by Irene Moustakas | Dec 3, 2008 | Loan Programs and Products, Miscellaneous
We all know how the concept of risk and return in our financial lives normally works … the more risk you take on, the greater your potential profit (or loss) can be. The less risk, the less you can potentially make (or lose). In “normal” markets,...				
					
			
					
				
															
					
					 by Irene Moustakas | Dec 1, 2008 | General Market News, Industry News, Rates
GREAT news: The Federal Reserve announced last week that it would buy $600 billion worth of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Mortgage-Backed Securities.  With the guarantee that the government will buy these mortgages, rates dipped dramatically. This action by the Fed will...				
					
			
					
				
															
					
					 by Irene Moustakas | Nov 20, 2008 | General Market News, Industry News
The Fed Minutes from the October meeting were released yesterday, and the hot topic was the concern over deflation.  This news caused stocks to tumble and investors to pour their money into the security of Treasury Notes. Generally, the Fed has two jobs: the first is...				
					
			
					
				
															
					
					 by Irene Moustakas | Nov 17, 2008 | General Market News
The big news of late has been the potential government bailout of the Detroit Three: General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. Because of poor sales, our domestic auto makers are running out of cash and can’t keep up with costs. The concern is that if the government...				
					
			
					
				
															
					
					 by Irene Moustakas | Nov 12, 2008 | Miscellaneous, Tips
Beware of giving and receiving gift cards this holiday season. If you have a gift card or store credit with a retailer that has filed for bankruptcy, you can be pretty assured that you won’t ever see that money. You could try standing in line behind creditors in...