Here’s our weekly collection of interesting articles on investing, personal finance, and stewardship. Grab a mid-winter cup of hot cocoa and settle in!
John Bogle, who founded Vanguard and revolutionized retirement savings, dies at 89 (Philadelphia Inquirer). Bogle championed the interests of the small investor — and changed the way that millions of Americans save for the future.
Why do we bother with stock market forecasts? (Irish Times). Some zippy quotes here, such as: "The most important thing to know to accurately forecast future stock prices is what mood investors will be in in the future. It’s the most important variable. And it’s unknowable."
E.T.F.s try to lure investors into ever narrower niches (New York Times). Cybersecurity funds, gaming funds, drone-technology funds — you name it. There’s bound to be a "thematic" (and risky) ETF available.
Federal workers are yanking money out of retirement accounts (Bloomberg via Benefits News). Furloughed federal employees missed their first paycheck one week ago today. Apparently, many have no emergency savings to tide them over.
Businesses offer furlough freebies, shutdown specials and assistance to federal workers (USA Today). Some companies are waiving late fees for out-of-work federal employees, and three credit unions are even offering interest-free short-term loans.
And from the pundits and bloggers...
Diversification is (almost) undefeated (Ben Carlson, A Wealth of Common Sense). The longer your time horizon, the better your chances are of having a positive experience in the markets — especially for a diversified portfolio.
When it’s time to do something (Mogan Housel, Collaborative Fund). While knowing your time horizon is important, there’s something even more important to know.
Stock-pickers don’t know how to sell (Barry Ritholtz, Bloomberg Opinion). A strong aspect of SMI’s active strategies is that they are driven by objective, mechanical rules that let you know when it’s time to sell. Apparently, many professional money managers don’t have a clear selling discipline.
6 quotes: John C. Bogle on capitalism, values, and virtue (Joe Carter, Acton Institute Power Blog). Bogle was not only a brilliant investor, he was a great communicator.
Netflix prices have gone up: 5 Netflix alternatives for you to try (Peter Anderson, Bible Money Matters). As someone once said, "A penny saved is a penny earned."
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