Unlike stocks, which represent equity or ownership in a company, bonds are loans. When you invest in loans, you are actually investing in debt. You loan your money to an organization for a set period of time. The organization uses the money to fund its operations and pays you interest over the life of the loan. … Read more
How close are you to financial independence? What if I tell you that you can calculate this number down to a reasonably precise percentage. Regardless of where you stand financially, knowing where you are is a great way to help you move closer toward your goal of financial independence. Like measuring distance or time, knowing … Read more
If you are new to investing and asset allocation, you might see some recommendations to invest in International Stocks. Still, every person you ask seems to give you a different answer about what percentage of your portfolio should be in international stocks, and why. Personally, I have about 30% to 35% of my portfolio invested … Read more
When building an investment portfolio, most people focus on an asset allocation that includes two main types of assets: stocks and bonds. While we hear about stocks all the time (thanks to a financial media fixated on the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500), we don’t really hear much about bonds. However, bonds … Read more
Many different financial products can help you achieve your saving and investing goals. Each product is better at meeting specific objectives, while others are better for other purposes. When you start investing, it is a good idea to become familiar with the more common ones. I am an experienced investor, so I know many of … Read more
Are you earning the most from your savings and money market deposit accounts? Savings and MM accounts are the foundation of a strong financial plan, providing you with financial stability as you work to achieve your goals. There are many banks and credit unions that offer savings and money market accounts. This article aims to … Read more
The Dogs of the Dow is a straightforward investment strategy first introduced by Michael B. O’Higgins in his book Beating the Dow. The procedure is very simple. At the end of the year, look at the Dow Jones Industrial Average index, pick the ten stocks with the highest yield, and invest an equal amount of … Read more
We can debate whether buy and hold is a more effective method than other investment strategies, but it has two major advantages that are beyond any doubt. One is that transaction fees are generally lower with buy and hold than with other more active investment approaches. The second, which is even more significant, is the … Read more
When planning for retirement there’s an overwhelming tendency to focus on the financial side, and as well as should be. Without a solid tax-deferred retirement plan, there would be no retirement for most people. But there’s also a non-financial side of retirement that we need to be concerned with too. If we concern ourselves strictly … Read more
There is a lot of talk about the looming recession, or maybe even a depression, that is due any day now. If your financial situation is not that good, it is time to give it a tune-up in the event of an economic slowdown. Based on my experience from the previous recessions and stock market … Read more