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Podcasts
We offer a free audio version of some of our favorite articles. You can listen to the audio version right now by clicking on titles below.
You can also subscribe to Financial Happiness podcasts by clicking here. You must have iTunes installed on your computer to do this, or you can download iTunes for free.
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Ten Paths to Financial Happiness Audio
Sue Stevens 09.01.09 (Read by Elaine Eakes)
My friend Kay, a marketing guru, suggested that I write something summarizing how you find financial happiness. What I realized is that whether it's "financial happiness" or just plain old "happiness," the steps are really the same. . . . keep reading
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Let's Get Real Audio
Patrick McDevitt 05.01.09 (Read by Mark Alvey)
To invest is to embrace the unknown with a healthy dose of faith. We know that stocks have historically outperformed bonds, and that bonds have, in turn, outperformed inflation. And while we know -- or should know -- that those past relationships are not promised to hold in the future, we also realize that we don't have much else to inform us as we set our asset allocation. . . . keep reading
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A Glimpse of Future Tax Rates Audio
Sandy Kroll 05.01.09 (Read by Elaine Eakes)
With The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act just passed in February, President Obama, Congress and Americans are struggling with how to pay for this stimulus and balance the 2010 budget with the 2009 deficit now reaching $1.75 trillion. While it is still up to debate precisely where the dollars will come from to balance the budget, many Americans are growing increasingly uneasy about the degree of spending and the tax implications they will see in the future. . . . keep reading
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Cash and the Current Economic Crisis Audio
Jason Guenther 04.01.09 (Read by Mark Alvey)
One thing that this current economic crisis has taught us is that every investment, including cash, has risks involved. When most people think of cash, whether it be checking or savings accounts, money market funds, or CDs, they think of ultra-safe investments where no loss of principle is possible. But with bank failures reaching record levels, people everywhere are rethinking that basic assumption. . . . keep reading
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Top 6 Reasons to Update Your Estate Plan Audio
Jason Guenther 04.01.09 (Read by Elaine Eakes)
Although the topic of estate planning can be a difficult subject for many people to discuss, it is essential to ensure that your family is provided for according to your wishes. A properly designed estate plan allows you to minimize taxes and administrative costs, manage and control the distribution of your assets, and preserve your assets for your family and heirs. Many people have had estate planning documents drafted in the past, but they are now out-of-date. There are many reasons why your estate planning documents should be reviewed at least every three-to-five years. . . . keep reading
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Jack Bogle's Fix for the Nation's Retirement Plans Audio
Patrick McDevitt 04.01.09 (Read by Elaine Eakes)
The current economic crisis has focused the attention of both our nation's leaders and citizens on any number of pressing issues. Among them, it has brought increased scrutiny to our retirement system. The global financial meltdown and the bear market that has accompanied it have highlighted some of the flaws in the current system. . . . keep reading
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I'd Like to Use a Lifeline: Filing for Bankruptcy Audio
Patrick McDevitt 03.04.09 (Read by Elaine Eakes)
Bankruptcy. The word alone can cause fear, especially in today's environment. Most people probably think of bankruptcy as something that impacts the less responsible among us, or perhaps the unfortunate, hit by a tsunami of unforeseen medical expenses. But in the throes of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, with stock markets plummeting and unemployment rates at 30 or 40 year highs, it's far easier to imagine how events could conspire against otherwise prudent and responsible individuals, presenting them with a personal financial catastrophe. . . . keep reading
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What to Do if You Lose Your Job Audio
Sue Stevens 01.01.09 (Read by Elaine Eakes)
As a financial advisor, I've received a number of calls this fall with the unwelcome news that one of my clients has lost his or her job. And many more calls with people worried that they still might lose their job. Unemployment is the highest it has been in 26 years. By the time this economic mess is over, chances are you'll know someone who has lost their job. (So feel free to pass this article along to whoever needs it.) . . . keep reading
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Cleaning Up Messes Audio
Sue Stevens and Patrick McDevitt 02.03.09
Financial Feng Shui is about redirecting the energy in your life--whether that be in your home or in your portfolio. It involves cleaning up messes and clearing away clutter. Right now, we have a staggering number of financial messes in the media. Two we'd like to focus on today are the Bernard Madoff fraud case and the woman tasked with cleaning up the SEC, Mary Schapiro. . . . keep reading
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Modern Day Prophets
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Sue Stevens 03.04.09 (Read by Kiersten Trillhaase)
Whenever there are times of tumultuous change, certain individuals step forward to present their theories of what is to come. We've called them "prophets" throughout history. It remains to be seen if these prophets = profits. . . . keep reading
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Lessons in Happiness from the Great Depression Audio
Cynthia Stevens 11.15.08 (Read by Elaine Eakes)
I remember playing in our Victory Garden when I was four years old. This dates me, I know. Now, at 65, I keep remembering my mother's words: "Hard times will come again," she'd say. And now I am quite thankful that many of the cost saving habits she taught me (more by example than by words alone) keep popping back into my memories. . . . keep reading
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The Bear Market and Value Managers Audio
Patrick McDevitt 12.02.08 (Read by Elaine Eakes)
For nearly a decade, if not longer, "value" managers have been considered the grown-ups of the investment world. They were the ones who, as a group, kept their heads during the technology bubble, refusing the pay inflated prices for the stocks of companies that were short on profits but long on hype. Instead, they followed the value investing strategy made famous by Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffett--buying "unloved" stocks with low valuations and patiently waiting until the market's opinion of these companies matched their own. . . . keep reading
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A Modest Proposal Audio
Patrick McDevitt 12.09.08 (Read by Elaine Eakes)
Amidst all of the solutions being thrown around to get us out of our current financial mess, allow us to submit one that might help prevent the next one. It's one that's related to something Michael Lewis touched upon at the end of his wonderful article in the latest issue of Portfolio magazine . . . keep reading
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