July, 2009

Pets. Food. Sex.

Pets.
Food.
Sex.

Michael Silverstein, co-author of the upcoming book Women Want More, asked thousands of women: What makes you happy? Those are the top answers.

Pets.
Food.
Sex.

Not loving spouses. Fabulous children. Interesting work. Or a bank account full of cash.

Pets.
Food.
Sex.

I got a sneak peek at the book and Silverstein’s thought process when we touched base earlier this week. And so I asked him: What’s the deal? More…

Camaro Chatter

Tune in tomorrow (at 12pm EDT on SIRIUS Channel 195 or XM Channel 156) as Jean and producer John St. Augustine compare their experiences test-driving the Camaro SS. Later, auto expert Barbara Terry stops by to talk about the relationships people have with their vehicles.

Ask Jean Thursday: Protecting Your Credit Score

I have about $45,000 in credit card debt, should I payoff all my credit cards and cancel them at the same time? I’ve heard if you cancel the cards after paying them off it hurts your score.

-Nancy, Texas

Once you’re out of the red and have all your cards paid off, closing the accounts isn’t the best route to take.

If you close the accounts, there are a number of things that could potentially happen make for less than perfect financial circumstances. For one, you’ll be forced to use cash, checks or debit for all of your purchases. “They’ll lose access to the capital, have to live a cash or debit lifestyle, which is not as good as people make it out to be,” says Credit.com’s John Ulzheimer. Also, depending on how you cancel your cards, your credit score may take a hit, which will make it harder to obtain credit in the future for loans or other high ticket items.

If you have the ability to pay off the $45,000 in debt that you owe, my guess is that More…

How to Invest Now

On tomorrow’s show, Jean chats with legendary investor John Bogle about how you should be investing now. Tune in Thursday at 12pm EDT on SIRIUS Channel 195 or XM Channel 156.

Money 911

Your Questions Answered

Money 911 was a bit shorter this week, but we still managed to cover a lot of good topics. Watch the video below for more:

Laid off? Start Your Own Business

If you’ve been laid off, now might be the perfect time for you to start your own business. Tune in tomorrow (at 12pm EDT on SIRIUS Channel 195 or XM Channel 156) as Jean chats with Baked by Melissa’s Melissa Bushell and cmarchuska clothing’s Christine Marchuska to hear how they took their pink slip and turned into into their dream job. Later, Network Solution’s Roy Dunbar offers tips on how you can finance your small business.

Dollars and Drinks

Coming up tomorrow, Jean sits down with personal finance columnist Jonathan Clements to talk about his book “The Little Book of Main Street Money.” Later, Caren Osten Gerszberg stops by to talk about her new blog, DrinkingDiaries.com.

How to Steer Clear of a Financial Crisis

This morning I joined the fourth hour of the Today show to give some tips for avoiding a financial crisis. Watch the video here:

Need Career Advice? Tune in Monday.

Looking for employment? Need tips on how to keep your job? Tune in Monday at 12pm EDT (SIRIUS Channel 195 or XM Channel 156) as Peak Performance Coach Dr. Doug Hirschhorn stops by to answer your career questions.

Ask Jean: No Golden Rule

This week’s question comes from Patricia in New Jersey:

I have money that I want to invest in gold. I want to keep the value of the money and am very afraid of the economic climate. Are gold coins, or gold stocks a good idea?

Many financial planners suggest that a portion of any well-diversified portfolio be compromised of gold or other commodities such as oil. “I wouldn’t allocate more than 5%, maybe 7% or 8% max,” suggests Cathy Pareto, President and Founder of Cathy Pareto and Associates.

When you purchase gold, you have several options. You can purchase it as an exchange traded fund, as mining stocks, as futures, or as bullion.

If you’ve never invested in gold before, Paul Mladjenovic, author of “Precious Metals Investing for Dummies,” suggests starting with bullion (high-quality gold or silver in bar or coin form) such as the American Eagle coins, which are issued by the United States Mint. He warns to steer clear of medallions or commemorative coins. “These are more expensive and have a dealer markup,” says Mladjenovic

Today, more and more investors are looking to gold instead of stocks to provide some financial stability. But before you start plotting where to stash the shiny stuff, you’ll need to consider both the positives and the negatives of investing in gold. More…