Affluent Investor Confidence Back on the Rise

Millionaires and affluent investors are more optimistic about the investment environment, according to the latest survey by Spectrem Group.

The Spectrem Millionaire Investor Confidence Index (SMICI SM) advanced 5 points in April to -1, bringing the index to its highest level since December 2007, when it stood at 8.
                    
Meanwhile, the Spectrem Affluent Investor Confidence Index (SAICI SM), which measures the investment confidence and outlook of households with $500,000 or more in investable assets, rose 3 points in April to -9, which is also the index’s highest since December 2007, when it stood at zero.

“Millionaires and the broader affluent population were both more optimistic about the investment environment in April than at any time since December 2007,” said George H. Walper, Jr., President of Spectrem Group, a in a news release. “The Dow Jones Industrials surpassing the 11,000 mark was clearly a positive for the nation’s wealthiest investors. However, the outlook of both groups remains neutral with some lingering uncertainty about the economy – specifically, unemployment levels,”

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In response to an open-ended question about the one factor most affecting their investment plans, affluent investors in April cited: stock market conditions (21%); the economic environment (16%); household cash flow (8%); household income (7%); retirement (7%); and the political climate (4%). Those choosing stock market conditions fell from 22% in January, the last time this question was asked, and those citing the economy fell from 20%.

Millionaires were slightly more focused on the economy (21%) than the affluent but less focused on stock market conditions (20%).

The Spectrem Affluent Investor Confidence Index (SAICISM) is based on 250 monthly interviews with the financial decisionmakers in households with $500,000 or more in investable assets. The Spectrem Millionaire Investor Confidence Index (SMICI SM) is based on a subset of the overall survey group.

Are Dogs Better Listeners than Spouses?

Sometimes it’s nice to talk to someone who doesn’t have an opinion.

That could be why a third of pet-owning married women said their pets are better listeners than their husbands, according to a new poll from The AP-Petside.com. It seems when men are “in the doghouse,” dogs are in the therapist’s chair.

But women are not out of the doghouse. Eighteen percent of pet-owning married men said pets are better listeners than their wives.

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Dogs are the pet therapist of choice. One-quarter (25%) of dog owners said their canines listened better than a spouse, while only 14% chose cats.

Overall, the poll found that one in 10 pet owners like to talk their problems over with their pets, which included mostly cats and dogs but also a wide range of other pets.

“As much as we love our spouses or significant others, sometimes they are not there, sometimes they have their own thoughts about how we should deal with situations,” veterinarian Karen Sueda told the Associated Press. “And sometimes, especially when it’s a husband or male significant other, they want to solve the problem rather than just listening to the problem.”

GfK Custom Research North America conducted the telephone poll April 7 to 12 among 1,112 pet owners age 18 or older.

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