alternative investments

I believe that cash flow is one of the most powerful concepts in personal finance. People tends to know how they feel about their personal finance — e.g., whether they are comfortable or are struggling. Unfortunately, not too many people truly understand cash flow and how important it is to your finances. When you understand [...]

The following is a list of the nationally available highest yields 12-month CD rates. In general, certificates of deposit (CDs) are great investments because your principal is protected by FDIC insurance and your interest rates are guaranteed. Moreover, you can use CD Ladder to make your CD savings more flexible and effective. You can open [...]

If you’re responsible for dealing with your own taxes, it can be beneficial to hire an accountant to make sure that you’re deducting everything that you’re entitled to. In most cases, whether you need to use a tax professional depends on your situation. If you are a regular employee who fills in W-2 forms and [...]

Welcome to the 76th edition of Money Hacks Carnival. In this edition, I’ll be presenting some interesting and fun facts about money along with the submissions. For editor’s picks, please look for entries noted with (EP).

Money Fact #1: $1 bills wear out in about 17 months. Bills of larger denomination last longer because they are [...]

If you’re an investor in index funds, like I am, then you probably believe that it’s impossible to beat the market in the long run. You’ve had everyone from bloggers to Warren Buffett tell you the best thing for you is to invest in mutual funds indexed to the market. We do this because we [...]

How can you tell if you’re financially on track or not? Unless you find yourself in one of the extremes, you’re probably wondering that right now. To get the answer, some people spend a lot of time learning and some simply hire a financial planner. However, there is an alternative that you may have not [...]

In celebration of Earth Day, I want to share my perspective on green and socially responsible investing. The idea of socially conscious investing has been around for a long time, but its popularity soared over the last few years. According to Social Investment Forums: “Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) is a broad-based approach to investing that [...]

In this Ask the Expert with Larry Swedroe article, Randy is wondering if it’s time to go back into the high yield corporate market. However, he’s concerned that the recent market rally may be just a bear market rally. Here’s the question from Randy:
Is it safe to enter into the high yield corporate market yet, [...]

In this Ask the Expert with Larry Swedroe article, Thomas is wondering why his iShares Barclays TIPS Bond TIP ETF hasn’t paid dividend since last October and if he should switch to individual TIPS through Treasury Direct instead. Here’s the question from Thomas:
I own the TIP ETF (iShares Barclays TIPS Bond). It has not paid [...]

As a new parent, I am sure you’re painfully aware of how expensive college is, and will be.  You may wonder how in the world are you going to save that huge sum needed for your child’s college education. This article is design to help you walk through each step — e.g., getting your finances [...]