Vanguard Blog

Starting now can help you finish strong

Vanguard — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:45:50 +0000

I recently had the opportunity to watch a video of couples talking about retirement, which, for them, was about ten years away. The couples were broken into three self-described categories: fully prepared, somewhat prepared, and not prepared. At the end …

Happy graduation! Your gift is a Roth IRA

Vanguard — Wed, 29 May 2013 19:15:31 +0000

Graduation season is upon us, and you, like me, may be pondering what to get our loved ones. Thinking back, I remember four letters that meant a lot to me when I was graduating: C-A-S-H! But that’s too boring. This …

The adoption of a great idea

Vanguard — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:40:29 +0000

Joe Davis and Andy Clarke collaborated on this post, the result of a conversation about research that Vanguards Investment Strategy Group has conducted on the adoption and economic impact of "great ideas."

Staying the course

Vanguard — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:00:38 +0000

It was only a few short months ago that we feared intransigent policymakers would cause the economy and markets to hurtle into the abyss. I always preferred the term taxmageddon over fiscal cliff because it more accurately captured the pervasive …

Silence is golden

Vanguard — Thu, 09 May 2013 06:15:27 +0000

Last Christmas, I bought my son a pair of noise-canceling headphones. Now, even as I raise my voice to a shout, he can’t hear me above whatever is rattling around inside his head.

In short, he’s on his way to …

The 401(k) debate

Vanguard — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:40:36 +0000

I just finished watching a new documentary on 401(k) plans. It was intended to be an exposé of sorts. The program combined criticisms of the U.S. retirement system and financial services industry with sinister music for added drama. After I …

What do you see as the next market bubble?

Vanguard — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:00:11 +0000

Vanguard Chief Economist Joe Davis explains how to spot a market bubble.

Me against myself

Vanguard — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:10:39 +0000

In sixth grade, I’d take my allowance to Phil’s Pizza, exchange the bills for quarters, and feed a week’s worth of funds into the Pac-Man machine. Within 15 minutes, I was broke. To behavioral economists, I was a case study …

Retirement: The married/single divide

Vanguard — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:50:11 +0000

One of the most intriguing retirement studies issued in 2012 was by economists James Poterba of MIT, Steven Venti of Dartmouth, and David Wise of Harvard.* Their study looked at wealth holdings among Americans in their late 60s. And one …

Are you financially prepared for a medical crisis?

Vanguard — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 20:30:56 +0000

At 39 years old, I was unprepared for breast cancer. With no family history of the disease, I had my first mammogram about a year ago. Two days later, I received a call suggesting that I return to the office …

How concerned are you about inflation?

Vanguard — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:00:41 +0000

What does the future hold for inflation? Vanguard Chief Economist Joe Davis talks about which indicators to watch.

A failure to communicate

Vanguard — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:30:14 +0000

If you first learned how to think about saving and investing as I did, from a passbook savings account, bond funds can seem like a world turned upside down. I was reminded of this a few days ago when an …

Do you think the U.S. economy will ever return to normal?

Vanguard — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:00:29 +0000

Vanguard Chief Economist, Joe Davis looks at economic growth trends and what they might mean for the future.

Long-term perspective: Essential for athletics and investing

Vanguard — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:00:31 +0000

If you’re looking for insight on investments and personal finance, you could do a lot worse than asking a long-distance runner.

Vanguard is a second career for me. After college, I had the great fortune to compete as a professional …

Investing principles for an uncertain world

Vanguard — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:45:48 +0000

I recently traveled to Vanguard’s international offices, and no matter where I found myself on the globe, the topic of market and economic uncertainty was a constant theme.

For example, China’s transition from an investment-driven economy to a consumer-based model …