Heroic Investing Podcast
HI 43 – Beyond Phishing –Now There’s Smishing
Remember phishing? Now there’s smishing, a new kind of electronic identity theft targeting uses of smartphones and tablets. But although the venue may be new, these scammers are simply adapting the same old tried and true tactics that con artists used to use on the telephone.
In those old days,...
HI 42 – The Bitcoin Starts a Life of Crime
How did the FBI end up with over $3 million in Bitcoins? How did the virtual currency become the medium of choice for transactions on the cybernarcotics site Silk Road? And more important, perhaps – why should we care? The saga of the world’s first digital money continues with the Bitcoin’s first...
HI 41 – The Truth Behind Retierment “Myths”
Lists of retirement “myths” – erroneous beliefs about planning for retirement – pop up fairly regularly in financial news. Though each list offers a different number of myths to worry about – five, seven or even ten or more – the goal is the same: to increase awareness about the pitfalls...
HI 40 – Heroic Investors Dropping the Stock Market
Even though the stock market has recovered a bit of late, middle class investors have shown a reluctance to re-enter Wall Street’s less-than-loving embrace. Gone are those high-flying days when stocks, bonds, and mutual funds were considered the keys to a financially solvent retirement, replaced...
HI 39 – Viral Marketing For Heroes
Viral marketing is not just for high falutin’ internet marketers and techno-geeks any more. The continuing development of Web 2.0 with social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, and a hundred dozen others brings the power of conveying your message within reach of every human...
HI 38 – Retirement A Tough Call For Some First Responders
There’s apparently an old say that goes like this, “If you are what you do, and you don’t, then you AIN’T!” Many first responders facing the prospect of retirement from a fulfilling, adrenalized life’s work know what we’re talking about. After retirement, then what? Break out the fishing...
HI 37 – Sufficient income is critical to first responder retirement
Due to the incredibly stressful demands of the job, the average policeman, fireman, or emergency worker can expect to be eligible for retirement sooner than their peers in other lines of employment. This particular perk can sometimes turn into a Catch-22 situation for those who haven’t prepared themselves...
HI 36 – Where Have All the Mortgages Gone?
Interest rates for typical mortgages are hovering around 4 percent – but potential homebuyers aren’t biting. Overall, applications for both refinancing and home mortgages are down by 48 percent this year, according to a new CNBC report – and market watchers are wondering what that could mean...
HI 35 – Your estate needs attention – STAT!
Living the busy and often chaotic lifestyle of a first responder is a recipe for estate planning neglect. And to those without experience in this particular area of finance, it’s sometimes easier to turn a blind eye than get educated about exactly which documents you need to save your heirs a lot...
HI 34 – Code red! Take charge of your retirement quickly
Those who have devoted their lives to the service of others – first responders – have traditionally enjoyed a strong work union and, if not lucrative, at least comfortable pension. These days, we’d hate to be the ones betting on that to continue. Government funding at any level seems perilous...
