(Malcolm Butler) - Recent economic data suggests that the worst of the recession is behind us. The stock market has been moving higher in anticipation of a recovery in the business community. While the economic future is still uncertain, we will likely see increased economic activity over the coming months.

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(Malcolm Butler) - I look at a lot of financial statements, and I’ve begun noticing a trend among the high net worth individuals of our generation. Particularly among small business owners and those in professional partnerships, a lot of people have a disproportionately high amount of illiquid assets (real estate, closely held businesses, partnership interests) relative to retirement assets (401(k), IRAs, pensionplans) and liquid assets (publically held stocks, bonds, cash). Why does thismatter? Two reasons: people make financial decisions (such as taking out a loan or investing in more illiquid assets) based on their perceptions of their net worth; if they are not really worth as much as they appear on paper, or if their worth is disproportionately skewed to illiquidity, those decisions may be misguided.

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(Anthony Williams) - Wherever you are in your financial life cycle, starting a career, getting married, buying a home, raising a family, funding a child’s education or planning for a comfortable retirement, to be successful, you need to develop and maintain a disciplined approach to saving. Once a regular savings routine has been established, the next step is to decide how to invest the money you are saving. This decision will depend on many factors, including the intended use for the money, the time frame for when you’ll need the money and your comfort level with investment risk.

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