risk

Rain window

Here’s the risk tolerance we ought to be talking about

I was a little hard on people who have a low investment risk tolerance. But that’s not because I’m a mean person. I have very good reasons. I get that the idea generally is that we want to protect against … Read MoreRead More

Scary hand

Why it doesn’t matter what your risk tolerance is

When investing, whether for retirement or for any longer term goals, there is often a discussion of “risk tolerance”. Risk tolerance in this context means how much variability in the investment return process that an investor is willing to withstand. … Read MoreRead More

Push pins

Is a credit card safer than a debit card?

I recently got some pushback about using debit cards. I always appreciate this. I want ideas to be battle-tested, and I welcome the opportunity to think critically about decisions I’ve made and suggestions I’ve given. I don’t need everyone to … Read MoreRead More

Tarot cards

How to know when it’s time to get conservative about investing for retirement

The conventional wisdom when it comes to investing for retirement, is that you to start out with more risky/lucrative investments when you’re young and can afford to take more risks, and then over time move into more conservative prospects, towards … Read MoreRead More

Occam, your investing advisor

  I was talking with a friend who had recently decided to go back to school. One can’t discuss school for very long without the subject of loans coming up, and my friend indicated that he would indeed be taking … Read MoreRead More

A conversation about debt

(My friend Saul of Hearts recently posted an article about his experiences with leveraging debt. As I thought it was an interesting take on a subject that I have some strong feelings about, we talked about me writing a response … Read MoreRead More

How irony is the enemy of a risk-filled life

  Much has been written about the hipster in popular culture. Most of it has been done to death, so I won’t go on about it much, but I’ve been inadvertently on the front lines of hipsterdom for many years … Read MoreRead More