Inflation occurs when prices increase. Put another way, the value of the currency declines. So, if the price of an apple rises from 25 cents to 50 cents, we have inflation, as the value of a dollar declines from four apples to two. Inflation “debases” a currency; the dollar buys less. Deflation occurs when the prices of goods and services…
What are the key advantages of long-term investing compared to short-term investing? Consistency is the key advantage of having a long-term perspective when it comes to investing. To me, short-term investing is speculative market timing. Very few individuals successfully try to time markets (stock values and interest rates). Why expend resources on timing markets? Just take a long-term view. Compare…
What advice would you give people to manage their money during a recession? The best investing advice I can give is to ignore current economic conditions when making investment decisions. You should have a target asset allocation strategy (mostly stocks and fixed-income) that you follow, regardless of the economy. If your actual stock or fixed-income allocation differs from your target…
An index fund is a passively managed mutual fund. They don’t try to find undervalued securities or actively trade in and out of stocks (or bonds, for bond index funds). They buy a portfolio of securities that replicates an index, such as the S&P500 Index. Then, they hold that portfolio, trading only when necessary (e.g., because a company was acquired…
What are some reasons people should sign up for a credit union? Many credit unions will offer you a higher rate of return on your checking account, liquid savings account, term certificates of deposit, and other savings products. Savings are insured just like your savings are insured when deposited in a bank. Many credit unions will offer you a lower…
We wrote that perhaps the primary advantage of investing in index funds and index ETFs is their low expenses. But there are some index funds that charge outrageously (in our opinion) high expense ratios. We don’t understand why any investor would ever invest in them. If it is because their financial advisor put them there, they need a different financial…
Why do you think it’s so hard for some people to save for retirement? There are many reasons. Some individuals are barely able to live on their after-tax income. They spend every dollar on food, shelter, transportation and other necessities. Given a choice, these individuals will almost by necessity delay saving for retirement, which may be 20, 30 or 40…
Financial liquidity describes the ability to buy or sell something quickly at a fair price. An illiquid asset cannot be so easily sold. For example, real estate is typically an illiquid asset. You may have to wait months to get the price you want. There are three components to the liquidity of securities in general, and stocks specifically: The first is the…
Asset allocation, at its most basic level, is deciding how to spread (allocate) the risk across your investment portfolio: stocks vs. less-risky instruments such as bonds and certificates of deposit (CDs). These decisions will be the primary determinant of your investment performance; i.e., your portfolio’s rate of return. Beyond this seemingly simple decision, you must consider how much to invest in domestic stocks, international…
FINANCIAL LITERACY AND THE TIME VALUE OF MONEY With interest rates near 14-year highs, we should revisit the phrase, “Time is Money.” You may have even used the phrase yourself. It has special meaning when applied to investing and financial planning. Lyle and I are happy to present our “Time Value of Money” lesson, taken directly from Your Total Wealth. …