Learning Center

Changing jobs? 3 tips for making a smooth switch

Date27 Apr 2015

Comment0

There are few occasions in life so filled with optimism—and stress—as leaving one company to join another. Regardless of how common career moves are, the tactical skill and emotional fortitude required is anything but typical. The stakes are high, and as a result, mistakes are often made. Here are three rules to follow to help...

‘The One-Page Financial Plan’

Date27 Apr 2015

Comment0

If you’re like most Americans, you may be confused, or even paralyzed, when it comes to developing a financial plan. In fact, most investors I’ve met—including many of those who have a relationship with a stockbroker—don’t have a written investment plan, let alone an overall financial plan designed to incorporate estate planning and risk management...

‘Sure Things’ That Didn’t Pan Out

Date27 Apr 2015

Comment0

Each January, I put together a list of predictions that financial “gurus” have made for the upcoming year—sort of a consensus of “sure things.” I then keep track of whether or not these “sure thing” predictions have actually come to pass. The turn of the calendar into April means that it’s time for our first...

Currency Hedging? Individual Investors Shouldn’t Bother

Date27 Apr 2015

Comment0

As it has been so frequently noted in the financial press, last year the U.S. dollar appreciated significantly against most foreign currencies, including the widely quoted benchmark euro. For investors with a portion of their portfolio in unhedged international stocks, this caused some short-term pain. For illustrative purposes, let’s expand the discussion beyond the euro...

Money Talk: A Lifetime of Learning

Date27 Apr 2015

Comment0

As a regular contributor to The New York Times and the author of two books, Carl Richards knows the value of a good story. Here’s one he loves. It comes courtesy of Ron Lieber’s new book, The Opposite of Spoiled. Lieber, who also writes a personal finance column for the Times, wrote in his book...

How Poor Decision-Making Affects Your Returns

Date27 Apr 2015

Comment0

We tend to think in the short term, but it hampers our ability to invest intelligently. In order to invest successfully, you need to be skilled at decision-making. This is true if you are a do-it-yourself investor or if you rely on recommendations from your financial advisor. The many decisions you must confront include whether...

Why Individual Investors Shouldn’t Read Earnings Reports

Date27 Apr 2015

Comment0

During the years I worked as a buy-side equity analyst and an institutional portfolio manager, the first item I would always examine in an earnings report were the footnotes. That’s where all the truly juicy information appeared, and it never ceased to amaze me how many folks skipped right over them in the go-go-go days...

Simple Financial Solutions Often Beat the Complex Ones

Date27 Apr 2015

Comment0

“Can it really be that simple?” Over my career, I’ve heard these words from so many people. Clients, friends and family all just assumed that the process of financial planning needed to be complex. This assumption doesn’t surprise me. The traditional financial industry is built, in large part, on the notion that complexity equals quality....

Learning Center

Categories