The worst month of the year actually ended on a positive note!
September is typically the worst month of the year for the stock market, but all three major indexes posted gains.
Dow (DJIA) - Price on 9/1/09: 9,310.60, Price at close on 9/30/09: 9,712.28, one month rate of return: +4.31 percent.
Nasdaq – Price on 9/1/09: 1,968.89, Price at close on 9/30/09: 2,122.42, one month rate of return: +7.8 percent.
S&P 500 – Price on 9/1/09: 998.04 , Price at close on 9/30/09: 1,057.08, one month rate of return: +5.92 percent.
Historically, October is also a not-so good month for the stock market. The worst …read more

What is a stock market crash and why do crashes tend to happen in the fall?
According to Wikipedia, a crash is a “sudden dramatic decline of stock prices“ across a large section of the market.
According to Investopedia, an index must lose 20 percent of its value in order for a crash to be declared.
September provides an average loss of about 1.3 percent, and most crashes occur in the fall, the worst ones have happened in October.
Today, I came across a possible explanation for the losing tradition of the fall season on EconomicPolicyJournal.com.
In a nutshell,  Robert Wenzel argues that in the fall there is a major …read more

Stanley Bing wrote a delightful, tongue-in-cheek column yesterday for Fortune. It included 13 jobs for retirees . While some of us hope that our retirement accounts will support us without the need for a job during our sunset years, others worry that retirement without something to do will be…boring. Besides, what happens if you retire just before the stock market crashes ? Bing offers these intriguing options for retirees who aren’t quite ready to call it quits:

Treasure hunter
“Before” picture model
Miniature golf caddy
Plant person
Artisan cheese taster
iPhone app writer
Greeter
Airport chauffeur
Mall cop
Grass monitor
Early bird specialist
CEO of a bailed out, TARP or Chapter 11 …read more