Q&A: A look at some basic financial concerns

The financial upheaval sweeping across the country in recent weeks has left many Americans feeling as though they've been hit with a Taser.Billion-dollar bailouts and bankruptcies among the nation's financial titans, a wobbly economy and crumbling stock and job markets have jolted the steadiest of citizens from Wall Street to Main Street.As lawmakers and other powerful elite debate the intricacies of how the crisis arose and what should be done about it, the average Joe has more basic concerns: How safe are my deposits, my stocks, my home and my job? Here are some answers:Q: What about my job?A: The economy has shed some 600,000 jobs so far this year and more cuts are projected. Labor Department figures for September, due this week, are expected to show the ninth straight month of declines. "I wouldn't be surprised if job losses stretch out another nine months," said Stuart Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group.Continued declines are expected in manufacturing, construction and the financial services sectors, including mortgage finance, real estate and insurance. Layoffs also are spreading to retailing, business and professional services, such as law and accounting, and most recently into the leisure and hospitality industry, including restaurants and lodging.If Congress fails to pass bailout legislation, the outlook is more dire, with job cuts becoming much deeper and lasting much longer than current projections, Hoffman said.The fear is that unless crippled credit markets loosen up, businesses won't be able to fund basic operations, including their payrolls."That certainly has been a concern," Hoffman said. "It could mean companies miss payrolls or, at worst, can't make the investments they need to stay in business."Q: What about my house?A: Housing prices continue to sink, so sellers may be disappointed in what their homes can fetch. Buyers may find it more difficult to get a mortgage as lenders tighten standards and become reluctant to qualify borrowers who haven't sold their existing home.But for buyers with good credit who don't have a house to unload, this could be a great time to plunge into home ownership, since prices are down and mortgage rates are low, hovering in the 6 percent range.Q: How safe are my bank deposits?A: Millions of depositors have begun to worry about the safety of their savings in the wake of more than a dozen bank failures this year, including the federal bailout of Seattle-based behemoth Washington Mutual and Monday's government-assisted sale of the nation's fourth largest commercial bank, Wachovia, as it sank amidst the subprime mortgage meltdown.With uncertainty growing, now is not the time to keep deposits in any one bank account that exceeds federal insurance limits.The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. insures up to $100,000, while maximum coverage on retirement accounts is $250,000. Congress is considering temporarily raising coverage on non-retirement accounts to $250,000 to reassure nervous depositors as part of the legislature's proposed $700 billion bailout package.Coverage does not apply to the contents of safe deposit boxes or to investments, meaning the FDIC does not insure money in mutual funds, stocks, bonds, life insurance policies or annuities, even if they were purchased from an FDIC-insured institution.Joint, single and trust accounts are treated separately, so it is possible to have much more than the $100,000/$250,000 on deposit at a single bank and still be covered.Rules can be confusing. Consumers can get an idea about whether their deposits are fully covered by using the FDIC's Electronic Deposit Estimator at www.fdic.gov, or by calling 1-877-275-3342.Q: What will happen to my stocks and mutual funds?A: On Monday, $1.2 trillion was erased from the stock market in the biggest sell-off in two decades. So far this year, major market indexes, including the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Standard and Poor's 500, are down roughly 20 percent.No one knows how low stocks might go, or how long it might take for the market to recover.But that doesn't mean it's time to panic."Unless you believe democratic capitalism is set for permanent ruin, you continue to invest," said Charlie Smith, chief investment officer at Fort Pitt Capital Group in Green Tree, Pa.(E-mail Patricia Sabatini at psabatini(at)post-gazette.com)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)