Brought to you compliments of Sarah M. Place, MBA
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November 2005
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Saturday, February 4, 2012
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Thanks for Your Trust
A great deal of personal satisfaction comes from helping my clients achieve their financial goals. My career would not be nearly as enjoyable without the wonderful clients I have. I appreciate the faith and trust you have placed in me by allowing me to assist you with your financial plans.
I also appreciate the many referrals that I have received from clients over the years. To me, it is the highest compliment I can be paid -- to have someone so satisfied with my work that they refer a friend or family member to me.
Please continue to refer anyone you think would be interested in my services. Thanks again.
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Are Federal Deficits a Concern?
A federal deficit occurs when the government's
expenditures for the year exceed its income. The government then
pays for those excess expenditures by borrowing money, adding
to the national debt. After a brief period of budget surpluses,
the federal government is again running up substantial budget
deficits. Are these deficits a cause for concern? It's tough to
decide, since opinions range from they don't matter at all to
they will ultimately result in federal bankruptcy. It might help
to put the federal deficits in perspective.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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What Happened to Personal Saving?
For years, we've heard that our personal
savings rate is dismally low. However, that knowledge has not
led to an increase in savings. Instead, personal savings as a
percentage of disposable income has continued to hover at historically
low levels, 0.9% in 2004 (Source: The Regional Economist,
July 2005). How concerned should we be by this trend?
[FULL ARTICLE]
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How Affordable Is Housing?
The National Association of Realtors publishes
a monthly statistic called the Housing Affordability Index (HAI),
which compares median household income to income needed to purchase
a median priced home. The index provides a measure of how affordable
housing is in the United States, and tracked over time, shows
whether housing is becoming more or less affordable.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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Handling the Family’s Finances
In many families, one spouse takes primary
responsibility for the family's finances, doing everything from
paying bills to making investment decisions to reviewing insurance
policies. If that spouse dies first, the surviving spouse may
have difficulty taking over these tasks. Therefore, if you take
care of money matters in your marriage, one of your most important
financial duties is to prepare your spouse to handle the family's
finances. Some strategies to consider include...
[FULL ARTICLE]
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A Return to Dividends?
During the bull market of the 1990s, dividends
fell out of favor. With stock prices rising so dramatically, dividends
didn't seem to matter. Historically, however, dividends have been
a significant component of stocks' total return. For instance,
from 1926 to 1985, dividends equaled approximately 49% of the
total return of the Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500), with
an average dividend yield of 4.8%. In contrast, from 1998 to 2004,
the average dividend yield was 1.5%.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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Sarah has over fifteen years experience in the financial services industry. She received her MBA at St. Mary's University Graduate School of Business in San Antonio, TX and her bachelor’s degree in Economics–Finance at Bentley College in Waltham, MA. The firm she founded, Place Trade Financial, Inc., (Member NASD, SIPC) is an active member of the Securities Industry Association (SIA).
Feel free to contact Sarah via e-mail at
sarah@placetrade.com
or visit our Web site
www.placetrade.com
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Published by
Sarah M. Place
Copyright © 2005 Place Trade Financial, Inc., Member NASD/SIPC. All rights reserved.
This newsletter intends to offer factual and up-to-date information on the subjects discussed, but should not be regarded as a complete analysis of these subjects. The appropriate professional advisors should be consulted before implementing any options presented. No party assumes liability for any loss or damage resulting from errors or omissions or reliance on or use of this material.
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TELL A FRIEND
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