Today’s investor doesn’t have to look far to find someone predicting dire consequences just around the bend. Forecasts of impending doom have been around a long time. According to legend, Cassandra was a Trojan princess cursed by the god Apollo with the ability to see the future, but to have no one believe her.

Imagine a very nice family living in a very nice neighborhood in an especially beautiful and very nice home. They have lived there for a little over seven years now, and have been very happy. A few years ago they invested in finishing the basement, turning it into a beautiful family space with an entertainment center, exercise equipment, and separate room for the furnace and hot water heater. They even added a pair of sump pumps to protect their investment. Because their home made up a big part of their family wealth, they paid for homeowners’ insurance every month.

Are you a better than average driver? According to a number of survey results, a lot of drivers think they are. A Survey by PublicMind at Fairleigh Dickinson University found that 68% of the drivers polled considered themselves above average, 30% considered themselves average, and just 1% considered themselves to be below average. (1% were unsure or refused to answer.)

After last year's robust stock market performance, returns this year seem a bit meager by comparison. This is especially true of the kind of big, blue chip companies that make up the DJIA, which is up only 1.51% for the first half of the year. This may be one of the reasons behind the topic of conversation that seems to be popping up more frequently lately. Many investors including many conservative investors appear to be asking themselves if they're being too cautious now that some of the major stock indices are hitting all-time highs.

"Past performance is not indicative of future results." Investors have seen that warning countless times, but do they believe it?

Its the start of a new year; the traditional time for self-examination, reflection, and a new list of resolutions intended to help us work on those aspects of our lives we feel could use some improvement.