Investing in Stocks, Bonds & Mutual Funds


We have a lot riding on our investments. For most of us, investing returns will dictate when we retire and how we will live during retirement. The performance of our investments also impact our children`s education and overall financial security. All of which is to say that mutual fund and stock investing is of critical importance to most of us. While I am not an investing professional, I have managed my family`s investments for more than 15 years. Through bear and bull markets, I have learned many lessons the hard (and expensive) way, and write about them here.

Investing for Beginners

Blackbelt Investing

Mutual Fund Investing Tools

Investing in Stocks

Investing

How to Invest with Just $25 A Month

January 13, 2012

When I started investing in the stock market back in 1993, my wife and I were dirt poor. I’d just graduated from law school, and our net worth was a negative $55,000. We still wanted to start investing, but we were faced with a big problem–how do you invest when you don’t have much money? [...]

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How Half a Percent Can Ruin Your Retirement

January 12, 2012

Last year one of my largest expenses was one I never saw. I didn’t get a bill for it. And I didn’t have to pay it, at least not directly. But it still cost me a small fortune. I’m talking about investment costs in the form of mutual fund expenses. Mutual fund expenses present two [...]

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Electronic U.S. Savings Bonds–Say Goodbye to Paper

January 2, 2012

As of today, U.S. savings bonds have gone digital. Paper savings bonds are history. I’m get a bit nostalgic when it comes to paper bonds. There’s just something comforting in holding physical evidence of your investment. And the designs of paper bonds over the years have been quite impressive. So before we get to how [...]

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OptionsHouse Current Deals and Promotions

December 15, 2011

It’s become routine for online discount brokers to woo customers by providing a few free trades or a little up-front cash. But OptionsHouse has taken the idea to another level.  Currently, OptionsHouse is offering five different promotions, each awarding a little something different for potential traders. I use OptionsHouse for both casual investing and to [...]

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OptionsHouse $600 IRA Bonus

November 23, 2011

In a down economy, the possibility of earning big cash bonuses without shelling out money of your own has proven to be difficult.  Outside some of the best credit card deals, banks are becoming more stingy with their promo offers. But OptionsHouse has just launched a goody.  From now until December 31st, 2012, anyone who [...]

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5 Weird Ways to Invest Your Money

November 16, 2011

A volatile stock market and crummy interest rates have forced a lot of people to get creative when it comes to investing their money. We’ve put together a list of five of the wackiest ways people are parking their cash. A quick word of caution before you go crazy with these types of investments — [...]

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How to Evaluate a Mutual Fund in 60 Seconds Flat

November 1, 2011

There are more than 15,000 mutual funds to choose from! Knowing how to wade through this sea of choices can cause the best of us to throw up our hands in despair. The reality is, however, that evaluating a mutual fund is really quite simple. So if you have 60 seconds to spare, here’s how [...]

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How To Pick Your First Mutual Fund

October 28, 2011

Picking your first mutual fund is kind of like a first date–scary at first, but later you wonder what all the fuss was about. This past weekend, a close relative spent some time with my family and me. We’ll call her Susie (not her real name). Susie is 31, has one daughter (cute as can [...]

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How Much Do You Need To Retire?

October 12, 2011

As part of rolling over my 401(k), I’ve been spending some time with my retirement investments. I’ve tweaked my asset allocation and rebalanced my investments. And as part of this overhaul, the question of just how much money we need to retire has been on my mind. So I did some research into the question. [...]

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