Greg Heberlein

Financial Commentator

Greg Heberlein spent 32 years at The Seattle Times.  In 12 years in the Sports Department, he was the only reporter to cover every game in the Seattle SuperSonics' championship season.  Towards the end of his 20 years in the Business Department, an award was established to honor the Northwest's top business columnist.  He won in each of the first three years and shortly after, wisely took early retirement.

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4:00am

Tue March 13, 2012
Money Matters

Should you buy Facebook stock?

Credit Nate Bolt / flickr.com

Facebook filed for its initial public stock offering in February, and the IPO could take place at any time in the next several weeks.

Should you buy the stock? We ducked that question a month ago on Money Matters but now, financial commentator Greg Heberlein is willing to offer some advice. 

As with many financial issues, the answer is dependent on your personal circumstances.

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4:00am

Tue February 21, 2012
Money Matters

Should you use debit or credit?

Credit Carl Glover / flickr.com

When you're not paying with cash, do you prefer a credit card or a debit card?

Organizations such as the Better Business Bureau and Consumer Reports prefer the security of credit cards. 

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer agree that credit cards offer the most security and benefits, but find debit cards still have a useful role to play.

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4:00am

Tue February 14, 2012
Money Matters

Facebook IPO fever, an analysis

Credit Steve Rotman / flickr.com

Should you buy Facebook stock when it goes public in the next few months?

Like any individual stock, it's a gamble. Most investors are better off with the relative safety of a stock index fund.

But sometimes it's hard to resist the dream of striking it rich like early investors did with the Microsoft or Amazon IPOs.

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer look at what to expect when Facebook finally goes on the market.

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4:00am

Tue January 24, 2012
Money Matters

Starbucks is flying high

Credit mediafury / flickr.com

2011 was a terrific year for the Seattle-based Starbucks coffee chain. The stock shot up 43% last year and recently hit record highs.

Financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer look at the successful company on this week's Money Matters.

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4:00am

Tue January 17, 2012
Money Matters

Will 2012 be a good year for the Puget Sound economy?

Credit Evan Leeson / Flickr

Local economist Dick Conway unveiled his economic forecast for the region recently, and he painted an optimistic picture, describing it as "a sunny day, with some clouds".

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein tells KPLU's Dave Meyer that he thinks there's a good case for optimism this year.

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4:00am

Tue January 10, 2012
Money Matters

Should you put your money in real estate this year?

Credit woodleywonderworks / flickr.com

It's been hard to make money in stocks and bonds lately. 2011 was a great year to sell gold, but prices are too high to buy it now. Where does that leave us?

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein tells KPLU's Dave Meyer that 2012 might be a great year for investing in real estate.

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4:00am

Tue December 20, 2011
Money Matters

'Tis the season for charitable giving

Credit allerleirau / flickr.com

Greg Heberlein and Dave Meyer usually talk about ways to save and invest money. But on this week's Money Matters, they concentrate on how to give it away!

Charitable giving is more important than ever this year. Thanks to the ailing economy, federal, state and local governments have less money to help the needy. More and more people are turning to nonprofit organizations for help.

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4:30am

Tue December 13, 2011
Money Matters

It's never too late to plan for retirement

Credit Keith Ramsey / flickr.com

The end of the year is a great time to review your finances. Are you saving enough for retirement?

According to U.S. News & World Report, about a third of all Americans have nothing saved for retirement. Fortunately, it's never too late to start building your nest egg.

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer look at ways to prepare for "the golden years".

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4:30am

Tue November 22, 2011
Money Matters

Spend money and save the economy? Or, cut back and prepare?

Credit John Henderson / flickr.com

Should you spend more this holiday season and give the economy a boost? Or cut back on shopping and save your money for possibly tougher times ahead?

That's quite a conundrum.

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5:37am

Tue November 15, 2011
Money Matters

Why analysts didn't recommend selling McCormick & Schmick's stock

Credit McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurants, Inc.

McCormick and Schick's Seafood Restaurants are a popular dining choice in the Seattle area. The Portland-based company is being sold to Houston-based Landry's Restaurants.

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein says the sale demonstrates why you should be skeptical about the recommendations of securities analysts.

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4:30am

Tue November 8, 2011
Money Matters

Wait ... bonds aren't supposed to beat stocks!

Credit David Paul Ohmer / Flickr

Over the past 30 years, U.S. Treasuries have out-performed the stock market. Bloomberg's Cordell Eddings reports the last time that happened was 150 years ago. What's going on?

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein says this is a rare event and not "the new normal."

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4:30am

Tue October 18, 2011
Money Matters

On a Euro-debt-crisis vacation, one sees many U.S.-like divisions

Credit Daniel Hartmann / flickr.com

"One theory is the world must reach the brink to find the leadership needed for resolution ..."

Greece is the epicenter of the European debt crisis so, naturally, financial commentator Greg Heberlein went there on vacation! Unfortunately what he found there and elsewhere outside the U.S. were divisive politics, blame all around and the potential for economic doom.

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4:30am

Tue September 20, 2011
Money Matters

Nervous about stocks? Buy bonds!

Credit Bernard Oh / flickr.com

If you’re spooked by the volatile stock market, you may want to put your money into bonds.

On this week’s Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein tells KPLU’s Dave Meyer that short term U.S. Treasury bonds are a safe bet.

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5:00am

Tue September 13, 2011
Money Matters

It's a good time to sell your gold

Credit Eric Golub / flickr.com

If gold is part of your investment portfolio, or you have some old jewelry you'd like to get rid of, now may be a great time to cash in. Gold prices are at record highs, recently approaching $1,900 an ounce.

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer talk about how to get the most money for your gold.

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5:00am

Tue August 23, 2011
Money Matters

Amazon.com crosses the $100 billion line

Credit Amazon.com

Until this year, only one Northwest based company has topped $100 billion dollars in market value: Microsoft. But now a second local company has crossed that line: Amazon. 

On this week’s Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer talk about Amazon.com and the importance of market value.

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