But there is hope for America….  I got an email full of “Tea Party” pictures and I thought I would post one just for Mr. Moore!

I was reading a blog out camping and there was a post about investing in your outdoor gear.   That got me thinking over the weekend while I was trying to get my work shop cleaned up.   I started looking around at my power tools and wondering if I could invest in any of those companies.  Naturally I moved over to my hunting gear.   What products do I use and more importantly, how many other hunters are there, who buy this stuff every year before they head outdoors.

Somewhere on this blog, I think I told yall I own some Smith & Wesson stock along with my dad’s old S&W 38 revolver.  I also own a Ruger 10-22 rifle however I dont own any Ruger stock, but I do watch it along with my S&W.  I own some Rocky boots so I should look them up and see what going on with them maybe.

Over the next week or so, Im going to make a list of stuff I carry on every trip outdoors.  Then I’ll start looking online and see what companies are publicly traded.  

Heres your first symbol to look up  “BOOT“

By Ben Steverman

During the worst economic crisis in a lifetime, the right financial decisions are crucial.

BusinessWeek asked financial planners for some advice on what to do—or not to do—with your money in the New Year. As we bid farewell to a dreadful 2008, these “resolutions” may help keep your finances on the right track in 2009:

1. Don’t try to predict the future.

“We are currently in the midst of unprecedented and complex challenges,” says Femi Shote of Asset Harvest Group in McLean, Va. Anyone who thinks he or she can predict what’s going to happen is “delusional,” Shote says.

Financial advisers often hear from clients who would like to sell stocks now and then buy again when the market hits bottom. “My response is, ‘How do you know when that will be?’” says Trent Porter of Priority Financial Planning in Fort Collins, Colo.

2. Do keep enough cash available.

Even if you’re not worried about losing your job, a rainy-day fund can provide peace of mind.

There are different guidelines for how much cash to keep on hand. Some say $12,000 or more per adult; others say it should be six to nine months of living expenses. With extra cash available, you can avoid selling investments to pay for expenses in an emergency.

3. Do invest internationally.

Though the financial crisis started in the U.S., the past year has been worse for investments in the rest of the world. The MSCI EAFE, an index of international stocks, is down 43% this year, and stocks in emerging economies fared far worse. American investors who diversified abroad have also been pummeled by the rise in the U.S. dollar.

Even after a year like that, advisers say it’s not wise to abandon international investments entirely. For one thing, though some key overseas economies, like China’s, have been hit hard lately, their long-term economic fundamentals look better than those of the U.S.

4. Don’t try to pick one winning investment. Diversify.

Putting all your money in one stock is dangerous at a time when a company’s bankruptcy can completely wipe out the value of its shares.

Robert Siegmann of Financial Management Group in Cincinnati advises clients to balance their portfolios between fixed income and stocks, with shares in various types of companies — small and large, U.S. and international. “Don’t try to pick the winning stock, or the winning idea. Just diversify across all investments and markets,” he says.

5. Do think about energy efficiency.

Russell Francis of Portland Financial Advisors in Beaverton, Ore., recommends that investors take advantage of a $500 federal residential energy tax credit that was rescinded in 2008 but returns in 2009. The credit can help cover the costs of adding insulation or replacing doors, windows, or furnaces—home repairs that should also save you on heating and cooling costs.

6. Don’t stop contributing to 401(k) and other retirement accounts.

Says Sidney Blum of GreenLight Fee Only Advisors in Evanston, Ill.: “Everyone loves to invest in their 401(k) when the markets are flying high, but they should keep putting money in while the markets are down.” He adds: “More money is made at the bottom of a market than at the top.”

Even more pessimistic planners say you should be taking advantage of any match your employer offers for retirement fund contributions.

Click here to read the full article:

I read a great article tonight and I thought I would share it.

Curious Cat Blog

One of the most important financial moves you can make is to start investing for your retirement early. This post is directed at those in the USA (but you can adjust the ideas for your particular situation). Retirement accounts with tax free growth, tax deferred growth and/or even tax deductible contributions can add to the benefits of such an investment. And matching by your company can give you an immediate return or 100% or 50% or some other amount. With 100% matching if you invest $2,000 your company adds $2,000 to your retirement account. For 50% they would add $1,000 in the event you added $2,000.

In other posts I will cover some of the other details involved but some people can be confused just by what investment options to chose. Normally you will have a limited choice of mutual funds. Hopefully you will have a good family of funds to choose from such as Vanguard, TIAA-CREF, American, Franklin-Templeton, T.Rowe Price etc.). If so, the most important thing is really just to get started adding money. The details of how you allocate the investment is secondary to that.

So once you have made the decision to save for your retirement what allocation makes sense? Well diversification is a valuable strategy. Some options you will likely have include S&P 500 index fund, Russel 5000 (total market index – or some such), small cap growth, international stocks, money market fund, bond fund and perhaps international bonds, short term bonds, specialty funds (health care, natural resources) long term bonds, real estate trusts…

Just to get a simple idea of what might make sense when you are starting out and under 40 and don’t have other substantial assets in any of these areas (large mutual fund holdings, your own house, investment real estate…) this is an allocation I think is reasonable (but don’t take my word for it go read what other say and then make your own decisions):

25% Total stock market index (~Wilshire 5000)
25% international stocks
20% small cap stocks
10% real estate
10% high quality short term bonds in a Euros, Yen…
10% short term bonds (or money market)

Another option:
25% international stocks
20% S&P 500 index
20% small cap stocks
15% real estate
10% emerging market fund (China, India, Mexico, Singapore, Brazil…)
10% money market

Some things to remember (that are often overlooked): you are most likely earning social security (which will pay you a set amount – this is most alike a money market type investment – when you think of diversification); you will most likely work in the USA (so your earning power is tied to the economy in the USA – diversification concepts would aim to spread your risk so don’t invest all your investments and future job prospects in one economy), will you be likely be buying a house? (are you saving for it with a money market fund?)…

The allocations can give you an idea of where to start (and there are plenty of other examples online I am sure). Then examine your specific situation – what funds are available in your plan. What are the strengths of those funds (Franklin Templeton has some great emerging market funds – if those are available I could see putting 15% in those) – many times you won’t even have the option, vanguard has great index funds, some 401k have much better real estate options than are available outside (companies like TIAA CREF own the real estate directly and have low expenses and good track records – so if that is an option increasing real estate can help). If you have investments in individual stocks you might balance your retirement account (so if you own mainly large cap stocks you might want to lower that exposure in your retirement account).

You could certainly eliminate bonds and money market altogether if you wanted. With the current yields on long term bonds and the risks of inflation over the long term I would not even consider them at this time (but others would). Short term bonds would be ok, but really are not needed early one – as you approach retirement they are likely to be a part of a sensible portfolio. If you want a bit stability you can increase your allotment to money market but remember over the long term that will likely barely keep up with inflation so it is not normally a good place to place large amounts of your long term investments. But if your personality will feel happier with less risk of sharp declines in value go ahead and start off with more in money market. Then continue to learn, read, get real experience with your money on the line…

Don’t worry too much about exactly how your money is allocated at first. The important thing is to start saving for your retirement. After 5 or 10 years then you can take more care with the allocation of your investments. During that time, take the time to read and educate yourself to become more financially literate and more confident. Actually taking the time to increase your financial literacy each year is the next most important thing to getting started saving in my opinion. Your starting allocation of funds is less important than that continual learning – which will allow you to improve your allocation decision over time.

Your financial decisions will greatly impact your life. Taking the time to educate yourself seems wise to me. That is easy for me to say because I have enjoyed investing and learning about investments from an early age. But just looking at the benefits of investing in your financial literacy versus the costs of failing to do so it seems like the only sensible choice to me.

During a recent search on retirement calculators I came across some easy to use calculators at CNN’s Money.com

Try it out and see how easy it is.  There are several different calculators and tools and they will be a great benifit to you when you are laying out your plan.   You cant have a plan if you dont know what you goals are!  Outlining a plan can be pretty easy if you have a few tools like the CNNMoney.com calculators.  Start with how you want to retire and how much you will need a month to live on.  Its a great and easy site to have in your arsenal and you prepare for retirement.  No matter how far away it is.