News/Links
December 12, 2009
Seminars that Improve Marketing – A marketing program may gain you some interest but, how do you actually put information across to your prospective clients that helps them understand the value of what you do? We look at presentation and seminar techniques that help get the message across.
December 5, 2009
Teaching Your Kids About Money – Today’s kids face far more choices than we ever imagined.
We explore how to prepare our children to take their place as earners, savers, and investors in an increasingly complicated marketplace.
November 28, 2009
Charitable Giving – This has been a tough year for many of us. Americans are the world’s most charitable people, let’s not forget that charities have been especially hard hit and examine what we can do to make sure we are getting our charitable giving to where we want it to go.
November 21, 2009
Frauds and Scams – Technology isn’t always your friend. Scammers have adapted their skills to out over more complex and technical world. WE examine some of the ways that you can protect yourself and your money.
November 19, 2009
When A Little Really Means A Lot - by Carolyn Stys. This has been a difficult year for many. Most of us will be glad to put it in the record books and move on to what we hope will be a far better 2010 .In this column I have tried to impart knowledge, de-mystify complex topics and debunk the many...
November 14, 2009
Building Trust – There is nothing more important to a relationship that trust. As entrepreneurs you know that every client that decides to do business with you is making a value judgment. We examine some concrete steps that one can take in help developing trust.
November 7, 2009
The US Dollar – The greenback has been battered and beaten lately. Why and what does it mean? How does the Dollar lose value? What effect does that have on the things that we buy? We have an in depth discussion on the US Dollar and what the future might hold.
October 31, 2009
Choosing an Investment Relationship – Every investor is different and how you interact with the firms responsible for your investments should benefit you. We examine the right type of relationship for the ‘do it yourselfer’, the person who only wants some advice in what investments to hold, and for someone that wants to hire someone with fiduciary responsibility to do their investing for them.
October 24, 2009
Is Your Bank Safe? – Over 100 banks have already failed this year, is your bank going to join them? We’ll discuss how to research your bank and how FDIC insurance can protect in the event that your bank fails.
October 17, 2009
Inside the Client Mind – Successful business people know that over the long run, their clients are their business. We look at the psyche of a client in these difficult economic times and we provide strategies on how to better help them reach solutions.
October 10, 2009
Setting Investment Goals – It is tough to use a roadmap if we don’t know our destination. It is just as hard to create an investment plan if we haven’t set relevant and achievable goals. We discuss how to start a process that will help to define goals that are relevant and achievable.
October 3, 2009
Fear of Change – Investment portfolios, especially those heavily weighted in stocks, have been battered for the last 2 years. Why have so many of us failed to take steps to enhance our chances to meet our goals? We fear change and sometimes we become paralyzed by the thought of it. We talk about some positive steps that we can take to decrease our fear of change.
September 26, 2009
The 4th Quarter Outlook – The numbers for the 4th quarter of 2009 will give us a better idea of how much of the stabilization and growth that we saw toward the end of the summer was really government spending. Our expectation is that Q4 of 2009 will show the trend for 2010 and maybe beyond. Can we expect real growth or will we slide back as government spending decreases?
September 23, 2009
How Safe is Your Bank? - by Carolyn E. Stys Almost every Friday night, the Federal Depositors Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announces on its web site which banks it has seized that day. This has become a regular part of FDIC routine as the economy continues to respond to the recent economic upheaval...
September 19, 2009
Instinct versus Logic – We often here the term to ‘go with your gut’ but, we examine when it is better to take a more analytical approach especially as it pertains in dealing with clients and building relationships.
September 12, 2009
Employment effect on the Economy and Investments – With the consumer being the driver of the US economy we look at the effect that increasing unemployment has on consumer confidence and spending. With employment rising and confidence dropping we look at how this could effect an investment portfolio and what type of strategy might be best now.
September 8, 2009
Is the recession over? - by Mark Stys. The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) defines a recession as “a period of decreasing economic activity.” According to NBER we will no longer be in a recession “when we have reached a period of increasing economic activity.”
September 5, 2009
Consumer Confidence by the Numbers – The US economy is driven by consumer spending which accounts for 65% of economic activity. We discuss the importance of Consumer Confidence as it pertains to spending and the economy as a whole and why we could have a long way to go before we see any real growth.
June 24, 2009
Chief Investment Officer Mark Stys writes in the Middleburg Eccentric about the importance of revisiting investment goals and communicating with brokers and advisors now that the “panic phase” of the recession appears to be ending.
Understanding Your Investment Goals
June 12, 2009
Bluemont Capital's Chief Investment officer Mark Stys is interviewed by Jim Blasingame on the Small Business Advocate radio program. Topics included investment strategies for small business owners in this volatile market. Listen to the interview below.
May 27, 2009
Chief Investment Officer Mark Stys contributes to an article in the Middleburg Eccentric about the often-disregarded emotional effects of a down market. Read the article at the link below.
Coping with Down Markets and Recessions
April 15, 2009
Bluemont Capital president Carolyn Stys and vice president Barbara Sharp discuss the increasing role women have taken in founding charitable organizations. Read the Sun Gazette/Middleburg Life article below.
Women Are Taking Lead in Founding Charitable Organizations