economic conditions

Economies develop and move forward under almost any conditions. Mankind can adapt, survive and even make a living in the totalitarian economies of Chavez and Castro to the laissez-faire, free market economies of Canada and Hong Kong. In a manner of speaking, free market is alive and well wherever people live. Sometimes it is a [...]

Given recent economic news, more and more investors are turning to gold as a way to preserve the value of their financial portfolio. Gold has traditionally been considered a safe haven for investment, since it tends to maintain its value during times of economic crisis and upheaval. Gold is an especially good hedge against inflation [...]

One of the great gifts associated with the 2008-2009 events was an opportunity to get some free credits in the school of life. School tuition can be expensive so I am always thankful when life decides to offer me some valuable lesson for free. Personally, I loved the fact that I got to experience the [...]

In this Ask the Expert with Larry Swedroe article, Rob observed that none of the alternative investments provided sufficient risk reduction to soften the impact of the current Bear Market. Diversification doesn’t seem to be working. What went wrong? Here’s the question from Randy:
Dear Larry,
I’m reading your book, The Only Guide to Alternative Investments You’ll [...]

Earlier this week, I wrote that FreeCreditReport.com is not free, and promptly got a personal finance lecture from Abigail at I Pick Up Pennies.  She said, “If you’re not clear why a site needs your credit card information is needed, don’t give it out.”   She also said that I should be reading and re-reading Terms [...]

One of the hardest accounting frauds to spot is big bath accounting. When a company is doing really bad and has no chance of meeting earning expectations, unscrupulous management would begin writing-off every expense and asset they could imagine. As a result, future expenses are reduced significantly and naturally earnings increase. In other words, the [...]

This is the 11th issue of the Ask The Expert column by Larry Swedroe. You can see Larry’s full biography and important disclaimer below. If you are interested in having your question answered by Larry, please send me an email via the contact page.
Now, let’s get to the questions and answers (please note that the [...]

I recently came across Steven R. Selengut and his book, The Brainwashing of The American Investor. After reading all the reviews on Amazon, I decided to buy a used copy. The following is a review of the book and a brief overview of the Working Capital Model as outlined by Steven Selengut.

The Premise
Selengut starts the [...]

Buying lower-priced fix-up houses, fixing them up using your own time and effort, and renting them out is a fairly low-risk, high-reward way to generate wealth and security. If you have been thinking about real estate investing, this may be a very good  time to do it.  There are many benefits in buying a fixer-upper [...]

It seems like whenever I write about expense control, I have the tendency to get all geeky. Let’s be serious, how many people would actually use the Pareto Principle and Quick Wins to reduce living expenses? Well, today I am going to show you yet another way to look at your expenses — a good [...]