How to Choose a Financial Advisor

For the same reasons people bring their cars to mechanics and their taxes to CPAs, many who invest for their future do it with the help of a financial advisor. It could be a lack of time to do your own due diligence, or the inclination. Maybe it’s the idea that “most” financial advisors spend [...]

5 Ways to Diversify Your Fixed Income Portfolio

Historically, investors have spent incredible amounts of time doing research to diversify their equity portfolios. Figuring out just how much should be allocated to emerging markets and small cap can be a never-ending exhausting process. The problem is after all of the time devoted to equities, the standard practice for many investors is to just [...]

4 Investment Alternatives to Equities

In general, many investors are reactionary. They tend to pull out of investments after the bottom has dropped out of them, or buy into something that has already had a pretty good run. These last six months are perfect example. Pre-election, many investors felt skittish and moved to cash with part or all of their [...]

The IRA vs 401(k): Which is Right for You?

Every day adults are realizing more and more that they need to take control of their own retirement savings. Regardless of political affiliation, most can agree that the sand is running out of the social security system hourglass, and many of us will never see a dime for our efforts. Those of us that will, [...]

Index Fund Investing Overview

Investing in index funds is a pretty basic investing strategy but we wanted to cover it for two reason: 1) There are many people who are not expert investors and need this information.2) Regardless of how experienced you are, this is a legitimate technique, especially for people who do not have the time or resources [...]

Market Capitalization: An Overview

As you sit and watch the financial news, or read other financial articles, you will constantly hear about this large-cap company or that small-cap, etc. What do these terms mean? Which companies fall where? And most importantly, why does it matter? The first thing we need to do when discussing this topic is define what [...]

No Load Mutual Fund vs Load Mutual Fund

“No load vs load mutual fund, which is better?”, was a reader question that came in through the contact form a while back.  A “No-Load” mutual fund is one in which the investment company sells it directly to the public. A mutual fund with a “Load” is one in which the investment company sells the [...]

Real Estate Short Sales Explained

Real estate short sales have become more common in the tough housing market of the last few years. A short sale is an attempt to sell a home instead of the bank taking it back by foreclosure. This sale can partially salvage the homeowner’s credit rating and lift the stress of large mortgage payments. If [...]

Five Tips on Buying Foreclosures

Buying a foreclosed home can be a great way to get a deal on real estate but it can be daunting if you’ve never done it before. Here are a few tips to consider when you’re thinking about buying a foreclosure. Know Thy Neighbor – Remember, when you buy a home, it’s like getting married. [...]

Variable Annuities Overview

Variable annuities are probably something you’ve never even considered investing in if you’re under 50 years young.  However, I’ve had people write me whose parents are getting pitched fixed annuitites and variable annuities as they are getting closer to retirement. To give an idea of how variable annuities work, Victor wrote up the following overview. [...]

Next Page »