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Is running out of retirement money a fate worse than death?
Imagine this – the year is 2040. You are 80 years old, in reasonably good health, and you have just spent your last penny of retirement savings. You have no other sources of income. For the rest of your life, you will rely on government handouts and the charity of others. Sit with that image […]
5 Reasons to Work Another Year Before Retiring
There’s no shortage of advice about how to save enough to retire early, but in some cases, you may want to consider the opposite. By deciding to work another year, you can realize a host of benefits that can permanently increase your retirement income, reduce your outstanding debts and make life less stressful. Let’s take […]
Investing is Not the Same Thing as Saving
A mistake far too many people make is to invest money they should be saving and save money that they should be investing. In our continuation of the discussion of Snider Advisors’ Guiding Principles, we will examine the principle that investing is not the same thing as saving. While saving and investing are certainly interrelated, […]
Stock Market Slot Machine
I strongly recommend an excellent article to you, from the Psy-Fi blog, a regular on my daily reading list. The title of the article is B.F Skinner’s Stock Market Slot Machines: Win Big, Win Rarely, Win Never. I often refer to B.F Skinner, intermittent variable reinforcement, and how the stock market creates superstitions much like those […]
5 Investing Tools for First-Time Investors
Where do less-seasoned investors go to get the information they need about the stock market? What are the best investing tools available to new investors? Whether you’re completely new to investing or you’re simply switching strategies and looking for some guidance, every investor needs help tracking the market and making good financial decisions. This is […]
The Evolved Investor: Why Behavioral Finance Matters
Few things make us as emotional as the prospect of losing money. Wouldn’t investing be easier if you were a robot? Imagine the market crashes and yet, there you are, cool as a cucumber. But unfortunately, behavioral finance research proves that’s not how it works. As humans, we are hardwired to avoid pain and pursue […]
5 Habits of Savvy Investors-Part 1
Have you ever wondered how great investors think or what they’re doing that the rest of the world isn’t doing? What makes them tick? In this multi-part series, 5 Habits of Savvy Investors, we’ will uncover the investment secrets of some of the most successful investors of the last century. Different Strokes for Different Folks Most […]
Can You Have Too Much Home Equity?
This article on home equity was originally published in 2008, and continues to be one of our most popular posts. Please keep in mind that it is possible some of the facts offered have changed throughout the years, but our sentiments about this topic have not. To learn more about this subject, check out Are […]
Filial Responsibility Laws: Your Parents Your Responsibility
UPDATED 2019: This article on Filial Responsibility Laws, which was originally published in 2012, continues to be one of our most popular posts. Please keep in mind that it is possible some of the facts offered have changed throughout the years. When John Pitta’s mother couldn’t pay her nursing home bill, he was sued for almost $93,000. […]
Should You Take Social Security Early?
More than a third of insured workers claimed social security benefits as soon as they became eligible in 2013, according to the Boston College Center for Retirement Research. The big question is whether this decision appropriately reflected the individuals’ circumstances or whether they made a costly mistake. If you’re approaching retirement, it’s important to carefully weigh […]
What Are the Components of Asset Allocation?
It’s easy to see that many financial assets are highly correlated — especially large assets. If there is a new sign of an economic slowdown, investors expect the entire S&P 500 index to move lower in response. Similarly, if interest rates rise, investors expected all fixed income investments to fall. The individual stock or bond […]
Emotions are an investor’s worst enemy
We are hardwired to seek out predators and react to warning signals. While this innate behavior may have helped keep our ancestors alive, it also makes it almost impossible to make good investment decisions. Few things make us as emotional as the prospect of losing money. That’s why investing is a continual struggle between logic and […]
How to Invest an Inherited IRA
Receiving an inheritance can cause a mix of emotions, and depending on the amount of assets, could have a significant impact on your lifestyle. While it may be tempting to withdraw the money, it’s important to step back and take the time to understand the financial implications of your decisions. In this article, we will […]
Should You Sell Your Company Stock?
Many people hold an oversized chunk of their portfolios in company stock. While it may be performing well, there is a large body of research that has shown that holding a diversified portfolio of stocks outperforms concentrated stock holdings. You may be unwittingly giving up potential returns that could be compounding over time – potentially […]
When Is a Good Time to Invest in Bonds?
Bonds were a relatively uneventful asset class until the 2008 financial crisis when they quickly became a top performer. Over the course of the crisis, highly rated bonds posted a modest six percent return when stocks lost nearly 40 percent of their value. Deciding to invest in bonds could have saved a portfolio from catastrophe! […]
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