The Internet has made it easy for just about anyone to begin investing. An online broker can provide you with the ability to trade stocks and funds, as well as open some types of retirement accounts and even engage in options trading.
Morningstar Ratings — Are They Meaningful?
One of the resources that many investors turn to when evaluating funds is Morningstar. Morningstar has built an entire business on rating funds, using the famous five-star system that many of us are familiar with. But, while funds like to tout their ratings and investors rely on them to determine what constitutes a “good” fund, [...]
January 30, 2012 By 2 Comments
What is ETF Contango?
Contango isn’t a latin dance move; rather, it’s when an investment drifts as compared to the underlying investment. In recent years exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have increased in popularity. These investments are collections of shares in multiple investments, but, unlike mutual funds, ETFs can be traded fairly easily on stock exchanges. ETFs are generally low-cost, and [...]
January 23, 2012 By 13 Comments
How Do You Become A Great Investor? Learn How To Shop!
Active investing can be hard. While it’s difficult to beat the indexed averages over the long haul, it’s not impossible. I believe this is more true as an individual investor, than a professional. Let me explain in more detail. An individual investor doesn’t have to worry about annual performance results, your job isn’t on the [...]
January 18, 2012 By 2 Comments
What are DRIPs?
One of the ways that many investors like to earn money from their portfolios is through dividend investing. Companies that pay dividends to their shareholders are often considered solid bets — especially dividend aristocrats. When companies pay dividends, they are returning some of their profits to shareholders. These dividend payouts are different from stock appreciation, [...]
January 13, 2012 By 6 Comments
2011 WTF Fund Update
I haven’t given an update an performance update with my WTF Fund to my readers in awhile. The last time I gave an update was in April 2011. At the time I was in the read, and I’ve done much better since then.
January 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment
REITs vs. Real Estate Investing
Many investors recognize that it’s important to diversify their investments, and include different types of assets. As a result, the idea of including real estate in an investment portfolio comes up. For the investor, there are two main ways to include real estate in a portfolio: REITs and direct investment in real estate. What are [...]
December 17, 2011 By 3 Comments
Could Disney Make a Good Addition to Your Income Portfolio?
A number of dividend increases were announced in the week leading up to December 2, and on December 3, Disney announced what amounts to a huge dividend increase. DIS announced a 50% increase, from 40 cents a share to 60 cents a share.
December 5, 2011 By 6 Comments
What Is The IRS Wash Sale Rule?
Now that the year is coming to a close, many investors are looking for ways to improve their tax efficiency. As you prepare your investment portfolio for year end, you might be thinking of selling, and locking in a capital loss. This can be a great way to offset some of your capital gains — [...]
October 15, 2011 By 4 Comments
Preparing Your Portfolio for the End of the Year
As the end of the year approaches, it’s time to consider your investment portfolio. Your portfolio can get a little stale over the course of the year, especially if you haven’t rebalanced it, or considered it in the context of the next stage of your financial plan. Plus, now is the time to consider the [...]
October 12, 2011 By 2 Comments
