FundAdvice.com Articles


Dollar Depreciation, Inflation and Portfolio Performance
User Rating: / 24
Written by Larry Katz, CFA   
October 20, 2009

Over the last several months, the U.S. dollar has generally declined in value against other currencies, raising concerns that the dollar may depreciate further. (A discussion of factors impacting exchange rates can be found here). There is also the threat of future inflation. Both of these can impact investment portfolios. How can investors protect themselves?

History holds hope
User Rating: / 35
Written by Paul Merriman   
October 14, 2009

As investors were suffering huge losses last year and the first few months of this year, many of them despaired that good times would ever return. We never doubted that the market would come back, but we had (and still have) no way to know what a full recovery might look like or how long it might last. However, the history of the U.S. stock market is at least somewhat encouraging.

Interview with John Bogle, founder of Vanguard
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Written by Sound Investing   
October 13, 2009

Earlier this year, Sound Investing interviewed Vanguard founder John Bogle, who isn’t afraid to say what he thinks and who has always sided with individual investors over Wall Street. In an edited transcript of the interview, Bogle tells why he doesn’t think Wall Street is doing a good job for investors and what he thinks about Treasuries as a safety net against inflation.

Roth IRAs: To convert or not to convert
User Rating: / 35
Written by Phuc Dang, CFP®, CPA   
October 06, 2009
As a financial advisor and CPA, I often receive tax questions from my clients.  One that has been coming up a lot this year is: “Should I convert my non-Roth retirement plan (401(k), traditional IRA, 403(b) or 457(b)) to a Roth IRA?”  The question isn’t surprising, given the changes coming to Roth IRA conversions in 2010.

The short answer, which should not surprise you, is: “It depends”.  

What happens to your 401(k) when you leave your job?
User Rating: / 14
Written by Cheryl Curran, CFP®   
September 29, 2009

Whenever you leave a job, whether it’s your choice or not, there are many details and changes competing for your attention, and it’s easy to overlook the disposition of your employer-sponsored retirement plan such as a 401(k), 403(b) or 457.

The perfect portfolio
User Rating: / 204
Written by Jeff Merriman-Cohen   
September 01, 2009
EDITOR'S NOTE:  Since 2003, one of the most popular articles at FundAdvice.com has been "The perfect portfolio" by Jeff Merriman-Cohen, our chief executive officer.  This article has now been updated to reflect investment results through 2008.
 
Great chefs know that it takes more than the right ingredients to make an outstanding stew. If you put everything together in just the right way, ordinary ingredients can turn into magic. In this article, Jeff Merriman-Cohen shows how the same thing is true for investing.
 
Who gets your assets when you're gone?
User Rating: / 24
Written by Lowell Lombardini-Parker   
August 25, 2009
I want to tell you a story about how a woman’s simple negligence cost her kids nearly $500,000.  After 30 years of marriage, a woman I will call Mary Smith found herself in a failing marriage that was heading for divorce court.

Why you should invest in REITs
User Rating: / 48
Written by Paul Merriman   
August 24, 2009

Right now real estate seems to be in the doghouse. Home prices are hurting, as are millions of mortgagees (to say nothing of investors) snared by the subprime real estate mess. After a series of stunningly great years, the Dow Jones Wilshire REIT Index lost 17.6 percent in 2007 and another 39.2 percent in 2008. 

 

Social Security as fixed income
User Rating: / 43
Written by Paul Merriman   
August 11, 2009

Retirees often ask us if they should consider their Social Security as part of their portfolios. It’s income, and it seems to many people as if Social Security should be in the fixed-income part of their asset allocation.  Though a lot of people take that view, we think this is a bad idea. For several reasons we discourage our clients from doing this.

How to be a smart packrat
User Rating: / 30
Written by Richard Buck   
July 21, 2009

Usually once or twice a year I get the urge to organize my filing cabinet, particularly to clean out the piles of paper that seem to accumulate in folders with labels like “pay stubs,” “insurance” and “retirement.”

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