Tag: investing

After a year of stock-picking and sector ETF trading that took more time than it was worth, I switched to a simple 3-fund index portfolio — and I haven't looked back. The strategy is straightforward: hold one US total market fund, one international fund, and one bond fund. Rebalance quarterly.…

Of late I have been reflecting on my investing performance over the last decade. While I have made some money on "winning" stocks, I have probably lost much more on duds. In fact as I looked at my portfolio I still own many of these dud stocks, hoping for some…

The market continued on its rampage reaching an all-time high, surpassing levels last seen before the 2008 financial crisis. This is despite Congress and the Biden administration squabbling about the impacts of additional spending and who would be blamed for a potential economic calamity due to the inefficiency of Washington.…

With ongoing volatility across global markets and an uncertain future in terms of taxes, regulations and government safety nets such as social security; diversification is key in managing the risk associated with your retirement savings. That's why these four risk diversification strategies across products and services make a lot of…

Just like any other business minded person, financial (investment) advisors and planners are in it for the money – they have to make a living, and they’re doing it on your dime.  Don’t ever doubt that they are terrific salespeople as well as financial advisors. So, taking their word as…

A lot of people say "richer" Americans are an eccentric lot. But the fact is that, your co-worker or neighbor down the road is probably more likely to better fit the "well-to-do" or upper class profile than someone like Donald Trump. Based on information from the Census and IRS data,…

The graphic to the right, showing the top stories on MarketWatch recently, reflects how mixed views on the market outlook really are. Some experts predict a continuing boom, some a crash and some both. No wonder retail investors like you and I are confused on what to do. Stock market…

On and off over the last 5 years I have been a holder of Apple stock (AAPL). While a simpler and probably more profitable strategy would have been to accumulate and hold the stock, I instead traded AAPL as it continued to rise and occasionally pullback. However, I am now…

Income from mutual funds and stocks that invest in real estate backed mortgages has never been higher. With returns of 8-15% these alternative investments – when used appropriately – can substantially increase portfolio income and growth. Much of the success of these funds is due to the difficulty that Americans…

Everyone is now feeling the effects of higher prices and rising costs. Also known as inflation. As consumers, no one likes inflation. However as investors, there are some good ways to profit from rising inflation, or at least buffer your portfolio from falling asset prices. Before we can figure out…

Annuities have been a viable investment option for many years. However, there is still a great deal of confusion on what exactly they are and how exactly they work. Understanding the concept of annuities can help you to determine if they are right for you, and if so, what type…

After about a year of running my business, I'd built up a decent cushion of savings sitting in a checking account earning close to nothing. The account had features I liked, but it wasn't putting compounding to work for me — so after a promotional offer (a bonus rate plus…

Everyone who has a 401(k) or IRA has read the standard playbook: invest regularly, diversify, keep costs low. Good advice, all of it. But knowing what not to do is just as important — and some of the most expensive mistakes are the ones that feel reasonable in the moment.…