sales were up 16.1% YTD
> Interest rates for mortgages are still very... More
4/26/2010 - News Story - Earning Season04/26/10 Earning season is in full force - what does it mean that earning comparisons are easy and does it help or hurt you as an investor?
> In difficult economic times both analysts and companies lower their earning projections to... More
4/19/2010 - News Story - Capital Gains04/20/10 How can you benefit from the 0% capital gains rate that will disappear after 2010?
* Over 50% of taxpayers are in the 10 to 15% tax bracket
* Many individuals who are in the 10-15% rate may qualify for the 0% long term... More
04/12/2010 - News Story - Tax Legislation04/12/10 Tax legislation often changes the way people invest
> Dividends will become less attractive since at the end of 2010 they will lose favorable tax treatment - currently some are considered qualified and can only be taxed at 15% -... More
04/05/2010- News Story - Stock Prices04/06/10 Talking points for Monday April 5, 2010
> Apple is the buzz on the street. Is its stock too expensive?
> Apple stock is a classic example of investors avoiding high priced stocks
> Sometime a stock price rises because it is... More
03/29/2010 -News Story - Two Common Mistakes When Naming Beneficiaries03/30/10 Naming a beneficiary on life insurance policies, retirement plans and IRAs is an important part of estate planning. Unfortunately, this step is often overlooked or done incorrectly or incompletely.
Why name a beneficiary? There... More
03/22/2010 - News Story - Economic Indicators03/23/10 An economic indicator is simply a statistic about the economy that aids in the analysis of the current health of the economy. It may also be used in formulating predictions of how the economy will fare in the future.
There are... More
03/15/2010 - News Story -Target-Date Funds: Do Your Homework03/16/10 If you have a retirement plan such as a 401(k) chances are you've come across 'Target-Date funds.' Also known as 'Age-Based funds' 'one-stop shop.'
Basically, these funds are a mix of underlying stock and bond funds that are... More
03/08/2010 - News Story - The Retail Sales Report03/11/10 This Friday, the Retail Sales Report for this past February will be released. This economic indicator tracks the dollar value of goods sold by 'brick and mortar' retailers as well as certain types of non-store retailers. Two... More
3/01/2010 - News Story New credit card law provision targets people under age 2103/11/10 As we discussed last week, the second phase of the Credit Card Law of 2009 went into effect on February 22, 2010, bringing with it almost two dozen changes. One of those changes deals with issuing credit cards to people under the age... More
02/22/2010 - New Story - New credit card law provisions go into effect February 22, 201002/23/10 Last May, President Obama signed the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 into law. Also known as the Credit CARD law, this legislation produced some significant changes regarding fees, credit terms... More
02/15/10 News Story - The Presidental Cycle and It's Impact on the Stock Market02/16/10 An interesting market predictor that many investors keep an eye on is often referred to as "The Presidential (Election) Cycle Theory." Developed by Yale Hirsch, this theory basically states that, during the four year presidential... More
02/08/10 News Story - Dividend Achievers vs. Dividend Aristocrats02/09/10 The idea of using dividends to generate portfolio income is not new. Dividends can be a reliable source of income and one that may even increase on a regular basis. However, over the past year and a half investors have seen... More
02/03/10 News Story - Donations for Haiti can be deducted on 2009 tax return02/03/10 Last week Congress approved a bill giving taxpayers the option to deduct donations to qualified charities providing earthquake relief to Haiti on their 2009 returns instead of waiting until 2010.
> Contributions must be cash and... More
02/01/10 News Story - Take These Market Predictors with a Grain of Salt02/01/10 Like many people, investors can be a superstitious crowd, too. However, here are two "stock market predictors" that require a closer look.
> The January Barometer
*The theory is that from February 1 until December 31, the... More
01/17/2010 News Story - Upcoming Changes in Capital Gains Tax Rates02/01/10 Currently, as in years past, capital gains on securities are taxed at lower rates than ordinary income. This is to provide an incentive for people to invest.
> Time frame is important
*Investments held for one year or less... More
01/11/10 News Story - Roth IRA Conversion: Part II02/01/10 For those who do not intend on using their IRA for income and would rather pass it on to their heirs, a Roth IRA conversion can be a useful estate planning tool
> Traditional IRAs require the owner to begin taking distributions at... More
01/04/10 News Story - New Rules for Converting your Traditional IRA02/01/10 New Rules for converting your traditional IRA or other eligible qualified plans into a Roth Ira
> No more adjusted gross income limit for conversion; prior maximum limit was $100,000 for all individuals
> Adjusted gross is... More
12/14/09 News Story - E bonds12/16/09 > $16 billion worth of unclaimed E bonds (savings bonds) according to the U.S. Treasury
> $40 million E bonds purchased between 1941-1978 have matured and have not been cashed in
> Many bonds were purchased as War bonds during... More
12/7/09 News Story - Tax tips that will help your end of year tax planning12/14/09 > Review your portfolio and consider taking any capital gains against losses. Remember only $3,000 worth of loss can be taken in any one tax year
> Defer income unless you will be in a higher tax bracket next year
> Prepay your... More
11/30/09 News Story - Headlines do not tell entire story. While sales were up less than 1%, the real news is the change in consumer spending habits12/14/09 > Going into Black Friday, consumer confidence was down
from October
> More debit card usage
> Payment plans – no payments for one year or flexible payment plan. For example, QVC sales increased 60% because they are... More
11/23/09 News Story - Avoid the capital gains trap if you intend to invest into mutual funds before year end.12/14/09 > Check when the mutual fund intends to declare capital gains or special dividends
> If you invest before a capital gain is declared, you will pay taxes on the gain even if you have only owned the fund for one day
> Even some... More
11/16/09 News Story - Is it better to own the gold exchanged traded fund or gold stocks?12/14/09 The gold ETF tracks gold’s current price since it owns the physical asset. Gold stocks are related to the cost of mining gold:
> Delays in construction or production shortfalls
> Higher cash needs
> Mine shutdowns
> Companies... More
11/9/09 News Story - Is the recession really over?12/14/09 An extension of unemployment benefits was signed into law on Friday allowing 14 additional weeks for all states and 20 additional weeks for states averaging at least 8.5% unemployment
>Reported October unemployment rate was over... More
11/2/09 News Story - GDP: What is it and why should investors care?11/06/09 In this segment Cynthia reviews the aspects of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and that it simply a way to measure if an economy is growing or contracting.
> GDP measures four important components: 1) personal consumption, 2)... More
Cynthia to appear on Financial Fitness November 5th11/03/09 Be sure to tune into WCNY-TV on Thursday, November 5th, as Cynthia will once again appear as a guest on Financial Fitness with host Dan Pluff.
With only 2 months left in 2009, Cynthia will be part of the panel discussion which... More
10/26/09 News Story - Target Retirement Mutual Funds10/30/09 In this segment, Cynthia reviews what to look for in a Target Retirement Fund and if you should avoid them:
> Target date funds are mutual funds that have a stated retirement date in the future, for example 2025, 2030, etc. and... More
10/19/09 News Story - Company Reported Earnings10/30/09 In this segment, Cynthia explains how to look for top line earnings growth - has the company had more sales?
**Check what the company did last quarter or last year; has there been significant improvement in their balance sheet and... More
10/12/09 News Story - Roth 401k/403b Plans10/19/09 In this segment, Cynthia explains the Roth 401k and Roth 403b plans for employees.
Roth 401k/403b plans are being offered to employees as another retirement option.
**Roth 401k plans are for profit businesses; Roth 403b plans... More
10/5/09 News Story - Avoiding the Capital Gains Trap10/06/09 In this segment, Cynthia offers advice on how to avoid the "capital gains trap" if you intend to invest in mutual funds before year's end. To view the segment, please click the link... More
9/28/09 News Story - The Value of the Dollar09/30/09 In this segment, Cynthia outlines why the value of the US dollar is important to both investors and consumers. To view the video, please click the link below:
http://www.cnycentral.com/news/video.aspx?id=355733
**An increase or... More
9/14/09 News Story - 401k Limits09/15/09 In this segment, Cynthia discusses some of the President's proposed changes to your 401k plan. To view the video, please click the link below:
http://www.cnycentral.com/news/video.aspx?id=349991
Here are some of the proposed... More
8/25/09 News Story - Investing in the S&P 50009/04/09 In this segment, Cynthia talks about the S&P 500 and its' use in investing.
**The S&P 500 index is a benchmark of 500 stocks that represent a broad spectrum of stocks in the economy
**Individuals can participate in the stock... More
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