In investing much is said about the folly of following the crowd. It's voiced in age-old maxims like "The market will do whatever it must to fool the majority", and Warren Buffett's advice to "Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful". It's measureable in investor sentiment statistics, which clearly show that investors tend to be overly fearful and >>

Lenders have become increasingly cautious about lending on properties that have been "flipped." For those of you that aren't aware of the term, a "flip" of a property refers to the rapid sale of a property from the time it is first purchased to when it is sold. In the lending world, if a sales contract is written prior to a seller owning a property for 90 days the transaction is a >>

When the mortgage meltdown occurred in 2008, the mortgage broker was the first hit by the wave of change struck by the mortgage industry and regulatory reform. In 2011, the mortgage servicers, the back side of mortgage industry, are having its day of reckoning. The mortgage industry will have several more years before mortgage professionals will refer to these past years of mortgage correction as an historical >>

Have you ever had a client want to disinherit an heir? If so, perhaps you should recommend the "talk." Few clients truly understand what long term consequences the election to disinherit a "loved one" causes. The trickle down effect of disinheritance is easily lost - but, there will be a trickle down effect which can lead to harm to the other family members and their relationships. I'm convinced that unless >>

I have a question for you: if you wanted to convince the IRS that you are unable to pay back taxes because of financial hardship, would you hesitate to send them copies of your bank statements? Let's take a look at another pro se case before the Tax Court: Terrance Clem Wright v Commissioner. This is also a good opportunity to review the sequence of possible IRS Collections actions against a >>

Today, the US Federal Reserve announced that it intends to hold the federal funds rate at "exceptionally low levels" until at least 2014. Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in December suggests that the economy has been expanding moderately, notwithstanding some slowing in global growth. While indicators point to some further improvement in overall labor market conditions, the >>

Earlier this month, I spent a few days at the CLSA AsiaUSA Forum in San Francisco, which offered a geopolitical and economic intellectual feast for global investors. The research firm gathered a well-rounded cast of engaging speakers that included Republican Presidential candidate Herman Cain, Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, Pollster extraordinaire Frank Luntz and renowned physicist Dr. Michio Kaku. >>

Setting up and operating a successful nonprofit is challenging but possible under the right circumstances. Below we've highlighted some of the key steps and issues to consider prior to formation for determining whether a new nonprofit is the best vehicle for achieving your charitable objectives and some of the key steps and issues to consider during the formation process and in the early stages of the >>