Inflation rearing its ugly head - What should you do about it?

There are several things every investor or saver needs to keep in mind as we move forward. Over the past 18 months inflation has been at above average levels it actually peaked at 5.6% back in July 2008. That represented a 17 year high. But even though it has dropped since then there are 8 months with a rate at or above 4%. The statistics show a 3.8% inflation rate for the CPI for all of 2008. Obviously we don't yet know the total inflation rate in the CPI for all of 2009. That means that any one using a bank for a safe money resting place has actually lost money while searching for a Safe Money Haven. Banks are still failing and they are still Failing to pay you a fair rate of return on the money you place in the bank at the same time they are charging a Record high rate on the money they loan out.

There are excellent Safe Money alternatives that can provide a better rate of return with excellent safety. They can even include upside potential if the market climbs while offering protection from market declines. Ask us how this can work and fit into your financial strategy
for the future. Non Bank Financial Alternatives still make excellent sense today. Protection from market risk makes just as much sense today as it made one year ago. We can help on both counts!

Are you interested in a Second Opinion about you financial nest egg. We can provide you with a no charge Second opinion and also help you position some of your assets in excellent safe money financial alternatives.

FDIC Insurance Limits

FDIC limits may be increased. USA tToday ran an article By Sandra Block. The article title is "FDIC Limit could bump up to $250,000"
both presideental candidates are in favor of the change. As is typically the case with Congress there is a flaw. The article says "the FDIC Insurance limit would be TEMPORARILY increased to $250,000." I don't like Temporary fixes when it comes to my money. The article goes on to talk about the 13 banks that have failed this year. We have been blogging on many of those stories this year. The article further states that 37% of bank deposits are uninsured. I need to ask whats wrong with those people?
First of all the banks generally don't pay a fair rate of return on the money you keep at the bank. They load you to death with excessive bank fees, and they charge most people way to much interest when they loan money to customers. The Large banks overpay their officers using the excessive profits generated on the spread between the interest rates charged and offered. And then they dont even practice reasonable levels of financial responsibility in managing our assets in their care necessitating this massive bailout.

There are Safer Money Alternatives for your funds that will earn you substantially more interest over time and do it with guaranteed performance and principal protection.Does that make sense for at least part of your money.

How can we help you earn more and protect your assets? Contact us for a free initial consultation

polarisfinancialservices@gmail.com
www.columbusfinancialplanningpros.com

Outlook On Low Risk Investments Not So Bad- Says USA Today

Sandra Block writes for USA Today in the Money section. This weeks article reflected in the title above "Outlook On Low Risk Investments Not So Bad" She is a supporter of lower risk investment strategies and her picks seem to include money market funds,Fixed Annuities, variable Annuities, and Insured Deposits. She admits that "several money market funds have suffered a principal loss due largely to investment in Lehman Brothers" that tanked. HER view is that risk here is minimal.
IN Annuities she talks about Fixed and Variable Annuities. She admits that "variables are not covered by the State Insurance guarantee funds and that. Fixed Annuities are protected up to state limits."
Insured deposits are bank deposits up to FDIC $100,000 limit. One should never have more than that in a bank! My reasoning is that then you have no insurance and you are also getting an inferior interest rate. We specialize in Safer Money alternatives.

If you are looking to diversify we can help. How can we help you?

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Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Now Who Is Next?

Two of the last major investment banks are being reorganized to try and avoid their collapse. Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs are being reorganized and commercial banks and will now fall under traditional bank regulators and will have to change the way they do business as a result. These two monsters have helped drive our market economic engine in good times and have helped cause some of the bad times as well. This will make it more difficult for small firms or less known firms to raise venture capital in the stock market.

I still say there may be more bloodshed in our future and diversification is the key to riding out this mess we are in. Diversify and do it with guarantees. We can help you!

www.columbusfinancialplanningpros.com

A Tough Weekend for Financial Markets

This was a really bad weekend for the US Financial Markets and the economy. First we had Hurricane Ike hitting the Texas Coast and whipping a stretch of the USA all the way to the great lakes. Second we had the financial melt down of Lehman Brothers who were turned down by the Federal Reserve in their bail out request. There only alternative after that was the declaration of bankruptcy. This was followed almost immediately by the Merrill Lynch announcement of their sale to Bank of America. Im not convinced that this is a good thing for the investment community. This is beginning to look like a monopoly but that's a topic for another day.

A local radio station told about a man at a gas station saturday. When he arrived at the station the gas was priced at $4.01 per gallon. while he was pumping his gas the station changed the price to $4.16 per gallon. He was forced to pay the new HIGHER price even though the contract ie gas purchase was initiated at the lower price.

How can we help you weather this financial storm?

www.columbusfinancialplanningpros.com