The Science of Investing
This video features Larry Swedroe, director of research for the BAM ALLIANCE.
Resources
Beyond the Spreadsheet
This video features Carl Richards, director of investor education for the BAM ALLIANCE.
The Guide to Happy Giving
Giving Tuesday might officially be behind us, but let’s face it—we’re just getting started. The giving season is underway, with the holidays and year-end bearing down on us. So how can we transform one of the more stressful, and sometimes guilt-ridden, elements of the season into something more life-giving? Whether you’re giving to a family member,…
Wealth With Wisdom
This video features Jim Whiddon, director of investment enrichment for the BAM ALLIANCE.
A State of Heart
This video features Tim Maurer, director of personal finance for the BAM ALLIANCE.
The Most Important Symbol for Investors Is ‘DOL’
Many investors are glued the financial news, tracking the latest reports about interest rates, earnings reports and stock movements. They believe this kind of intense focus will help them maximize returns. They couldn’t be more wrong. Instead of spending time looking up a stock symbol to find out its latest price, investors would be better…
Jim Whiddon on UnRetirement
“What fuels widespread fears at this moment isn’t aging. It’s retirement….Never before have so many people had so much experience and the time and the capacity to do something significant with it.” So states Chris Farrell in his thought-provoking new book, Unretirement. He goes on, writing that “the last third of life is being both…
Find the Real Investment ‘Pro’ in Your Mirror
In most areas of human endeavor, we use the term “professional” to refer to someone whose educational background and skill level give him or her a level of expertise worthy of admiration or deference. It doesn’t work that way with investing. The term “investment pro” is tossed around with abandon. It refers to anyone who…
Viewing Others Through a Prism of Money
Last year, a guy made headlines because he was caught using a lowly flip phone. In a world of gold iPhones and palm-size phablets, it does seem a little odd that someone would still use such a low-tech device. But it was the identity of the person using the phone that got everyone’s attention: Jerry…
It’s Time to Board the Index Express
The news keeps getting worse for active management. Here’s a summary: Poor year-to-date performance In an article on MarketWatch.com, Mitch Tuchman references data from Bank of America indicating only 17.7 percent of active managers have beaten a large-cap index benchmark year to date. That is a significant decline from last year, when 40.5 percent beat…
What are Municipal Bonds?
Q:What are municipal bonds? A:Municipal bonds are debt instruments issued by municipalities in any of the 50 states by the following entities: 1) territories, subdivisions, counties, cities, towns and villages of the state, 2) school districts, 3) agencies such as authorities and special districts created by a state and 4) certain federally sponsored agencies, such…
The Risks Of Carry Trade
The carry-trade strategy involves borrowing (going short on) a currency with a relatively low interest rate and using the proceeds to purchase (going long on) a currency yielding a higher interest rate, capturing the interest differential. The strategy can be “enhanced” though the use of leverage. The success of this strategy has led to its…
Gold Is A Hedge—If You Have Time
Gold has long been used as a store of value, as a unit of exchange and to make jewelry. More recently, due to the popular view that it’s a safe haven in times of economic trouble, gold has come to be thought of as an investment asset with a potential role in the asset-allocation decision,…
A Close Look At Private Equity
The private equity industry has changed substantially since the “Prudent Man” rule was modified in 1978 to give institutional investors the ability to allocate part of their portfolios to alternative assets. The industry has grown tremendously over the past 30 years, thanks largely to high returns on early investments. Total fundraising by buyout and venture…
Understanding The Value Premium
Historically, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks. The evidence is persistent and pervasive, both around the globe and across asset classes. While there’s no debate about the premium, there are two competing theories to explain its existence. The Classic Theory The theory from classical financial economics is that value stocks are the equities of riskier…