Some people say a good way to manage a fixed income portfolio when interest rates are uncertain is to ladder bonds.  Others claim that individual bonds will not generate extra income when interest rates go up and that bond mutual funds are a better bet.

Laddering bonds is defined by inves

The recent earthquake(s) in Japan and the devastation they caused may have reminded you of the need to have a plan in the case of a similar event happening in California. We can just cross our fingers and hope that it won’t happen here anytime soon or we can prepare ourselves for the inevitabi

If you drive through any neighborhood in Phoenix, Arizona you will see a few homes with solar panels on the roof. Your first thought may be “why doesn’t every home here have them?” After all, this is a place that averages over 330 days of sunshine per year.   If any regio

Some people believe that investing in gold is a good hedge on inflation and should be a part of everyone’s portfolio. Others don’t believe the hype, and insist that its value fluctuates on the whims of an insecure market.
It could be argued that gold isn’t an investment at all, ju

The most cost effective way to market a business is by word-of-mouth referrals.  People want to help others, and if they have received a great product or service, they will be more than happy to pass on their experience to their friends, family and sometimes complete strangers.
As a mortgage b