Now more than ever, you can appreciate the need for comprehensive investment education. All of a sudden, fifty percent of your nest egg has disappeared— and the bad news? There never was a plan for income generation. Ouch!

Dwelling on coulda’s, woulda’s, and shoulda’s isn’t going to rebuild your portfolio. Attempting to become proficient in the speculation of the month will do little to decrease the long-term pain. Casting blame on government regulators and Wall Street scam artists does little to grow retirement income.

There are at least three things you can do to protect yourself now, and throughout your more quickly approaching than you realize retirement years:

(1) Actively support income tax code replacement surgery, be it Flat Tax, Fair Tax, or a combination; (2) actively support a Social Security reform plan with smaller mandatory contributions, higher guaranteed benefits, and trustee managed income …

“My wife was trying to sleep and she’s waking up and saying “What’s wrong with you?” What could I tell her, that I was cracking up over a financial book—?”

“As I approach retirement in a few years, I’m very encouraged by the cash flow my portfolio can generate. If I can generate nearly 8% cash flow in the worst bear market in 70 years, and with minimal capital gains, I’m feeling pretty good about the future.”

In the midst of financial crisis, market upheaval, and world-class uncertainty, at least one financial book provides an easily implemented strategy for safer investing. The Brainwashing of the American Investor is more than just “the book that Wall Street does not want you to read”.

It’s a book that might have helped you avoid many of the errors that have made this crisis so painful at a …

Thirty Billion Dollars is a huge amount of money, but it translates into less than $100 per US person— a small price that we should all be willing to pay to give the Automobile Industry time to restructure itself and to save a few million jobs.

Give them the green, but have them pay it back in a more economy and environment friendly manner. Here’s the deal:

Every new American-made car buyer would receive a debit card along with his ownership papers. The card could be used for anything other than the car purchase itself. Card amounts would vary from $6,000 for “smart” cars, through $3,000 for fuel-efficient sub-compacts, $1,000 for other borderline greenies.

The debit cards would lose 20% of their value per month if not negotiated. All debit cards would function as free passes for all highway tolls so long as they are used with the proper automobiles.

The 60’s gas-guzzler tax …

Everyday readers of Zacks.com are offered four new stocks that fit each of the four main styles of investing: Aggressive Growth, Growth & Income, Momentum, and Value. For those who have checked out the companies under the different categories but may not have had the time to learn more about the style of investing related to the stock being researched, I thought it would be helpful to offer more insight on and links to explanations of the four investment styles.

More in depth knowledge of each investment style translates into a better diversified portfolio.

The Education section of Zacks.com offers a plethora of detailed articles and helpful information on each style of investing. Extremely helpful are the guides for each style.

Because I write about Growth and Income stocks, I will focus on this style for this week's Investment Idea. However, links are

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First, the good news: From June 2007 through September 2008 (i.e., during the credit crisis) Income CEF payouts per share were virtually unchanged. From June 2008 through September 2008, payouts rose slightly— 29 funds raised their payouts and 17 lowered them. Your portfolio spending money should be higher than it was a year ago.

Brokerage firm monthly statements are designed to promote either fear or greed, depending on the current market environment. Nowhere on your statement can you find numbers that report your net investment, your total working capital, or your true asset allocation. Current and projected income numbers are given little attention, and monthly withdrawals are treated like losses of principal.

Income portfolios are reported upon using the same format as growth portfolios, and too much analysis is required to determine if the income production is either safe or adequate …