23 Feb Risk is Personal
We were on our way to Key West when my phone buzzed. "You crazy Aussies, you!" a friend texted. We had barely made our flight out of New Orleans, racing to the...
Investing
19 Jun How Your Biases Can Affect Investment Decisions
Traditional economic models are based on the premise that people make rational decisions to maximize economic and financial benefits. In reality, most humans don't make decisions like robots. While logic...
22 Jun Diversifying with Market Caps
The U.S. stock market struggled in 2022, with the S&P 500 index ending the year down more than 19.4%.1 The S&P 500, which includes stocks of large U.S. companies, is generally...
30 Mar Stock Funds by Market Capitalization
Size Matters One way to consider a stock fund is to look at the market capitalization, or market cap, of the stocks in which it invests. Market capitalization represents the total...
10 Aug Three Things to Consider Before Buying a Vacation Home
The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 led to a surge in demand for vacation/second homes — mainly spurred by government shutdowns and stay-at-home advisories. Whether working remotely, attending...
25 Apr Smoothing Market Ups and Downs
After the wild ride of 2020, the U.S. stock market was relatively calm in 2021, but there was still plenty of volatility. There were 55 days when the S&P 500...
25 Apr Going Public: How Are Direct Listings Different from IPOs?
An initial public offering (IPO) is the first public sale of stock shares by a private company. IPOs are important to the financial markets because they help fuel the growth...
10 Apr Should You Speed Up Your Retirement Plans?
According to a March 2021 survey, an estimated 2.8 million Americans ages 55 and older decided to file for Social Security benefits earlier than they expected because of COVID-19. This...
10 Apr Home Prices Have Risen at Record Pace
U.S. home prices rose 20% during the 12 months ending in August 2021 as buyer demand far exceeded the supply of dwellings for sale. This was the largest annual price...
10 Apr If You Drive but Don’t Own a Car, Consider Non-Owner Insurance
If you don't own a vehicle but regularly rent or borrow one, you might consider purchasing non-owner car insurance. This type of liability insurance provides coverage when you're driving a...