Category: Investing
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Investing in Wine, Art, Collectibles
I always thought of investing in collectibles such as wine, scotch, or art, as something the fantastically wealthy did as they played polo on their front lawn and retired to their private libraries to smoke their fancy cigars. That got me thinking for a moment and wondering if investing in collectibles is something that the…
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Sharebuilder IRA Account Review
Sharebuilder, owned by is one of the best online banks, is a popular broker that has offered a handsome new account promotional bonus for as long as I can remember (current bonuses run in the $50 range). This begs the question, would they make a good place to hold your IRA’s? Sharebuilder made a name…
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Lifestyle vs. Life-Cycle Funds
A Lifestyle Fund and a Life-Cycle Fund are two totally different types of mutual funds, despite the presence of “life” in both of their names. In fact, they are so radically different that to invest in one when you meant the other could be classified as a very bad move. Life-cycle Funds Life-cycle funds, or…
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Stein Explains Away Possibility of Great Depression
Have you ever wondered if our recession, the one we’re invariably in right now regardless of what the numbers may say, will become something worse – a Great Depression? Since I am not an economic scholar and wasn’t alive during the Great Depression, I’m not qualified to even have an opinion as to whether the…
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Morningstar Recession Proofing Tips
I don’t buy the fears that a recession is on the horizon but Morningstar’s recent article on how to recession proof your portfolio is valuable regardless of the economic future. Their tips of buying, not selling on a gloomy forecast, dollar-cost averaging, saving, and diversification analysis are important no matter what. That being said, given…
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Aging Brain More Tolerant To Risk
As you grow older, your ability to tolerate the stresses of a bear market increase. That’s the main thrust of an article by Money and it’s both a benefit and a drawback. Neuroscience has shown that as you age, the amygdala, the part of the brain that signals fear and anger, starts to shrink. In…
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Why The Fed Rate Cut Should Concern You
Money magazine has an interesting article about how the recent Fed rate cut language indicated that the Fed was more interested in fighting off a Recession than keeping inflation at bay, which was something it had always had its eye on. When the Fed lowers rates, it does so because it wants to spur growth…
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Diversification and Covariance
The idea behind diversification is a simple one – spread your investments out to a bunch of different industries such that if a downturn hits one, you aren’t entirely exposed. That’s the simple explanation and it’s trying to distill a more complex topic that requires a bit of explanation to fully understand. This post will…
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Save Early, Save Often = Retire Rich
If you wanted to retire in 40 years on $5,000 a month (2007 dollars), how much would you have to save each month right now? The answer may surprise you.