risk protection

There’s no shame in admitting it: It’s possible to make it through college and into the real world without having the first idea about investing, money management, or anything that deals even remotely with finances. But thanks to the growing number of Web sites and online tools devoted to fiscal responsibility, it’s easier than ever [...]

I came across “Chase Hiked My Minimum Payment To 5 Percent!” on The Consumerist today. This is bad news for Greg and his wife, because this hike increase their minimum payment $558 to $930 — which causes them significant financial stress. Although I sympathized with the dilemma that Greg and his wife are facing, I [...]

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 [...]

Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) is a type of Treasury securities that provides protection against inflation and real return.  I don’t know if TIPS is the best bond to buy or not, but I am beginning to think that it is after reading articles and books by Larry Swedroe over the years.  At the very least, [...]

I think we can sum up the cause of our current economic crisis in one word — GREED.  Over the years, mortgage lenders were happy to lend money to people who couldn’t afford their mortgages.  But they did it anyway because there was nothing to lose.  These lenders were able to charge higher interest rates [...]

What is the FDIC Insurance? The FDIC Insurance, or simply bank insurance, is meant to preserve and promote public confidence in the U.S. financial system by:

Insuring deposits in banks and thrift institutions for at least $250,000;
Identifying, monitoring and addressing risks to the deposit insurance funds; and
Limiting the effect on the economy and the financial system [...]

This is the 9th 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 [...]

This is the second part of Financial Risks And Personal Finance Risk Management series. In the first part, we looked at financial risks and risk management as they relate to your income and expenses. In this part, we will be looking at risks pertaining to your assets and credit.

Photo by Snoober via Flickr
Asset Risks
Your assets [...]

This is the 7th 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 [...]

A friend at work is thinking about borrowing from his 401k plan to fund his business start-up. He mentioned it to me and I told him that it’s a terrible idea to borrow from 401k. It may sound appealing at first — i.e., fast loan application, easy to qualify, and you pay the interest to [...]