Equities
Stock Up on Bonds!? [Diminishing Returns of 100% Equities]
The most important decision in portfolio construction is deceptively simple on its surface: how much should you allocate toward stocks and how much toward bonds? Sure, some include cash or commodities as well, but the basic issue comes down to … Continue reading
OK, So …I Have X Dollars – What Should I Invest In?
Thanks to careful savings, a lucky windfall or a well-deserved raise, you find yourself with some cash on hand and are not sure what to do with it. While there is no single answer, perhaps the most important part of … Continue reading
Scarecrow Index: The S&P 500 Straw Man Argument
I have heard and read it too many times to count: “Ah, but anyone following an indexing strategy experienced a lost decade over the last ten years!” Active investors and day traders (not to mention: fund companies and brokerages wanting … Continue reading
The Dividend Illusion: Sorry, Stocks Are Not Like Bonds
Some people balk when I call dividends an ‘illusion’ or refer to them as a kind of investment ‘myth’ – and they are right to be skeptical at first: after all, dividend payouts are the means by which companies transfer … Continue reading
Jack Bogle: 8 Video Interviews with Vanguard’s Founder
Mr. Bogle is a man of many dimensions, but with a deep-running moral core and steadfast long-term convictions in the power of passive stock market investing. Born in the same year that started the 20th Century’s Great Depression, he has … Continue reading
100-year of 8 Secular Bull & Bear Market Cycles [Graphic]
According to Rydex, “history shows that the market typically moves in cycles. In the past 114 years, there have been four bull markets (shown in green) and four bear markets (shown in red). Investment strategies that work in bull markets … Continue reading
Balancing Act: Are Balanced Funds Simple All-in-One Solutions?
They sound like the easiest thing on Earth – a self-rebalancing mutual fund that holds a desired allocation, or better yet: a target retirement fund that rebalances into less-risky assets as you age. Unfortunately, there are drawbacks to both kinds … Continue reading