Financially Sharp

The stock market for 2008 will go down as a very bad year. Almost every stock had a lower price per share than at the beginning of 2008. It would be wise to read a book or two on investing to help being properly positioned in stocks in 2009. Here are some excellent readings you can find at a book store:

1) The Entrepreneurial Investor: The Art, Science, and Business of Value Investing
Authors: Paul Orfalea & Lance Helfert

2) The Little Book That Beats The Market (Little Books. Big Profits)
Author: Joel Greenblatt

3) It's When You Sell That Counts
Author: Donald Cassidy

Is this your IRA account this holiday season? Let’s assume as an investor you had $100,000 in your IRA account a few months ago. Today, if your investment was down 10 percent to $90,000, you'd need to earn 11 percent to get back even.

If your investment was down 20 percent to $80,000, you'd need 25 percent to get back even.

If your investment was down 30 percent to to $70,000, you'd need to earn 43 percent to get back even.

If it was down 40 percent to $60,000, you'd need 67 percent to make par.

The Baby-boomers -- those of us born between 1946 and 1964 -- the majority of the breadwinners across this great country right now, are heavy investors in the stock market. And it makes sense that many in this age bracket are heading into retirement, if not already there.

In the wake of the Wall Street situation, the two absolute safest investments are U.S. treasuries and certificates of deposits (CDs). Read on and I'll explain why these two elements are so vitally important in terms of securing your investments.

U.S. TREASURIES

It goes without saying that the financial instability of banks is among the leading news items today. I am sure you all have asked the question “Is my bank FDIC insured?” If it is under the moniker, FDIC, then you're money is backed by the federal government.

You’ve often heard the refrain about money and death: “You can’t take it with you.”

This begs the question: “Do I really need life insurance.”

The answer is most assuredly: “Yes.”

And why not? Although you may not think about it, your ability to earn income is a significant asset and life insurance helps replace lost income in the event of your premature death.

Here are some reasons people buy life insurance: