An Introduction

Hi. Welcome to BourGroup and my blog. Phil

Phil Bour is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER(tm) professional since 2004, a Magna Cum Laude college graduate and an accounting professional for over 35+ years. I love numbers, statistics and economic history.

I am also an Enrolled Agent (EA) to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service and to prepare tax returns.

"Phil"osophy: I believe that you can manage your money on your own (not necessarily through individual stock selection but through mutual funds, ETF's and other solutions) once you receive some one-time, professional guidance. Why pay annual fees when there may be little added value? For additional information, first read the "An Introduction" label at the left. Then move on to others.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Politics and the Markets

Remember that the economic cycle has a much stronger influence on the financial markets than the political cycle does, according to the Merrill Lynch RIC Report (November 2008 issue), and history that shows that government policy alone can mislead investors.

And regulation can be a good thing for the markets. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 was enacted prior to a bull market recovery that lasted from October 2002 through October 2007. Coincidence? Maybe.