One of the basics of investing is the use of asset allocation in your strategy. Asset allocation, or the way your portfolio is built, matters a great deal to the long-term success of your investment strategy. Asset allocation, however, isn’t just about setting it and forgetting it. As you add more shares to your portfolio, … Read more Rebalance Your Investment Portfolio to Stay On Track
If you are married or about to be married an important question will eventually pop up: should we combine our finances? There are many different factors to consider, but if you do decide to combine some portion of your finances then you will need to set up a joint bank account. What is a joint … Read more How to Set Up a Joint Bank Account
One of the best ways to avoid dipping your fingers into your savings (especially your emergency fund for non-emergencies) is to automate your savings accounts so that your money flows through your personal economy without much interference from you. When you automate your savings accounts, you can force yourself to practice financial discipline — and … Read more Pay Yourself First to Grow Your Savings Automatically!
For the most part, I am a boring investor. I mostly stick to stocks and bonds, usually investing in index funds or ETFs. However, I do have a few other investments in my portfolio. I am starting to build a dividend portfolio, and I have an interest in REITs. These are income investments that can … Read more Should You Add Exotic Investments to Your Portfolio?
Overdrafts are a common result of individuals who are either unorganized or simply too busy to keep track of their debit card use and other debits from their checking accounts. When this happens, too many debits are presented to a bank account which lacks sufficient funds to cover all transactions. Here we look at ways … Read more How to Protect Yourself from Debit Card Overdrafts
When you start adding up your assets, it’s common to include your retirement accounts. After all, the money that you have in these accounts contributes to your overall net worth. At the same time, though, when you run into a little financial trouble, it’s tempting to turn to your retirement account and withdraw money to … Read more Think Twice Before Taking Money from Your Retirement Account
It would be nice to think that holding your stocks long-term would result in amazing gains over time. And, while a long-term investing strategy is one of the best ways to build wealth over time, it’s important to realize that you still need to be realistic about your expectations. Too often, we have this idea … Read more Being Realistic about Your Investment Returns
Recently, someone asked about exchange-trade funds (ETFs). He was interested in what they are, as well as how they could be included in his investment portfolio. ETFs are a relatively recent development in the world of investing, and in some cases, they can be ideal for beginning investors, as well as for more advanced investors. … Read more What are Exchange-Traded Funds and How to Use ETFs in Your Portfolio
When many of us think about investing, we think about a fast-paced trading floor. We’ve seen movies like Wall Street that make investing seem like it has to be a high-rolling, fast-paced game. And, while this can be true in some cases, there is no reason that investing has to be complex. Or exciting. In fact, … Read more The Advantages of Being a Boring Investor
You know you need an emergency fund. Personal finance bloggers like me are always writing about how important it is to be prepared for a rainy day. But what about a “sunny” day? Shouldn’t you be ready for that as well? If you want to be prepared for entertainment and travel, you can build a … Read more Fun Fund: Saving Money for Entertainment and Travel