2010 Dalbar Quantitative Analysis of Investment Behavior

Dalbar shocked the industry when they first published their study seventeen years ago that showed how individual investors actually under-performed the broad equity indexes and by a substantial amount. The spreads have narrowed slightly in the last couple of years and now the 2011 twenty year average only shows the average investors under-performing the equity benchmark by 5.31% annually.

Click here for full report

Big Gain in Last Four Years!

The earnings projected to be generated by the companies in the S&P 500 stock index in calendar year 2012 are more than 6 times as large as the actual earnings of the 500 companies during calendar year 2008 (source: S&P). I would call that a nice economic recovery no matter how you slice it.

Personal Invite to 2011 Goodwill Glitter Gala

Please join Rocke and me at this year's Goodwill Glitter Gala on Wednesday November 9th at 6 pm. It is a great party with a very entertaining fashion show put on by the Art Institute of Seattle using clothing from donations made to Goodwill. The silent auction also has items found in Goodwill donations. They have incredible jewelry and art pieces available at the silent auction. No live auction, just dinner and the incredibly fun fashion show.

The cost is $125 per person and Rocke and I will provide the wine for the evening. During the event there are three other opportunities to support the wonderful work at Goodwill: buy raffle tickets, give a donation during the "ask for donations" or purchase a centerpiece.

Please register at the Glitter Gala webpage and let us know if you will be joining us so we can have enough wine for the merriment. This is one of our favorite events and a great cause. We hope you will be able to join us.

Click here to find out more about the event and to register

Largest Apple Orchard in Ballard

With our sixteen apple trees my husband always boosts this fact. Everyone envisions a large track of land when they actually grow in a 30” wide planter down the South side of our house. They are a hybrid apple called Colonnade they are only 2 feet around and about 8 to 10 feet tall. We use them to shade the south side of our house, make a dozen of apple pies, share with friends and eat fresh. We get a couple of bushels of apples each year from this unusual dwarf apple trees.

Medicare Open Enrollment Period Starts Sooner and Ends Earlier

Now is a good time to review your current Medicare plan. Determining what coverage you have now and comparing it to other Medicare plans can be confusing and complicated. Help is available by calling 1-800-MEDICARE or by visiting the Medicare website, http://www.medicare.gov/.

Click here for the full article

Class ACT Dies Quietly

A well intended but poorly constructed addition of long-term care insurance options in the healthcare law call the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program has been suspended indefinitely. We are back to the previous options of accessing long-term care insurance through an insurance agent or via your employer benefits program (if available).

Trends & Innovation: New Anti-Malaria Drug

Enzymes used by the malaria parasite to attack blood cells may be good targets for new anti-malaria drugs. A team lead by Pennsylvania University researchers has found the inhibiting the 2 parasite enzymes called peptidases, which consume hemoglobin in a host’s red blood cells, can starve the parasite to death.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Loin with Roasted Apples

The small roasted apples surrounding a Prosciutto wrapped pork loin on the cover of the October 2011 Bon Appetite reminded me of the apples on one of our apple trees. All but one of our trees produce full size apples and this recipe looked like a wonderful use of the small size ones.

It is a tasty way to prepare a pork loin for guests or for generous leftovers for two people. The roast looks as gorgeous as the picture, but we put the apples in the pan cut side down and they ended up absorbing the liquids instead of browning on top. They were good, just not pretty like the picture. Make sure you place the apples cut side up.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Loin with Roasted Apples Recipe