What would you want to do?

I was reading a blog this evening that asked the question, "Do you like your job? If you left your job, what would you want to do?"

The blogger was asking the question because of the rising unemployment situation combined with the frustration many people feel in a thankless, dead-end job. Many of the respondents dreamed of leaving their jobs to start their own businesses. One of the bloggers mentioned paying off his mortgage so he could leave his job and focus on boarding horses using some land he recently purchased. Another person who works full-time as a wholesale auto parts distributor mentioned ramping up sales of a niche product he developed on the side.

I can honestly say I like my government job quite a bit. That doesn't mean I like it every day, but it's rewarding on most days. My work helps retirees get the retirement benefits their employers promised them, even when those employers end up liquidating. And because I work in the federal government, I can have a very reasonable work-life balance.

However, I work as a financial analyst. If I went out into the private sector, I'm not sure how much job security there would really be. Many things a financial analyst can do could be outsourced to India. I noticed on the blog mentioned above that many accountants are having their work outsourced.

That's part of the reason I like financial planning. You meet your clients one-on-one and develop plans for them so they can achieve their goals with as little risk as possible. You build a relationship with your clients and keep their best interests in mind. And you don't need to worry about outsourcing.

Do you want to leave your job and do whatever your heart desires? That's where I come in. My job is to help you find a way to make that goal a reality. And sometimes you might already know what it will take to get you there, but you just need someone to take care of the number-crunching and follow-up to make sure you stay on track. I can do that too. And if you somehow get off track, I can help you find ways to get back on the right path.

Stock market outlook is improving

It looks like the outcome of the bank stress tests isn't damaging the market, and while there continues to be an ongoing debate regarding whether banks should have been bailed out in the first place, it's clear that the Obama administration will not allow large banks to fail. That places a floor under the financial sector in the stock market, and allows investors to gather confidence about the overall economy.

You'll see a lot of articles and hear a lot of pundits say "we're not out of the woods yet". And that's true in terms of unemployment, bankruptcies, and commercial investment. But these indicators usually are at their worst after the bottom is reached in the stock market. And the stock market low we reached in early March really does look like the bottom now. Two months ago, the market wasn't sure how bad the economy was going to get. Now there are some positive indicators, such as rising consumer confidence and a stabilization of the service sector, that suggest we're "getting off the steep part of the roller coaster".

And although few people are anticipating a robust recovery, the market is breathing a sigh of relief that we're not continuing to fall into the abyss. And that's good enough for me to recommmend increasing your allocation in the stock market back to higher levels commensurate with your risk tolerance and your time horizon.