Getting Started With Investing
For help determining how much you may need for your retirement, figuring out your optimal asset allocation, adopting the best process for choosing investments, and choosing among your IRA and 401(K) options, read The Essentials of Investing. For college funding, read How to Help Your Kids Pay for College.
In some recent posts on investing, I’ve covered the importance of getting in the game as soon as possible so you get the financial wind (compound interest) blowing in the right direction. And I’ve emphasized the importance of asset allocation, noting that one of the easiest ways to get the proper allocation is to invest […]
The last couple of posts have dealt with investing – arguably the most challenging aspect of personal finance. We talked about the importance of starting an investment program as soon as possible in order to take advantage of the amazing power of compound interest. And we talked about the fact that asset allocation is more […]
Do you know what separates the great investors from the lousy ones? Do the greats just have a knack for picking winning stocks? Do they have access to information that mere mortal investors don’t? Actually, the key to investing success is much more boring sounding. It’s making sure you choose the right asset allocation. What […]
It used to be that a lot of people were confident they’d be able to retire comfortably one day. Funny thing was, even in those good old days, far fewer people were actually taking the necessary steps, like saving enough money. Today, things have changed. More people are facing the fact that they’re behind on […]
The recession has left workers in their 20s and 30s wary of the stock market. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, the percentage of workers between 25 and 35 who say they have saved for their retirement has fallen by over 20 percent in the last decade. A Newsweek article about the research noted […]
Nearly one-half of the oldest Baby Boomers (those ages 56-62) are at risk of not having enough income to pay for basic needs and uninsured healthcare costs during retirement. That’s the central finding of a new Employee Benefit Research Institute report. The solutions are obvious and have been repeated many times before. First, run a […]
For anyone trying to figure out the best ways to save for a child’s future college costs, SavingForCollege.com used to be the go-to source of information. However, as reported by Mainstreet.com, Morningstar has become a valuable added source. I can’t say one site is better than the other; both have their advantages. Both offer helpful […]
A new study by professors at the University of Chicago and Dartmouth reinforces the wisdom of the small print in mutual fund advertisements: “Past performance does not guarantee future results.” The research found that “virtually all actively managed funds” fail to outperform the indexes against which they are compared, and that any success achieved by […]
Over half of all employed American adults feel “a little” or “far” behind in their financial preparations for retirement, according to a new survey from TD Ameritrade. The most common explanation? Respondents said they simply have no money left to save after meeting their regular expenses or they started saving too late. Many parents also […]
Who do you think tends to be better investors: men or women? The latest in a fairly large body of research on the topic sides with women. As reported by The New York Times, a Vanguard analysis of 2.7 million IRA investors found that women were less likely to sell their equity investments at last […]
