Simple Portfolio That Has Beaten the Pros
The financial industry would prefer you to believe that you can’t be a successful investor without it. That’s good for business but it’s not exactly true. In fact, it may be truer to suggest that a layperson with a reasonable...
Does an individual bond ladder offer more protection in a rising rate environment than a bond fund?
Quick Take on Fixed Income February 2016 Q: Does an individual bond ladder offer more protection in a rising rate environment than a bond fund? A: Many investors are worried about how rising interest rates will affect their fixed income...
Saying No, So You Can Say Yes When it Matters
I have a problem: It’s really hard for me to say no to new, exciting projects. If you’re doing creative work at all (and I’m using this term very broadly, so that should mean just about everybody), then you’ve probably...
Gurus’ “Sure Things” For 2016
Every year, I like to keep track of the predictions that “gurus” and other market observers make for the upcoming year, specifically the ones that they say are “sure things.” It seems like no one in the financial media holds...
Upcoming SEC-mandated changes to money market funds
Quick Take on Fixed Income February 2016 Q: What are the upcoming SEC-mandated changes to money market funds, and what impact will they have? A: In 2014, the Securities and Exchange Commission released new rules governing the operation of money...
When Financial Talk Turns Personal
Recently, my family needed a new vehicle. I’ve always wanted a truck, and I knew we would get tons of use out of it. Could I have found a cheaper vehicle? Sure. But I knew we could afford the truck,...
10 Things You Absolutely Need to Know About Life Insurance
Life insurance is one of the pillars of personal finance, deserving of consideration by every household. I’d even go so far as to say it’s vital for most. Yet, despite its nearly universal applicability, there remains a great deal of...
The Financial Benefits of Buying What You Love
Eleven years ago, I needed a new bike. At the time, I rode a lot. I was in a big group of relatively competitive riders, and we’d often put hundreds of miles on our bikes each week. I agonized over...
A Look at Equity Performance in 2015
We just completed the second consecutive year where U.S. large-cap stocks outperformed most other asset classes, including U.S. small stocks, U.S. value stocks and international stocks. This development has led some investors to wonder whether diversification still works. We believe...
Beware The Recency Pitfall
“Recency” can be described as the tendency to overweight recent events or trends and ignore the long-term evidence. It’s one of the more common and costly behavioral mistakes that individual investors can make, often leading them to buy high and...
