mutual funds

The data is in: You can’t beat the market

I look at S&P SPIVA scorecards for mutual funds, which confirm what we already knew about investing: that you can’t beat the market. Note: I’m not a financial advisor. I don’t offer financial (or legal) advice. My job is to … Read MoreRead More

Ship mast

There is a race to the bottom in mutual fund fees, and we all win

I’ve always believed that in business you can compete on price or you can compete on quality, but never both. Which is why we have basic economy on airplanes (which are as cheap as possible and as a consequence are … Read MoreRead More

Silly Bandz

Here are some other style boxes I missed

Well, shoot. In my research for the post on style boxes, I noticed something I had never quite noticed before: there are other style boxes other than the one for mutual funds. Awkward. So let’s talk about the style boxes … Read MoreRead More

Cat in box

What does that 3×3 investing square mean?

If you’ve played around with investment websites at all, and ever looked up mutual funds at all, you’ve no doubt noticed a little 3×3 square. For example, on the Vanguard page for its Total Stock Market Index Fund, you see … Read MoreRead More

Inspectors

A Vanguard benefit for those without “elite” status

So Vanguard has “elite” status tiers with extra benefits for those who qualify. The tiers start at $50,000. But $50,000 is a lot of money to many of you. Me too. And while it’s nothing approaching the roughly $1,000,000 that … Read MoreRead More

Homemade Enigma machine

Financial cage match: ETFs versus mutual funds

I want everyone to be an investing expert. Thankfully, I also believe that simplicity in investing is best. Create a Roth IRA, put money into low-cost index funds, and repeat this every month. When I say “low-cost index funds”, I’m … Read MoreRead More

The best stock tip you’ll ever receive

  I’m not usually in the business of talking about stock advice, but every once in a while, I make an exception. Many people charge hundreds, even thousands, of dollars to get access to certain people’s stock tips, but I’m … Read MoreRead More

Why would anyone buy loaded mutual funds?

  One of my first rules of investing is: don’t invest in anything that you don’t understand. As we all need to be investing experts, this carries a certain weight with me. And while the answer to “what should I … Read MoreRead More