Private College 529 Plan May Be a Smart Choice
What if there were a guaranteed way to lock-in today’s tuition rates at a diverse group of more than 275 private colleges across the country, for up to 30 years? This could end up being a very significant benefit. According...
5 Bond Myths Investors Should Know
Investing is often made more complicated than necessary by the financial media and the self-styled “experts” featured in its coverage. So maybe it’s not surprising that, for many investors, bonds are a commonly misunderstood subject, because they really are even...
8 Smart Tax Moves for Investors
Retain more of your investment income with savvy tax planning. Good investors are good tax planners. Tax planning isn’t as fun as investing – or fun at all – but it helps you keep as much of that hard-won investment...
Don’t Rely On These ‘Professional’ Investors
By definition, being a “professional” means your level of expertise is greater than that of amateurs. It would be surprising if professional golfer Phil Mickelson routinely posted lower scores than the average weekend player. Do you really believe the tennis...
Learn From This New Low in Financial News
I woke up on Dec. 14 to this stunning headline in the New York Post: “High school student scores $72M playing the stock market.” It was a sensational story. The story was sourced to an original report in New York...
8 Tax Tips Investors Should Know
It’s that time of the year again. Everyone is weighing in with tax tips to prepare investors for the tax preparation that follows the new year. I didn’t want to be left out of the fun, so I consulted with...
The Active or Passive Fund Debate is Over
As 2015 approaches, and you begin thinking about resolutions for the new year, make changing the way you invest your first priority. “Active investing” means trying to outperform benchmark indexes (such as the Standard & Poor’s 500 index) through market...
The Personality Trait That Dooms Your Investments
Do you play recreational tennis or golf? Would you bet your retirement savings you could beat Roger Federer or Tiger Woods? Of course you wouldn’t. In most areas of your life, you objectively assess your skill level, and make intelligent...
Change the Holy Grail of the Mutual Fund Industry
In previous blog posts, I’ve discussed the dismal performance of actively managed mutual funds. I also noted this underperformance has not gone unnoticed by investors. Actively managed funds have experienced massive outflows through September, while index funds have seen net...
Find the Real Investment ‘Pro’ in Your Mirror
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...
