Thursday, December 17, 2009, 2:37AM ET - U.S. Markets open in 6 hours and 53 minutes.

Laura Rowley Money & Happiness

Laura Rowley, Money & Happiness

Bailout Fallout: How to Cope with the Financial Crisis

by Laura Rowley

Email this Page IM this StoryBookmark this StoryAdd to your Del.icio.us accountDigg this StoryPrint this Story
Very Good (453 Ratings)
3.0242862/5
Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2008, 12:00AM

The bubble has exploded. Now the pain begins.

There's plenty to go around -- from the investors near or in retirement who placed large bets on a handful of stocks; to the "Rage of the Previously Rich," as New York Magazine dubbed a laid-off Lehman Brothers trader; to the ordinary Americans who saved their cash, shunned debt, and never participated in the upside of the bubble -- and are now being dragged into a massive investment in toxic financial instruments by their government.

Lifelines in a Flood

What do you do when financial catastrophe leaves you bitter, angry, guilty, or scared out of your mind?

Start by realistically assessing the damage, says Stephen Pollan, a New York attorney and consultant and co-author of "Lifelines for Money Misfortunes: How to Overcome Life's Greatest Challenges." "Take inventory -- often we don't recognize where we are financially because we don't know what we're spending and never measure that against what we're making," says Pollan, who faced his own personal trauma after contracting tuberculosis in his 40s and spending a year out of work.

Get a handle on your net worth, tally your spending and debt, and assess your investment risks -- but don't waste time ruminating on your mistakes, suggests Pollan. "That's like an alcoholic who wants to give up drinking but first wants to find out why he drank," he says. "Get out from between your ears and look at things as they actually are. Sit down and verbalize your fears. The big thing behind procrastination is fear -- and once you take action, the fear goes away."

Fight, Flee, or Play Possum

Get objective help to review that plan of action, says Dr. Brad Klontz, a financial psychologist in Hawaii and co-author of "The Financial Wisdom of Ebenezer Scrooge: 5 Principles to Transform Your Relationship with Money." "We are biologically programmed to respond to stress in three different ways: we fight, we run away, or we freeze," he notes. "They can have dire consequences to our financial health."

Those who fight will blame an unfair system, predatory lending practices, short sellers, and the like, says Klontz. "Some will call their financial planners and complain or threaten to sue, others will gamble on the next big market trend." Those who choose flight might pull all their money out of the market, which is rarely a good idea, since it locks in losses and forces you to arbitrarily choose when to re-enter the market.

"Many others will feel overwhelmed and take no action whatsoever," says Klontz. "They go into denial about the problem and freeze -- they ‘play possum.' They avoid opening their investment reports or bank statements. They avoid watching the news and disregard or ignore recommendations from financial advisors."

Conventional Wisdom Remains Wise

Instead of fight, flight, or freeze, find a fee-only financial planner or other professional you trust to help you review your goals, time frames, asset allocation, and appetite for risk, and set up some financial rules of the road going forward.

(I know this advice is so often repeated that it sounds like a cliche, but it works, and bears repeating -- because if everyone did it we wouldn't be in this mess. When things go south, a diversified portfolio leaves you significantly better off than market timing, putting all your assets in commodities, or gambling on the market sector of the month.)

"There's great catharsis in saying ‘look at those jerks on Wall Street' -- but no hope for change if you're not acknowledging the choices you made and asking yourself why you did what you did, and what you were hoping to gain," says Klontz. "That's where the opportunity is."

Building Character a Dollar at a Time

Jaimie, a married mother of two in the Midwest, writes about the changes she's made in both her finances and her attitude on her blog I've Paid For This Twice Already. When she launched the blog in June 2007, she and her spouse had about $36,450 in debt -- student loans, car loans, and credit cards they relied on to survive when his employer went belly up. They had to relocate for his new job, which paid 20 percent less than the old one. (Jaimie, who has a Ph.D. in genetics, works part-time.)

Over the last 15 months, she and her spouse have whittled the total debt down to $15,000, and expect to be debt-free (except for their mortgage) by 2010. The episode has been painful, but valuable. "Paying off debt has been character-building in that it's made us more self-reliant," she says.

"For a long time it just felt like things happened and you kind of dealt with it and moved on, but now we actually have a lot more control of our destiny," Jaimie continues. "I'm more confident about being able to live within our means, manage money, and save money."

Attitude Matters

If you're confronting significant losses, think about what you really need and the purpose of money in your life. This is the advice of Rabbi Benjamin Blech, a professor at Yeshiva University in New York and author of "Taking Stock: A Spiritual Guide to Rising Above Life's Financial Ups and Downs."

Blech, 75, wrote his book after he turned his $50,000 nest egg into $7 million by investing in technology stocks during the last boom -- and then lost it all. "It was total devastation," he says. "I had to deal with it by studying what philosophers said and incorporating it into my life as therapy because I couldn't afford a therapist. I found great courage and understanding from what I went through."

Blech says surviving financial catastrophe starts with regaining faith in yourself. "You are what you are, not what you own," he says. "People invest their entire personality and self-worth into their possessions. I'm not someone who says you shouldn't strive for money; you can accomplish wonderful things with it. But self-worth is not the same as net worth."

Don't wallow in remorse or shame, he adds. "The most expensive trip in the world is a guilt trip," says Blech. "I had to say to myself, ‘I'm human, I can make a mistake -- that doesn't mean I'm a failure.' One of the ways we mature is to overcome difficult times. There's all the difference in the world between saying ‘I failed' and ‘I am a failure.' What defines success is our attitude -- how we respond to where we are."

Bad Things, Good People

And what about the people who did the right thing financially during the recent orgy of debt, who didn't cash out their home equity and live it up -- and feel betrayed by the bailout? Obviously, they can email their representatives and senators and tell them how they feel about a $700 billion bailout. But what do they do with their anger and frustration, with their feeling that no good deed goes unpunished?

"The response should be the recognition that life is not fair," says Blech. "That's reality. I am not a sucker if I do the right thing and in the end I get screwed. I did [the right thing] to be the real me, the person I wanted to be. It certainly is better than to allow the world to turn me into something I don't want to be."

Email this Page IM this StoryBookmark this StoryAdd to your Del.icio.us accountDigg this StoryPrint this Story

Rate This story

Very Good (453 Ratings)
3/5
Sign-in to rate!

287 Comments

Showing comments 6-35 of 287<< PreviousNext >>
Sort: first to last

  • Gee - Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 10:51AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 3/5

    Posted 9-30-08: The big banks and big brokerage houses "need" this bailout? The credit markets will "freeze up"? This weekend Citibank paid $2.2 billion to acquire WaMu's supposedly toxic inventory of mortages! $2.2 billion! That would have been $44 billion in new loans at the 20-to-1 leverage on capital to assets permitted by the regulators. And Bank of America bought Merrill Lynch ... and on an on -- with BILLIONS of dollars changing hands. I am SURE that all of those bank and brokerage executives making salaries of tens of millions of dollars each year are COUNTING on the politicians to buy all of the bad paper that THEY created -- so that they can continue to make their huge profits and salaries. And who picks up the tab? The taxpayers -- most of whom make less than $50,000 per year. And this isn't the first rip off -- the government has already commited BILLIONS in taking over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and billions more in various bank closures/mergers and special lending programs. AND, it probably won't be the last time that they come back for MORE "urgently needed" programs in the billions of dollars. Who decides? Politicians that get their pockets stuffed with money from the lobbyists of the banks and brokerages! Time for the taxpayers to howl "ENOUGH!" Time for the hotshots making those 8-figure salaries to JUSTIFY those salaries and figure out on there own how to make the securities and market that THEY CREATED work.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 5:59AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    Minority ? Those are the happy minority and they do exist. The majority would shout "Bailout, baby, bailout", and many would also shout "drill, baby, drill" !! The minority would say "sell your house, sell your cars", "live within your own means",... LOL.

  • The_Wind_Gods - Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 12:24AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 2/5

    "...to the ordinary Americans who saved their cash, shunned debt, and never participated in the upside of the bubble" ...you have to be joking...where and who are these Americans....have to be a very very small (if not non-existant) minority!

  • binderzz - Monday, September 29, 2008, 10:31PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    I think the "nice" people clapping their hands over the bailout failure are only doing so from self interest. You're all making plans for large soup kitchens and counting on a market failure to bring you many customers. You'd probably have looked on Hoover as a hero and viewed FDR poorly for spoiling your depression era soupline business.

  • Stewey - Monday, September 29, 2008, 9:51PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 2/5

    Thank you Mister T for getting it right.

  • Nam - Monday, September 29, 2008, 9:40PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 3/5

    McCain three years ago wanted to regulated Fredie Mac and Fannie Mae but Democrats stubbornly opposed Republicans a insisted that there is nothing wrong with those institutions. Now Liberal Nancy Pelosi is playing political points by whining and blaming the Republicans for the failed bail-out, forgetting to mention that the majority of American people oppose this bail-out and Democrats added earmarks into this bail-out bill.

  • CC - Monday, September 29, 2008, 7:36PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    the only toxic waste is those who vote yes on the bailout. u get rid of them and let things goes back to basic and let free market work it out. DO NOT SELL FEAR TO THE PEOPLE!

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Monday, September 29, 2008, 4:33PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 2/5

    Why would you all buy AK-47's (previous responders) with their extra cash. Last I heard this was a foreign made piece of junk. At least buy American and get an AR-15. I do think it is funny that we need to erase our bad debt so people can get more money to buy more useless things and get into more bad debt.

  • Bob - Monday, September 29, 2008, 3:24PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    Your words could be more meanigful for those who have lost the nest egg, equity,etc. I lost seven figures, house and more at age 50. While I felt desparate and demoralized, I made a plan to start from scratch. No debt except for a house payment less than 25% of my income. Save 15% of income. Invest in medium risk investment through mutual funds. And then comes the crisis and I loose 30 % of my net worth after savings for eleven years. Now 61 and worried about retirement. I take the attitude that I will need to work well into my 70's. Thank you for your candor and story.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Monday, September 29, 2008, 12:02PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 2/5

    No bailout.........

  • Sherry - Monday, September 29, 2008, 11:17AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    Trivializing the rage of those who "did the right thing" is just plain stupid. So many of us did the right thing before the S&L Bailout of the 80's, and we were promised that the system would be fixed. If we trivialze it again, 20 years from now our grandchildren will be facing a scenario that will make this look like the Teddy Bear's Picnic. This bailout is toothless. Especially since the $700 Billion does not penalize the CEO's of the Corporations that got us in this mess in the first place. I'd like to see some of my money pay the salaries of the IRS Auditors that should be all over these guys like a batch of cheap suits. At least create a disincentive that prevents this sort of thing from happening again. History tells us, it can only get worse. Our grandchildren deserve better!

  • Anna - Monday, September 29, 2008, 10:51AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    The article is trivial

  • R M - Monday, September 29, 2008, 10:26AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    I think the psychological advice, at this point, is spot on. The only reason this turns into a Depression or massive crash is if we act out of fear and flee. That is the absolute WRONG decision. But the situation was created due to a massive number of wrong decisions: 1.Individuals borrowing more than they could handle 2. Banks lending more than they should 3. Keeping risky assets off balance sheet and counting gains from them in "profit" 4. Credit swaps, which "protected" the mortgage loans, but offered inordinate returns for any shifts to the downside. 5. Failure of hedge fund managers to manage risk. 6 Failure of individuals to manage debt and asset placement. We can blame the big banks all we want, but many of us, individually, are to blame as well. I am one of the "lucky" ones. My only debt is my mortgage, and I can absorb a 50% loss in value before I get concerned. But there is a much larger concern for me, which is whether other people will act properly. If they do, then we will muddle along where we are for some time to come, probably about 5 years or so...low to no growth. At that point, 11,000 on the Dow will be the "bottom", similar to 1932 and 1974. It will be all up from there. Trying to time this, of course, is foolish, because there is still money to be made even in a flat/down market, with proper diversification. FDR famously said "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself". Fear causes us to make bad decisions, and bad decisions lead to bad outcomes. Act rationally, carefully, and seek conventional advice and wisdom. We WILL get soaked by the government, even if we elect for "change". That is a given. Changing our leader will NOT change the outcome of the political process. Indeed, this bailout will cost us money as the government will be forced to find cash by hook or by crook - which could mean monetization of debt and inflating values so that their real worth is lost to the average person. But the only way to avoid this horrid outcome is to be smart. Reduce debt, live within your means, keep your car and your TV rather than buying new ones just because you want them. Share goods that you'd ordinarily throw away with people who need them but cannot pay. We can lift ourselves up by our bootstraps, but we have to be mentally strong to do this.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Sunday, September 28, 2008, 7:45PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 2/5

    I am very sorry here but it is my honest opinion that this idea is just insane. To make a long story short why should we the taxpayers front the bill for this “bailout”. If I the taxpayer miss manage my funds and am not able to pay my mortgage the banks or lender says ohh well sucks to be you pay us! Well as far as I am concerned that is a 2 way street, the financial institutions miss managed their money and ohhh well sucks to be them. I guess it all boils down to the fact that the rich are really the ones that are being affected the most by this entire deal that is going on here and well I say let them feel some poverty and let them see what it is like for the ever shrinking middle class to try to make ends meet.

  • Once a patriot - Sunday, September 28, 2008, 3:09PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 3/5

    Shooter" I say let it sink! The ones that survive will be stronger, and we will be more equal when those wealthy rats come looking for a life raft.I have lost 60% in my 401k in what was supposed to be conservative safe investments while the CEO's got full bunuses, kick-backs, and special deals......Just today i read the article where the now CEO of GoldmanSacs was in the deal room when the AIG bailout took place !!! They had a 200 million stake in that party, yet Lehman was allowed to fail, Bearstearns etc..Paulson in former CEO of GS, and now wants and NO_STRINGS no oversight blank check...There is no shame, and greed knows no bounds....PLEASE VOTE, and I for one am voting every single incumbant out ! If we indeed head for the next depression at least I heard these fat cats taste like chicken..I have my pitch fork,and BBQ ready !

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Sunday, September 28, 2008, 2:21PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 2/5

    I have 1 question about this. Is anyone looking 6 months or a year down the road from this "bailout"? What is going to happen when jobs dry up because the USD is devalued to the point of being worthless and as a result of high fuel prices, people who are at this point losing their homes, begin filing bankruptcy at an exponential rate against their credit cards (which the banks that are now in trouble were handing out like candy at halloween if you are a homeowner) what is society to do then? bail out the banks again?? where will it stop? My wife and I are almost debt free and are not really affected to the extent that others are. I feel bad for the baby boomers that have worked their entire life to save for retirement and now to arrive at that point in life to find government irresponsibility and wall street greed have almost made a decent living immpossible. If anyone has read the constitution of our great country, then you know that it is our responsibility as citizens to remove those from power by the majority vote and, if that doesn't work then by force if neccesary. hopefully it never comes to that point because i DO NOT favor American VS. American. there are enough problems in the world at this point in time. During the presidential debates last friday night, Sen. Obama brought up an interesting question. If the middle east has a 79 Billion dollar surplus, why is the U.S. spending 10 Billion a month to give them the freedom that they should be fighting and paying for themselves? Government should be focusing on the problems we have here at home and letting the rest of the world fend for themselves. Disagree with that statement? Ask yourself this question. If the U.S. economy collapses, which of the countries that we have helped out will bail us out? Iraq? Syria? Afghanistan? Somalia? Think again..

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Saturday, September 27, 2008, 11:32PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 2/5

    The best way to cope with the financial crisis is to do something about it. Educate yourself about financial principles that work and get to work. Stop whining that your home has lost 20% of its value. On a $200,000 home, that's only $40,000 and unless you are selling soon you haven't lost anything. Besides, you have no control over real estate values, so don't waste your time worrying about it. Learn how to save hundreds of thousands of dollars in mortgage interest by opening a Mortgage Savings Account, a simple vehicle that Australians, Canadians and the British have used for 20 years. If you are an average American who has refinanced your home every 3 1/2 years, you have blown more than $150,000 on interest payments in just the last ten years. Which is something you can easily control, if you are educated. Stop worrying and start learning or you will have your own financial crisis to deal with. Google "Mortgage Savings Accounts" or study www.maxhouse.com to start.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Saturday, September 27, 2008, 6:00PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 2/5

    Let the boat sink, I already have an AK-47. However, should the deal go through as expected I am going down to the bank and borrow as much money as possible. I will use it to buy AK-47's or similar for every member of my family. Whatever money is remaining I will use buy needless foreign-made consumer items. This will be patriotic because this spending is what will get the economy back into high gear.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Saturday, September 27, 2008, 5:50PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 3/5

    I was thinking of buying an AK-47 to protect myself from the marauding gangs from the city, once the people figure out that Wall Street has stolen all their money. Or maybe, I should also find a place in the middle of nowhere?

  • Shooter - Saturday, September 27, 2008, 12:35PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 3/5

    So the Captain and crew of the ship and a lot of passengers were smoking in the "No-Smoking" engine room. Lo and behold, the ship caught fire. It began to sink. People were scared but the Captain and crew told them not to worry, things would be OK. Then a big Bear of a person drowned. The Crew said not to worry, it was really his fault anyway. Then another person from LA drowned. Then two of the really wealthy passengers who had Government connections drowned. These two passengers owned companies that employed a lot of the other passengers and loaned money to many, many more. All the while the ship was sinking lower and lower in the water. The crew gave some of the few life jackets to some of the other weathy passengers to save them. One wealthy old gentleman even gave up some of his lifesaving gear to a beautiful and popular lady.....but it was only after a contract was made for regular sexual favors after they we rescued. But still, everyone argued about what to do about this situation. All the while the ship burned and sank deeper. My question is this.... Is it really smart to argue about who's fault it was the boat caught fire or who is going to run the Fire Response Crew or what kind of hose to use to put the fire out and all the while the boat burns and sinks further and further into the water? Sure, a few will survive, the strongest will take what they need. But it's a big ocean..... and it's uncertain how long one could be adrift. Look, I don't like the idea of funding this bail out any better than I like seeing my taxes go to some welfare bum, some third world despot or some illegal immigrant. But at least with the bail out, I might actually see some return on my money. If the market crashes and my 401K goes belly up, so much for retirement. That's if I can even hold/find a job when company after company closes it doors. The equity in my home? What equity if there is no one able to afford it or, if they have their pick of nicer homes available at firesale foreclosure prices, why should they buy mine? My kids going to college? On what? Their good looks? Not to mention the people that are near the bottom of the economy that don't really have much to lose. What happens when there's no more money for them? The survival instict is a very strong instinct. The difference between man and animal is about 3 days without food. Do you really think desperate people will give a damn about your "civil rights" or property rights? Face it, we are all in this boat together. We can ACT NOW and put out the fire and bail the water....... or we can sink. The choice is ours.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Saturday, September 27, 2008, 4:18AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    I give you a lot of credit, Laura, for continuing to write articles in which all you try to do is to offer helpful financial advice to yahoo! users, even while it is obvious from many of the comments that they bitter, frustrated, pea brains who aren't deserving of your time, knowledge and effort. If they think they can do a better job, then why don't they do so? They can easily start a blog and write finance articles and try to prove that they can do a better job. Or why don't they simply stop reading the articles written by yahoo! experts if they are so irritated by them? The reason is that they would not have anything to complain about. No matter how much you try to help them, it seems that most americans these days just want something to complain about. I especially love the person who tried to say they were eating a "third world diet". Give me a break! But, hey, I guess I am no better, because here I am complaining about the complainers! Well, keep up what I feel is the good work. Don't let the mean-spirited ones get you down.

  • Samx - Friday, September 26, 2008, 1:14PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    What will be will be. Thank you Rabbi. I think in the end we will all walk away with some wisdom. As long as I can walk and talk I am a winner, not a whiner.

  • Eric J - Friday, September 26, 2008, 12:58PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 2/5

    "I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country; corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in High Places will follow, and the Money Power of the Country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the People, until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands, and the Republic is destroyed." Abraham Lincoln .. "Our reliance is in the love of liberty which God has planted in us. Our defense is in the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands everywhere. Destroy this spirit and you have planted the seeds of despotism at your own doors. Familiarize yourself with the chains of bondage, and you prepare your own limbs to wear them. Accustomed to trample on the rights of others, you have lost the genius of your own independence and become the fit subjects of the first cunning tyrant who rises among you." Abraham Lincoln Many Americans who have "done the right thing" will join the many father's who have "done the right thing" only to find that life is not fair and that they are forced into a system of debt-bondage. If we Americans do not begin to defend our Constitinal rights all will be lost. And soon!

  • James - Friday, September 26, 2008, 12:35PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 2/5

    Well thank you for this. But the guy that's really making sense more than anyone out there is James Martinez. His "Cash Flow" show is the only one really helping people and explaining it all. http://www.achieveradio.com this guy is amazing! There is help out there! And this guy has done it!

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Friday, September 26, 2008, 12:12PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    I agree with Gary C.; there is no real practical advice for the average consumer.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Friday, September 26, 2008, 12:12PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    Why do you people continue to focus on the negative opinions and stories...This freaks mom & pop investors out. Please just give facts and let us form our own opinions-thanks

  • Nose - Friday, September 26, 2008, 12:06PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 2/5

    Yeah good except what are some tangible things one can do? What does it all mean? I have no debt. I pay off my credit cards total every month. I have no mortgage. No stocks and $50,000 in savings. I live modestly and am happy.

  • jsesere - Friday, September 26, 2008, 12:05PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    This is no help at all. What good does it do at this late stage in the game to read about a woman with a Phd who only works part time? And what makes anyone think that sending an email to their senator will make any difference at all?

  • Tim - Friday, September 26, 2008, 12:05PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 4/5

    People who refer to setting up a long-term financial plan that focuses on stability as a "platitude" need to reassess their investment objectives. In a time with high volatility and fear in the market, you would be better served taking a passive strategy with a risk tolerance you can handle over your entire time horizon than gambling on hot stocks or momentary trends.

  • Christie - Friday, September 26, 2008, 11:59AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    I agree with Stuart A. I am caught in the mess and am trying to both cope and rebound. This article gives a lot of good advice and is well-written.

Showing comments 6-35 of 287<< PreviousNext >>
The columns, articles, message board posts and any other features provided on Yahoo! Finance are provided for personal finance and investment information and are not to be construed as investment advice. Under no circumstances does the information in this content represent a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security. The views and opinions expressed in an article or column are the author's own and not necessarily those of Yahoo! and there is no implied endorsement by Yahoo! of any advice or trading strategy.

More From Laura Rowley

Money & Happiness

Discover the secrets to financial happiness. Laura's book offers practical tools and positive strategies to create "the good life" in a meaningful way.

More about Money & Happiness

Learn to identify your values, banish debt, start saving, and investing; plus Laura's favorite online resources.

Order your copy of Money & Happiness today and boost your financial well-being!

More from Yahoo! Sources

  • CNN Money
  • Consumer Reports
  • Kiplinger
  • The Motley Fool
  • Business Week
  • Wall Street Journal

Historical chart data and daily updates provided by Commodity Systems, Inc. (CSI). International historical chart data and daily updates provided by Morningstar, Inc. Fundamental company data provided by Capital IQ. Quotes and other information supplied by independent providers identified on the Yahoo! Finance partner page. Quotes are updated automatically, but will be turned off after 25 minutes of inactivity. Quotes are delayed at least 15 minutes. Real-Time continuous streaming quotes are available through our premium service. You may turn streaming quotes on or off. All information provided "as is" for informational purposes only, not intended for trading purposes or advice. Neither Yahoo! nor any of independent providers is liable for any informational errors, incompleteness, or delays, or for any actions taken in reliance on information contained herein. By accessing the Yahoo! site, you agree not to redistribute the information found therein.

Yahoo! Answers is provided for informational purposes only, and no Q&A is intended for trading or investing purposes. Yahoo! shall not be responsible or liable for the accuracy, usefulness or availability of any Q&A information, and shall not be responsible or liable for any trading or investment decisions based on such information. View Complete Answers Disclaimer.