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Penny Stock Debacle: How I Lost $5,000 and You Can (and Better!) Avoid It

I get sick when I think about that day and the mistake that cost me $5,000. I compare it to something in between smashing my thumb with a hammer to breaking your mother’s most beloved piece of China....

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Retirement savers should ladder bonds

Timing the market rarely pays off No matter whether you’re sitting at the kitchen table with your spouse or in a board meeting at a big money management firm, it is unquestionably the question of day....

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What Does ROI Mean For Investors?

ROI is short for “return on investment”. It’s a term often used by business owners. But what does ROI meanto individual investors and is it important? If we break this down a little you’ll easily...

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How to keep stocks from ruining your retirement

Your need to reduce the sequence-of-return risk You might not think it’s a risk at the moment, what with the market close to all-time highs. But at some point the market will fall again. And when it...

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How Safe Are Mutual Funds

Smart investors always ask how safe their money is. And when it comes to fund investing, the answer is a bit surprising. Just how safe are mutual funds? Let’s find out. First, keep in mind that...

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BYOB? Don’t Join This Party.

BYOB–or not. Sorry, I’m not inviting you to a “bring your own beverage” party. I’m warning you away from a get-rich scheme called “Be Your Own Banker.” This idea has floated around the Internet and...

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Why Your Retirement Number Doesn’t Matter

Yesterday we discussed how to calculate your personal net worth, what it means and how it relates to your retirement number. I also mentioned that when you calculate how much (or how little) income...

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Diversification of a Portfolio Done Right

Proper diversification of a portfolio can easily trip you up. At the basic level, this is applying the concept of not putting all your (financial) eggs in one basket. Pretty easy. But to really get...

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What Will Gold Prices Do Next?

For the last 5 or 6 years, gold has gotten a lot of attention and many people have gotten on the “buy gold” band wagon. But recently gold investors have gotten smacked around a little. If you are one...

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Why The Stock Market Is Making You Rich Right Now

It wasn’t too long ago that people were jumping out of windows because the market was spiraling down into a dark and evil abyss. Now the market seems to hit new all-time highs every day. And that’s not...

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Annuities as income, not investments

You probably aren’t even aware that you’re doing it, but you are. You are “optimizing imperfectly” when it comes to taking money from your defined benefit, 401(k), and other retirement plans. Instead...

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Retirement savers: It’s not too late for stocks

Be ready for volatility and review asset allocation The Fed suggests it will end its stimulus program and the world goes to pieces. Stocks fall, yields rise, gold plunges. What’s a retiree to do with...

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5 Roadblocks To Investing And How To Overcome Them

In today’s video I share 5 Roadblocks To Investing and How To Overcome Them Make sure to watch it all the way through so you can learn what roadblock may be holding you back from starting to invest...

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Odds you’ll save enough to retire? 50/50

How to tweak your plan so the odds favor success On paper, given the current state of the stock and bond markets, you’ve got less-than 50% chance that your money will last over the course of 30 years...

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What’s the Difference Between a Stock, Bond and Mutual Fund?

Did you watch last week’s video about how you can become a millionaire?  If you missed it, you can WATCH it here. Now that you know why you need to start investing, it’s now time to help you get super...

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Target Date Funds: Investing for the Disinterested

  Do you know how your 401(k) plan at work is currently invested?  Do you feel overwhelmed by the investment selections available to you?  This post will provide you with the basics on Target Date...

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A Time and a Place for Market Timing

“Keep your hands away from your investments and back away from the market reports.” That pretty much sums up passive investing, the approach I have practiced for years. I’ve preached it for years, too,...

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No market for old investors

Loving your portfolio means never having to freak out If you’re the sort of person who likes death-defying roller-coaster rides, then what went on in the stock and bond markets this week probably suits...

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Don’t Invest in your Company’s Stock

Be wary of employer stock in your 401(k) If ever you needed another reason not to invest in your company’s stock inside your 401(k), this would be it. A new Morningstar Investment Management study...

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Does your target-date fund have a secret flaw?

Hidden fees, poor investments can hurt your 401(k) Target-date mutual funds are fast becoming the most popular investment inside a 401(k) plan. But such target-date funds, or TDFs, aren’t getting much...

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