50 Ways to Improve Your Finances in 2012

I originally paid for my sons car, he then applied for a loan to pay me back, I cosigned for his loan so he would be approved. He made all his payments as scheduled so not only did I get my money back but it helped his credit immediately after graduating from college. It was a risk but it helped my son and I trusted that he would make these payments.

Heidi Migda-Richter of MI 7:14AM February 17, 2013

"Jude Boudreaux, who now works as a certified financial planner in New Orleans, turned his life around after running up $5,000 in credit card debt in college."

Seriously? $5,000? That's living proof? Clearly whoever wrote this article doesn't understand REAL debt.

Aurora of TX 1:40PM January 25, 2013

uh, single page option would be very beneficial... instead of scrolling through 1, 2, 3, 4, ETC

Shalori of CA 10:02PM December 09, 2012

Irrespective of your net worth or how much money you have to invest, thoroughly scrutinize any financial planner and/or financial advisory/money management company before investing that first dollar with them! Regretfully, I made the worse mistake of my life by investing with Fisher Investments (a singular noun). As a client of Fisher Investments for about 4 1/2 years, my portfolio lost over $90,000 in addition to paying almost $30,000 in "investment advisory fees." It expressly targets, pursues, and entraps, "high net worth individuals" (a direct quote from its ads), primarily seniors and/or retirees with $500,000 or more in assets to invest; for many, this is their life savings! It does this through sophisticated, misleading, and slick "snake oil" ads in financial publications (Forbes, etc.) and many financial wed sites (MSN Money, etc.). Fisher Investments not only has a dismal record of profitability with a flagrant disregard for safety of principal, but just as egregiously, it charges exorbitant "investment advisory fees" (1 1/2%) plus additional transaction costs and expenses which are more than excessive, they're downright greedy! Moreover, these fees, costs, and expenses are totally unrelated to its investment performance -- clients are charged the same percentage fees, costs, and expenses whether their portfolio gains or loses value!

To find the truth about Fisher Investments, just look up the Purisima Total Return Fund (PURIX), which Fisher Investments manages and which, not just coincidentally, mirrors the portfolio returns (% profits) of most of Fisher Investments' Private Clients. MorningStar, a well- known and probably the most prestigious stock and mutual fund rating service, rates this fund "2-stars" on a scale of 1 to 5 stars (1-star = Worst , 5-stars = Best). Purisima's 5-year performance (annualized return) is - 4.50% (NEGATIVE 4.50%); that's pathetic by any rating system. And again, not just coincidentally, Purisima's expense ratio (the % fees charged to clients), much like Fisher Investments, is an exorbitant 1.35%!

It seems that the only people making money at Fisher Investments is Ken Fisher, CEO and principal owner, and his "Yes Men" or whom he refers to as the "Investment Policy Committee." In fact Ken Fisher, with a net worth of over $1.7 Billion, is ranked number 263 on the Forbes "The Riches People in America." Naturally, this is his "cut" of the exorbitant advisory fees and other costs that Fisher Investments charges its clients. Allegedly, a reliable source has reported that Ken Fisher invests his own money only in US Treasuries! It's absolutely ludicrous how Fisher Investments retains clients!

Don Moore

Don Moore of KY 11:48PM October 14, 2012