Sponsor
  • News/Talk
  • Music
  • Entertainment
Marketplace logo
Go to Marketplace Home PageGo to Marketplace Morning ReportGo to Marketplace PM editionGo to Marketplace Money
My Two Cents, by Chris Farrell

« Saving and Investing | Main | New face of retirement or work? »

Ouch!

Posted by Chris Farrell on Sunday, April 19, 2009

The latest cover of Fortune:

2008 WAS THE WORST YEAR EVER FOR AMERICA'S 500 LARGEST CORPORATIONS --Last year was the worst economic performance in the 55-year history of the FORTUNE 500 list of America's biggest 500 companies. Earnings dropped 84.7% from the previous year, from $645 billion to $98.9 billion, marking the largest one-year decline ever. (A larger percentage drop in 1992 was attributable in large part to an accounting-law change). For every dollar in profits the 500 garnered in 2006, its members made 13¢ in 2008.


Comments (1)

...I guess now what be a good time to get in.
Hello, and thanks for your past advice. I am in a dilemma and need a 2nd opinion. I've used both the debt reduction spreadsheet and savings calculator both from vertex 2. Now, I am desperately trying to come out of my bad debt. I am 32, have 30K in student loans (4% interest) and 32K in credit card debt (avg.9% interest). I have slashed my budget and sticking to it. I also am contributing to my 401K up to my employer match (5%); putting roughly 5% of my take home pay into ETFs/ mutual funds and another 10% in savings/ IRAs. With my current payment plan, in which 20% of my pay is towards my bad debt…with this plan… all of my debt is paid off in 2014 with paying $10,700 in interest (if interest rates stay as they are). I still have decent credit despite the high amount of debt…and can pay my mortgage/ bills with the remainder of my pay. I want to de debt free quicker…I can be more aggressive and pay off my cc debt in 29 months and student loan in 44 months (if I snowball my cc payments into my student loan). To do this, I would have to stop saving. I have approximately 2K in savings, 20K in my IRA/ 401K/Stocks. I am going to still put the 5% into my 401K, and want to continue to put 5% into the stock market…but stop my emergency fund savings etc until after the 29 months that it takes to pay off my cc debt. I have a VERY stable job with steady income. Is this the best move right now given my circumstances? Paying off the debt will also improve my credit score much quicker.

Post a comment

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

 

 
 

Subscribe to RSS

Latest posts

New face of retirement or work?
 
Ouch!
 
Saving and Investing
 
Financial planning software
 
The longest depression
 
Adam Smith on taxes
 
A tax farewell
 
Deflation is here
 
Worsening poverty
 
Unintended consequences
 

Topics


 

Latest comments from recent posts

New face of retirement or work? (1)
Sharon McNary wrote: If you'd like to share your retirement planning experience w... [read]

Ouch! (1)
Joegrind wrote: ...I guess now what be a good time to get in. Hello, and th... [read]

Inflation? Hyperinflation? (4)
Joel wrote: Remember, we are not just talking about inflation here in th... [read]

A smarter way to set CEO pay (1)
Todd Eggenberger wrote: Chris, I like your idea. Something should be done to align... [read]

Good question (1)
Tom Bishop wrote: William Black is an associate professor in Economics and Law... [read]


 

Archives

April 2009
S M T W T F S
      1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30    
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007

 

Appearances and Worthwhile Events

Policy and a Pint: Health Care Handcuffs
 
 
 

More From
Chris Farrell

Marketplace Money's Money Clip Video
 
How Alan Helped Ben (BusinessWeek.com)
 
 
 

Other Blogs

Andrew Tobias
 
Angry Bear
 
Becker-Posner Blog
 
Brad DeLong
 
Cafe Hayek
 
Calculated Risk
 
Econbrowser
 
Economics Unbound
 
Economists View
 
Financial Rounds
 
Finance Roundtable
 
Greg Mankiw's Blog
 
Hot Property
 
Marginal Revolution
 
New Economist
 
TaxProf Blog
 
The Big Picture
 
Vox Baby
 
 
 

Books by
Chris Farrell

Right on the Money!: Taking Control of Your Personal Finances
rightonthemoney_bookcover.gif

 
 
 
Deflation: What Happens When Prices Fall
deflation_bookcover.gif

 
 
 

Recommended Books

Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk
by Peter L. Bernstein

 
A Random Walk Down Wall Street
by Burton Malkiel

 
The Little Book of Common Sense Investing
by John Bogle

 
Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits
by Phillip Fisher

 
The Intelligent Investor
by Benjamin Graham

 
More Than You Know: Finding Financial Wisdom in Unconventional Places
by Michael Mauboussin

 
Smart and Simple Financial Strategies for Busy People
by Jane Bryant Quinn

 
Stocks for the Long Run
by Jeremy Siegel

 
The Random Walk Guide to Investing: Ten Rules for Financial Success
by Burton Malkiel

 
The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need
by Andrew Tobias

 
Unconventional Success: A Fundamental Approach to Personal Investment
by David F. Swensen