Greg Heberlein

The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 have been hitting record-high levels this year.

Many investors retreated from the stock market a few years ago and have cash sitting on the sidelines. Are you feeling pressured to invest?

Financial commentator Greg Heberlein says there's no need to rush back into the market.

Some call it the spreadsheet error heard 'round the world. 

The 2010 Reinhart-Rogoff paper, Growth in a Time of Debt, was the most authoritative report providing hard data on why government spending needs to be cut. Too much debt, the study said, impedes economic growth.

But a mistake in coding the Excel spreadsheet skewed the results. Mike Konczal at Business Insider says the spreadsheet mistake is one of three glaring problems in the study.

The whole debacle serves as a prudent reminder to maintain a healthy sense of skepticism about economic statistics.

The financial media are full of suggestions for timing the stock market. We usually discredit those schemes on Money Matters, but this month we talk about one that might have at least a little merit to it.

The strategy is to “sell in May and go away.” 

It’s based on the notion that the six months from late fall to late spring are great for owning stocks. Conversely, the period starting in May is not.  Those periods are often referred to as the winter months vs. the summer months.

Does it really work?

Financial commentator Greg Heberlein has just returned from a vacation in Vietnam and Cambodia. While there, he couldn't help but notice how westernized the Southeast Asian economy is becoming.

When publicly held companies have excess cash, they often face two main choices: issue dividends, or buy back shares from the marketplace.

Both actions are considered roughly equal in terms of benefit to stockholders. On this week’s Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein explains why he prefers dividends.

It's the second week of March and April 15th will be here before you know it. Have you started preparing your 2012 income tax return yet?

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer help you avoid some common tax mistakes.

Financial commentator Greg Heberlein firmly believes the stock-market axiom that says "history repeats, but never exactly". So when he see the market at or near record highs, he gets nervous. Conventional wisdom is that individuals buy near the high and sell near the low.

What’s an investor to do? Greg and KPLU’s Dave Meyer look for answers on this week’s Money Matters.

According to an old adage on Wall Street, "as goes January, so goes the year".

Last month, we cast aspersions on the "January effect" as a predictive tool. And then the month turned out to be the best January for stocks since the 1990s.

Financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer take a second look at January on this week's Money Matters.

When it comes to collecting Social Security, there’s a way for some people to “have their cake and eat it, too”.

On this week's Money Matters, Greg Heberlein explains a spousal benefit that is sometimes overlooked.

If your spouse is already collecting Social Security and you decide to postpone collecting your own benefits, you may be able to collect payments equal to half of what your spouse is getting. 

Investors encounter numerous indices claiming to predict the future. Some are ridiculous, and some are based on facts. But most are worthless.

This week on Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU’s Dave Meyer look at the January effect, sports indicators, and the fear index.

HomeStreet, a Seattle bank company, sold its first shares publicly on Valentine’s Day, 2012. It's been a love affair with investors ever since.

This is a stock that didn’t split its shares only once, but did so twice in just nine months. Factoring in both two-for-one splits, the stock started out at $11 a share. They finished up at $25.55, more than a double their initial value.

Financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer talk about Home Street on this week's Money Matters.

There are a lot of worthy (and, perhaps, not-so-worthy) charitable organizations asking for your support at this time of year. How should you decide which ones deserve your money?

One website that can help you is charitynavigator.org. It rates charities according to their financial health, accountability and transparency. Financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer talk about the ratings on this week's Money Matters.

As we approach the dreaded fiscal cliff, many financial pundits are sounding the alarm: “Take your capital gains now to avoid higher taxes next year!”

Should most of us be worried about this? On this week’s Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein says you should hang on to your winning investments. He tells KPLU’s Dave Meyer that the push to sell because of capital gains concerns may be the biggest idiocy since the sale of no-money-down, balloon-payment mortgages. 

If you can define compound interest and inflation, then pat yourself on the back!

A recent report by the Securities and Exchange Commission finds that most Americans don't understand such basic concepts.

Commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer talk about financial literacy on this week's Money Matters.

When it comes to retirement, some people turn to variable annuities for guaranteed income.

These annuities, provided by insurance companies, offer a guaranteed return, even if the stocks and bonds you're invested in go down the drain.

Thanks to the shaky economy, some companies are asking clients to give up that guaranty, in exchange for a lump sum buyout.

Should you take them up on the offer? That's the big question on this week's Money Matters with financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer.