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What can economists and investors learn from meteorologists? Economics and finance professors in the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa are researching whether using multiple economic and financial models running concurrently can deliver more accurate economic forecasts than one model can.

Ben Franklin famously quipped that the only certainties in life were death and taxes. Of course with the Bush tax cuts scheduled to sunset at the end of the year and the midterm elections capable of changing the balance of power on Capitol Hill there is nothing certain about future tax policy.

It is an interesting time in our nation’s capital. The latest polls show that the Republican Party may gain more than the 39 seats necessary to tip the balance of power their way in the House.

When was the last time you got a raise? Corporate America has been stingy with raises during the downturn but pain has also been felt among the ranks of small business owners who have been hesitant to raise prices in a tough economy. In fact the uncertain economy has promoted many companies to cut internal costs and even lower prices.

How many of us would list luck as the key ingredient for a top performing mutual fund? That’s certainly not the message we receive from most mutual fund companies that stress the expertise and trading skill of their top managers.

If you are paying college tuition watching your bills increase faster than the rate of inflation you might be asking yourself this question. Over the course of a working life it’s been estimated that college grads earn from $900000 to $1.6 million more than workers without a degree.

A few weeks ago more than three dozen billionaires signed up for The Giving Pledge an effort by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett to encourage wealthy people to give at least half of their fortunes to charity.

I recently read a post by Kate McBride regarding the differences between an advisor held to a fiduciary standard and a broker held to a suitability standard.  It was short accurate and to the point.  Therefore I credit her entirely for the comments below:

How often have you seen headlines on personal finance magazines touting Five Star Mutual Funds? You may figure that list generated by Morningstar constitutes great shopping ground. In fact many professional financial advisors begin their analysis by evaluating those five-star funds.

A note from a client thanking me for providing a complimentary long-term care (LTC) insurance policy review prompted me to think how a LTC review would be useful for many others.