As many people progress through their teenage years they start to realize that they can work to make some extra money. Some teenagers will get part-time jobs after school; others will only work during the summer months. Regardless of how or when they earn their money, most of it is simply disposable income. They see…
As we begin our working careers, retirement seems like a distant concept; and rightly so, for many it is 30 to 40 years away. Because it is so far away, many people starting out do not even bother to enroll in the 401k available through work. Those who do enroll will fall into two basic…
One of the oldest debates in the personal finance realm has to do with the tough choice between paying down debt and investing. The argument goes something like this: Paying down debt is pretty emotionally draining (it’s hard to send your money to a creditor each month without feeling like you get anything tangible in…
While most people think of the stock market when they think of investing, there is a whole other side that the majority of people do not really even consider. The fixed income sector, or the bond market, is just as big as the equities portion. These investments make up a good portion of most people’s…
A diversified portfolio is one that will be better suited to weather financial storms. Most people make sure to include some stocks and bonds. Those who are a little better will include small cap, mid cap, large cap and international funds. Something that many people leave out of their investment portfolio is real estate. This…
There are two basic types of mutual funds. Growth funds, that are seeking rapid growth, and value funds, that are looking for long term steady growth. Both play important parts of a portfolio, and both have different goals. The value fund, often called an income fund, looks to reduce volatility while still providing the investor…
Any financial professional will tell you that diversifying your portfolio is the best way to minimize volatility and maximize gains. While spreading the risk out among several sectors in the United States is a start, investing in multiple regions around the world will help to negate some of the geographic risk you take on when…