Greg Heberlein

Every investor dreams of beating the market. But very few money managers are able to pull it off on a consistent basis.

SmartMoney magazine recently profiled a fund manager who has beaten the odds. Allan Mecham, of Arlington Value Management, has racked up an impressive 400 percent gain in the past 12 years. An initial investment of $100,000 in his fund 12 years ago would be worth $500,000 today.

Facebook filed for its initial public stock offering in February, and the IPO could take place at any time in the next several weeks.

Should you buy the stock? We ducked that question a month ago on Money Matters but now, financial commentator Greg Heberlein is willing to offer some advice. 

As with many financial issues, the answer is dependent on your personal circumstances.

When you're not paying with cash, do you prefer a credit card or a debit card?

Organizations such as the Better Business Bureau and Consumer Reports prefer the security of credit cards. 

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer agree that credit cards offer the most security and benefits, but find debit cards still have a useful role to play.

Should you buy Facebook stock when it goes public in the next few months?

Like any individual stock, it's a gamble. Most investors are better off with the relative safety of a stock index fund.

But sometimes it's hard to resist the dream of striking it rich like early investors did with the Microsoft or Amazon IPOs.

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer look at what to expect when Facebook finally goes on the market.

2011 was a terrific year for the Seattle-based Starbucks coffee chain. The stock shot up 43% last year and recently hit record highs.

Financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer look at the successful company on this week's Money Matters.

Local economist Dick Conway unveiled his economic forecast for the region recently, and he painted an optimistic picture, describing it as "a sunny day, with some clouds".

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein tells KPLU's Dave Meyer that he thinks there's a good case for optimism this year.

It's been hard to make money in stocks and bonds lately. 2011 was a great year to sell gold, but prices are too high to buy it now. Where does that leave us?

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein tells KPLU's Dave Meyer that 2012 might be a great year for investing in real estate.

Greg Heberlein and Dave Meyer usually talk about ways to save and invest money. But on this week's Money Matters, they concentrate on how to give it away!

Charitable giving is more important than ever this year. Thanks to the ailing economy, federal, state and local governments have less money to help the needy. More and more people are turning to nonprofit organizations for help.

The end of the year is a great time to review your finances. Are you saving enough for retirement?

According to U.S. News & World Report, about a third of all Americans have nothing saved for retirement. Fortunately, it's never too late to start building your nest egg.

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer look at ways to prepare for "the golden years".

Should you spend more this holiday season and give the economy a boost? Or cut back on shopping and save your money for possibly tougher times ahead?

That's quite a conundrum.

McCormick and Schick's Seafood Restaurants are a popular dining choice in the Seattle area. The Portland-based company is being sold to Houston-based Landry's Restaurants.

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein says the sale demonstrates why you should be skeptical about the recommendations of securities analysts.

Over the past 30 years, U.S. Treasuries have out-performed the stock market. Bloomberg's Cordell Eddings reports the last time that happened was 150 years ago. What's going on?

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein says this is a rare event and not "the new normal."

"One theory is the world must reach the brink to find the leadership needed for resolution ..."

Greece is the epicenter of the European debt crisis so, naturally, financial commentator Greg Heberlein went there on vacation! Unfortunately what he found there and elsewhere outside the U.S. were divisive politics, blame all around and the potential for economic doom.

If you’re spooked by the volatile stock market, you may want to put your money into bonds.

On this week’s Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein tells KPLU’s Dave Meyer that short term U.S. Treasury bonds are a safe bet.

If gold is part of your investment portfolio, or you have some old jewelry you'd like to get rid of, now may be a great time to cash in. Gold prices are at record highs, recently approaching $1,900 an ounce.

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer talk about how to get the most money for your gold.