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The Financial Enhancement Group works with families that are naturally concerned about retirement but who don't want to worry about their money. Find out why the national media continually turns to the Financial Enhancement Group for our insight.
Jon Clark “Certainly, pull from retirement as an absolute last
resort,” said Jon Clark, a certified financial planner and the manager of
Financial Enhancement Group in Marion, 301 S. Adams St. Smart Money Big Joe Clark Adam Harter
Jobs' apparently seesawing health also complicates what was already expected to be a difficult year for Apple and the electronics industry, as a severe downturn saps consumers' spending appetite. Big Joe Clark Investors everywhere must be celebrating the start of the new year and looking forward to erasing 2008 from their memories. I don't know about you, but October, November, and December seemed to last a year apiece. The volatility, the scandals, the bailouts, and the politics have gone a long way to sap confidence from the markets. But fear not, a new horizon is before us and I want to remind you not to get caught up in the same old habits of the past. It's easy to get caught up in the frenzy. Remember, in this and probably every market, it is not the ability to predict that is important, but the wisdom to react. Most investors will make two grave errors. (Click Here for the full article) link is http://tinyurl.com/74fmo8 Adam Harter Headline: Apple's Jobs reassures investors about his health Adam Harter, an analyst at Financial Enhancement Group, said his company added to its position in Apple a couple of months ago, when the stock was trading in the mid-$80s. "At that point of time we felt the Steve Jobs' premium was already backed out of the stock price. So anything that says he's not in bad health is good news and this appears to say he's in much better health than the market had anticipated so the upside can be significant," Harter said. Big Joe Clark Headline: Weighting for Market Recovery "I think the current economic environment mixed with a new political landscape may surprise people," says Joe Clark, managing partner of Financial Enhancement Group, a financial-management firm based in Anderson, Ind. "Consumer staples, health care and utilities are the normal bastions of safety. Don't be surprised to see them as laggards in 2009." Perhaps more surprising, Citi is overweight on the consumer discretionary sector, largely because shares of retailers look so darn cheap, according to in-house analysts. It also doesn't hurt that there's a great deal of short interest in that sector, meaning any positive surprises could touch off a short-squeeze, propelling shares higher. True, with consumer confidence at an all-time low, the consumer discretionary sector is about as out of favor as they come. Although that's typically a fairly reliable contrarian indicator, we continue to be leery of anything tied to consumer spending. Finally, investors shouldn't lose sight of opportunities outside of equities. "We think this could very well be the year of corporate debt," Financial Enhancement Group's Clark says Big Joe Clark Headline: What should be my New Year’s resolution for my finances in 2009? First, look out the windshield, not the rear-view mirror. There will be huge temptation to grumble and review last year's performance or lack thereof. Whether last year was good or bad is irrelevant this year. It is time to move forward. First, make a list of the financial things you want to accomplish this year: debts to pay off, emergency savings, retirement contributions and charitable gifts. Many times people enter the year with no game plan in mind. Inevitably, they end the year feeling like no progress was made. Write out your financial goals for this year -- not just your retirement hopes. To help, break down the goals into bite-size pieces. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Break down the objectives by quarter, then by month and finally by week. Do your best to stay on track but make sure the goals are attainable. Second, get educated. This is not the roaring '90s or the easy '80s. Our economy is evolving rapidly right in front of our eyes. The massive amounts of economic data can be quickly overwhelming. Don't bury your head in the sand, but understand the difference between meaningful information and media mania. Make progress! He is a registered principal offering securities and registered investment advisory services through World Equity Group, member FINRA/SIPC. Clark can be reached at bigjoe@yourlifeafterwork.com. Big Joe Clark "Big Joe" Clark has his wish list for 2009. And it includes some exchange-traded funds that even Santa Claus might find useful as stocking stuffers. At the top are corporate bonds. In the coming year, the Anderson, Ind.-based advisor is expecting investment-grade corporates and high yield debt markets to perform like stocks do in more-normal times. (Click Here for the complete article) link is http://tinyurl.com/932sxm Big Joe Clark Economic reports: The U.S. economy has officially been in recession since the end of 2007, but market watchers don't need a slew of reports to know the economy is suffering. "You would have to be under a rock to not know that we are in a global economic downturn," said Joe Clark, managing partner at Financial Enhancement Group.
Big Joe Clark Finding a business loan If you're General Motors, tough luck. If you're Bob's Ice Cream, and you have an established track record, you'll probably get the loan. Community banks are still lending to established customers, said Joe Clark, managing partner of Anderson-based Financial Enhancement Group, which manages $200 million in assets. But the big regional banks, stung by the subprime crisis, have cut back business loans to big and medium-sized companies. Big insurers and Wall Street firms that once made short-term loans to major corporations also are cutting off credit. That's where the credit freeze is centered. "My firm's lines of credit are with Indiana's smaller banks, and none of them have reduced my credit limit or done anything else,'' Clark said. Big Joe Clark Picks from the Stable Stock InvestorJoe Clark, chief
investment officer/founder, Financial Enhancement Group Big Joe Clark “The rate cut today will not increase nor decrease the ability for people to get money tomorrow,” Joe Clark, managing partner of the Financial Enhancement Group LLC of Anderson Ind., wrote in an email. “The impact of the rate cut will not help provide that access.” Big Joe Clark Many financial planners will tell you to pay off the highest-interest-rate debt first. But Joe Clark of Financial Enhancement Group in Anderson, Ind., says you may want to pay off some smaller debt first so that you can see some progress. You should also try to reduce the debt on a card that is maxed out, since your credit score is determined in part by what percentage of your individual and total credit lines you are using. Whatever method you choose, you have to keep up with the payments and change your charging habits. As with a diet, you may end up worse off if you run up the debt again after paying it off. Big Joe Clark "Right now we're allocated 10% overseas," says Joe Clark, managing partner of Financial Enhancement Group of Anderson, Ind. "Back in July we were at 35%." (See chart below.) Within foreign equities, Clark's favorites are China and Japan, allocated at 5% a piece. He's eyeballing Brazil but waiting for more visibility there. "And we have nothing to do with Europe," Clark says. With 2009 shaping up to be another painful year for overseas markets, it may make the most sense for Americans to keep their money close to home. For those who can't resist dabbling in foreign affairs -- or for those who want the geographic diversification -- allocate only a small portion of a portfolio overseas, and mostly to the developed world. Big Joe Clark
Unless the cash is secured, betting on a deal getting done is just plain speculation, Clark says. Big
Joe Clark Despite a recent flurry of deals, M&A activity is actually way off from a year ago. The value of announced deals in the current quarter has dropped more than 60% from last year's period, according to Capital IQ. (See chart.) That's the lowest level in more than a decade. Further, just because a deal is announced doesn't mean it will actually close, says Joe Clark, managing partner of Financial Enhancement Group. "The presumption in the past was that the regulators wouldn't let it go through," Clark says. "Now people are pulling deals off the table because they can't get financing." Unless the cash is secured, betting on a deal getting done is just plain speculation, Clark says. The credit markets can stop spinning at any time. Big Joe Clark
"Typically when they call it, we're over half way (through a recession)," Clark said. "The market has usually found the bottom and has started to work its way out." Big Joe Clark
Big Joe Clark He notes that oversaturation would prove to be a major drag for commodities. "When there is deflation, all of the inventory is sold as quickly as possible," Clark said. "Such a scenario would flood the market and drive prices down."
Big Joe
Clark
Adam Harter
Big Joe Clark Big Joe Clark Big Joe Clark Big Joe Clark If you would like more information about Financial Enhancement Group, LLC please call 765.640.1524.
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The Financial Enhancement Group……When it has to last.
Registered
Representative offering securities through
World Equity Group, Inc. Member
FINRA/SIPC.
The Financial Enhancement
Group currently serves clients in California, Arizona, Colorado, District of
Columbia, |
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429 East 14th Street • Anderson, Indiana • 46016 • Tel. 765.640.1524 • Fax. 765.640.1561
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