Forbes coverage: The pros and cons of investing in your employer’s stock

Making headlines earlier this month, Google’s stock price increased to $1,000 per share, boosting the investment portfolios of nearly 46,000 employee shareholders. While the uptick was great news for these employees, financial advisors are usually cautious when it comes to holding too much company stock.

Published on October 22, Forbes reporter Maggie McGrath highlights the company stock holding issue and includes Mike Piershale in her column. For investors who want to put some of their wealth into company stock, Piershale suggests analyzing the long-term performance of the business. If it truly is a “good” company, he advises to not put more than 10 percent of their portfolio into that equity.

He also recommends taking advantage of NUA, which provides a tax deferral opportunity when investors take distributions from company-owned stock appreciations. To read the full article and learn more about company stock holdings, click here.

What the government shutdown means for you

For the first time in 17 years, the United States government is in a shutdown after the House and Senate failed to reach an agreement over the stipulations and scope of Obamacare. No one is sure how long the partial shutdown is estimated to last, but we are already beginning to see the repercussions as hundreds of thousands of government workers go on furlough indefinitely. So what does this mean for the rest of us?

In a recent article for DailyWorth.com, John Piershale weighed in on the immediate and pertinent consequences of the shutdown. He discussed nonessential services that have been stopped (either entirely or partially) including: national parks, museums, the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, the Treasury Department, the Small Business Administration, and even some services to the blind. He also offered how the shutdown could impact mortgage approvals, considering that the Federal Housing Administration backs almost 30 percent of mortgage loans.

Lastly, Piershale emphasized the potential consequences a shutdown could have on fourth quarter economic numbers. “A few days probably wouldn’t make much difference, while a month, which is unlikely, would have a measurable affect on fourth quarter GDP,” he said.

To read the full article by contributor Nancy Mann Jackson, follow the link below:“How will the government shutdown affect you?”