Blog

Step # 7 - Let's Talk About Your Mortgage You already know what's important about debt: use it judiciously, shop aggressively for the best rate, pay it down as quickly as possible. There is not much for me to add to that. But there are a few specifics that bear examining here. Consider refi...

Eastman Kodak's CEO Antonio Perez announced 4th quarter earnings yesterday, and it was more of the same: sales down, earnings down, headcount down. Mr. Perez said that in 2011 they will abandon "segments that are not profitable". What I suspect he means is that two iconic businesses will be dismisse...

This morning Kodak and Xerox both reported earnings for the 4th quarter of 2010. WHAM 1180 will feature our commentary during news broadcasts throughout the day. GTC (This article contains the current opinions of the author but not necessarily those of Brighton Securities Corp. The author's opini...

Step # 6 - Making A Donation? Maybe You Should Give Stock Instead of Cash. As we continue with my Ten Steps To Financial Freedom, today's idea is another that is not intended to change what you do, but help you to spend less and save more as you go about your financial life. If you don't plan to...

A recent New York Times piece on General Electric detailed the company's efforts to pare back its financial services operations and return to its roots - making stuff. You know the stuff they mean: kitchen appliances and jet engines, solar panels and locomotives, medical-imaging equipment and yup -...

Congress did pass a large tax package and I have summarized some of the main points on our website. One of the major features of the tax package is a one-year reduction in the FICA payroll tax that funds Social Security. The employee portion of FICA taxes will drop from 6.2% to 4.2% for most worker...

Step #5 - Evaluate Your Health Insurance - Can You Save By Switching? For many people, health insurance is a major expense. Monthly health insurance premiums are often a good deal more than a car payment. How much evaluation and shopping did you do before you bought your last car? Did you spend t...

Brighton Securities is proud to be a resource for the local media. Sunday's Democrat & Chronicle featured a long-form article about the outlook for the stock market and the economy in 2011 which quotes our President, George T. Conboy: Stocks are coming back ... Are you coming back to stocks?...

Step 4: Percent - Not Dollars Here's another tip in the "save more" category that can help you to save painlessly. Last year I posted a series of 10 Ground Rules for retirement savings success and this rule bears repeating - it's that important. You should start contributing to a retirement plan if...

Step #3 - Pay Down Your Small Debts First To get to this step you should be on board with the ideas of "Spend Less" and "Save More." Another way to save is by not having to pay interest, which means reducing or eliminating your debt. There's nothing wrong with debt, most people could never buy a...