I am retired with a small nest egg and have very little income. Because I must live off this nest egg, it is important that my investments generate adequate income. But this income is not likely to be adequate, so my investments must also provide growth. How should I proceed?

How should I invest $100,000? I want to pay the mortgage on my home ($1,500 per month) with the income from the initial investment?

I have read that Vanguard's Total Stock Market Index Fund is much more tax efficient than the Vanguard 500 Index Fund that you have recommended. And they seem to have virtually identical returns. Why don't you recommend the Total Stock Market fund for its tax efficiency? Also, I am impressed with Vanguard Primecap and Vanguard Health Care funds. What is your opinion of them?

Is there any sense in buying mutual funds investing in overseas companies? I have found that the foreign markets follow ours very closely. I do not really see any diversification value at all when I chart these funds against U.S. indexes.

I am 26 years old and just started investing. I have sent the paperwork for a Roth IRA in the Janus Enterprise fund. For a non-IRA account I selected Janus Mercury, and I’m also considering adding Janus Growth & Income. For somebody looking for long-term growth, is this a solid start?

My wife and I are 44 years old and we have about $90,000 in our IRA accounts. We are adding $1,000 to $1,500 a month. We wonder if there is a good way to invest our money without a lot of risk and volatility and still earn 9 percent to 12 percent a year. Our goal is to have at least $1 million in investments by the time we retire in 21 to 26 years. Any suggestions?