Here’s a smattering of recent headlines. See if you can find rhyme or reason in them, at least in terms of actions you might take — right now, today — in regard to your retirement investing. After-hours buzz: TI, IBM, Best Buy & more Brace for ‘more choppiness,’ strategist says Sell crude on Obama’s Syria… Continue reading →

When working people enter their late 50s or early 60s, most begin to take stock — many for the first time — of their retirement plan investments. Often, they are shocked to find that the reality underlying their plan to fund retirement is dire, even catastrophic. Now, this is not an article to scold savers who… Continue reading →

Better returns can’t be explained any more simply: If you worry about the pennies, the dollars take care of themselves. Often used to explain budgeting, the old adage applies very well to investing, too. That is, if you can keep your cost of retirement investing to a minimum, you will have more money in the… Continue reading →

One of the more mysterious aspects of portfolio management is effective rebalancing. Simply put, it is the disciplined practice of selling investments that have risen in value while buying more of those that have declined. Imagine that you own a portfolio that holds 60% stocks and 40% bonds. Naturally, you check on it periodically. If… Continue reading →

Transcrcipt I joined Rebalance because what it does is everything that I believe in. It believes in broad diversification. That’s just something I have believed in all of my life. It believes in low expenses. And low expenses not only in the funds that are bought, but in the overall fund. You know, one of… Continue reading →

From 1980 to 2006, the U.S. financial services sector grew from 4.9% to 8.3% of GDP. A substantial share of that increase represented increases in asset-management fees. Excluding index funds (which make market returns available even to small investors at close to zero expense), fees have risen substantially as a percentage of assets managed. In… Continue reading →

Most folks are savvy about prices, at least when it comes to inconsequential purchases, say, paper towels at the grocery store. Retirement investing advice? That’s more complicated. Consider paper towels. Brand A is your standby, you’ve used it for years and it gets the job done. But Brand B is new on the market and… Continue reading →

People understand diversification in principle. It is as simple as “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” In practice, however, lowering investment risk is a bit more complex. For instance, some want to believe that owning a stock mutual fund is diversification, at least in comparison to owning the stocks of just four or… Continue reading →

One of the more interesting reactions to the Rebalance approach is hearing the ideas people have of “passive” investing and “market” returns, especially investors who still believe in market timing. “Oh, I would never be a passive investor. There is too much money to lose that way,” some argue. They feel a primal urge to… Continue reading →