Discussing our financial state of affairs.

Ariel Mutual Funds and Charles Schwab released a survey earlier this summer showing that as of January and February, "a significant percentage of African Americans" were opting out of investing aggressively into 401(k) stocks. They prefer to keep their money in cash or to put money in conservative investments like real estate. With interest rates at a 35-year low, 50% of blacks surveyed for the Ariel-Schwab poll believe that real estate is the best investment overall, compared to 49% of blacks who made that claim a year ago. And when people participating in the survey were asked whether making home improvements or buying stocks is a better investment, 76% of blacks, compared to 61% of whites, chose home improvements as the better investment.

In our next issue, we bring together a roundtable of some of today's best asset managers from across the country to discuss the state of financial markets. We look at the long-term performances of equities, bonds, and mutual funds, and the successful ways investors can begin to recoup some of the losses they've suffered over the past three years. On a positive note, according to the Ariel-Schwab survey, 82% of blacks and 89% of whites remained optimistic about their financial future.

Don't miss the debate. Don't miss our next edition.

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