Gold prices continued to hit historic highs Wednesday, approaching $1,240 an ounce after closing at a record high Tuesday. The yellow metal is hitting new peaks as investors grow worrisome over the European debt crisis and the $1 trillion rescue package meant to help Greece and other… Read More

How many times have you walked through the aisles of your local grocery store and mindlessly grabbed items off the shelf that are staples of your home? Things like spaghetti sauce, dish soap, shampoo, paper towels… the little necessities life requires. How many times have you plucked… Read More

As I write this shortly after Thursday’s market close, it wasn’t clear how much — if any — of today’s plunge could be attributed to human or computer error, or illiquid electronic trading systems for that matter. The one thing we do know for sure: the Dow… Read More

The exchange-traded fund (ETF) world remains abuzz with activity on the new launch and product development fronts. Money managers like Pimco that have recently dipped their toes into the ETF waters with… Read More

If you’re anything like the average dividend investor, you want one thing: safe, reliable income. Sure, a large payout is nice, but at what cost? A high yield means nothing if it’s here today, gone tomorrow. Read More

This year’s Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-B) annual meeting in Omaha provided CEO Warren Buffett to tackle really one main topic — The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE: GS). Buffett, always the teacher, explained the transaction at issue, analyzed what Goldman did and what it should have done (which… Read More

Very early Saturday morning I’ll leave my farm in North Central Kansas and drive to Omaha for a sit-down with Warren Buffett at the Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-B) annual meeting. With his longtime partner and vice chairman Charlie Munger, Buffett will speak without notes and answer every question until the… Read More

Sometimes it pays to do some “meta-analysis.” That’s when you analyze the analysts that follow a company. Often times, these analysts tend to think in cautious terms, and look to the past to make assessments about the future. As a result, they can overlook powerful industry changes that render the… Read More

Now may be the optimal time to trade the financial sector. During the week of April 16, shares of many financial companies fell, following news of fraud charges against The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS). As a result, many financial… Read More

Fact: The S&P 500 is up more than +68% since the lows of March 2009. In light of this bit of information, it might be tempting for investors to become discouraged. After all, how much farther can the market rise? But looking at the past will only… Read More