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10 money stories you might have missed but shouldn't have

MARKETWATCH 10:40 AM ET 08/28/15
Symbol Last Price Change
AAPL 112.09up -0.83 (-0.74%)
QUOTES AS OF 10:41:31 AM ET 08/28/2015

Tim Cook sends a surprise email, parents waste money on kids parties and companies create stoner tourism

MarketWatch rounded up the 10 most interesting stories published over the past week that might have been overlooked in light of the stock-market turmoil.

Tim Cook's email

Jennifer Booton reported that Apple Inc.(AAPL) CEO Tim Cook may have violated SEC rules (http://www.marketwatch.com/ story/apple-ceo-tim-cook-may-have-violated-sec-rules-with-jim-cramer-email-2015-08-24) when providing Jim Cramer of "Mad Money" with a mid-quarter update via email on the iPhone maker's performance, saying it was "reassuring."

"I certainly could see, in some circumstances, where the SEC would want to review the conduct and think it is a violation of Reg FD," Bill Singer, a lawyer and owner of the BrokeAndBroker.com (http://www.brokeandbroker.com/) industry blog, said, referring to Regulation Fair Disclosure. "It constitutes a disclosure giving certain individuals the benefit before it was percolated by the rest of the public, during a fast-moving, extraordinary market."

Not everyone was selling stocks

When the stock market was plunging earlier in the week, you might have thought from headlines that the sky was falling. But most people didn't sell during the 11.2% decline for the S&P 500 from Aug. 17 through Wednesday.

Caitlin Huston reported that online-trading platforms saw a spike in new account openings (http://www.marketwatch.com/ story/amid-market-chaos-new-investors-jumped-into-stocks-2015-08-26), as new and relatively young investors apparently were seeking to take advantage of share-price declines.

Women may not be prepared for a terrible event

Estate planning is a subject you might not have been thinking about during the market turmoil this week and last, but it is very important.

Quentin Fottrell covered this difficult subject (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/women-may-be-less-prepared-for-the- death-of-their-spouse-2015-08-25) and cited a study showing that nearly half of women would be unable to make their mortgage payments if their spouse died. And Catey Hill reported this week that only about half (or fewer) of Americans with children have a will (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-parents-dont-make-this-simple-move-to-protect-their- kids-2015-08-27).

A shocking number of people don't have life insurance, and this is especially sad, since term life insurance is relatively inexpensive.

When considering how much life insurance you need, you might be thinking along the lines of a pile of cash that can be spent for a certain number of years. But it is better, if possible, to carry sufficient term life insurance so that if you die, your spouse and your family will be able to live off of the income generated from the nest egg.

An investing strategy that keeps you sane

If you couldn't stomach the equity-market sell-off this week, you might want to consider an income strategy. If you hold your own income-producing securities and don't reinvest dividends, you will always have dividend or interest payments coming in, no matter what's going on in the stock market.

With sufficient investment income, you can continually make more income-producing investments and build wealth in the long run. This approach is not likely to match broad stock-index returns over very long periods, but it is a more conservative way to go.

Here's a discussion on several classes of income securities (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/a-surefire-strategy-to- keep-calm-and-make-money-in-this-crazy-market-2015-08-27).

An especially relaxing vacation

Recreational marijuana use is now legal in four states and in Washington D.C., so maybe it's not a surprise that there's now a marijuana tourism industry (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/marijuana-tourism-is-a-budding-industry-2015- 08-25). Kathleen Burke discussed two industry players and some legal aspects that may restrict your use of cannabis, even where it is legal.

Expensive birthday parties for kids

What's the big deal about having a nice birthday party for your child? Well, you might be spending too much. Doing so for one party may seem like no big deal, but if you keep doing it, your long-term financial health may be affected.

Barbara Kollmeyer cited a study by Asda, a retailer in the U.K., that showed the average total spent for 21 years of birthday parties for a child came to 19,425 pounds, a bit more than $30,000. She looked at various types of children's birthday parties around the world (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/what-us-parents-can-learn-from-kids-birthday- parties-from-around-the-world-2015-08-26), which don't cost much but are a lot of fun.

Investor, know thyself

Following the 531-point pounding for the Dow Jones Industrial Average last Friday, most investors didn't make any moves, but there was plenty of panic-selling driving the market down over subsequent trading sessions.

According to Chuck Jaffe, this period of volatility is the perfect time to look in the mirror and figure out what type of investor you are (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/markets-selloff-reveals-how-youll-react-if-stocks-fall-further- 2015-08-23). You might be a buy-and-hold investor, a tactical investor, an asset allocator or an opportunist. Jaffe provided some insight into what each type of investor needs to be doing now.

Don't over-manage your 401(k)

Using your 401(k) or other tax-deferred employer-sponsored retirement account as a trading vehicle isn't such a great idea. One reason is that most 401(k) plans require you to invest in mutual funds, many of which have trading restrictions.

Another thing to keep in mind about 401(k)s and similar accounts is that an employer's matching contributions tend to make returns during your first year very high.

Shawn Langlois provided a handy decision guide to whether you should consider making a change to your 401(k) strategy (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chart-dont-freak-out-about-your-401k-2015-08-24).

A bull run for commodities?

West Texas Intermediate crude oil for October delivery rose 11% to $42.84 a barrel on Thursday after Venezuela requested a meeting of OPEC, presumably to try and pressure Saudi Arabia to change its strategy of not cutting production and maintain its market share.

Sara Sjolin discussed comments by Jim Rogers, who said "huge cutbacks in supply" could lead to a bull market for commodities.

Apparently, Carl Icahn agrees, since he disclosed on Thursday that his investment partnership had purchased a stake in copper miner Freeport McMoRan Inc. (FCX). Freeport McMoRan was Thursday's best-performing S&P 500 stock (http:// www.marketwatch.com/story/10-stocks-leading-another-sp-500-rally-2015-08-27), rising 29%.

What to do if you have no health insurance

Things don't always go as planned, and if you are buying your own health insurance, it's possible that a mistake by you or someone else can cause you to have no insurance coverage until the following year. Elizabeth O'Brien provided very useful information on how policies are canceled, which exceptions exist and what to do you if you suddenly find yourself uninsured (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-to-cope-when-youre-suddenly-uninsured-2015-08-27).

-Philip van Doorn; 415-439-6400; [e-mail]

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