Double Bottom Line Investing

The “double bottom line” is often referred to by socially responsible investors. However, many investors don’t understand what the term means. The premise is really very simple. While all businesses have a bottom line to measure their performance, some enterprises seek a second bottom line of positive social and environmental

Read More »

Here Come the Baby Boomers!

Kathleen Casey-Kirshling was the first “Baby Boomer” born one second after midnight on January 1, 1946. Kathleen just turned 65 years old last month making her eligible for Medicare. Many Baby Boomers have already started taking Social Security early and will start to be eligible for full benefits in less

Read More »

Year End Portfolio Planning Tips

Tax Considerations As Congress debates the fate of future tax rates for Americans, it is more important than in past years for investors to be vigilant of tax law changes. Without action by Congress to extend Bush-era tax cuts, income taxes, short-term capital gains tax, and long-term capital gains tax

Read More »

Quantitative Easing

The Federal Reserve announced a plan to buy $600 billion in government debt with the intent of driving already low interest rates lower. The central bank will buy back debt $75 billion a month through next June. This latest round of quantitative easing is referred to as “QE2” because it

Read More »

Mistakes Made by Investors with Wealth

Introduction Often, individuals with substantial accumulations manage their own money or work with a financial advisor more inclined to sell a product than add value. Many of these individuals are “leaving” money on the table. However, this opportunity cost lost is often not realized. Here are the biggest mistakes made

Read More »

What’s Your Alternative?

Alternative investments are commonly defined as investments other than stocks and bonds. These may include commodities, real estate, private equity, real assets, and investments with strategies such as arbitrage and hedging. The benefits of alternative investments include potentially higher returns and diversification resulting from low correlation with other more common

Read More »

No Tolerance Verses Promoting Change

Introduction Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) is constantly evolving. As more investors pour money into socially responsible investments, additional resources in the form of technology, indexes, and corporate information is available to the SRI community. As additional resources develop, investors will have to change with the industry. Additional decisions will have

Read More »

Socially Responsible Investing – An Overview

Why Should I Care? Petrochina Company Limited is the largest oil producer in China and has the largest market capitalization of any company in the world. Petrochina’s stock is traded on multiple exchanges including the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: Symbol PTR). In 2008, the company issued the largest bond

Read More »