Tag Archives: investing

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 …

An exchange I had during the holidays triggered my desire to write—and, hopefully, get some feedback from all of you.

The topic du jour is the fiscal cliff and what the government (House, Senate, President) will or will not do …

I started Vanguarding in 1997. Since then, I’ve developed better financial behaviors. I pay myself first, automatically directing cash from my paycheck to investment accounts before it can burn a hole in my pocket. I diversify widely, limiting my exposure …

In my past post on dividend-paying stocks, some of you responded with questions about REITs (real estate investment trusts). You asked whether REITs are effective “bond substitutes,” whether they are a “defensive” equity investment, whether they’re good short-term hedges …

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 …

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 …

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 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 …