In the last several years, many of us have felt as though the level of stress in our lives is rising. A new study by the American Psychological Association (APA), with the cheery title of “The Stress in America Survey”, backs up these gut feelings with hard data—75% of Americans say stress is impacting their lives. The survey was conducted online with the assistance of Harris Interactive.

According to the survey, almost one-fourth of American adults say the current stress level in their lives is high, and another 51% say their stress level is at least moderate. There were some interesting regional differences in stress levels reported. A whopping 82% of Seattle residents reported that work was a significant cause of stress, but

There is a saying which has been attributed to a fictional Chinese storyteller named Kai Lung and it goes like this, “May you live in interesting times”.

Well my friends, we do live in interesting times, very interesting times. With China holding the largest share of US debt, inflation just around the corner, and no light at the end of the tunnel for the unemployed - these are interesting times.

So what’s going to be the best plan of action for your money in the next three years? Is the value of your portfolio going to be cut in half, or is it going to double? I have my game plan in place, do you have yours?

I’ve given a lot of thought as to what’s going to happen in the next three years. Specifically, what I am going to do

by Richard Moran
How many times have you been surprised by how much you charged on your credit card in the past month? Well that is what the banks want to happen. When you use that cards very few people keep good track of their total spending.

Banks are businesses, big businesses at that, and they count on you losing track of your balances and spending during the month. They actually love you to go (slightly) over your change limits so they can tack on that over-limit fee. This little slight-of-hand can be controlled with a little effort on your part.

This can be called the Bank “Money Machine”

There are a few different ways that banks make the money that they need to operate. The first is though overdraft/overlimit fees. Many people have to deal with this kind of fee because they lose track of what they are spending. They might …

Don Coxe has just updated his popular webcast - good news for his followers. You can access the recording here or from the sidebar of the Investment Postcards site (the column on the right-hand side) by clicking on Don’s photograph.

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by Melinda Torbay
Debt or Savings?

I guess most of us dream about living without debt. If you are like me, you sit down and pay bills, and think about how much money you would have if you did not have to service credit card bills, car loans, or a mortgage. Maybe a picture of a shack on an island even comes to mind.

I really think that those end of the world books became popular as an escape. Even if something awful happens, like a zombie invasion, it would still wipe out all of our creditors too.

But are we better off without debt, or should we had onto cash? I think the answer is complex, and like most things in life, it depends.

Move Credit Around

Maybe you can improve your debt situation even if you cannot eliminate it. It is tough these days, but many people can still find offers for …

by Sam Smith

During this turbulent economic time where stock market indexes are plummeting and rising almost every day due to the crisis calls for a special investment plan so that risk is minimized. There is a need for the clever planning of investment and saving strategies so that they reflect the changing nature of the playing field.

With the stock markets being fluctuating the way they are these days many investors are not clear on what is the best approach to investing. The two basic approaches are the conservative and the aggressive strategies and while both can be fruitful the question is which one will produce the best results in market conditions like these.

The ones who utilize aggressive strategies in stock marketing investing are known as day traders. These investors buy and sell many times a day and take on relatively larger risks than regular buy and …

by Stanley Richards

Silver is sometimes called the indispensable metal; because it is used for so many different purposes. Silver is used to make beautiful pieces of jewelry and for ornate silverware and serving pieces. Silver is also used for more practical purposes such as in electronics, batteries and in appliances.

Silver has unique chemical properties and is a catalyst that is used in many industrial processes. A catalyst is a substance that facilitates a chemical process. Heat is the world’s most common catalyst that helps many processes take place, such as cooking food and baking in ovens.

More than 700 tons of silver is used yearly in the world’s chemical industry to produce two compounds. They are ethylene oxide and formaldehyde which are both essential to the plastic industry. Ethylene oxide is the foundation for flexible plastics such as polyester, which is found in clothing. It is also used …

by Tabitha Reaves

This is the worst recession for over 60 years and as we have all had to cut corners, tighten our belts and look for ways to save cash, many people have been taking a good, hard look at where they can make extra money. Many of us have old jewelry which is simply wasting away in a drawer or a box somewhere – it is unlikely to be ever used again and it is in every sense of the word, dead weight.

Selling gold and especially old jewelry has become a boom industry in the US and around the world.

Why?

The answer is simple – in times of recession, investors look to buy gold because it is considered a stable, secure investment – gold is what backs the currency reserves of the US dollar and currencies all around the world. When economic times get rough, gold is where …

by Marc Abrams

One step forward, five steps back. This seems to be the motto lately, especially when it comes to investing. Many people thought that 8% to 10% annual returns were just something to be expected. After all, how many of you used those returns in your retirement projections? Well, we have reluctantly entered a new age with new questions to be asked. What are you going to do?

You need to take control of your investments. You can no longer rely solely on the advise of your broker or financial advisor. After all, didn’t they allow you to get into this position in the first place?

Are you waiting for those losing stocks to recover, you know, the ones that you have an emotional tie to? You as an investor must teach yourself to think differently. …

by Michael Swanson

Technical analysis was derived from observing financial markets for the past decade. This method being the oldest was discovered and developed by Homma Munehisa during the early eighteenth century and progressed to the candlestick method whereby in modern day is a charting tool for technical analysis.

A variety of charts “graphs” are used to prices over time, although they do not show absolute predictions about the future prices. Technical analysis is similar to forecasting the weather in that the future financial price is based on the past price movements.

Technical analysis is only interested in the market price movements, it makes analysis of the company characteristics and estimates the company’s value or commodity. In other words a study is done on supply and demand in a specific market, and determines in which direction or trend it will rear to in the future. The market is studied itself …