Investors Deserve a Mea Culpa From Financial Journalists
When will financial journalists draw a line between entertainment and information? According to a new book, people subconsciously shut off the part of their brain when watching some financial news shows. The book, “Clash of the Financial Pundits,” co-authored by...
Investors, Listen to Einstein: Stop Repeating These Mistakes
If insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, investors are insane. The way many investors manage their money seems to perfectly describe Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over...
How to Be Happier in Retirement
Much of what is written about retirement planning focuses on investing. I am guilty of contributing to the volume of that literature. My book, “The Smartest Retirement Book You’ll Ever Read,” discusses how to invest intelligently so that you can retire with...
The Powerful Psychology Undermining Your Returns
There can be little dispute over the sad state of returns for many investors. My colleague at the BAM Alliance, Carl Richards, used Morningstar data to note this disturbing fact: The average U.S. stock mutual fund had a 10-year average...
How to Profit From the Coming Correction
In November 2013, I wrote an article in The Huffington Post, addressing the phony “debate” among pundits over a possible market correction. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed that day at 15,967. On July 7, 2014, it closed at 17,024. In...
Don’t Pay Any Mind to Financial News Gurus
It has long been my view that much of what passes for “financial news” is little more than an infomercial for the securities industry. It also serves to feed the egos of self-confident pundits, who feed viewers a daily grist...
Your 401(k) Plan May Provide a False Sense of Security
The 401(k) landscape is definitely improving. But with this improvement comes a new danger: Your plan may be giving giving you a false sense of security. According to a report on 2013 defined contribution plan data, “How America Saves 2014,”...
Connect These Dots to Try to Improve Your Returns
Sometimes it’s necessary to piece together seemingly unrelated news items to come up with an intelligent, evidence-based plan for investing. This was definitely one of those weeks. Here are three such news items. By connecting the dots, you may be able...
The Other Side of the Advisor Fees Discussion
A recent article by Motley Fool took dead aim at the cost of working with a financial advisor. The title says it all: “The Invisible and Brutal Cost of Using a Financial Advisor.” The premise of the article can be summarized as...
This Mantra Will Change How You Invest
Few can forget the iconic phrase in the movie “Jerry Maguire,” when Tom Cruise says, “Show me the money!” Here’s a similar mantra that will change the way you invest: “Show me the evidence!” A cursory review of what passes...
