Richard Geller, CEO and managing director of FinancialSuccessInstitute.org, stated today, “The new survey finds our subscribers are confused about how to select a self directed IRA custodian. The self directed IRA custodian field is growing rapidly in response to the growing number of investors choosing alternative investments over stocks and bonds. The influx of new self directed IRA custodians has further confused an already difficult decision. FinancialSuccessInstitute.org is now providing information and resources to aid our subscribers in selecting the best self directed IRA custodians available.”

Geller continues, “One trend the Institute uncovered is that some of the tired old Wall Street financial services are repackaging existing products and labeling them as alternative investments to move into the self directed custodian field. At best, they might add a hedge fund and Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) as the alternative investment arm of their offerings. This is not what FinancialSuccessInstitute.org subscribers are looking for in a self directed IRA custodian. An important aspect of a high quality self directed IRA custodian is one that allows a limited liability company to hold all the owner’s assets instead of holding them in the name of the self directed IRA custodian.”

Geller becomes specific. “The survey found 162% of those responding have trouble with their self directed IRA custodian in three specific areas. The results exceed 100% because those responding to the survey were able to select more than one problem with their self directed IRA custodian. A full 53.8% say their self directed IRA custodian charges too much. Slightly less than half, 47.9%, say the self directed IRA custodian slows down their ability to make timely investments. And 60.7% say their self directed IRA custodian restricts their freedom to invest in things like real estate and physical precious metals or venture financing – exactly the reason most investors switch to a self directed IRA custodian.”

Geller elaborates, “This FinancialSuccessInstitute.org article outlines a major risk if a retirement account owner goes with the wrong Self Directed IRA Custodian.

Geller emphasizes, “Surprising to the Financial Success Institute, is that 55.5% of those responding were not aware that unlike a self directed IRA, a self directed 401K does not require the account owner to hire a third party as a self directed IRA custodian. Investors are able to fully control their self directed 401K without any charges or delays or unnecessary limits being placed on them by a self directed IRA custodian. To help all readers understand the major benefits gained by eliminating the self directed IRA custodian and going with the self directed 401K, the Institute immediately made this Expert Panel Special Report available.”

Geller concludes, “As FinancialSuccessInstitute.org subscribers avail themselves to new self directed IRA custodian resources, the Institute will be vigilant about making sure our subscribers fully understand everything they need to about self directed IRA custodians. When subscribers need expert advice regarding their specific self directed IRA custodian needs, the institute will put them in contact with the best self directed IRA custodian experts in the business.”

About FinancialSuccessInstitute.org. The Institute is devoted to educating readers and subscribes about investing alternatives and safeguarding wealth once acquired. Information regarding the self directed IRA custodian is only a small sample of resources available to subscribers. Besides details about the self directed IRA custodian, other information readers can access includes the self directed IRA LLC, self directed 401K, debt settlement, legally minimizing taxes, tax lien investing, and precious metal investing.

Disclaimer: Information here and at FinancialSuccessInstitute.org is not legal or professional advice regarding self directed IRA custodians or any other retirement account activity. It’s intended only as general information sharing. Seek professional assistance regarding your specific circumstances and applicable laws to assure you fully understand your self directed IRA custodian needs or before taking any other retirement account action.

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Madison Street Capital is pleased to announce Karl D?Cunha?s participation at the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts? 2012 Congress on Fair Value. The event will take place February 27 and 28 at Campion Hall Conference Center on Seattle University?s campus in Seattle, Washington.

Actively involved in financial services industry since 1997, Mr. D?Cunha has overseen hundreds of assignments relating to the valuation of illiquid, complex, and hard-to-value investments for a variety of investment entities, including hedge funds, private equity and venture capital funds, as well as mutual funds.

Mr. D’Cunha is a Senior Managing Director at Madison Street Capital, where he oversees the firm?s services geared towards public companies, large private companies, and asset management firms. The range of services includes both investment banking and valuation. Mr. D?Cunha has broad professional experience with more than 15 years in the financial services industry. He was previously an audit manager at Ernst & Young, LLP and PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, with eight years of experience in the Asset Management Industry Group.

Mr. D’Cunha holds a BA in Finance and Economics from the University of Western Ontario and a Masters in Accounting from McGill University. He is a Chartered Accountant, a Level III Candidate in the Chartered Financial Analyst program, and is registered with FINRA as a General Securities Representative (Series 7) and an Investment Banking Representative (Series 79). Mr. D?Cunha is a member of New York Hedge Fund Roundtable, Hedge Fund Association, Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, CFA Society of Chicago, CFA Institute, Association of Chartered Accountants in the U.S., Appraisal Issues Task Force, and American MENSA, Ltd.

About Madison Street Capital:

A leading provider of corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions (M&A) advisory, Madison Street Capital?s professionals have the ability to arrange the appropriate financing and capitalization structure to suit each clients? specific situation. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the middle market investment banking firm has offices in North America, Africa, and Asia. Madison Street Capital draws on years of combined experience to provide a variety of financial services that include middle market investment banking (M&A advisory), restructuring services, valuation and M&A services for hedge funds, buy side and sell side services for private equity, Debt Placement, Portfolio Valuation (ASC 820 and IAS 39 compliant), business valuation services, and financial opinion services.

Experience makes the difference, and having assisted clients in a diverse range of industries, Madison Street Capital?s seasoned professionals understand that all circumstances demand careful analysis and precise recommendations. For business owners looking for acquisitions, selling a business, building a sound exit strategy, or simply for matters of corporate governance Madison Street Capital has a history of execution and excellence in the investment banking industry. For additional information, call Madison Street Capital at 1-312-529-7000 or visit http://www.madisonstreetcapital.com.

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A SERIES of lawsuits and criminal trials concerning counterfeit artwork has led to ?buyers beware? warnings from art experts and authorities. The past few months have seen several high profile cases around the world, with victims left red-faced and out of pocket for millions.

According to the New York Times, a recent example involved London hedge fund manager and collector Pierre Lagrange, who is suing New York based Knoedler Gallery on the basis that they sold him an inauthentic Pollock painting for USD $ 17m. Original Pollock paintings, such as Going West, Blue Poles: Number 11 and Number 32 commonly sell for tens of millions of dollars. The Lagrange lawsuit is part of a wider FBI investigation examining 20 other suspected counterfeit oil paintings sold over the past 20 years, many of which allegedly originated from Long Island dealer Glafira Rosales.

Another high profile case mentioned in Bloomberg discussed the successful October 2011 prosecution of German national Wolfgang Beltracchi, who produced forgeries of French and German artists for more than 30 years. His oil paintings were stylistic recreations of painters such as Max Ernst, Joseph Fernand Henri L

Renowned real estate and tax lien educator Sean Keegan Walker said he has recently opened the vault of privately owned and controlled tax certificates and deeds, normally controlled by large banks and hedge funds, to the average ?one-at-a-time? investor, eliminating the need for investors to risk hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Walker has now created what some experts are calling the easiest tax certificate and deed purchase system ever.

With the state of the current economy, tax certificates and deeds are more prevalent than ever, Walker said. They represent an opportunity for an investor to capitalize on returns as high as 16 percent or more, secured by a priority lien against real property and guaranteed by the taxing entity in the county where the property is located. Investors who are losing money in their retirement or savings accounts are flooding to SKWCentral.com to pick up these liens and deeds.

?I?ve found that my students really want the kinds of returns these certificates can offer, and also want the option to foreclose and acquire the property for pennies on the dollar should that become an option,? Walker said. ?But the barrier to entry was so high in the past that all the good liens got snapped up by large banks and institutional investors. I?ve just tried to level the playing field for the average investor.?

Walker said that his students can’t get enough of these certificates and deeds and non-students are beating down the door to get access.

Walker quotes a recent article in the Arizona Daily Star that discovered that several large banks that received ?bail out? money from the U.S. and used that money to purchase large blocks of tax liens and deeds with returns as high as 18 percent annually.

By using online technology developed specifically for SKWCentral.com, Walker?s students and clients are able to view each individual lien, complete all relevant due diligence while on his website, and then click a ?buy it now? button to purchase the lien.

Liens range in price from $ 50 to $ 7,500 and are always priced below their actual redemption value, Walker said.

?This means that when one of my students buys a lien, they know they will get a return on their investment,? Walker said. ?That return will come from the instant equity they gain when they buy the lien, the interest rate they receive on the certificate guaranteed by the county that filed the lien, or even the potential to acquire the property through a foreclosure process and receive a tax deed.?

Sean Keegan Walker is available for interviews with major media, network and syndicated radio. To contact him, please call his office at (877) 484-8012

SKW Central is a member based education platform that includes written, audio and video training on the tax lien and deed business. For more information, go to: http://www.SKWCentral.com, or call (877) 484-8012.

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Ambitious PV manufacturing capacity investments across the Asia Pacific region during 2011 have provided substantial revenue growth for local PV equipment suppliers, according to the latest NPD Solarbuzz PV Equipment Quarterly report.

Beneficiaries of these record investments include Japanese wire-saw producer Komatsu-NTC and an emerging group of Chinese tool suppliers that includes (Fujian) Apollo, 48th Research Institute (CETC-48), (Zhejiang) Jinggong, and Jingyuntong (JYT). Collectively, these four Chinese companies have posted a CAGR metric in excess of 200% for PV-specific equipment revenues covering the period from 2008 to 2011.

Applied Materials (AMAT) is forecast to retain the top spot as leading PV equipment supplier by recognized revenues. AMAT?s c-Si specific PV revenues for CY?11 are forecast to grow by more than 60%, as process tools for wafer and back-end cell production were widely implemented throughout all geographic regions and tier categories.

Many European equipment suppliers with a strong track record within the PV industry (Centrotherm, Meyer Burger, Schmid, RENA, Amtech-Tempress and DEK-Solar) are also forecast to post record PV tool revenues for 2011.

This is contrasted by other European suppliers that have seen their PV market share eroded by the new Chinese competition. Consolidated PV revenues of Roth & Rau, Manz, ALD-Vacuum, and PVA-TePla for 2011 are estimated to have been less than 50% of this grouping?s PV share in 2008.

Investment in turn-key a-Si lines?mainly from China?ensured continued revenue streams for Oerlikon and Apollo during 2011. While many thin-film investments are driven by unpredictable market-entry aspirations, this segment still offers attractive, but erratic, bookings potential for tool suppliers.

According to Finlay Colville, Senior Analyst at NPD Solarbuzz, ?The euphoria of announcing record revenues for 2011 is countered by the realization that much of the tooling shipped last year was stimulated by highly ambitious capacity expansion plans that were not underpinned by market demand. Over-capacity reached chronic proportions across the c-Si value-chain during 2011, and only stronger than anticipated end-market demand in 2012 will mitigate a painful and severe equipment spending downturn.?

Equipment suppliers at risk of Y/Y revenue declines in the 60-70% range for 2012 are those most exposed to the c-Si ingot-to-module stages. Only GT Advanced Technologies, with strong market-share in polysilicon and downstream PV equipment (characterized by different spending cycles), is retaining healthy revenue guidance during and beyond 2012.

Technology-Buy Cycles Continue to Frustrate PV Equipment Suppliers

Excessive PV equipment that was shipped during 2011 is now contributing to a misleading (nameplate) capacity figure at the 50 GW level. However, many production lines are now shuttered, idled, awaiting tool installation, running at utilization rates below 50%, or simply not capable of meeting downstream requirements on cost or efficiency. As a result, annualized, effective (or commercial), ramped capacity is closer to 30 GW.

Dominated by tier 1 (and selected tier 2) manufacturers, the short-term goal has now shifted from adding more capacity to cash preservation and repairing damaged balance sheets during 2012. The rebound in equipment spending that will ultimately be driven by these manufacturers is therefore on hold until there is sufficient confidence that end-market demand will exceed the 30 GW mark.

In the meantime, PV equipment suppliers are eagerly searching for technology-buys that will both soften the revenue declines during 2012 and give a clear indication of the process tool types to be prioritized from 2013.

Changes in the c-Si equipment roadmap point firmly to an increase in high-efficiency cell variants, with over 75% of capacity added during 2012 capable of producing panels with efficiency gains of 0.5% or more, compared to industry averages through 2011.

?The strategic planning for PV equipment suppliers is now shifting to 2013 and beyond, with limited prospects for revenue upside in 2012,? added Colville. ?Success will be provided to those suppliers that can align product portfolios with equipment process chains that are economic in the new low cost PV manufacturing environment.?

The NPD Solarbuzz PV Equipment Quarterly report enables PV equipment suppliers to navigate these challenges by identifying target customers or competitors, equipment revenues on offer (down to the key process tool level), and the precise timing of each PV manufacturer?s fab expansions by quarter to 2015.

The NPD Solarbuzz PV Equipment Quarterly features a comprehensive capacity and production database, incorporating proprietary NPD Solarbuzz industry knowledge across over 380 c-Si cell and thin-film panel producers, and a PowerPoint report with extensive analysis on technology, equipment spending and market-share trends. All data and analysis is reworked every quarter and includes expansion and spending activity from the immediate quarter closed for over 1,300 capacity expansion phases at over 640 fabs. The performance of leading PV equipment suppliers is analyzed and forecast 12 months out, including PV-specific process tool revenues, bookings, and backlogs.

For more information or to order the NPD Solarbuzz PV Equipment Quarterly, contact us at one of our seven global locations, email us at contact(at)solarbuzz(dot)com, or call Charles Camaroto at 1.516.625.2452 for more information.

About NPD Solarbuzz

NPD Solarbuzz, part of The NPD Group, is a globally recognized market research business focused on solar energy and photovoltaic industries. Since 2001, NPD Solarbuzz has grown its client-base to include many of the largest global PV manufacturers, major investment banks, equipment manufacturers, materials suppliers, hedge fund companies, and a vast range of other multi-nationals. NPD Solarbuzz offers a wide array of reports, including Marketbuzz, an annual global PV industry report, and Solarbuzz Quarterly, which details both historical and forecast data on the global PV supply chain. The company?s research also provides annual downstream PV market reports by region for Europe, Asia Pacific and US markets. In addition, Solarbuzz.com is a recognized and respected online resource within the solar industry. For more information, visit http://www.solarbuzz.com or follow us on Twitter at @Solarbuzz.

About The NPD Group, Inc.

The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,800 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, commercial technology, consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, foodservice, home, office supplies, software, sports, toys, and wireless. For more information, contact us or visit http://www.npd.com and http://www.npdgroupblog.com. Follow us on Twitter at @npdtech and @npdgroup.

Solarbuzz and Marketbuzz are registered trademarks of The NPD Group.

Media Contact:

Lauren Leetun, APR

SAVVY Public Relations

Phone: 407-592-7923

E-mail: media(at)displaysearch(dot)com

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The International Association of Financial Engineers (http://www.iafe.org) and SunGard (http://www.sungard.com) today announced that Robert F. Engle, the Michael Armellino Professor of Finance at New York University and 2003 Nobel Laureate for Economics, has been named the 2011 IAFE/SunGard Financial Engineer of the Year (FEOY). The award will be presented to Dr. Engle on February 2, 2012, at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City, during the IAFE/SunGard FEOY Award Gala Dinner.

Commenting on his 2011 FEOY award, Dr. Engle said, ?I am very pleased to be honored as Financial Engineer of the Year at this challenging time. The goals of improved risk management and responsible performance have never been more important.”

Dr. Richard Lindsey, chairman of the IAFE, said, ?Professor Engle is a terrific choice as Financial Engineer of the Year. His work combines the rigorous, intellectual approach of an academic with the practical, real-world view of a practitioner. His contributions to the every-day practice and application of financial engineering are even more important in today?s volatile world.?

Brian Traquair, president of SunGard?s capital markets business, said, ?Robert Engle?s ARCH model is used by researchers and financial markets analysts around the world to help price assets and evaluate portfolio risk. Naming him the 2011 Financial Engineer of the Year recognizes these contributions to the industry, and SunGard is proud to continue to co-sponsor this important award.?

The annual IAFE/SunGard FEOY Award, established in 1993, recognizes individual contributions to the advancement of financial engineering technology. Nominations are submitted by a nominating committee of approximately 100 people, consisting of all the IAFE governing boards. They are then reviewed in a two step process by a selection committee of 25 members, including the IAFE board of directors and senior fellows. This year’s selection committee was chaired by Dr. Richard Roll, an IAFE senior fellow and the 2009 FEOY award winner.

About Robert Engle

Professor Engle is an expert in time series analysis with a long-standing interest in the analysis of financial markets. His ARCH model and its generalizations have become indispensable tools not only for researchers, but also for analysts of financial markets, who use them in asset pricing and in evaluating portfolio risk. His research has also produced such innovative statistical methods as cointegration, common features, autoregressive conditional duration (ACD), CAViaR and now dynamic conditional correlation (DCC) models.

He is currently the Director of the newly created NYU Stern Volatility Institute and is the Co-Founding President of the Society for Financial Econometrics (SoFiE), a global non-profit organization housed at NYU. Before joining NYU Stern in 2000, Professor Engle was Chancellor’s Associates Professor and Economics Department Chair at the University of California, San Diego, and Associate Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He received his bachelor of science in physics from Williams College and his master of science in physics and doctor of philosophy in economics from Cornell University. Born in Syracuse, NY, he grew up in Media, Pennsylvania, spent 25 years in San Diego, and now lives in New York.

Previous Award Recipients

Dr. Engle joins a prestigious list of recipients of the IAFE/SunGard Financial Engineer of the Year Award. They include: Peter Carr, Richard Roll, Bob Litterman, Jack Treynor, Jim Simons, Phelim Boyle, Oldrich Alfons Vasicek, Darrell Duffie, Jonathan Ingersoll, Andrew Lo, Emanuel Derman, John Hull, John Cox, Robert Merton, Fischer Black, Mark Rubinstein, Stephen Ross, and Robert Jarrow. Myron Scholes received a lifetime achievement award in 2001.

About the International Association of Financial Engineers (IAFE)

The IAFE is the not-for-profit, professional society dedicated to fostering the profession of quantitative finance by providing platforms to discuss cutting-edge and pivotal issues in the field. Founded in 1992, the IAFE is composed of individual academics and practitioners from banks, broker dealers, hedge funds, pension funds, asset managers, technology firms, regulators, accounting, consulting and law firms, and universities across the globe.

Through frank discussions of current policy issues, sponsoring programs to educate the financial community and recognizing the outstanding achievements in the field, the IAFE acts as a beacon for the development of quantitative finance. Throughout its history, the IAFE

Madison Street Capital (MSC) acted as the exclusive buy-side adviser in the recapitalization of Veterans Enterprise Technology Solutions, Inc. and worked with the firm to complete a shareholder buyout, it was announced by Charles Botchway, CEO of Madison Street Capital. Madison Street Capital, worked closely with Veterans Enterprise Technology Solutions? management to structure and negotiate the buyout as well as to structure and secure financing from Capital One Bank (USA), N.A. to complete the transaction. The transaction was led by Madison Street Capital Senior Managing Director Barry Petersen; terms of the deal were not disclosed.

?Madison Street Capital?s personnel did an outstanding job valuing the company and providing advice regarding the purchase, they were also instrumental in identifying and negotiating funding,? said James H. Moody, CEO of Veterans Enterprise Technology Solutions, Inc. ?All Madison Street Capital personnel, including Barry Petersen, Dipesh Patel, and Brian Gorski, were extremely professional, customer-oriented, and highly competent in the performance of their duties. Veterans Enterprise Technology Solutions could not have completed this transaction without their outstanding support.?

About Veterans Enterprise Technology Solutions, Inc.:

Founded in April 2005 and headquartered in Clarksville, Virginia, Veterans Enterprise Technology Solutions, Inc. is a client-focused, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) that provides sophisticated information technology-related administrative services and program management support to federal agencies and departments on a national scale. Its customers include various agencies and offices within the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the General Services Administration. Veterans Enterprise Technology Solutions functions as both a prime contractor as well as a subcontractor, and maintains teaming agreements with some of the nation?s largest defense contractors and information technology consulting firms. Veterans Enterprise Technology Solutions also maintains offices in Alexandria, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

About Madison Street Capital:

A leading provider of corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions (M&A) advisory, Madison Street Capital?s professionals have the ability to arrange the appropriate financing and capitalization structure to suit each clients? specific situation. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the middle market investment banking firm has offices in North America, Africa, and Asia. Madison Street Capital draws on years of combined experience to provide a variety of financial services that include middle market investment banking (M&A advisory), restructuring services, valuation and M&A services for hedge funds, buy side and sell side services for private equity, corporate advisory services, business valuation services, valuation for financial reporting, and financial opinion services.

Experience makes the difference, and having assisted clients in a diverse range of industries, Madison Street Capital?s seasoned professionals understand that all circumstances demand careful analysis and precise recommendations. For business owners looking for acquisitions, selling a business, building a sound exit strategy, or simply for matters of corporate governance Madison Street Capital has a history of execution and excellence in the investment banking industry. For additional information, call Madison Street Capital at 1-312-529-7000 or visit http://www.madisonstreetcapital.com.

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DailyDAC, LLC, is proud to announce that it has joined forces with West LegalEdcenter, Buyouts Magazine, peHub, Venture Capital Journal and Thomson Reuters West, to produce a three-part webinar series, Restructuring, Insolvency & Distressed Investing For 2012, according to DailyDAC Director, Kathleen Parker.

The first session, ?Strategic Alternatives for Distressed Businesses,? will take place on January 31st, and will focus on the pros and cons of Chapter 11 and discuss the other options available to deal with distress, such as exchange offers, composition agreements, assignments for the benefit of creditors, and friendly foreclosure.

The second session, ?Everything the General Counsel Should Know about Chapter 11 Bankruptcy,? will take place on February 29, 2011, and will help focus on what in-house attorneys need to know in order to deal with the financial distress of their company or of a supplier, customer, or competitor.

The third session, ?How to Buy a Distressed Business,? will discuss best practices for buying broken businesses, the legal mechanisms available to do so, and ways to sources such deals.

The panels for these webinars include: C.J. Burger (Summit Investment Management); Richard Carmody (Adams and Reese); Jonathan Friedland (Levenfeld Pearlstein); William Henrich (Getzler Henrich); Melissa Kibler Knoll (Mesirow Financial); David Lorry (Versa Capital Management); Rick Mikels (Mintz Levin); Hamid Rafatjoo (Venable); Tom Salerno (Squire, Sanders & Dempsey); James H.M. Sprayregen (Kirkland & Ellis); and J. Scott Victor (SSG Capital Advisors) (Philadelphia). “These luminaries,” said Parker, “are among the most accomplished and active Chapter 11 bankruptcy professionals in the world.”

For more information on how to register, click here.

More About DailyDAC:

DailyDAC- Deal Acquisition Central- searches for investment opportunities for buyers of financially distressed companies, buyers of excess assets, and investors searching for superior returns by investing in or lending to companies that have urgent capital needs. For more information, go to http://www.dailydac.com and opt-in to receive DailyDAC?s free weekly electronic newsletter.

DailyDAC- Dealmakers? Analysis & Commentary- is also The Web-based Accredited-investor Learning-center. If your net worth is more than $ 1 million or if you regularly make more than $ 200,000 per year, you are likely an accredited investor and you in the small minority of people permitted to invest in private equity funds, hedge funds, venture capital funds, and private placements. DailyDAC?s WAL exists to provide unbiased and reliable advice and information to accredited investors.

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Littler Mendelson, P.C. (Littler), the nation?s largest employment and labor law firm representing management, has pinpointed eight major global employment trends facing international companies for 2012 and beyond.

?From dangerous workplaces to social media to whistleblowing, the global employment trends we are seeing are a clear reflection of the social and economic times in which we are living,? said Garry Mathiason, chairman of the board at Littler. ?The change in social policy based on a transformed global economy is driving an evolution in the work we do for clients. These trends are an important part of the future of global employment law.?

The eight major and emerging trends, as well as a brief video of Garry Mathiason discussing these trends at Littler?s Global Employer Institute in Washington, D.C., are below.

1. Dangerous Workplaces ? Employees are accepting assignments that take them to unsafe places in the world. These assignments are often shorter term, but increasing in frequency. Compliance recommendations include recognizing by country and assignment the continuum of threats, and establishing centralized policies and multi-disciplinary teams to respond.

Jim Hitt, CEO of American IRA-A National Provider of Self-Directed IRAs, says “Things are pretty spooky. The United States, fresh from a downgrade on its bonds, was unable to come to an agreement to cut the ballooning deficit. Meanwhile, the European Union is teetering on the edge of collapse because of its own inability to get its fiscal and monetary house in order. And Iran is building nukes ? and inviting a military response that could disrupt the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf.

With all this negativity it is encouraging to see that young people still believe in the American Dream and why shouldn’t they?! It’s within reach especially with the right tools at their disposal-Self Directed IRAs are an important part of that tool box.”

Successful gold investors feel that gold is the perfect hedge against chaotic times. When economies zig, gold zags. The value of gold, priced in dollars, tends to rise under conditions like these: