Black Swan Investing: Worth the Risk?
[ad#Content 300x250] Ever since Nassim Taleb’s bestseller The Black Swan and the subsequent market crash that ensued, which was clearly a Black Swan (a very rare, unanticipated event), investors and news pundits More...
Bond Investing Always Safe, Know the Risks
I continue to see articles, talk shows and Tweets touting the “110″ rule for investing, saying that the percentage of stock you should hold in your portfolio should equal your 110 minus your age and More...
Gold Investing is Hot – Should You Indulge?
Gold investing had been all the rage from 2008 into 2010 when fears of an economic collapse and impending hyperinflation captured the imagination of Americans. More recently though, gold had lost some of its luster, More...
Why a Cash-In Refinance Might Make Sense
A cash-in refinance is the polar opposite of what we saw consumers doing during the prior decade when they were using their houses like piggy-banks while the mortgage bubble inflated. At that time, each time a More...
Should You “Double Down” on Housing Right Now?
There’s an interesting new phenomena brewing where people enticed by low rates and home prices well off their recent highs are “doubling down” on housing, essentially betting the house if you will, More...
VAT Tax – What It Is and What it Would Mean for America
There’s been much ado about the potential for the dreaded Value Added Tax (VAT) of late since the economic reality of America’s borrow and spend mantra is starting to hit home. What is the VAT? A value More...
Investing for Income vs. Capital Appreciation
[ad#Content 300x250] Retail investors are confronted with a multitude of investment options ranging from savings accounts and CDs to stocks and bonds. When venturing out of the safest (and lowest yielding) FDIC-protected More...
How Much Should You Really Spend on a Home?
[ad#Left-Align Content Ad]We’ve been mulling over a move and it’s been a balance of fiscal restraint vs. getting the actual home we want in a more expensive school district that makes a move even worthwhile. More...
Target Date Funds Aren’t as Safe as You May Think
A few years back, target date funds were all the rage in retirement accounts like 401(k)s, 403(b)s and they spilled over into individual retirement accounts like IRAs as well. The selling point was the following: More...
Buy Now Before Mortgage Rates Rise? Not So Fast
It’s both amusing and frustrating to continue to see history repeat itself in that purported “experts” (who are often really acting out of pure self-interest) dole out advice which is both devoid More...