Enough is enough! How much more can we be expected to pay in taxes? Think about all the money you pay in taxes each year; Property taxes, school taxes, sales taxes, social security taxes, medicare taxes, federal income taxes, state income taxes, government fees. Add them all up, it must come to 50% or greater of our total income. We are slaves, slaves to the government! How did this ever come to be, what went wrong with the system and where is all this money going?

Out of all the wasted money, the two biggest tax sponges are social welfare and Medicare. They are both running ramped in our society. This is especially true in states like New York, California, New Jersey and Louisiana. Coincidentally, the states that have the highest taxes are also the states that are run by the liberal democrats.

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How do you define diversification? Many investors would argue that in order to be considered diversified, you need to hold a minimum of five different stocks or two mutual funds in separate market sectors. Some would also argue that you need even more five stocks or funds to be truly diversified. About.com defines diversification as:

Diversification is the calculated spreading of your investments over a number of different asset classes. This cushions your portfolio if one part is down, since different asset classes (stocks, bonds, cash, etc.) seldom move in the same direction. In mutual funds, you achieve diversification by the fund owning 50 stocks, instead of a few.

I agree with everything here but feel that many investors commonly overlook one very important point when it comes to diversification. A point that could be providing them with a false sense of security and cost them a lot of money.

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The time has come to get the job done. First, let’s take a ride on the history train. In the late 70’s, when President Carter was in office, the Soviet Union was building up. The approach then was primarily diplomatic in nature. What did that accomplish? Nothing. The cold war got darker and the Soviets got stronger. In 1980 President Regan took office with a new vision and totally radically approach. He grew the military, grew our nuclear arsenal, developed new missiles and advanced military technology. The Soviets tried to keep up but fell short of our superior military technology and this would eventually lead to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

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Who should be running your 401K? If nobody cares about your money more than you, then why are people so quick to hand it off to someone else to manage? I personally think that a lot of it has to do with our school systems and the lack of financial education offered. Of course I was taught how to knit a scarf, cut open a frog and memorize many obscure poems to be recited to the class, but only a nickel's worth of education when it came to portfolio and financial management. In fact, unless you were a finance major in college or come from a family with experience in finances then you may find yourself in a similar position as myself, having to take the time to teach yourself this essential information. So is it even worth it or should you just hand it off to a professional?

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As a former employee of Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) for nearly seven years, I have seen the company go through numerous acquisitions. This is common with a business of Johnson & Johnson's size as it serves as the quickest way for them to continue expanding. Currently Johnson & Johnson is in a bidding war with Boston Scientific (BSX) over the highly sought after, cardiovascular device business of Guidant (GDT) - but is this a war that Johnson & Johnson can't lose?

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For those of you who are unfamiliar with Corning Glass Works (GLW):

Corning Incorporated is a diversified technology company with a proud history of developing breakthrough technologies that significantly improve people’s lives. We have been changing the world through innovation for more than 150 years, integrating scientific discovery with market need. We focus on high-impact growth opportunities in the telecommunications, flat panel display, environmental, life sciences and semiconductor industries.

Today was very important to GLW and it could make you a lot of money.

Update: Look for GLW to continue its run early into this week. You may see some resistance around the 26 dollar mark. Pay close attentiont to the Full STO % and the MACD for the optimal time to take your nice gains here.

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I talk virtually every day to many different novice investors and one of the biggest misconceptions that I hear day in and day out is that a stock is priced too high to buy. These investors seem to be more concerned with how many shares they can pick up, rather then focusing their attention on what really matters - a stocks price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio. People often forget that a stocks price is not "real"; a stock's price is simply a ratio created by the companies through stock splits and share adjustments. Don't let the stock price fool you!

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I recently picked up a bunch of Yahoo (YHOO) shares to get some exposure to the very hyped tech sector. A sector that is currently being dominated by the Google (GOOG) machine. Now either one of these stocks I would recommend right here as Google just got a new record high price target. Piper Jaffray analyst Safa Rashtchy lifted the firm's price target for 2006 to $600 from $445. So why did I decide to go with Yahoo?

UPDATE: A rumor has surfaced on the street suggesting that Microsoft (MSFT) might make a bid for Yahoo (YHOO). Yahoo was also upgraded by Goldman Sachs (GS) and this has sent the stock up nicely this morning. Please keep in mind that the MSFT/YHOO takeover is just a rumor and I will keep you posted as I learn more.

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Every once and a while you hear a politician or even the President mutter the phrase “flat tax”. If you’re like me, that phrase makes your heart jumps into your throat. Then a few days go by and that magical phrase is never mentioned again. It just comes and goes like a mid summer’s night love affair. For those of you who are a product of our fine public school system, a flat tax is a standard percentage on all wages that are earned and nothing else. Simple. Right. For some unknown reason we are taught either as kids, or though the left wing media, that people wealthy and successful are born with some special gene that products their success. Due to this unfair power they possess over us, they should be punished and forced to pay crazy high tax rates so their wealth can be re-distributed to the “less fortunate”.

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