Investors often wonder whether growth stocks are preferable to value stocks, or vice versa. Although no one can forecast future performance, over the past 10 years, value stocks provided an 11% average annual return, and growth stocks provided a 5.44% average annual return.So what does this mean for the growth and value stocks in your portfolio? Is it time to ditch your growth stocks in favor of value stocks? Not necessarily. Investing fads come and go, but a diversified strategy involving growth, value, or a combination of the two can be a great addition to your investment portfolio.

Room for Growth

Growth companies are so named because they have the potential for future growth. These companies typically have both a strong history of growth and strong projected growth. Their stocks tend to be expensive relative to what they are earning and thus tend to have a high price-to-earnings ratio.Growth stocks typically do not offer dividends because many companies reinvest their profits. However, growth companies may be on the verge of a major breakthrough that could drive up their share prices dramatically. Growth stocks carry significant risk, which should factor into any purchasing decision.

Looking for Value

Value stocks are considered to be undervalued by the market and thus trading below their true value. Many of these companies are established firms with solid earnings. Investors buy value stocks hoping that the market will eventually realize the true value of these companies, elevating their share prices in the process. The return and principal value of stocks fluctuate with market conditions. Shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Diversification does not guarantee against loss; it is a method used to help manage investment risk.

The Reality

It is critical to maintain a fully diversified portfolio of both growth and value.  We recommend taking it many steps further – owning large, mid and small cap companies both domestically and internationally.  The three fundamentals that you need to ask yourself or your advisor: 1)     How do I know if I’m truly diversified?  Ask to see a Morningstar report of your holdings.

2)      How often are you rebalancing your positions, so you don’t get over-weighted in one asset class?

3)      How is your performance?  What are you measuring your performance against?  That is, if the S&P 500 returned 15% and you only got 10%, a review would definitely be in order.

  To request a complimentary consultation, contact Moore and Associates Wealth Management    www.moorewealthmgmt.com or call 770-587-0281

LLC’s came in vogue approximately fifteen years ago when the the state of Georgia enacted legislation allowing both LLC’s (Limited Liability Company’s) to be established. Although the LLC does allow for some greater flexibility and ease of operation it often results in a higher tax obligation that might have been incurred if the business is an S Corporation.

Tax law treats all the earned income from an LLC as being subject to both FICA & Medicaid taxes whereas an S Corporation has to pay these taxes reflected on W-2’s. Tax law allows an LLC to legally convert over to being an S Corporation, for tax services,  as long as all active employee/owners pay their-selves a fair and reasonable salary. This number is best determined by the facts, position, and profit of a business and the truest test of this calculation is what a business owner would have to pay someone else to perform their position.

We offer a free initial consultation to see if converting your business to an S Corporation for tax purposes makes sense to you. Put our decades of experience to work for you ensuring you pay your lowest legal possible tax.

The forms provided by Georgia Corporate Compliance are not required by the Office of the Secretary of State and will not affect your corporate filing positively or negatively. There is no need for a corporation to use Georgia Corporate Compliance or any other business offering similar services for any reason unless the corporation chooses to do so.  The Office of the Secretary of State does not require the use of any businesses offering services like those apparently offered by Georgia Corporate Compliance.

It is important to remember that any official statement or request from the Office of the Secretary of State will clearly indicate its origin by displaying the State Seal and the name of Secretary of State Karen Handel.  

If corporate customers have any other questions, please call the Georgia Secretary of States Corporations Division Call Center at 404-656-2817.

7 p.m. at the Christian Authors Guild.

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The Christian Authors Guild

www.christianauthorsguild.org

Sending out a Christian Wave upon a Secular Sea

The Christian Authors Guild is made up of more than 65 aspiring writers. Our members’ talents range from professional writers to those who write for the fun of it. We write in many different genres.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to glorify God within our individual arenas of influence, to provide encouragement for aspiring writers, and to share information that better equips members to disseminate Christian truths in their writing.

Meetings - Click here to be updated on upcoming meetings and events!

The Christian Authors Guild (CAG) meets at 7 P.M. on the first and third Mondays of each month. We meet in the fellowship hall, lower level, of  Prayer and Praise Christian Fellowship, at 6409 Bells Ferry Road, Woodstock, Georgia 30189 near the intersection of Eagle Drive. Visitors and prospective new members are welcome.

• A delay to file is not a delay to pay as both the IRS and individual states access a late payment fee/penalty and interest for all monies paid after April 15th
• Now is the time to see what you can begin to do to legally lower your 2008 tax bill rather than being past oriented.  There’s a reason for many success’s of business owners and that is their ability to think and plan ahead.  A good steward is always contemplating what comes next and how to always be prepared.

Tax planning is not for the meek or ill prepared so be sure to get all past filings done today so that you can focus on the success’s and planning for 2008 and beyond.

First: I believe financial should be issue on longer that the fourth workday after the close of a month. Absent their timely relevance, financial’s should not be distributed as much of the cause of their need would have lapsed.

Secondly: I believe that financials should be clear and concise and not uduly culletered with unnecessary accoutns will little or no monies in them or even subaccounts. If an account is not substantive enough to stand on its own merits then it should not exist at all.

Thirdly: And equally as important is that all financials should tell a story but often the subleties and interpetations of their significance can only be adequately expalined or clarified by narratives or substantiating statistics and infromation.

Providing timely and usefuly information is a financial departments primary and most important task and must be achieved in order for the business to both survive and thrive.

If, after 28 days of the IRS mail date, you haven’t received your refund check, you should start a refund trace.  If your address is incorrect, you can change it online but always be sure and check that before you mail your return into the IRS to avoid any delays in getting your refund. 

 DON’T FALL FOR E-MAIL SCAMS ABOUT YOUR REFUND!!!!  The IRS never initiates e-mails about your refund and never give out your social security number!!!  Have a great “refund” vacation!!

There are basically three types of taxpayers who will be affected:

• Those that file their tax return for 2007
• Those that don’t file a return but have a total earned income of $3,000 or more
• Those with adjusted gross income

Affects of Economic Stimulus Act

• For the taxpayer who files annual returns, to receive a payment in 2008, you will not have to do anything more than file a 2007 tax return.  Of course, the IRS will determine your eligibility and amount of payment.

•  For those that don’t have to file a return that have a total of $3,000 or more in earned income, Social Security benefits, and/or Veterans payments, you may receive a payment of around $300 ($600 if filing jointly).  You might also receive an additional amount of $300 for each child that qualifies for the child tax credit. 

• For the taxpayer with adjusted gross income (AGI) of more than $75,000 ($150,000 if filing jointly), the payment will be reduced or phased out completely.

Important things to know about the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008:

• To qualify for payment, an individual, spouse and any qualifying child must have a valid Social Security number.
• Individuals cannot receive a payment if they can be claimed as a dependent of another taxpayer.
• Individuals cannot receive a payment if they filed a 2007 Form 1040NR, 1040NR-EZ, 1040-PR or 1040-SS.
• All individuals receiving payments will receive a notice and additional information before you receive the payment.  If you have questions, you can visit the IRS website at www.irs.gov.

 For any other questions, contact me at hiscpa@yahoo.com

As I write this, Bear Stearns, a well-known investment banking company, has had to turn to JP Morgan Chase & Co and the Federal Reserve Bank of NY for emergency funds to keep them afloat.  Bear Stearns plays a large role in debt markets, especially those securities backed by mortgages.  The Federal Reserve Bank supported the arrangement with JP Morgan and said that it would continue to provide the markets with liquidity as necessary.  They haven’t done this since the Great Depression.

For the same reason the government doesn’t use the word recession, I don’t like using it either as it seems to cause panic in otherwise rational people.  This is not the time to run out and sell all your stocks and other investments - it is the time to sit back and wait-be patient.  Things will get better but as with anything worthwhile, it takes time.  Sure it’s time to pull in your purse strings, watch what your spending, monitor your gas usage, save the expenditures for later, but it’s not a time for panic.