http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick? Independent Investor/@theMarket Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:21:02 EDT en-us http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2143 http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2143 Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:37:00 EDT So far June is playing out as expected. Stocks are see-sawing in a trading range that is driving day traders crazy. Hopefully, you are not one of them. This week was almost a carbon copy of last week. For two weeks in a row the averages tested the 1,600 level on the S&P 500 Index and... http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2140 http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2140 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 16:34:00 EDT If you are a bond holder, the last few weeks may have come as a shock. Ever since the Fed raised the possibility of tapering their stimulus program, interest rates have spiked higher. For the first time in years, bondholders actually saw bond prices decline. Get used to it. If you are a... http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2135 http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2135 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 10:06:00 EDT As we enter the fifth year of the Federal Reserve Bank's grand experiment to save our economy, doubts are beginning to surface. After a wonderful run in the financial markets, investors are concerned that the Fed is planning to once again slow their stimulus program. That would be a... http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2131 http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2131 Sat, 01 Jun 2013 03:24:00 EDT Over the last month, the interest rate on a 10-year, U.S. Treasury note has risen half a point. That may not sound like much in a market that has seen nothing but declines in Treasury yields for years, but investors fear it is simply the start of something big. By now readers should know... http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2130 http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2130 Fri, 31 May 2013 15:09:00 EDT Most Americans' retirement savings are under $25,000. That's old news. The new news is that with Social Security in jeopardy, medical costs skyrocketing and the chances of living longer better than ever, how do you expect to retire in the years ahead? The short answer is most of us... http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2124 http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2124 Thu, 23 May 2013 17:13:00 EDT We have all been inundated with the pros and cons of Obamacare. It has become so ubiquitous in our daily lives that most of us have simply tuned it out. We can't afford to do that much longer. As most readers know, Obamacare, formally named the Patient Protection and Affordable Care... http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2117 http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2117 Fri, 17 May 2013 16:30:00 EDT By my reckoning, this leg of the stock market rally began about a week after the presidential elections. The rally overall has been going on much longer. The question everyone is asking is how long it can go on without a major correction. If one looks back through history, the chances of... http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2115 http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2115 Thu, 16 May 2013 16:43:00 EDT The housing market has been in the doldrums so long that most of us believe that when we are ready to buy a new home there will be plenty of deals out there. Think again, the rising costs of everything from land to labor are causing new home prices to climb. As U.S. residential real estate... http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2109 http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2109 Thu, 09 May 2013 20:36:00 EDT Over the last decade, online enrollment in college classes has exploded. Many hope that it will ultimately help reduce the burgeoning future costs of a college education. The evidence, thus far, indicates that we have a long way to go. At the outset, readers should understand that there are... http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2104 http://www.iberkshires.com/blogs/Bill_Schmick?bid=2104 Fri, 03 May 2013 16:55:00 EDT The S&P 500 Index made record highs this week. It is catching up with the Dow, which has been making new highs now for over a month. Yet many investors do not believe this rally. Some are still sitting on the sidelines waiting and praying for a pullback that has not occurred. There is...