Investing
« Previous EntriesShould You Manage Your 401(k) Yourself?
Friday, May 9th, 2008This question comes to us from a guy I have known my entire life:
I read your article the other day Should Portfolio Rebalancing Be Considered Market Timing? and it got me thinking about my 401k balance. I’m turning 40 next month and am looking at my 401k balance, thinking should someone with my level […]
Should This Guy Leave VanKampen?
Tuesday, May 6th, 2008One thing I have noticed from the Money Magazine mention is that I am getting A LOT more email from people asking for my opinion on various topics. If the subject matter is blog-worthy, I’ll consider writing about it. Not so much because I’m an “expert” but more because a lot of AFM […]
Should Portfolio Rebalancing Be Considered Market Timing?
Monday, May 5th, 2008I’m in the midst of reading a new book by Christopher Jones titled The Intelligent Portfolio (Affiliate Link).
Jones, who is the Chief Investment Officer of Financial Engines, writes that people who invest using a fixed-proportion portfolio (i.e. 70% stock/30% bond portfolio) are essentially market timing when they rebalance their portfolios. Why? […]
Question from a Reader - Rollover Portfolio to Advisor?
Friday, May 2nd, 2008I recieved the following email this morning from an AFM reader:
Hi,
I am 32 yrs old, married with one child. I am starting a new job and need to rollover my 401k. I currently have 160k in the account and have worked with a financial planner for a couple years. Can you please […]
What Would You Do In This Situation?
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008Let’s do a little stock market temperment quiz. I found this in an a series of articles about Warren Buffett that was published in U. S. News & World Report last summer:
…what if one stock, in particular, had seemed like a sure bet when you bought it last month. The company sells something everyone […]
What Happens if the First Years of Retirement Are Bad?
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008Last week I received an email from a reader about my annuity posts. He wasn’t very happy with me because he didn’t think I was being fair to those who sell annuities. We ended up having a rather heated discussion via email that lasted over several days. Anyhow, his first email came […]
Common Questions - How Much Do I Need to Save for Retirement?
Sunday, April 20th, 2008The other day I asked the following questions in a “Question of the Day” post:
In your opinion, what’s the most confusing aspect of personal finance?
What area gives you the most trouble?
Several commenters stated that they had problems with trying to determine how much they needed to save for retirement.
That’s a tough question for a variety […]
Morningstar’s Best and Worst 529 Plans
Friday, April 18th, 2008Here’s a look at Morningstar’s recently published list of the best and worst 529 plans:
The Best
Illinois Bright Start College Savings Program - OppenheimerFunds Inc.
Maryland College Inv Plan - T. Rowe Price
Virginia CollegeAmerica* - Virginia (American Funds)
Virginia Education Savings Trust - Virginia
Colorado Scholars Choice College Savings Program* - Legg Mason, Inc.
The Worst
Ohio Putnam CollegeAdvantage* […]
Crocs Update
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008Remember back in November when I wrote Crocs: The Beginning of the End? Well, the stock was trading at around $47 then (after being as high as $75). Now it is currently under $10 per share. It was quite a ride:
You can click on the chart to see a larger version.
What […]
Investing For the Long Term - What’s a Good Portfolio Allocation?
Wednesday, April 9th, 2008I received this email from a reader:
I was wondering if you could do a post on what you think would be a good long term stock portfolio allocation. I saw an earlier post of yours on Kiplinger’s 2008 recommended allocation and tweaked it a little to create the allocation below. Like Kiplinger’s allocation, I stuck […]