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How Both Fear and Enthusiasm Mess Up Your Portfolio
Tweet Share on Facebook October 31, 2012 CommentWhen we think of investing, many us ignore the emotional aspects. After all, we’re told to leave emotion behind when putting together a portfolio. All too often, though, our choices are made with emotion.
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Your Boss is Worried About Your Retirement
Tweet Share on Facebook October 30, 2012 CommentYour employer may be worried about you.
More specifically, they may be worried about your 401(k) plan participation.
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Investing's Rules of the Road
Tweet Share on Facebook October 26, 2012 CommentAfter a recent car trip I was asked, “How was the drive?” My response was typical for any Washington, D.C. area driver, complete with commentary on traffic and speed: “Traffic was great and I did 65 mph the whole way.”
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How to Manage 30-Something Retirement Worry
Tweet Share on Facebook October 25, 2012 CommentA survey from the Pew Research Center and the Federal Reserve Board’s Survey of Consumer Finances showed an unsurprising result about Americans’ opinion of their retirements: it stinks. Some 38 percent of Americans lack confidence about their retirement income and assets, an increase from the 2009 survey, where only 25 percent lacked confidence. Furthermore, the most Eeyore-esque generation is now late 30-somethings—36 to 40 year olds, who are surpassing the gloominess of the 51-55 age group that worried the most in the 2009 survey.
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Mutual Fund Share Classes and Your 401(k)
Tweet Share on Facebook October 24, 2012 CommentThe recent fee disclosures for the investment options in a company’s 401(k) plan may shed some unwanted light on some plan’s investment choices.
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How to Get the Best From Your Benefits
Tweet Share on Facebook October 23, 2012 CommentIt’s benefits season, and that means it’s time to make sure you’re choosing the most cost-effective benefit options, while balancing your choices with your risk tolerance. Like your investments, picking benefits comes down to your personal ability to deal with risk and stress, which will play a role in determining the best benefits plans for you.
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Is The Endowment Investment Model Broken?
Tweet Share on Facebook October 22, 2012 CommentFor years advisers, brokerage houses, banks, and investing magazines have touted the traditional investment model of a simple mix of stocks and bonds, or mutual funds. Proponents of a simple investing model may have reason to rejoice according to recent data compiled by the National Association of College and University Business Officers. The latest report for fiscal year 2011 shows that 90 percent of the college endowments polled have underperformed a traditional portfolio of 60 percent equities and 40 percent fixed income over one-, three-, and five-year periods.
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Should Investors Buy the Housing Recovery?
Tweet Share on Facebook October 19, 2012 CommentAfter Wednesday’s report of a better-than-expected number of new housing starts, I took a look at homebuilders to see if I could find a few reasonably priced names. Many were trading near their 12-month highs, but I was a little surprised at the percentage gains that most have turned in this year. Many are up over 100 percent. Clearly, there are plenty of people who believe we have seen the bottom in the housing market.
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How a Dogged Focus Helps Investors
Tweet Share on Facebook October 18, 2012 CommentHave you ever seen a dog chasing a Frisbee? The dog locks onto the spinning disc with singular focus and launches into a dead sprint. Well-trained dogs run to where the Frisbee will land, make slight adjustments along the way, and arrive in time to make the catch right before it hits the ground.
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Fearful Investors Still Shouldn't Hide
Tweet Share on Facebook October 17, 2012 CommentThe loudest refrain I’ve heard from investors and financial advisors over the past few years is the gloomy chant, “I don’t care about return on my investment, it’s return of my investment that matters most to me.” The song is a sad one, but it reflects more than a decade of woe for many investors who once loved the stock market.
