A&I Financial Services Periscope

A & I Financial Services LLC Newsletter

For the Week of
May 11, 2011
 
Little things make all the difference

On May 5th, I had a fantastic day! I stayed home a little later than normal to cash in a complimentary haircut as a "happy birthday" treat from the barber.  Henry, our youngest, needed a haircut too so he came along with me. We arrived a little early and decided to go to the coffee shop next door.

Henry orders whip cream and a cherry for his hot chocolate. This alone made me laugh.

Family-run, the owner asks me if Henry likes cherries. I say, "Of course!" Then unbeknownst to me, she brings out a chocolate cherry cake for Henry. Do you think he was happy?

The barber came in, ordered her coffee drink and we joined her at the barber shop. She spiked up Henry's hair, which is a hit with the kindergarden crowd. Henry and I had a series of great laughs. So, do you think I'm loyal to the barber and the coffee shop? You bet!

The little things make all the difference.  What can we do to make your experience even more special? Let us know! We are listening!
Watch Karl Frank's interview on MoneyLine9 9NEWS on May 9, 2011

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Economic Briefs
HIRING IMPROVES IN APRIL
The Labor Department's latest jobs report contained some good news: the private sector added 268,000 new jobs last month, and overall non-farm payrolls increased by 244,000 in April. The private sector hasn't seen this much month-over-month job creation since February 2006, and the net gain of 244,000 jobs was the best since June 2010. The unemployment rate went up to 9.0% in April, but Wall Street rallied Friday after the report was released. (1)
PMI INDEX STRONG; SERVICE SECTOR INDEX SLIPS
Last week, the Institute for Supply Management released its April reports on the manufacturing and service sectors. While the manufacturing index came in at 60.4 - down slightly from March's 61.2 - anything above 60 indicates a booming sector. The non-manufacturing index dropped to 52.8 from March's 57.3 reading. Anything above 50 means growth, but the index hasn't been this low in eight months.(2)
GOLD, SILVER & OIL PULL BACK
Are commodities overbought? That anxiety weighed on the futures markets last week, and it was amplified by a strengthening dollar. Silver took the biggest hit, retreating 27.4% across five days to $35.28 an ounce at the Friday COMEX close. Gold lost 4.2% to end the week at $1,491.20 per ounce; copper sank 4.9% for the week, leaving it 14% under its February 14 record close on Friday. Oil slid 14.7% last week, all the way down to $97.18 per barrel at the Friday close; crude had its poorest week since mid-December of 2008. (3,4)
A VOLATILE WEEK SEES STOCKS RETREAT
Stocks rollercoastered a bit last week as closely watched indicators alternately came in positive and negative. By Friday's close, the scorecard for May 3-6 looked like this: DJIA, -1.34% to 12,638.74; S&P 500, -1.72% to 1,340.20; NASDAQ, -1.60% to 2,827.56. (The "flash crash" occurred on May 6, 2010 - that's why the 1-YR CHG column below shows such radical improvement this week.) (5)
Market Summary

% Change

Y-T-D

1Yr Chg

5-Year Avg

DJIA

+9.17

+20.14

+1.83

NASDAQ

+6.58

+21.90

+4.14

S&P 500

+6.56

+18.80

+0.22

(Source: cnbc.com, bigcharts.com, treasury.gov, treasurydirect.gov - 5/6/11)
Create a beautiful week!

Karl Frank, MBA, MSF
Certified Financial Planner (R)
A & I Financial Services LLC
303.690.5070
 

Citations:
(1) - cnbc.com/id/42928731/ [5/6/11] 
(2) - zacks.com/stock/news/52612/ISM+Service+Index+Disappoints [5/4/11]
(3) - blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2011/05/06/silver-finishes-its-brutal-week-with-a-whimper/ [5/6/11]
(4) - blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2011/05/06/data-points-energy-metals-489/ [5/6/11]
(5) - cnbc.com/id/42935357 [5/6/11]
  
 
This material has been prepared and is distributed solely for information purposes only. It is not a solicitation or an offer buy any securities or instrument or to participate in any trading strategy. There is no assurance that a particular trading strategy will achieve investment success.

 

Securities offered through Geneos Wealth Management, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.  Investment advisory services offered through A & I Financial Services LLC, registered investment advisor.


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Words for Thought
"That which seems the height of absurdity in one generation often becomes the height of wisdom in the next."

John Stuart Mill
Watch Karl Frank on Channel 9 News & Read his article "Where to Invest in Times of Turmoil"

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Read about Renewable Energy Investments

Karl Frank was interviewed in The Denver Magazine.  The article talks about investing in our renewable energy future.

 

Click Here to Read Article 

Read about us in the Denver Post

Karl Frank & Cameron Morgan were featured in the Denver Post.  They talked about how to have a happy holiday while sticking to a budget. 

 

Click here to read the article.  

View our Money Makeovers 
Karl Frank, Certified Financial Planner, provided several Money Makeovers for families on CBS Channel 4. 
 
Learn more!
 
 
 Beating the Recession
View The Financial Planning Association Video

Karl Frank and many other Financial Planners  offered pro-bono advice to thousands at the first annual "FPA Financial Planning week." 

 

Click on logo below to view video.

FPA Week
Riddle of the Week
You have a can of soda in your hand and someone tells you to drink the bottom half of it first. How can you do that?  
  

Last week's riddle: 

     You go in through one hole, you come out through three holes. Once you're inside you're ready to go outside, but once you're outside you're still inside. What is it?
  
Last week's answer: 

 

A sweater