April 2008 Site and Net Worth Review (+6.22%)
May 2, 2008 :: Money :: 7 Comments
Net Worth Review We definitely saw good recovery in April, but you really have to ask how much more can the Fed cuts interest rates. The S&P 500 index went up +4.75% from 1322.70 to 1385.59. According to NetworthIQ, my net worth actually went up +1.70% and net investable ...
Labor Capital, The Forgotten Asset Class
April 18, 2008 :: Investing :: 11 Comments
The first time I heard the term "Labor Capital" clearly explained was in our monthly column by Larry Swedroe. So what is labor capital? Basically, it's your ability to generate income by trading your labor for money. Larry advises that investors should take their labor capital into ...
eFinPLAN Online Financial Planning Software Review
April 16, 2008 :: Financial Planning :: 9 Comments
Kent Irwin, who recently wrote a guest article: Is Suze Orman Right, Can You Be Your Own Financial Planner?, sent me a free license to use his eFinPLAN online financial planning software. In this post, I am going to provide you with my initial experience, and I will follow ...
March 2008 Site and Net Worth Review (-1.01%)
April 4, 2008 :: Money :: 9 Comments
Net Worth Review March was another down month, but the second half certainly showed some promise for the stock market. For the month of March, the S&P 500 index dropped -0.60% from 1330.63 to 1322.70. According to NetworthIQ, my net worth actually went up +0.94% but net investable assets went ...
Gold hits $1,000: Should I Invest In Gold?
March 18, 2008 :: Investing :: 10 Comments
On March 13, 2008, gold hits $1,000 per ounce for the first time in history, the dollar fell below 100 yen, and crude oil price is setting new records. With the sub par stock market performance over the past few months, it's hard not to second guess yourself, and dream ...
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Lending and Bloggers Ethic
March 10, 2008 :: Blogging, Investing :: 19 Comments
Last week, my friend Gibble sparked a little controversy with his post "Why I think P2P lending is a bad idea." He believes peer-to-peer lending as bad because it propagates myriad problems caused by credit and debt. In his words: "I'm not a fan of borrowing money and couldn't ...
February 2008 Site and Net Worth Review (+0.63%)
March 3, 2008 :: Money, Weekly Roundups :: 10 Comments
Net Worth Review February was another roller coaster month for the stock market. If it wasn't for the -2.71% drop on February 29th, the monthly performance would have been mostly flat. In the end, the S&P 500 index dropped -3.48% from 1378.55 to 1330.63. According to NetworthIQ, my net worth actually ...
Life Insurance Part 3: Is Term Life Insurance Right For Me?
February 28, 2008 :: Insurance :: 10 Comments
Okay, so I have walked you through the process of how to determine the right amount of life insurance coverage in part 1, and why whole life insurance doesn't make good financial sense in part 2. In the 3rd part, I am going to provide you with my analysis of ...
Life Insurance Part 2: Should I Buy Whole Life Insurance?
February 27, 2008 :: Insurance :: 7 Comments
In the first post "Life Insurance Part 1: How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?," I worked with my insurance sales agent on how much life insurance my wife and I need. One of his suggestions is to buy a minimal amount of whole life insurance so that we have ...
Is Peer to-Peer Lending Ready for Prime Time?
February 11, 2008 :: Investing :: 26 Comments
It has been a while since I wrote about my peer-to-peer lending investments. DebtKid recently interviewed me, and you can see our interview on Lending Club. One of the questions the stuck with me was: "Do you think P2P investments should fit into an investor's portfolio?" Peer to-Peer Lending Is ...
International Investment Exposure (GP)
February 8, 2008 :: Investing :: 10 Comments
With enormous markets emerging across the world and the dollar continuing its decline, the suggestion that investors should increase their international exposure in order to have a balanced portfolio is worth looking at more closely. After all, investing in international equities helps diversify a portfolio by broadening currency risk and ...
January 2008 Site and Net Worth Review (-7.35%)
February 4, 2008 :: Money :: 12 Comments
Net Worth Review January was a bad month for the stock market despite two rate cuts by the Fed. The S&P 500 index dropped -6.12% from 1468.36 to 1378.55. According to NetworthIQ, my net worth went down -1.66% and net investable assets went down -7.35%, or from 23.93% to ...
The Weak Dollar is Killing Americans’ Wealth (Reprint)
January 4, 2008 :: Investing :: 9 Comments
I just completed my September net worth review and noticed that I am actually less wealthy. While my net worth went up 1.24%, the value of U.S. dollar went down by 2.26%. You may think that this doesn't concern you, but it does because we are an integral part of ...
December 2007 Site and Net Worth Review (+0.72%)
January 2, 2008 :: Money :: 20 Comments
Before I begin, I'd like to say that this is a special edition of the net worth review, because following my review, I will be sharing what my friends are all saying about their net worth or the subject of net worth. Net Worth Review December was another weak month for the ...
12 Investing Mistakes I’ve Made, and How You Can Learn From Them (Reprint)
December 12, 2007 :: Investing :: 19 Comments
I've been investing since 1996. In the process, I have learned a lot, mainly from trial and error. I'd like to share my experience with you. Here are some of the mistakes I've made: Not investing soon enough -- I have been working part-time since my first year at college in ...
