Most Recent Articles...
4/02/04 - Best Mutual Funds of 2004
If you are a regular visitor to this site, you know that I don't advocate chasing investment returns. However, it is still fun to look at what funds have been performing well lately and to see what returns they command. Let's take a look at the top 10 mutual funds of 2004, so far.
3/30/04 - O-Strip Index
According to a Standard and Poor's press release today, a new index was launched called the "O-Strip Index." The O-Strip Index is simply the Nasdaq portion of stocks listed in the S&P 500 Index. Read more about it here.
3/24/04 - Avoid Common 401(k) Investing Mistakes
Blame it on the media, blame it on your neighbor. Many investors have the wrong idea when it comes to choosing mutual funds in their 401(k) plan. Assuming you already understand the importance of investing in your 401(k) plan, I'd like to save you from a few common 401(k) investing pitfalls.
3/02/04 - Answers to Your Mutual Fund Scandal Questions
The recent mutual fund scandals are disappointing. I think some mutual funds companies have forgotten what the original intentions of mutual funds were and that the true company owners are: their shareholders. Read my answers to your fund scandal questions.
2/23/04 - TurboTax Review
I've updated my review of TurboTax to reflect the fact that they removed the controversial spyware that I complained about in my review last year.
2/05/04 - E-Trade's Mutual Fund Offer: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
E-Trade's new ads are all over the Internet and clog up their homepage. In response to the scrutiny on mutual fund fees, E-trade is the first brokerage company to offer a 50% rebate on 12b-1 fees. You will now get a kick back on your 12b-1 fees, paid directly to your investment account. Sounds great to a newby investor - find out why I think it should be illegal! I've searched all news organizations and can't believe no one has written about this - perhaps they're afraid of losing an major advertiser.
2/05/04 - Mutual Funds 101 Course
I hope one of your resolutions is to learn more about smart investing. To aid you in this effort, I have created a 10-day course called "Mutual Funds 101." It may be the most profitable "Free" class you ever take!
1/29/04 - International ETFs
Adding international mutual funds or exchange traded funds (ETFs) to your portfolio are excellent ways to diversify your portfolio. Studies show that international exposure typically increases the return of your portfolio, while reducing the level of risk you take. Investing internationally is also a good way to hedge against a weak American dollar. View a list of international exchange traded funds.
1/29/04 - Vanguard Launches More ETFs
Fourteen new VIPERs will trade on the American Stock Exchange on January 30th. Vanguard's VIPERS are ETF versions of their popular index funds. Read the full VIPER press release.
12/18/04 - John Thain Named CEO of the NYSE
Just one day after the SEC approved an overhaul plan for the New York Stock Exchange, John Thain was named chief executive officer of the NYSE. John Reed will remain the interim chairman. Read more about John Thain.
12/17/04 - SEC Charges First Unregistered Hedge Fund Advisor
As mentioned in a post in July, the SEC would like more control over the hedge fund industry. For the first time ever, the SEC brought action against an unregistered investment advisor to a hedge fund for "failure to supervise." Read the SEC press release.
12/18/04 - John Thain Named CEO of the NYSE
Just one day after the SEC approved an overhaul plan for the New York Stock Exchange, John Thain was named chief executive officer of the NYSE. John Reed will remain the interim chairman. Read more about John Thain.
11/04/03 - Richard Strong - Profile
Richard Strong, CEO and founder of the Strong Financial Corporation and Strong Funds is under investigation for market timing his own funds for personal gain. He recently resigned from the mutual fund board, but still remains CEO of Strong Capital Management, advisor to the mutual funds.
10/23/03 - Tight-wad Test
Are you a tight-wad with your money? Find out how you score with this fun tight-wad test I created.
10/21/03 - What it Takes to Become a Millionaire
Americans are obsessed with becoming millionaires. Do a search on Amazon.com and you will find over 590 books with "Millionaire" in the title. Take a look at some of the most popular television shows over the past few years: Survivor (competing for $1 million), Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Joe Millionaire. The question is, how hard is it to become a millionaire through saving and investing? It isn't as hard as you think.
10/17/03 - NYSE Censures 5 Trading Firms
On Thursday the NYSE announced that its five largest specialist brokerage firms would be censured for trading abuses, including trading ahead of their customer's orders which is estimated to have costed investors more than $100 million.
10/9/03 - New $20 Bill
A newer version of the U.S. $20 bill began circulating today to help prevent counterfeits. Unlike changes in the past, this time the U.S. Treasury decided to add some new color to the $20 bill.
10/8/03 - Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity
Two Economists, Robert Engle and Clive Granger, share the 2003 Nobel Prize in Economics for their paper on "Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity."
9/16/03 - Comparing NYSE Dick Grasso's Compensation
When word got out that NYSE Director, Dick Grasso, received a $139.5 million payout on his retirement plan people were shocked. When they found out he is entitled to another $48 million people were outraged. These numbers are shocking, but it is hard to determine how astronomical they are, unless we compare his wages to other big names inside and outside of the industry.
9/8/03 - Yahoo Finance Changes Quote Pages
Yahoo Finance doesn't quite look the same: because it isn't! Yahoo made some major changes on the quote pages, mostly for the better. Despite the popularity of Yahoo Finance, it has been in need of a makeover since the beginning. Let's take a look at what has changed and if it was an improvement.
9/2/03 - 401k Day
The Profit Sharing/401k Council of America has named the day after Labor Day - 401(k) Day for companies across the U.S. Learn all about 401k day and about your 401k plan.
8/27/03 - Financial Companies Need to Know You Better
Mutual fund companies, banks, brokers and other financial institutions would like to get to know you better. Unfortunately, they aren't aiming at increasing customer service or personalization, they are just trying to comply with Section 326 of the U.S. Patriot Act.
8/22/03 - Morningstar Stepping on Advisor's Feet?
The Wall Street Journal reports that Morningstar has stepped into the investment advisor arena, putting it in direct competition with its traditional client base. Now 100 of its 600 employees are dedicated to this new area.
8/19/03 - 2003 Required Minimum Distributions Calculator
I created this handy RMD calculator for those of you who are subject to Required Minimum Distributions (RMD) on your retirement holdings.
8/12/03 - Potential Market Reaction to the Death of Saddam
There's no doubt that Americans are a bit disappointed that both Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein have escaped the clutches of the U.S. military force. If either of these leaders were captured or killed, how would the U.S. stock market react?
7/29/03 - Average Equity Investor Earns Less Than Inflation
According to Dalbar, the average equity mutual fund investor earned less than inflation over the past 19 years. Fear and greed lead many investors in the chase for returns. Let's take a look at the numbers.
7/25/03 - Federal Do Not Call Registry a Hit
As I guessed in "The Death of Cold Calling" entry, the DoNotCall.gov Web site was swarmed with over 28 million phone number entries less than one month. "Federal Do Not Call Registry" continues to be one of the top search engine terms. How will this affect brokers who cold call to make a living?
7/6/03 - Dangers of Company Stock
More than a year after the Enron scandal where employees saw their forced company stock investments shrink from $80 a share to just pennies and after years of layoffs and company crashes, you’d think that investors would have figured out by now that investing in their own company’s stock can be very dangerous. Well, they haven’t!
6/17/03 - Black Tuesday - 1929
Black Tuesday is notorious for being the worst day in the U.S. stock market, but in terms of percentage loss, the honor goes to Black Monday (1987 and 1929). To understand what makes it the worst day, read on.
6/10/03 - Black Monday - 1929
Black Monday was the second sign of the end of a great bull market of the 20s and the second worst day in stock market history.
6/7/03 - Webby Awards
I don't normally get a chance to create a feature about a non-investing topic, but I was a judge for the 2003 Webby Awards (Oscars of the Internet), so I created an outline of the winners, nominees and their 5-word speeches.
5/25/03 - Black Thursday - 1929
Black Thursday was the first sign of the end of a great bull market and the first of three "black" days kicking off the Great Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression.
5/8/03 - Book Review: Cookin' the Books
Don Silver's "Cookin' the Book$" offers investors intelligent recipes for avoiding sour stocks. His well-crafted analogies provide important investing lessons that stick!
4/25/03 - Treasury Inflation Protected Securities
If you like the idea of investing in fixed investments, like treasuries, but don't like the idea of inflation eating away at the principal you are lending the government, then you may be interested in TIPS.
4/14/03 - Turn Your Tax Refund Into... a Mutual Fund
Expecting a tax refund? Before temptation overbears reasonable thinking, I’d like to offer a boring, yet smarter, way to use your money: Invest! If you have been neglecting the investing department, now may be your best opportunity to do something smart with your money.
4/1/03 - April Fool's Joke
Here's a funny article I wrote that was an April fools joke I played on some of our subscribers. It warned investors that NASDAQ would be closing its doors for two weeks in reaction to Greenspan's retirement announcement.
3/25/03 - Investing During War Times
Ask an investment professional if investing during war is a good idea and the answers will vary. For a better understanding of how the market fares during war times, I took a look at WWII, Korean War, Vietnam, Desert Storm and the recent conflicts.
3/17/03 - Say NO to Loaded Mutual Funds
Stock brokers and insurance salesmen might try to convince you otherwise, but there really is no reason to ever buy a loaded mutual fund. Learn why you should stay away from loaded funds.
3/16/03 - How to Spot a Loaded Mutual Fund
You know that buying a loaded fund is a bad idea, but do you know how to determine which funds carry a load? You will after reading this article.
3/1/03 - Chain Weighted CPI
Greenspan recently mentioned that the government could save money by switching to a Chain-Weighted CPI rather than the traditional fixed CPI. The problem is that most people don't know what a chain weighted CPI is.
2/18/03 - Understanding Stock and Mutual Fund Symbols
Stock symbols, or tickers, are a convenient way to track a security. Did you know that certain letters and the number of letters used tells you more about the security?
2/17/03 - Funny Ticker Symbols
I searched high and low for the most unusual stock symbols. There's no doubt these companies were shocked when they received their symbol from the exchange!
2/10/03 - Top 10 Reasons Investing is Like Sex
Look out David Letterman, I've created a top ten list of two seemingly unrelated topics - you'll be surprised how similar the two are.
2/1/03 - Turbo Tax Review
Find out how I rated this product and discover some controversial material Intuit included with the latest release.
1/18/03 - U.S. Stock Market Holiday Schedule
If you are in the industry, or want to make trades, you may find this feature handy this year. Keep track of which days the U.S. stock market is closed (Holiday schedules are separated by exchange).
1/17/03 - International Stock Market Holiday Schedule
Even if you are not trading international stocks, it is fun to look at the holiday schedule for different countries. There are some really unusual holidays.
1/12/03 - On Your Birthday in Wall Street History
Did anything significant happen on your birthday in the history of the U.S. stock market? Did the market crash? Did Wall Street break new records? Find out with this fun tool.
Year 2002 Articles
12/31/02 - Solo(k) - The New 401k-like Plan
There are new 401k-like options for sole proprietors or people running small businesses. These new products will help these people defer more money to retirement.
12/30/02 - Investment Resolutions
Investing topics are often overlooked in people's New Year's resolutions despite the countless mistakes investors make each year. Read my suggested investment resolutions for you.
12/22/02 - Top Picks for Leather Laptop Cases
Whether you need a laptop case for traveling abroad, commuting to work or simply need a safe place to store it, these high quality leather laptop cases are sure to please. Besides safekeeping for your laptop, these cases are fashionable.
12/9/02 - State Securities Regulator Locator
Have you ever visited your state's securities regulation Web site? If not, you should! These sites are packed full of great investment information, including how to get your money back if you have been deceived.
12/1/02 - John Bogle Books
Find the best books written by, or about, Mutual Fund living legend - John Bogle (founder of Vanguard funds).
11/25/02 - Exchange Traded Funds
ETFs are similar to index mutual funds, but trade more like stocks. Learn the advantages and disadvantages to using exchange traded funds.
11/12/02 - How to Make $$$
Forget all the spam and scams you see about making money with your computer. I have created a real way to make $$ and it is guaranteed to work. Try it on your friends as well.
11/4/02 - Mutual Fund Managed 'By the People'
A unique Web site allows investors a chance to compete for the right to help run an actual mutual fund. Only the strong performers are hired on as managers. It sounds like it could work, but my job is to dig deeper and discover the truth.
10/28/02 - Worst Stock Market Crashes
If you feel like the market has been tough since 2000, think again. The stock market returns in 2000, 2001, and 2002 don't even make the top 10 list of the worst markets crashes in U.S. history.
10/25/02 - Origins of the $ Symbol and Free $ Clip Art
Need some money symbol clip art for your Web site, presentation or documents? Here is a large collection of money symbol clip art for your personal or professional use.
10/15/02 - Spot the CEO Game
It takes a certain kind of talent to recognize the big guys from the small fries at a cocktail party. CEOs come in all shapes and sizes. Find out if you know a CEO when you see one!
10/4/02 - Best Personal Finance Software
Want to keep track of your investments? Want to learn how to better manage your finances? Using these financial software programs will make you better with your money.
9/25/02 - What Are Index Funds?
Index funds are perfect for the buy-and-hold investor - the kind of person who likes to sit back and let their investment grow, rather than moving in and out of the market in an effort to beat the market.
9/4/02 - Maximize 401(k) Matching
Let me tell you about the best investment you'll ever make. It's not futures or options. It isn't stock, real estate or precious metals. It is something almost everyone has access to and is the ultimate "no brainer" investment.
9/3/02 - 401(k) Day
The day after Labor Day is 401(k) Day. Learn more about 401(k) investing from this special I put together. Both employers and employees will benefit from reading this special.
9/1/02 - Interview with 401(k) Day Founder
I had a chance to speak with the Profit Sharing/401k Council of America (PSCA) president about 401(k) Day.
8/25/02 - Calculating Net Asset Values
You may have heard the term Net Asset Value (NAV) used when referring to mutual funds. Now's your chance to learn how to calculate a mutual fund's NAV and understand what it really means.
8/7/02 - Hedge Funds
When the stock market is doing poorly, talk of using hedge funds tends to increase. Although hedge funds are not mutual funds, people often mistake them as such.
7/28/02 - Investment Psychology Books
Unfortunately, psychology plays a major role in people's investing decisions. These books will give you insight on psychological struggles that make us bad investors.
7/12/02 - Best Investing Magazines
Many magazines are dedicated to investing. It is common for these magazines to be full of hype which typically reduces your investment returns. Take a look at these investing magazine rankings.
6/29/02 - Down Markets Good for Many Investors
Psychologically, nothing is more depressing then seeing your investments go down the drain, but if you invest regularly and have some time before retirement, bear markets can be a beautiful thing.
6/11/02 - Cutting Down on Financial Paperwork
If there is one industry that keeps the paper mills in business, it is the financial industry. In an effort to keep you from drowning in piles of useless paper, I have come up with some general guidelines on what to keep and what to destroy.
5/13/02 - Quick Guide to Morningstar's Style Box
If you haven't discovered style boxes yet, you are in for a pleasant surprise. Morningstar created the style box to help investors with their asset allocation strategies.
4/9/02 - Best Online Trading Web Sites
Trading online is one of America's favorite Internet pastimes. Find out which Web sites are doing the best job of gaining and retaining online customers.
3/18/02 - Professional Designations
Many advisors obtain professional designations, but most people don't know what they mean. I built this guide so you can tell the difference between a CFP, a CFA, a PFS and other confusing acronyms.
2/25/02 - Gifts for the Professional
Have a friend in the investment business? Want to reward your financial professional? The following gifts will be admired by everyone in their office.
1/18/02 - The SEC is Your Friend
In 1934 the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) was created to protect investors in the wake of the 1929 stock market crash. The SEC continues to protect investors today, adding stability to investors' confidence and the markets in general.
1/2/02 - Investment Resolutions
Investing topics are often overlooked in people's New Year's resolutions despite the countless mistakes investors make each year. Read my suggested investment resolutions for you.
Year 2001 Articles
12/17/01 - Understanding Mutual Fund Distributions
Don't be alarmed if you look in the newspaper or online and notice that your fund's price, or NAV, has fallen dramatically. It may not mean your fund lost money for you -- it may simply mean the fund made a distribution.
12/5/01 - Top 7 Financial Calculators
Financial calculators are a must-have tool for college students, professors, and financial professionals alike. Others may find a financial calculator extremely helpful in making important financial decisions. Choosing the right calculator is essential.
11/20/01 - Before You Buy a Mutual Fund
Buying a mutual fund may be the smartest financial decision of your life. But with over 10,000 mutual funds to choose from, you can be sure that there are a decent number of sour apples out there. To be safe, take a look at the items mentioned on this list before you invest in any mutual fund.
11/18/01 - Full Review of Mutual Mania
A board game about investing is a rarity. A board game that rivals Monopoly and teaches important lessons is also a rarity. Find out what else makes this a great game.
11/16/01 - Top Investing Movies
Hollywood often shies away from movies about Wall Street, but over the years there have been a handful of entertaining movies about investing. View my list of the top 5 investing-related movies ever.
11/06/01 - Fed Cuts Rates for the Tenth Time this Year
Facing rising unemployment and decreased consumer confidence, the Federal Reserve was forced to make its tenth federal funds rate cut this year.
11/05/01 - Money Market Funds
Money market funds have been around for 30 years and are a very popular place for investors to park their money. How popular? 2.3 trillion dollars worth of popularity. Banks prefer you never hear about money market funds. Find out why.
10/15/01 - The Mutual Fund Advantage
It seems strange to compare mutual funds to stocks since mutual funds are primarily composed of stocks, but it is important to distinguish the two because there are some notable advantages to using mutual funds.
10/2/01 - Whole Nine Yards
The Fed was forced to make its ninth federal funds rate cut in order to keep the economy ticking. This cut marks the lowest rate since June 1962 when, strangely enough, the U.S. faced the beginning of the Vietnam War and the Cuban Missile Crisis took place a couple of months later.
9/24/01 - Wall Street Fights Back
Despite the World Trade Center being reduced to rubble and thousands of financial professionals losing their lives, Wall Street was able to get back on its feet and fight back. The U.S. government decided to hit the terrorist where it will hurt most: Their Pocketbooks!
9/17/01 - The Market Reacts to the Terrorist Attack
After almost of week of non-trading due to the terrorist attack, the stock market reopened. As expected, the airline industry was hit the hardest. Also suffering tremendous losses were the entertainment, automotive, financial, and lodging industries.
9/12/01 - Financial Effects of the Terrorist Attack
The terrorist attack of Sept. 11th, 2001 on the Wall Street District of New York undoubtedly shook the country causing much despair in the lives of many of Americans. What remains unknown is how the economy and the stock market will react.
8/21/01 - Seven Wonders of the FED
The FED dropped interest rates for the seventh time this year. Can Greenspan battle the forces of the economy and the stock market with his monetary policy toolbag, or is it too little too late?
8/15/01 - Different Kinds of Mutual Funds
Being a collection of many stocks, you may have thought that picking a mutual fund might be easy. Not necessarily... there are over 10,000 mutual funds to choose from. It is easier to think of mutual funds in categories.
7/26/01 - UnProphetable Investing
Having faith in your investments is essential for long term success, but having faith in certain people may lead to failure. In particular, I am talking about self-proclaimed prophets, psychics, and astrologers who claim they are in tune with the stock market.
7/1/01 - What is a Mutual Fund?
Far too often investment writers incorrectly assume that their readers understand what a mutual fund is. Read this article as an absolute starting point for learning about mutual funds.
6/27/01 - Greenspan Opens a Six Pack
Greenspan has been forced to make six cuts in the Federal Funds rate. Find out what the cut means and more information about the Fed.
6/10/01 - Test Your Mutual Fund Knowledge
Play the "Mutual Fund" version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and see how much you really know. You might even learn a thing or two!
5/15/01 - Greenspan's 5-Punch Combination
In an effort to battle U.S. market conditions this year, Greenspan has been forced to roll up his sleeves and unleash five 0.5 percentage cuts in the Federal funds rate.
5/7/01 - A Call for Decent Fund Charting
Investing sites have grown tremendously over the past few years and the quality of tools they offer is amazing. However, one thing remains the same: Charting. What good are charts if the data displayed is corrupted?
4/29/01 - Mutual Funds with Low Minimums
Before you head out to a restaurant for dinner, you may want to reconsider how you spend that money, because for as little as $50 you can start investing in mutual funds.
4/5/01 - Beware of 12b-1 Fees
12b-1 fees are one of the darkest secrets in the mutual fund industry. Find out what they are, what is wrong with them, and how to avoid them.
3/16/01 - When to Sell a Mutual Fund
The media has no trouble telling you what funds to buy and when, but finding advice on when to cut a fund loose is much harder to come by.
2/27/01 - Mutual Funds for a Down Market
When the market heads down, investors find themselves looking for ways to ease the suffering. Let me show you which funds can help and which funds actually thrive in a declining market.
2/07/01 - Capital Gains or Capital Punishment?
Often when tax season nears, mutual fund investors become confused. Why do we have to pay taxes on a fund that had a losing year?
1/11/01 - Chasing Returns
When deciding where to put your money, what often seems "hot" is certainly not. The year 2000 is a prime example.
Year 2000 Articles
11/25/00 - The History of Mutual Funds
When three Boston securities executives pooled their money together in 1924 to create the first mutual fund, they had no idea how popular mutual funds would become.
11/21/00 - The Power of Compounding Interest
There are many decent examples of the impact of compounding interest, but they seem to fail at providing an example that is easy to relate to. I have created a scenario that will help you truly understand what Einstein called the "8th wonder of the world."
11/19/00 - Fund of Funds
If you haven't heard of a fund of funds, you might think it is just a redundancy. The truth is a fund of funds has some important advantages and disadvantages that you need to be aware of.
11/10/00 - Navigating Your Way Through Mutual Fund Newsletters
Many do-it-yourself mutual fund investors use newsletters to help guide them through investing waters, but how are they suppose to decide which one(s) to use with the flood of newsletters out there?