As of this week, Vanguard’s new Emerging Market Government Bond Index Fund is open to new investors. Because the fund is still raising cash, the fund’s description page doesn’t have …
A reader writes in, asking: “My 401-k at work has several funds with no ticker symbols, so I cannot find information about them online, not even at Morningstar. The booklet about the plan that I…
I often hear from investors who are in the market for a financial advisor, but who, despite interviewing several, are struggling to find one who meets their needs. One of the most frequent causes of t…
As an individual investor, it’s difficult to know who is on your side. It can be hard to distinguish one financial services firm from another or one industry group from another. That’s why…
A reader writes in, asking: “One of the fund choices in my 401K is Bond Fund of America (RBFCX). It has a much lower yield than Vanguard’s Total Bond Market Index Fund: 0.98% vs. 1.57%. Wi…
Some people argue that holding off on claiming Social Security is akin to betting that there won’t be any rule changes. I don’t think that’s true. While certain Social Security refor…
“How much money should I save each month?” That’s one of the questions I get most often. And I’m not exaggerating when I say that I think it might be the single hardest investi…
Monday’s request for feedback about lobbying for a better 401(k) plan drew lots of responses. It was great to hear from people in a wide variety of circumstances — investors with success (…
After watching last week’s Frontline documentary dealing with 401(k) fees, several readers wrote in to ask what they can actually do about the situation. They know the investment options in thei…
PBS Frontline aired a documentary this week titled “The Retirement Gamble.” The message of the piece — while not exactly news to regular readers here — is an important one. In …
A reader writes in, asking: “I know that some stocks relative to other stocks are more efficient regarding taxes [eg foreign stocks being better because of the foreign tax credit] but what about…
I often receive questions about how (or whether) to count various things (e.g., Social Security, a pension, or an annuity) in your asset allocation. For example, a reader recently wrote in with the fo…
I like ETFs. I think the expansion of the ETF industry, and the price wars therein, are good news for investors. It seems like each year we have more options for ways to build diversified, low-cost po…
A reader writes in, asking: “I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on building a laddered portfolio of bonds using the Guggenheim Bulletshares Corporate Bond funds as opposed to a gener…
People often ask what I think about one proposed asset allocation as opposed to another. More often than not, my answer is indifference — I have no reason to think that either proposed allocatio…
Just an administrative note for today: I’ve decided to turn off comments on this blog. Please understand that this has nothing to do with not wanting your input. As ever, I continue to value you…
A reader writes in, asking: “We’re in an unusual position: We have no debt (including no mortgage), no kids, and live well well below our income. Should everything extra go into investment…
In reply to last wednesday’s article about low bond yields, a few readers wrote in with similar questions. Here’s one: With bond fund yields so low (less than 2% on Vanguard’s Total …
This week author and financial advisor William Bernstein was interviewed by Index Universe about the current low interest rate environment and what investors should do about it: Bill Bernstein: Make …
In the last week, I’ve received a few emails from readers who were concerned about a recent MSN Money article. The following snippet sums up the main message of the article: “In just the p…
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