Focus Financial Advisors

Are We Close To A Bottom In The Housing Market?

Jon Aldrich — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:10:15 +0000

Almost everyone has been affected either directly or indirectly by the collapse of the housing market which began to burst 6 years ago and helped trigger the worst financial panic since the Great Depression. So where do things stand in the housing market today and what does the outlook look like? Of course you have [...]

SO, DO WE REALLY HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HYPERINFLATION?

Jon Aldrich — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:07:08 +0000

Many people have declared that high inflation and even hyperinflation is imminent. Then again they have been saying this for several years now and inflation for the most part remains relatively subdued. Conventional wisdom and many on-air and in-print “experts” profess that money printing (i.e. Quantitative Easing, QE I, II, III, etc.) will lead to [...]

EARLY LOOK AT POSSIBLE 2013 INCOME TAX CHANGES

Jon Aldrich — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:58:49 +0000

2012 not only marks the end of the Mayan calendar, but also the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 under George W. Bush. With the aspect of likely higher taxes looming in 2013 some Congressional aides have termed the upcoming expiration of the Bush tax cuts as “Taxmageddon”. Are the expiration of the tax cuts [...]

Greece – Where are we now?

Jon Aldrich — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:52:05 +0000

Since our last post about a month ago, markets around the world have rallied strongly, based on perceived better news out of Europe, but also stronger U.S. economic data, as well as hopes that the Federal Reserve will institute another Quantitative Easing Program (QE 3?). We will try to catch up on some of the [...]

ARE WE STILL TALKING ABOUT EUROPE?

Jon Aldrich — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:36:41 +0000

The sovereign debt crisis in Europe seems like the movie Groundhog Day, where Bill Murray wakes up to the same thing day after day after day. We have been discussing the problems in Europe for almost 2 years now, and it appears we are still a long way from a solution to the problems. What [...]

Deal or No Deal? (What is Going on in Europe?)

Jon Aldrich — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:11:56 +0000

Deal or No Deal? (What is Going on in Europe?)

(Beware of Greeks bearing debts)

The big news last week for the markets was that European leaders arrived at a bailout package for Greece. Equity markets breathed a big sigh of relief (at least for a few days) that a full-blown banking crisis affecting the private sector, [...]

WHAT IS OPERATION TWIST AND WHY IS IT BEING DONE?

Jon Aldrich — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 20:01:22 +0000

Essentially the Federal Reserve will purchase longer term securities (to try to move the long-term interest rate a little lower) that are financed from the sale of short-term securities. The securities they would be buying would most likely be Treasury bonds with 6 to 30 years remaining until maturity and selling Treasury bonds with maturities [...]

WHERE DO THINGS STAND IN EUROPE CURRENTLY?

Jon Aldrich — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:56:51 +0000

The ongoing saga of will Greece default or will they get bailed out continues. (For a summary of how we got to where we are today, see here) News and rumors continue to pour out of Europe and the markets continue to twitch on every morsel of information. Over the weekend (September 24-25), there [...]

The European Banking Crisis –How Did it Happen, Where Are We Now?

Jon Aldrich — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 22:06:24 +0000

We all know what a turbulent ride it has been in the stock market over the last month or so. We hear everywhere that a lot of this is due to the slowdown in the U.S. economy partly due to the debt ceiling fiasco in Washington, but also due to the fear that another recession [...]

CAN THEY RAISE THE ROOF?

Jon Aldrich — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:45:50 +0000

Implications of Failure to Raise the US Debt Ceiling

Almost everyone is talking about the deadline for Congress to raise the U.S. Debt Ceiling and what would be the ramifications if it doesn’t. The Republicans and Democrats are having a hard time coming to an agreement on this issue. Many Democrats suggest that raising [...]