Hindsight is 20… Okay, we know that saying so let’s skip the crap. Today is the last day of the year decade. Is there anything you wish you did this decade that you didn’t? If you could turn back time, how will your goals be different? I read somewhere before that most of us overestimate […]
It’s the end of another year, and it’s time to start planning if you are bound and determined to be more financially organized next year. Decide now what you want to do to start getting on top of your finances in the new year. To help you make a financial lifestyle change, here are 5 […]
After deciding how much of your portfolio should be in each asset class (stocks, bonds, commodities, etc.), the next asset allocation decision to make is how much of your portfolio should be invested in your own country’s stock market and how much should be invested abroad. Weighting by market capitalization A common sense starting point […]
There’s one question that I’ve seen asked more times than any other over the last several months: “Should I keep investing in the market given how much it’s going down right now?” To me, this question suggests a fundamental misunderstanding. The market isn’t “going down.” A more precise way to explain the situation is to […]
The impact of investment costs is never emphasized enough. In order to see how much it affects mutual funds returns, let’s compare a few different domestic stock mutual funds: Fund A: Vanguard’s Total Stock Market Index charges no sales load and has an annual expense ratio of 0.15%. Fund B: American Funds’ Investment Company of […]
As our economy and stock market tanked over the last several months, talk of inflation seemed to disappear. Instead, people began discussing the possibility (and ramifications) of deflation. Now that the stock market has picked back up–at least for the moment–I’ve heard several people voice concerns about inflation again. Over an investor’s lifetime, inflation takes […]
