On a recent trip to my parents’ house, I sifted through crates of childhood junk that my mother had cleared from the attic. One item in particular caught my eye—an “official program” from a New York Mets game in 1980.…

We’ve all come across the magazine and web quizzes. Answer five questions and you can find out what kind of exerciser, dieter, or driver you are.

I thought I’d have a little fun and apply this exercise to investors. I’ll …

Anybody can give good advice. But taking the advice we give to others? That’s sometimes easier said than done.

For example, I could probably write the definitive guide to diet and exercise. It would be informative and inspiring, full of …

The nation’s near-term focus is on the “fiscal cliff,” the slate of expiring tax cuts and automatic spending reductions that will be triggered at the end of 2012 if leaders in Washington fail to reach a budget agreement. The debate …

I participated in a live webcast recently on the topic of earning income in a low-yield environment. Here’s a recap of a few of the themes from that session.

One of the persistent questions from the seminar was how long …

A colleague sent me a link to “The Juggle,” a Wall Street Journal blog that explores “the choices and trade-offs people make as they juggle work and family.”

The topic was financial planning for “people too busy to plan,” and …

I would call myself a “pack rat,” except the comparison might offend pack rats. For the most part, it’s not a good thing to have such a messy office. But on occasion I unearth something interesting. Like this screenshot of …

Any long-term investor knows that inflation is the enemy. A spike in inflation can drastically reduce your real investment returns, particularly for fixed income securities. At present, yields on many Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) are negative, a clear reflection of …

Records are made to be broken, or so goes an old saying.

One record that I hope stands forever was set 25 years ago. The U.S. stock market dropped almost 23% in a single day—October 19, 1987.

The Dow Jones …

I remember one of my colleagues observed that many investors don’t really have portfolios—they have “collections” of securities. He meant that their accounts had been assembled piecemeal over time, with a brother-in-law’s recommendation here and a newsletter recommendation there. In …

If I were asked what an investor should do to maximize retirement wealth, I’d tick off my standard list, my rules of thumb. Start saving early—and regularly. Keep debt under control. Maximize the use of tax-deferred retirement accounts, like 401(k)s. …

I was just reading a blog that reported the typical pre-retiree had $42,000 in a 401(k) account as of 2010. Yet, I happen to know the actual figure is more like $100,000. These two numbers reveal how much confusion can …

In several of my previous posts, I’ve touched on the importance of starting to save early. It’s a pretty easy case to make—having the benefit of a long time horizon can make a substantial difference in what you can amass …

Back-to-school commercials have quickly replaced those featuring summer getaways. For those about to head off to college for the first time, returning to school is taking on an entirely new dimension.…

Retirement systems are dynamic and can be expected to change over time. But one hindrance to thinking about change is the common practice of promoting excessively gloomy views of retirement outcomes in the United States. For example, a recent New …

I try to shop locally because I think it’s important to support neighborhood businesses. I also cheer for local teams such as the Eagles and Phillies, as long as they aren’t impacting my childhood loyalties to the Boston Red Sox …

Well, perusing recent press, it’s clear that target-date funds continue to be one of the financial media’s favorite targets for generalized scorn. Still, I suppose to some extent, you know you’ve arrived when even Jim Cramer is beating up on …

U.S. interest rates today are clearly low and below historical long-term averages. Recalling the double-digit rates of the 1970s and early 1980s, I still find it somewhat astonishing that the yields on a broadly diversified basket of high-quality bonds (whether …

Performance drives many of the decisions we make as consumers. What kind of gas mileage will I get? How big a load of clothes can the washing machine handle? How long will this roof last? For many of these kinds …

I’m not one to pore over the newest self-help book. After reading All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten, I figured everything that could and should be said had been. But I do fervently believe that …

Over the weekend, my husband and I signed a contract to buy a new house. After months of indecision—and driving our realtor crazy—we finally committed. (Now, if we could just decide on the color of the knobs for the bathroom …

The headline is dramatic. For the typical American household, net worth is down 39% from 2007 to 2010. That puts net worth for the typical household back where it was in the early 1990s. This data is from the Federal …

Many of us, if not most of us, are managing our social connections—and increasingly our financial lives—on mobile devices. No longer tethered to the desktop or that pesky laptop, we pay bills, make deposits, and access accounts and balances from …

I recently wrote about the connection among Mother’s Day, Teacher Appreciation Week, and how my mother “taught” me to become financially literate. In this post I’d like to acknowledge teachers—and the role they can play in teaching financial literacy—more directly.…

About a year ago, I wrote my first Vanguard Blog post to commemorate 529 College Savings Day. In that post I encouraged investors to start saving for college as early as possible. I also asked them to pay attention to …

In the summer at the beach as a boy, I used to dig in the sand and dream of finding pirate treasure. Old silver and gold coins from Spain and other parts of Europe that may have once washed upon …

401(k)s remain a focal point of criticism when thinking about retirement security in America. One example is a recent op-ed column in The New York Times.

Perhaps the most commonly cited concern about 401(k)s is the size of current …

The timing of Teacher Appreciation Week (May 7–11) and Mother’s Day (May 13) got me to thinking about what my mom taught me about finance. While mothers may not be teachers in the official sense, they play an important role …

One of the vexing questions in the investment world is why many investors are inattentive to fees. While Vanguard has helped create a class of investors that’s fee-conscious and fee-aware, the fact remains that many individual investors remain in high-cost …

On December 16, 2008, the Federal Reserve cut its target for the shortest-term interest rate to nearly 0%. The Fed’s bold policy action was one of many aggressive steps taken to stabilize global financial markets and a U.S. economy that …

The headline “He Wants to Retire … but She Doesn’t” was one of the most popular articles in the April 9 Wall Street Journal.

What struck me most was the author’s comment that many of the people she interviewed …

A while back, I wrote about how people often miss the impact of investment costs on wealth accumulation. Today, I want to make sure readers know that it’s as critical for retirees (people spending money) to think about how costs …

The latest figures are out from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) in Washington, D.C. Unsurprisingly, “retirement confidence” remains down from its peak in 2007, and is at levels similar to what we saw during the Great Recession.

What’s going …

Two years ago, my husband and I bought a TV. He wanted the super-duper one. I wanted a good deal. We went with the good deal.

Fast-forward two years, and the TV we got only turns on and off when …

Bond funds have generally been on a total return “tear” the past several years, given the sharp decline in U.S. Treasury yields.

Bond fund cash flows have been solid, especially into corporate and municipal bond funds, which tend to carry …

We humans are funny animals.

At times, I’ll scour the internet trying to find the cheapest airline flight, perhaps saving $100 or $200, and feeling quite pleased with myself for doing so.

On some other purchases, I confess, I do …

A Wall Street Journal report, published on February 21, notes that small-capitalization stock prices, as measured by the Russell 2000 Index, are nearing an all-time high. But investors aren’t pouring money into small-cap stocks.

The story, “Small-cap rise is big …

A new report just came out on the retirement prospects for baby boomers.* Its top-line result was that 40% of all boomers aren’t prepared for retirement.

Whenever the topic turns to retirement in America, the language is fairly dismal. Last …

I don’t consider myself a risk-taker. I change the batteries in my smoke detectors, double check that my doors are locked, and always wear my seat belt. I can absolutely relate to the fear that many young people have when …

Note: For an expanded look at Vanguard’s outlook for inflation—and an explanation of the data behind our analysis—read our interview with Joe Davis on vanguard.com.

As Vanguard’s chief economist, I’m often asked about inflation. And it’s an important topic. …

In the investment world, you occasionally come across a simple yet striking observation. Here’s an example from a recent client letter of Howard Marks, chairman of Oaktree Capital Management, L.P., and one of Vanguard’s external investment advisors:…

As you probably know, Bill McNabb, our chairman and chief executive officer, spent part of Monday, January 23, interacting with Vanguard clients via social media—”taking over” our Twitter and Facebook channels.

“It’s not every day that a CEO reaches out …

It’s a new year, so here are a few investment and retirement thoughts that come to mind for 2012.

When it comes to investing, Theme #1 among investors, especially among the majority of the retired or conservative crowd, continues to …

Along with about 50 million others, I’m a product of Generation X. I had a Dorothy Hamill haircut, spent my weekends at the roller-skating rink, and grew up watching Madonna on MTV (back when she was more controversial and they …