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(This article contains the current opinions of the author but not necessarily those of Brighton Securities Corp. The author's opinions are subject to change without notice. This blog post is for informational purposes only. Forecasts, estimates, and certain information contained herein should...

We all have a one million dollar lifetime gift-tax exemption. This year you can gift $13,000 (or $26,000 if a joint gift with spouse) to any individual without having to reduce your million dollar exemption. If you want to gift more than $13,000, you can do so without tax liability although you wi...

So we have a deal. President Obama and Congressional Republicans have agreed to maintain the existing federal income tax structure while continuing to pay the unemployed to stay home. If they had done nothing, income tax rates would have risen sharply in January - just the thing to crimp investment...

2010 marked the unthinkable outlook of a euro-zone breakup. 2011 will determine whether the present euro has the momentum to overcome its flaws or completely collapse. If the euro does indeed breakup, Europe will be posed with two options: keep the euro, or ditch it completely. Many politician...

The markets have been anxiously awaiting this morning's release of US unemployment data, which came out 10 minutes ago. So what will traders do today, after a strong Dow rally - up 350 points over two days? The easiest thing is to sell, and the nervous lemmings of Wall Street will do just that. To...

Given the investment environment over the past several years, it is a pleasure for me to blog on the topic of tax-loss harvesting. Tax-loss harvesting is the process of realizing losses in order to offset realized gains. It is a pleasure to blog about because loss harvesting will be more difficult...

For at least thirty years there has been great dispute about the weakness of the US Dollar. Is it weak because the Chinese economy is strong? Because we want it to be weak to help our exports? Because the Fed is printing money? Because some guy says the dollar is bad? Every reason is at least a l...

Today I am in a haven safe from shopping: my office. But for those brave or foolhardy enough to venture forth, many eyes will be watching, from a distance. Retail sales are one measure of an economy's health, and for the last two holiday seasons they have been soft. So far in 2010 things have bee...

In 1961, Wall Street Journal editor Vermont C. Royster (that "C" stood for Connecticut, though he was from Raleigh, NC) published two editorials: "The Desolate Wilderness" followed by "And The Fair Land". They have been published every year since, and have become classics. I can offer no finer gr...

We have had a recession, a decline in our nation's economy. That is not in dispute. When it started, however, and when it ended (or will end) has been and will be the source of much debate among economists and historians. Also up for debate has been (and will be) the cause or causes of the recession...