Blog

The day before Christmas has brought us a modest "Santa Claus Rally" in the form of the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing up 54 points and hitting an inter-day high for the year. A pleasant place to be when contrasted with the same time last year: 2000 points below where we are today and facing...

Here's a little advice for Tiger Woods in case he finds himself unexpectedly single... While the emotional element of losing a spouse is the first and hardest blow, an important next step is looking towards the future and assessing your financial situation. As a single person for the first time in...

If their only income is earned income (wages) and exceeds $5,700 a tax return is required. Although, if they earn less and have taxes withheld, a tax return would be required to claim a refund. If their only income is un-earned income (investment income) and exceeds $950 a tax return is required...

2008 was not a good year for the market. Typically it is colder during the winter than in the summer. Ok - now that I'm done stating the obvious, what can we do about it? (Buy a coat?...No, not about that; about the market!) 2009 was a year of rebounding that saw the Dow Jones Industrial average cli...

The Internal Revenue Service last week reminded individual taxpayers who are considering buying a new car that they have until Dec. 31 to take advantage of a tax break that may not be around in 2010. Taxpayers who buy a qualifying new motor vehicle this year after Feb. 16 can deduct the state or lo...

Gold. Silver. Oil. You hear and read plenty lately in the media about these red-hot categories. Often (far too often) investors tend to focus on what's hot, what's getting the buzz on CNBC, what they hear on the radio or read online. Gold seems to be getting the most buzz, with prices at record high...

If you are reading this you're probably a US taxpayer. That means that in a small way you own a significant chunk of Citigroup, once the largest US bank and recipient of $45 billion of TARP funds. Another name for TARP is "your money." That bailout represents nearly 60% of Citigroup's current mark...

For our newest T.V. spots, our advisors teamed up with their clients to create a natural, unscripted snapshot of the Brighton Securities' experience from the client's perspective. We all expect financial advisors to be experts in the financial markets - at Brighton Securities, you can also expect yo...

Some of us consider the holiday visits and beach travel of the winter season to be much-needed breaks from the daily grind while others of us might find themselves even more stressed out after a weekend with Aunt Harriet or a delayed connecting flight home from Cancun. Still, there's one big break a...

Most retirees are convinced they can no longer contribute to their retirement saving. There is an exception that is often overlooked. If you retire and your spouse continues to work, even part-time, you may qualify for a "spousal IRA" contribution. For example, you retire at 60 years old, your 60...