11/10/2008
11/07/2008
Azizzle Press Release Goes Live
If you are interested in reading the newest press release for Azizzle, click here. Warning, it's edgy!
11/06/2008
October's Bear Market
The good folks over at Lighthouse Financial Planning sent this email this morning. It is worth the read.
The month of October started off with the world in the midst of a major panic. On the heels of a very difficult September, equities around the globe fell dramatically during the first eight trading days of the new quarter. Markets rebounded briefly mid-month as global governments and central banks finally came together with a coordinated response to the financial crisis. The celebration was short-lived, however, as mutual funds and hedge funds were hit by massive redemptions by investors as well as margin calls by lenders. A major global sell-off resumed in late October with a climax in most equity markets on October 27th. At that point, the S&P 500 was down over -27% while other equity indexes were down substantially more.
Global equity markets finally reacted to the oversold levels by rebounding significantly during the final four days, with a rebound of at least +14%. But even after posting the best week for equities since 1974, October still finished as the worst single month in 21 years (since the October '87 crash). Where Do We Go From Here? To say the least, most investors (and advisors) are shell-shocked by what has occurred over the last two months. Month-end brokerage statements are liable to make stomachs churn. It is a natural inclination to feel scared and anxious about such a rapid decline in your portfolio. You want the pain to stop or feel reassured that the worst is behind us. While no one can predict what the market will do over the short-term, we can say that some very positive developments have occurred since mid-October.
These developments include:
· Substantial commitment of money to recapitalize troubled financials
· Coordinated interest rate cuts by global central banks
· Guarantees of inter-bank lending
· Dramatic increases of insurance for bank deposits
· Federal support of the commercial paper market
What is encouraging is that a number of the recent policy moves have begun bearing fruit:
· LIBOR rates have come way down
· Commercial paper (short-term debt issued by companies) volume has started to increase
· Banks have started to receive the initial payments from the TARP plan, moving from a theoretical concept to something real
· Action plans are being formed within the administration around how to stem the flow of foreclosures and support significant numbers of homeowners who are behind on their payments.
What all of these developments indicate to us is that the financial system meltdown risk has been greatly lessened by coordinated intervention on the part of governments around the globe. The major risk that's left relates to the degree of economic damage we'll see over the next year or so and the strength of the recovery that follows.
Without question, global economies are facing a difficult road ahead, as consumers and companies retrench. The world is facing a recession that will be longer and more difficult than anyone could have predicted a couple of months back. Therefore, we would expect to see additional aggressive policy moves in the weeks/months ahead and do not see Barack Obama's win yesterday interrupting the push forward. If anything, it is just one less piece of uncertainty to move markets.
Is Now a Good Time to Buy?
What is often lost among the talk of gloom and doom, however, is how cheap stocks have become as a result of the sell-off. Valuations across nearly all asset classes, even when taking into account pessimistic predictions, are beginning to look very compelling for long-term investors. For instance, the P/E of the S&P 500 is now 13.9, which is a level not seen since the mid 1980's. Also, several well-known investors and managers who have traditionally been bearish, have now become much more enthusiastic about today's values.
Our Strategy
We are not timers, we do not go in and out of markets wholesale. We believe in our asset allocation models and rebalancing the portfolio when triggered. When we rebalance an account it is usually only a few percentages of the total account value. Since the stock markets all over the world have fallen so much, real value opportunities are appearing and our rebalancing is leading us to buy the stock funds.
Feel free to pass this on to anyone you think might appreciate it.
Jim Johnson
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM
Jim.Johnson@LighthouseFinancialPlanning.com
J. Jeffrey Lambert
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM
Jeff.Lambert@LighthouseFinancialPlanning.com
Lighthouse Financial Planning, LLC
A Fee-Only Firm- Lighting your path to a brighter financial future...
http://www.lighthousefinancialplanning.com/
101 Parkshore Drive, Suite 100
Folsom, CA 95630
Ph: 916-932-7200
Fax: 916-932-7201
The month of October started off with the world in the midst of a major panic. On the heels of a very difficult September, equities around the globe fell dramatically during the first eight trading days of the new quarter. Markets rebounded briefly mid-month as global governments and central banks finally came together with a coordinated response to the financial crisis. The celebration was short-lived, however, as mutual funds and hedge funds were hit by massive redemptions by investors as well as margin calls by lenders. A major global sell-off resumed in late October with a climax in most equity markets on October 27th. At that point, the S&P 500 was down over -27% while other equity indexes were down substantially more.
Global equity markets finally reacted to the oversold levels by rebounding significantly during the final four days, with a rebound of at least +14%. But even after posting the best week for equities since 1974, October still finished as the worst single month in 21 years (since the October '87 crash). Where Do We Go From Here? To say the least, most investors (and advisors) are shell-shocked by what has occurred over the last two months. Month-end brokerage statements are liable to make stomachs churn. It is a natural inclination to feel scared and anxious about such a rapid decline in your portfolio. You want the pain to stop or feel reassured that the worst is behind us. While no one can predict what the market will do over the short-term, we can say that some very positive developments have occurred since mid-October.
These developments include:
· Substantial commitment of money to recapitalize troubled financials
· Coordinated interest rate cuts by global central banks
· Guarantees of inter-bank lending
· Dramatic increases of insurance for bank deposits
· Federal support of the commercial paper market
What is encouraging is that a number of the recent policy moves have begun bearing fruit:
· LIBOR rates have come way down
· Commercial paper (short-term debt issued by companies) volume has started to increase
· Banks have started to receive the initial payments from the TARP plan, moving from a theoretical concept to something real
· Action plans are being formed within the administration around how to stem the flow of foreclosures and support significant numbers of homeowners who are behind on their payments.
What all of these developments indicate to us is that the financial system meltdown risk has been greatly lessened by coordinated intervention on the part of governments around the globe. The major risk that's left relates to the degree of economic damage we'll see over the next year or so and the strength of the recovery that follows.
Without question, global economies are facing a difficult road ahead, as consumers and companies retrench. The world is facing a recession that will be longer and more difficult than anyone could have predicted a couple of months back. Therefore, we would expect to see additional aggressive policy moves in the weeks/months ahead and do not see Barack Obama's win yesterday interrupting the push forward. If anything, it is just one less piece of uncertainty to move markets.
Is Now a Good Time to Buy?
What is often lost among the talk of gloom and doom, however, is how cheap stocks have become as a result of the sell-off. Valuations across nearly all asset classes, even when taking into account pessimistic predictions, are beginning to look very compelling for long-term investors. For instance, the P/E of the S&P 500 is now 13.9, which is a level not seen since the mid 1980's. Also, several well-known investors and managers who have traditionally been bearish, have now become much more enthusiastic about today's values.
Our Strategy
We are not timers, we do not go in and out of markets wholesale. We believe in our asset allocation models and rebalancing the portfolio when triggered. When we rebalance an account it is usually only a few percentages of the total account value. Since the stock markets all over the world have fallen so much, real value opportunities are appearing and our rebalancing is leading us to buy the stock funds.
Feel free to pass this on to anyone you think might appreciate it.
Jim Johnson
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM
Jim.Johnson@LighthouseFinancialPlanning.com
J. Jeffrey Lambert
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM
Jeff.Lambert@LighthouseFinancialPlanning.com
Lighthouse Financial Planning, LLC
A Fee-Only Firm- Lighting your path to a brighter financial future...
http://www.lighthousefinancialplanning.com/
101 Parkshore Drive, Suite 100
Folsom, CA 95630
Ph: 916-932-7200
Fax: 916-932-7201
11/05/2008
Hey, Hey It's The Monkees
That's Monkee Peter Tork signing a pair of Boone Skis at the Long Island Music Hall of Fame Award Ceremony. More pictures to come soon!
11/04/2008
11/03/2008
Monrovia's Courtyards At Old Town Breaks Ground
You know, there's really not enough coverage of Monrovia development. But thankfully we can report the Courtyards at Old Town, an 163-unit apartment development located in old town Monrovia, broke ground yesterday. According to Globe St, the development will have 6,000 square feet of retail. More via the trade publication: "According to Dan Deibel, vice president of development for Urban Housing, the new project will bring access to neighborhood-serving retail space, transportation and employment centers to the infill location." The project, designed by the architecture firm KTGY (also behind downtown's Market Lofts) is expected to be completed by April 2010.
10/31/2008
Starting a Public Relations Firm
Gaebler.com added Dodson Consultants to its resource list of how to start a PR firm! Glad to know we can serve as a role model.
10/30/2008
Shipping News
I learned a valuable lesson about shipping over the past few days. The first- and most important lesson- is that you need to get all parties on the same page when it comes to shipping. Make sure everyone knows when packages need to be delivered, etc.
The second thing I learned is that once a package is shipped, its status cannot be altered. That means if you ship something 'ground' from the west coast to the east coast, event with the tracking number, you cannot call the carrier and get the package expedited or 'upgraded' to overnight.
10/29/2008
One Day University
On Sunday November 2, University of California students will look older – decades older! Hundreds of boomers will go “back to school” for a day of weekend fun at One Day University, the nation’s most popular Edutainment program.
They’ll experience the best of UC Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania, Harvard and Stanford– without ever leaving San Francisco, CA.
One Day University is a dynamic lecture series that gathers the best professors from the nation’s top schools to deliver their most popular lectures. Since 2006, the program has attracted almost 15,000 students-for-a-day in 11 cities across the country.
The November 2 event in San Francisco will offer in depth analysis to the following questions:
o What gave Hitler his peculiar power?
o How is the world changing the English language?
o What did Beethoven’s Ninth mean to listeners in the nineteenth century?
WHO: One Day University
WHEN: November 2, 2008
WHERE: UCSF Mission Bay Campus
William J. Rutter Community Center
1675 Owens Street
San Francisco, CA 94158
WHEN: 9:30 am to 3:45 pm
PRICE: $259.00
For more information, visit http://www.onedayu.com/ or call 800 One Day U (800-663-3298).
About One Day University
One Day University, a dynamic lecture series led by the country’s top university professors, is pioneering a new genre of weekend activities: Edutainment.
Every eight weeks, in 11 cities across the country, a rotating ensemble of four prominent professors presents a day of cutting-edge insights. Their diverse topics range from the psychology of happiness to global warming, and from music to politics.
The faculty is an all-star lineup: More than 100 award-winning professors from 35 top schools, including Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Stanford, and Columbia. In fact, professors from eight of U.S. News & World Report’s prestigious “Top 10 Universities” ranking are members of the One Day University faculty.
For the audience, One Day U. rekindles the spirit of intellectual exploration first experienced as a college undergraduate. The thought-provoking sessions, held in a classroom setting, shake up assumptions, spark curiosity and provide the audience with a dynamic lens for viewing the world.
Since 2006, almost 15,000 students-for-a-day have attended One Day U. The program’s popularity speaks to Boomers’ growing demand for innovative pursuits and post-career challenges. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that nearly half of Americans over age 50 participate in continuing education courses. According to the Learning Resources Network, the continuing-education industry is a $6 billion business.
One Day University events take place in the following locations: Los Angeles; San Francisco; New York area (New York City; Westchester; Long Island); Washington, DC area (Rockville, MD); Connecticut (West Hartford; Fairfield); Morristown, NJ; Philadelphia, PA; and Wellesley, MA.
Sessions run from 9:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m., include lunch and start at $259 per session.
They’ll experience the best of UC Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania, Harvard and Stanford– without ever leaving San Francisco, CA.
One Day University is a dynamic lecture series that gathers the best professors from the nation’s top schools to deliver their most popular lectures. Since 2006, the program has attracted almost 15,000 students-for-a-day in 11 cities across the country.
The November 2 event in San Francisco will offer in depth analysis to the following questions:
o What gave Hitler his peculiar power?
o How is the world changing the English language?
o What did Beethoven’s Ninth mean to listeners in the nineteenth century?
WHO: One Day University
WHEN: November 2, 2008
WHERE: UCSF Mission Bay Campus
William J. Rutter Community Center
1675 Owens Street
San Francisco, CA 94158
WHEN: 9:30 am to 3:45 pm
PRICE: $259.00
For more information, visit http://www.onedayu.com/ or call 800 One Day U (800-663-3298).
About One Day University
One Day University, a dynamic lecture series led by the country’s top university professors, is pioneering a new genre of weekend activities: Edutainment.
Every eight weeks, in 11 cities across the country, a rotating ensemble of four prominent professors presents a day of cutting-edge insights. Their diverse topics range from the psychology of happiness to global warming, and from music to politics.
The faculty is an all-star lineup: More than 100 award-winning professors from 35 top schools, including Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Stanford, and Columbia. In fact, professors from eight of U.S. News & World Report’s prestigious “Top 10 Universities” ranking are members of the One Day University faculty.
For the audience, One Day U. rekindles the spirit of intellectual exploration first experienced as a college undergraduate. The thought-provoking sessions, held in a classroom setting, shake up assumptions, spark curiosity and provide the audience with a dynamic lens for viewing the world.
Since 2006, almost 15,000 students-for-a-day have attended One Day U. The program’s popularity speaks to Boomers’ growing demand for innovative pursuits and post-career challenges. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that nearly half of Americans over age 50 participate in continuing education courses. According to the Learning Resources Network, the continuing-education industry is a $6 billion business.
One Day University events take place in the following locations: Los Angeles; San Francisco; New York area (New York City; Westchester; Long Island); Washington, DC area (Rockville, MD); Connecticut (West Hartford; Fairfield); Morristown, NJ; Philadelphia, PA; and Wellesley, MA.
Sessions run from 9:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m., include lunch and start at $259 per session.
10/28/2008
Multifamily Executive Taps KTGY
What are the pros and cons of washers and dryers in your apartment? Should multifamily builders use central laundry facilities? Those and other questions were posed yesterday by Multifamily Executive to KTGY, a nationally recognized architecture and planning firm. Stay tuned for the final article.
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