Entries by Michael Fogel

I was told by my Financial Advisor that one of the companies I own is buying back their own stock. How will this affect my shares?

Company share buybacks have become more and more popular as of late. The main reason is most likely lower interest rates. Companies with high cash flow need to invest the money and many times the best investment they can make for the company and its shareholders is its own stock. As a company buys its’ […]

Is the stock market due for a correction?

The answer to this question is yes, but when this will happen is anyone’s guess. I have clients who ask this question on a daily basis. If I knew the answer, I can assure you I would not be writing this. The fact is that no one knows when market corrections will occur. I think […]

I was talking with my Financial Advisor and was told I own Preferred stock and Common Stock. I still don’t understand the difference, can you please explain?

Common stock represents ownership in a corporation. These are the shares you see traded in the S&P 500 index and they are the ones you think of on a daily basis like Apple and General Electric. They will fluctuate based on how many investors are buying and how many are selling. Many of these common […]

I am looking for a financial advisor or broker and I want to check out each of their qualifications and backgrounds. Where can I find this information?

This is a question that every potential investor should ask when interviewing a potential advisor or broker. The easiest way to find this information is to visit www.finra.org. This website contains an area called broker check. All you need to do is type in the advisor or broker’s name and there is a full report […]

Most of my portfolio was invested in oil and energy related stocks. I don’t want to sell and take this big of a loss. What should I do?

I have seen this on numerous occasions recently. I also wrote a couple of articles on this very topic in the past. My first response would be why were you so overweight one area of the market? When certain areas of the market have extended runs, it always pays to go back and reevaluate your […]

I own a few different mutual funds, but I don’t understand what the difference is between classes A, B, and C shares. Can you explain the difference?

The differences between classes A, B, and C shares lie in how the broker is paid a commission to sell the fund and the expenses to manage the fund. The Class A share typically has a front end sales charge that the investor pays the day the fund is purchased. The Class B share does […]