Adam C. Zuercher, CPA, CFP®

Miguel, you ask a very good question in light of recent news headlines. If you are a long-term investor, I think Michael, John, and Paul have all make excellent points. I agree with Michael that you should invest both at home and abroad. I agree with John that the emerging international markets (Brazil, Russia, India, China, etc.) currently look more attractive than the developed international markets (Europe, Japan, etc.).

You should also consider that the US stock market currently makes up 32.65% of the world's stock market capitalization. We have by far the largest stock market as the next largest stock market belongs to Japan with only 7.24% of the world's total. However, with the US making up only one-third of the world's total stock market, it's important to recognize that there are many opportunities abroad. If you exclude international markets you are missing out on 67% of the world's total stock market opportunities.

Bottom line, I believe that you should have your core equity investments in US equities. I also think you should maintain some international exposure even in the current environment. Stock valuations (P/E's) across the globe are currently trading below their long-term historical averages. As a firm, we have underweighted our exposure to Europe, but we still invest abroad, and we favor emerging markets.

Sayed, I admire your entrepreneurial spirit! I agree with George that you will want to consult a business lawyer before investing any money into a startup. In addition, here is a list of web resources that might help you get started:

• Inc. Magazine has a collection of articles for those starting a business here: http://www.inc.com/start-up

• Entrepreneur magazine has a startup section here: http://www.entrepreneur.com/startingabusiness/index.html

• Y Combinator is a unique model of startup funding: http://ycombinator.com/

• Kickstarter is another unique way to find funding for a startup project: http://www.kickstarter.com/start

Good luck to you!