The price of gold struck a record high above $1,700 an ounce on Monday with dealers flocking to the safe haven metal as Asian stocks tumbled following Standard & Poor's downgrade of US debt. The price of gold reached $1,704.30 an ounce in Hong Kong trade. "People are just taking their money out 1/8of other markets 3/8, especially from the dollar and euro and investing in gold and the Japanese yen," a Tokyo-based trader told Dow Jones Newswires. Asian markets were sent spinning on Monday after S&P late Friday cut the United States' AAA rating by one notch, citing deep divisions in Washington over its long-term fiscal standing. The turmoil has led investors to seek out less-risky gold at a time of economic uncertainty. S&P's downgrade compounded already weak sentiment amid fears that the eurozone debt crisis will spread to other nations, while the United States has posted a series of poor data indicating an economic slowdown. It has led some analysts to warn of another global financial crisis that could even be worse than that of 2008-09.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
One Pot or Two?
One of the first decisions any couple will have to make is whether to pool assets or maintain financial independence and keep separate accounts.
While situations like second marriages, previous holdings or bad financial habits may warrant the division of money, most financial planners believe a new couple should have a joint account.
"The benefit of a joint account is that both people get all of the information, so that is very beneficial," said Adriane Berg, financial expert, elder attorney and founder of Generation Bold. "Both should be watching carefully and both should be sharing responsibility so it is much easier in a joint account. It informs everybody of what is going on."
To allow a certain amount of flexibility, however, experts also suggest small separate accounts or regular allowances to take care of lunches at work, small discretionary purchases or gifts for your significant other.
"Money is a very emotional issue and trying to make financial decisions about every little purchase can cause a lot of friction in a relationship," said Nathan Gehring, certified financial planner and owner of Couples Financial Planning & Coaching, LLC. "Having that pot of money for this situation takes that concern away."
Read more: Financial Planning for Young Couples | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/feature_8402093_financial-planning-young-couples.html#ixzz1U8JTxX3t
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