Retirement Investing
Bob Carlson offers his expert opinion on where to invest your money so that you can get through retirement safely and securely
Found 846 Articles.
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High-Return, Low-Risk Hedge Alternatives
Our Alternative Portfolio, also known as our “hedge fund” portfolio, remains on its track of strong, steady returns. The quarter ending June 30 was slower than prior recent quarters, ending with a small loss, but it still did better than the major stock indexes. New investors to the portfolio, however, will have to make some […]
What To Do with REITs Now
The markets have seen a lot of changes, but changes aren’t required in our Managed Portfolios. We were well-positioned for the turn in interest rates. Let’s get right into the specifics. Sector and Balanced Managed Portfolios Real estate investment trusts saw the most action in the last month. Cohen & Steers Realty Shares was up […]
Warnings from the Bond and Commodity Markets
Strange things have been happening in the bond market. These actions should be a big caution sign for investors, especially income investors. In 2003 we warned that interest rates were too low and likely to rise. The great bond bull market seemed over. It looked like prescient advice, especially after interest rates spiked in the […]
Estate Planning: How to Make the Most of 529 Plans
Section 529 college savings plans rapidly became a popular Estate Planning tool, especially for those who want to help their grandchildren. Each state now offers at least one 529 plan. A 529 plan allows a donor to give up to five years’ of tax-free gifts ($55,000) in one year. The donor can get the money […]
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Managed vs. Core Portfolios
Periodically it is fun and instructive to compare our Core Portfolios and Managed Portfolios. Longtime readers know I recommend dividing a portfolio into two portions. The Core Portfolio is long-term, buy-and-hold, diversified, and balanced. It keeps us disciplined. The Core Portfolio won’t let our emotions take us in and out of the markets at the […]
How Safety-First Investing Builds More Wealth
Value and caution pay richer rewards than do growth and excitement. Market action of the last few years contains some great examples of this lesson. The bear market began in March 2000 and bottomed in October 2002. The market indexes have had a strong run since the bottom, with the Nasdaq returning over 50% and […]
The Mutual Fund Scandals and Our Portfolios
The mutual fund scandals continue to grow. What initially was malfeasance at one hedge fund and a few managers at four fund families now appear to be widespread industry practices. The SEC said a survey of major fund management companies revealed that about 25% of the fund companies admitted to regularly engaging in such behavior, […]
Real Estate and Your Portfolio
More and more investors are realizing why a long-time anchor in our portfolios is real estate. These investors and their advisors have learned to follow our example. A big advantage of including real estate in a balanced, diversified portfolio is that real estate tends to be non-correlated with stocks. That means real estate usually appreciates […]
