Who Needs an Estate Plan and Why?   Everyone.  A will tells the world exactly where you want your assets distributed when you die.

So....I don't usually talk much about buying individual stocks. My philosophy is typically to buy index mutual funds and hold. But sometimes I feel certain stocks or sectors just look too good to be true. That is how I feel about financials right now and this is why I will be putting my 2008 IRA investment into either selected financials or a financial ETF. Let's look at some financial stocks in pictures:

On Friday, the 10 year Treasury note fell to its lowest level since September 2005, 4.01%. Typically 30 year fixed mortgages are tightly associated with the 10 year note. As the 10 year Treasury moves, so does the mortgage rate. But the gap between these two rates have widened substantially in June the difference between the 10 year and 30 year fixed mortgage was 2.22% last week as opposed to just 1.52% in June. Why Did They Move Together To Begin With?

So over the past year the subprime mortgage industry has gone straight down the tubes. So what is on the horizon? Much worse.

Money Magazine did a poll in the December 07 issue of what you should tip for the holidays to the people who serve you throughout the year. They sound fair to me...I would be curious to see what others think. Here were the results: Mail Carrier $20 Hair-dresser $20 Cleaning Person $75 Occasional Babysitter $25 Full Time Nanny $270 Gardener/Yard Worker $50