Articles

By Joel Dresang Accumulating wealth requires solid values such as discipline, patience and balance. But reaping a big bundle in a hurry often comes as the result of a windfall. A windfall is a sudden – usually surprising – gain from circumstances largely beyond one’s control. How to handle a financial windfall, a Money Talk…

By Bob Landaas On Nov. 3, the Federal Open Market Committee announced a $600 billion quantitative easing, which is now known as QE2. There was an unusual amount of dissent at the Federal Reserve about this, led by the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said that the…

By Art Rothschild and Joel Dresang Given continued volatility in global stock markets, it is nice to know that bond investors have been able to benefit from ongoing interest payments and the relative stability that the bonds in their portfolio have provided this year.  When 2010 started, all eyes were on the stock market.  Given…

By Joel Dresang At 75 years old, the Social Security Act is drawing the speculation and foreboding that often accompany advanced age. President Barack Obama, marking the August birthday of the program, hailed Social Security as “a cornerstone in the foundation of America’s middle class.” He also contended that Republican leaders plan to “privatize” the…

By Kyle Tetting A  growing number of economists, including many with the Federal Reserve Board, are expressing concern over changing prices.  One of the primary roles of the Fed is to combat inflation, but of late there has been more concern over an even more dangerous threat to economic recovery: Deflation. Each month, the Bureau…

By Joel Dresang Approaching $1.5 trillion, the U.S. deficit is becoming a bigger target for government critics and investors who wonder what the federal budget imbalance means for their nest eggs. “I get that question by clients every day,” says Bob Landaas, president of Landaas & Company. “I try to answer that it’s mostly about…