John Wasik

Charitable giving: Do donor-advised funds make sense? http://t.co/2tut9066 via @reuters

Dec 5 (Reuters) – Is using a third party a better way to
donate your charitable dollars?

Tax- and convenience-wise, perhaps. Yet there’s always a
cost when intermediaries are involved, as they are with
so-called donor-advised funds. And you have to keep a close eye
on how the fund is managed to avoid abuses.

Generally, donor-advised funds receive contributions from
investors for distribution to nonprofits. Once you invest in
them – either with cash or securities – you qualify for a
charitable deduction on your federal income tax. You then
direct the managers to make grants to specific charities over
time.

Different ways to boost income: http://t.co/ZTepaXOf

Dec 2 (Reuters) – With the Federal Reserve keeping rates
low and casting a cautious eye on Europe, is there still a way
for investors to achieve higher yields?

There are many options — from municipals to A-rated
corporate bonds to emerging market bonds. Sometimes funds that
are at opposite ends of the risk spectrum can add to your
portfolio diversification while boosting yield. Two often
overlooked choices are, Ginnie Maes and high-yield corporate
bonds.

While they’re dissimilar when it comes to default risk,
they could both be paired up in a diversified income portfolio
to achieve returns above U.S. Treasuries and money-market
accounts.

Why OWS Scares the bejesus out of GOP: http://t.co/xxnSkDld

World AIDS Day: Sobering Statistics About a 30-Year Epidemic http://t.co/LiEPsPRh

Schumer: Democrats can gain Senate seats in 2012 election: http://t.co/KeBKp5rO via @AddThis