The Simple Truth (Blog)
Welcome to a place that is free from the bias of Wall Street. A blog devoted to providing information that gives you the very best chance for success. Where we pull back the curtains to reveal what really matters. Where you can find answers, without getting a hidden agenda in return.
Does a Variable Annuity Make Sense for You?
Q: What is a variable annuity, and does it make sense for me?
read moreIndex Funds Still Beat ‘Active’ Portfolio Management
According to Princeton professor of economics, Burton Malkiel, “there is no better way for individuals to invest in the stock market and save for retirement.”
read moreWhat If Everybody Indexed?
Despite passive investing’s incredible recent growth, there are several reasons we’re not concerned with indexing becoming too popular.
read moreWhy You Diversify
Shares of Amazon have soared 49,000% since the company went public. Finding the next Amazon may be the goal of many investors. Yet just a tiny handful of stocks are responsible for most of the stock market’s historical gain. Diversification is the only way to ensure such “superstocks” are in your portfolio.
read moreInvesting vs. Speculating
Uncertainty is a constant in investing. Rather than hope for portfolio gymnastics to deal with unforeseen events, sensible investors rely on diversification and discipline. In so doing, they distinguish themselves from speculators and, we’d argue, not only enjoy a higher probability of success but a better quality of life, as well.
read moreA Better Portfolio? Simple, But Not Easy
It’s been 25 years since Professors Eugene Fama and Ken French explained why investors were likely, but not guaranteed, to earn better returns by favoring small cap and value stocks. Results since then have validated the researchers’ conclusions, but capturing those higher returns hasn’t always been easy.
read moreResisting Estate Planning Fatigue
Given multiple changes to federal estate tax laws over the past decade, many high-net worth individuals are suffering from estate planning fatigue. Despite the uncertain tax environment, however, estate planning still matters. Here’s why.
read moreFor Better Investment Results, Think Like a Rat
Market-timing investors’ efforts to outguess the random day-to-day variations in the stock market hurts their performance. They’d have better results if they behaved like rats.
read moreThree Reasons to Love International Stocks
Investors have many reasons to despise international stocks today. Chiefly among them is performance: they’ve underperformed large cap U.S. stocks by 7% per year since 2008. Despite international
read moreHow Tiny Houghton College Beat Harvard
The endowment performance of tiny Houghton College recently outpaced that of Harvard, which boasts the largest university endowment in the country. How did Houghton do it? By avoiding hedge funds and exotic alternatives, and instead embracing low-cost index funds.
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