Tag Archives: us

US Pakistan Relations Collapse; The US Suspends $800 Million of Military Aid

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The US is withholding $800 million in military aid to Pakistan. White house chief of staff Bill Daley told ABC television that Pakistan had, ‘taken some steps that have given us reason to pause on some of the aid’.

Relations between the US and Pakistan have deteriorated ever since the US killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan earlier this year.

The $800 million dollars is about the third of the annual US security aid to Pakistan. The New York Times has said the move is retaliation against the expulsion of US military trainers. It is also supposed to encourage Pakistan to step up its fight against militants.

The suspension of aid may also be a reaction to American anger that Osama bin Laden was living so comfortably and close to the Pakistani military academy in Pakistan. The US government has found it increasingly difficult to justify funding Pakistan with US tax payer’s money following the bin Laden raid.

The suspension of aid will worry many. The situation in Pakistan has always been extremely delicate and complex. The vast sums the US has paid in aid in the past allows them to have a semblance of control over the situation. It is especially important given Pakistan’s ownership of nuclear weapons. Let’s hope this decision doesn’t come back to haunt us in the future.

 

Find Your Education Helps You Find The Perfect Online Degree.

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In today’s tough economical climate it makes sense to build up as much skills as you can or even retrain. However, finding the time can be difficult. A new website, Find Your Education is letting people find a flexible, cost effective university degree. By studying online there is no commute, and no cost of room and board. You can also study while holding down a full or part time job.

Find Your Education also has search tools that let you know what careers are in demand, so you can choose a sector and find a degree that will be worth it. Simple go to the homepage and you can search online degree progam’s in art history or anything else you fancy.

Find Your Education also has a number of good articles on education and how to choose the right online degree program , finding your niche and a guide to financial aide. Frost loves Find Your Education because it makes it easier to better yourself. If you want to get a degree, it helps to make it as easy as possible, go to the website today and have a search for an accredited online degree program.

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

Why the Economy Could Take Another Downturn—and What the Average Investor Can Do To Protect Themselves

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Why the Economy Could Take Another Downturn—and What the Average Investor Can Do To Protect Themselves

The following article was written by Daniel A. White, CLU, ChFC , President, Daniel A. White & Associates:

To the casual observer, the economic headlines look promising. To be fair, there are a few positive indicators. Unemployment figures are gradually improving, retail sales are on the upswing, corporate profits are up and consumer confidence is surging. Unfortunately, the reality is much more complicated. To many financial advisors and investment professionals–myself included at Dan White and Associates–there are reasons to be cautious. A closer look at historical comparisons and advanced metrics behind the rosy headlines reveal cause for concern.

Trouble looming?

One of the biggest underlying reasons I suspect we might be headed for another 2008-type bubble in the not-too-distant future—is my skepticism regarding the pace of the current recovery and the factors driving it. Standard and Poor’s (S&P) earnings are on pace to hit $91/share by August; up nearly 13 fold from the March of 2009 lows of $7/share and surpassing the all-time high of $90/share in the 3rd quarter of 2007. There is nothing wrong with profits, but why are we seeing those profits?

The short answer is pretty simple: the government is printing more money as part of a strategy called Quantitative Easing (QE2); monetizing the national debt by purchasing securities and turning government bonds into circulating money.

So what happens when the government turns off the spigot? We can get a pretty good idea by looking at other government incentive programs. Whether it was a home-buying tax credit or a “Cash for Clunkers” promotion, the markets dropped off sharply when programs ended. It’s also worth noting that after the last round of Quantitative Easing–in the months after April 2010–the market plunged.

PE ratios and commodity oddities

Since QE2 began last August, the price of Silver is up 70%, crude oil and coal are up close to 40%, and a number of other commodities are up sharply. And when you see the U.S. Dollar down 10.6% at the same time, that’s a recipe for trouble.

Perhaps most concerning, is the historical pattern of the price to earnings (P/E) ratio and what it means to investors. When you get in the market at a low P/E ratio, things tend to work out well, and when you get in when the P/E ratio is high, that doesn’t bode well. The current S&P 500 P/E 10–is at about 24. It has only been at 24 a handful of other times in history.

What can you do?.

* Be conservative. Investing in healthy companies with large cash reserves is fairly safe, but commodities and other risky assets are a bad idea.
* Plan ahead, be cautious and don’t get overextended. The first sign of trouble is likely to be short-term interest rates starting to tick up. If you see that happening, reduce your exposure.
* If you are retired or almost retired, all of this is particularly relevant. Be extremely vigilant and pay close attention to the subtleties of the marketplace.

Founded in 1987, Glen Mills, Pa.-based Daniel A. White & Associates is a financial planning firm specializing in asset protection and transitional and retirement planning. Through a team of knowledgeable experts, Daniel A. White & Associates provides comprehensive financial planning for retirees and pre-retirees in estate planning, asset protection, wealth management and wealth transfer strategies.

www.danwhiteandassociates.com

Tools for actors: Performer Track review {Careers}

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An actor’s life is often stressful. With so many auditions, agents, jobs and people in your life. Trying to keep track seems impossible.

This is why I am glad to have come across an amazing organisational tool for actors: Performer Track. With different sections, you can keep track of all of your auditions, contacts, agents and bookings. Although US based, Performer Track works just as well for actors all over the world.

One of my favourite features is income and expenses. It can seem impossible as an actor to keep track of your income as it comes from so many different expenses. Keeping track of tax deductible expenses is just as hard. With Performer track you can put in all of your expenses occurred for every job. You can also find out what agents are good and which ones are not working by keeping track of all the jobs they get you. It is important as an actor to realise that your agents, managers and publicity people work for you. Performers track let’s you know who is propelling your career and who is not working for their percentage.

It let’s you keep track of what you were wearing to each audition, who was in the room and what they said. It let’s you map things to find out where you are going. It takes a chaotic, paper heavy career and makes it simple and easy.

It allows you to be the best CEO you can be of your acting brand. The mistake actors make is that they see themselves just as artists. Researching casting directors, directors and the projects you are working on will give you the edge you need in an overcrowded market with ever-dwindling jobs. Try it. You won’t be disappointed.