In my 20 years’ experience as a financial advisor, I’ve learned that even if there were such a thing as the “perfect portfolio,” choosing the asset allocation that’s most likely to allow you to adhere to your financial plan is even more important than the allocation itself. Because adhering to your plan should give you …Read More.
I travel a decent amount. I don’t mind flying, but I’ve always struggled with the loss of productivity. Hours waiting at the airport. Even more hours in flight. But with the advent of in-flight Wi-Fi, I thought my productivity problems were solved. I was wrong. I’ve instead concluded that by nixing slow and unpredictable in-flight …Read More.
This video features Larry Swedroe, director of research for the BAM ALLIANCE. …Read More.
This video features Carl Richards, director of investor education for the BAM ALLIANCE. …Read More.
Giving Tuesday might officially be behind us, but let’s face it—we’re just getting started. The giving season is underway, with the holidays and year-end bearing down on us. So how can we transform one of the more stressful, and sometimes guilt-ridden, elements of the season into something more life-giving? Whether you’re giving to a family member, …Read More.
This video features Jim Whiddon, director of investment enrichment for the BAM ALLIANCE. …Read More.
This video features Tim Maurer, director of personal finance for the BAM ALLIANCE. …Read More.
Many investors are glued the financial news, tracking the latest reports about interest rates, earnings reports and stock movements. They believe this kind of intense focus will help them maximize returns. They couldn’t be more wrong. Instead of spending time looking up a stock symbol to find out its latest price, investors would be better …Read More.
“What fuels widespread fears at this moment isn’t aging. It’s retirement….Never before have so many people had so much experience and the time and the capacity to do something significant with it.” So states Chris Farrell in his thought-provoking new book, Unretirement. He goes on, writing that “the last third of life is being both …Read More.
In most areas of human endeavor, we use the term “professional” to refer to someone whose educational background and skill level give him or her a level of expertise worthy of admiration or deference. It doesn’t work that way with investing. The term “investment pro” is tossed around with abandon. It refers to anyone who …Read More.
Last year, a guy made headlines because he was caught using a lowly flip phone. In a world of gold iPhones and palm-size phablets, it does seem a little odd that someone would still use such a low-tech device. But it was the identity of the person using the phone that got everyone’s attention: Jerry …Read More.
The news keeps getting worse for active management. Here’s a summary: Poor year-to-date performance In an article on MarketWatch.com, Mitch Tuchman references data from Bank of America indicating only 17.7 percent of active managers have beaten a large-cap index benchmark year to date. That is a significant decline from last year, when 40.5 percent beat …Read More.
Q:What are municipal bonds? A:Municipal bonds are debt instruments issued by municipalities in any of the 50 states by the following entities: 1) territories, subdivisions, counties, cities, towns and villages of the state, 2) school districts, 3) agencies such as authorities and special districts created by a state and 4) certain federally sponsored agencies, such …Read More.
The carry-trade strategy involves borrowing (going short on) a currency with a relatively low interest rate and using the proceeds to purchase (going long on) a currency yielding a higher interest rate, capturing the interest differential. The strategy can be “enhanced” though the use of leverage. The success of this strategy has led to its …Read More.
Gold has long been used as a store of value, as a unit of exchange and to make jewelry. More recently, due to the popular view that it’s a safe haven in times of economic trouble, gold has come to be thought of as an investment asset with a potential role in the asset-allocation decision, …Read More.