Wendy B Namack, CFP®'s Blog (9)

I submitted the following in a Letter to the Editor regarding an article in the Sarasota Herald Tribune (SH-T) on September 30, 2009:



In switch, North Port gets county tourism seat | HeraldTribune.com | Sarasota Florida | Southwest Fl



I found the quotes in the article really humorous, in a macabre way.... hmmmm, guess Sarasotans haven't noticed that we… Continue

Given today’s economy, it’s fair to say that we are all more concerned about our financial situation than we have been in the past. Even if we are among the lucky few who have not been directly impacted by the downturn, our awareness of the need to save and plan ahead has been heightened, and everyone, it seems, is looking for ways to economize.



As someone who works in the financial services realm, few things could give me more pleasure than this collective impulse toward saving,… Continue

Whether it’s the holidays or an unexpected disaster, Americans are always willing to donate to those less fortunate. It’s the easiest thing in the world for us to open our checkbooks to a worthy cause without a second thought.



Yet your donation, regardless of size, should make the largest impact possible on your cherished causes and issues. When you support a charity’s best interests, you’re not selfish to support your own as well.



Give to efficient… Continue

Art as an investment certainly seems attractive. We’ve all read the headlines when

Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, or Warhol set new auction records. Or maybe you’ve seen an episode of Antiques Roadshow where a 50-cent yard sale purchase ends up being the long-lost work of an obscure master artist.



The fine art market is a $10 billion-a-year industry in the United States alone. Over the past 50 years or so, art has returned a compound annualized rate of 10.47 percent, according to… Continue

Confused, stressed, afraid? These are just a few of the emotions people across our country are experiencing in light of the current market situation. Whether you are starting to build a nest egg, or are close to retirement, the reality is that negative market performance has likely impacted your investments. That’s not going to make you feel good, and you shouldn’t pretend otherwise. We are humans, not machines, and humans react emotionally to circumstances beyond (and even within) our… Continue

As unemployment figures have risen during the recent downturn, you may have started to worry about the worst-case scenario: “What would I do if I lost my job?” Fortunately, there are positive actions you can take, regardless of your employment situation now. While you may not be able to dictate whether or not you maintain your job, you can control what you do about the challenges that downsizing presents.



Know your benefits

Familiarize yourself with the benefits offered… Continue

If you’re still managing bills and other financial matters the old-fashioned way, you could be missing an important opportunity to invest in the future of the planet. A thoughtful review of your financial life is likely to yield a wealth of strategies for nurturing a cleaner, healthier environment.



Green finances are good for the soul

Even with the best intentions, most people tend to put off changing the way they do things until tomorrow. But consider the environmental… Continue

Confusing spreadsheets and penny-pinching are just a few things that come to mind when we hear the word budget. Indeed, budgeting can be a tedious task that we tend to do only when absolutely necessary. Yet the value it can provide in helping us continue to meet our financial goals cannot be discounted. And while budgeting is a detailed task, it doesn’t have to be a painful one.



Why should I budget?

The economic downturn has forced many individuals, regardless of their… Continue

You’ve likely heard about some of the Ponzi schemes that have served to erode investors’ trust in the financial industry. Heightened awareness of the issue—especially in light of the media storm generated by the Bernard Madoff scandal—may uncover more of these schemes in the future. But aside from knowing that these events aren’t good news, many people don’t really understand what a Ponzi scheme is and, more importantly, how to avoid becoming a victim of one.



Ponzi—a name that… Continue