The Simple Secret of Investing
May 18, 2007
What’s the single most important factor in the value of an investment portfolio? Some might say risk or diversification. Others might think costs or taxes. These are all vitally important but not as crucial as the most basic investing principle.
The good news is that getting this factor right is simple. As a […]
Personal Finance Decision Guide - 1st Edition
April 29, 2007
Simplifying Your Personal Finance
Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Personal Finance Decision Guide! Read more about the goals and strategy behind the decision guide here. Then check out the articles listed below to help you focus on simplifying your personal finances by making one decision at a time. If you’ve written about a […]
Ending Your Retirement Nightmare
February 18, 2007
Have you ever had a nightmare where you showed up for a final exam in school then realized you hadn’t been going to class all semester? Panic time. Why hadn’t you been going? What had you missed? How were you ever going to pass this test?
Retirement Nightmare
Many people dream of retirement […]
Investing With Simplicity. Reflections On Financial Planning.
February 6, 2007
Emily, the winner of the FinanceSpiration Challenge, emailed me her thoughts on the prize, a one-hour consultation with a financial planner. She shares the recommendations that Kristine made and her reflections on the financial planning process.
The financial consultation with Kristine was extremely helpful. She started by calculating a target number for my retirement […]
Dumping American Century Ultra Mutual Fund - TWCUX
January 18, 2007
I started investing in American Century Ultra in 2003, a year in which it returned around 25% according to Morningstar. I’ve been dollar cost averaging into the fund ever since and am embarrassed to say that I’ve been meaning to get out of it for a while now but have procrastinated for far too […]
Attention Generation Y, Don’t Forget to Rollover Your 401k!
January 11, 2007
Generation X Finance and Boston Gal picked up on an article yesterday that describes how people from Generation Y tend to switch jobs more frequently than ever before due to a variety of generational factors.
The extinction of pension plans and the rise of 401k plans is one of the signs of this generational shift. […]
What is Your 401k Provider Not Telling You?
December 9, 2006
The largest percentage of my family’s portfolio by far is in my 401k plan. So when I ran across “10 Things your 401k Provider Won’t Tell You” in this month’s edition of Smart Money magazine I took notice. Below are the things I took from the article and after each, questions we can […]
So, Why Aren’t You Saving For Retirement?
November 18, 2006
Is this a question? Or is it statement, a challenge, a call to action?
If you’re married or have a significant other you may be familiar with what I’ve termed the “assumed question”. Phrased as a question, it actually interprets to a statement, request, or expectation that assumes action will follow.
What does this have […]
Searching for Retirement
November 17, 2006
A search on pflogs.org last night for the word retirement returned 20 hits over the last two days. It’s definitely a hot topic but are we over-thinking it?
As a person under 30 it’s hard for me to project where I’ll be during retirement. That time is so far away, how do I know what […]
