If you’re new to Sound Mind Investing and are not yet a member, start by reading the content in our Investing Basics tab. The 9 principles you'll read about there will give you a good feel for how we approach investing. If you are a member, once you sign in to the site with your member credentials, you’ll see a Start Here tab. That’ll walk you through the process of choosing the strategy that’s right for you and implementing it in pursuit of your goals.

For those just starting out, Just the Basics is our easiest core strategy. However, our Dynamic Asset Allocation (DAA) core strategy is currently our preferred strategy. Access to DAA requires a premium membership, but we believe you’ll find its unique set of benefits well worth the slightly higher membership cost. DAA helps you share in some of a bull market’s gains, while minimizing or even preventing losses during bear markets. DAA is a defensive, low-volatility strategy that nonetheless has generated impressive back-tested results, demonstrating the power of “winning by not losing.” To understand more about DAA, read the cover article we wrote when we introduced the strategy, Dynamic Asset Allocation: An Investing Strategy for the Risk-Averse.

If you’d like to be a bit more aggressive, consider blending your use of DAA with our Fund Upgrading core strategy. For a look at some very compelling research into this approach, read Higher Returns With Less Risk: The Best Combinations of SMI’s Most Popular Strategies. 

More information about each SMI strategy can be found on the Choose Your Strategy page.

Our top recommended broker is Fidelity. Its fund lineup and pricing provide the greatest flexibility to utilize SMI’s strategies at the lowest cost. Scottrade and Schwab are decent alternatives, so if you already have an account at one of those brokers, you may not need to change. TD Ameritrade and Vanguard may be used successfully with some of our strategies, but are not appealing for anyone wanting to use Fund Upgrading.

If you are an SMI member, you’ll find more information on our Choose Your Broker page.

Minimum investment amounts may, indeed, be a factor for those using our Fund Upgrading and Sector Rotation strategies. However, because Dynamic Asset Allocation and Just-the-Basics utilize exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which are priced on a per-share basis, it’s possible to use either of these strategies with a relatively small amount of money.

The short answer is “yes,” but how you go about it depends on how many investment choices your plan offers. If your plan offers many investment choices, ideally by giving you access to what’s usually referred to as a “brokerage window” (in essence, access to most, if not all, of the investment choices available at a broker such as Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard, or another broker), then you are able to use any SMI strategy.

If your plan offers a more limited set of investment choices, we recommend using our Personal Portfolio Tracker to manage your fund choices. Read Using the SMI Personal Portfolio Tracker to Manage Your Retirement Plan.

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It costs $9.95 per month for a Basic membership or $14.95 for a Premium membership, with discounts available if you pay annually. For more details on the differences between the two membership types, click here.

Your membership will remain active until you tell us to cancel it. If you signed up for a monthly membership, your card will be charged on the same date each month. If you signed up for an annual membership, your card will be charged again on your anniversary date (we’ll send you a reminder about a month before that date).

A Premium membership may be changed to Basic membership as follows. Those paying monthly may make this change at any time by calling customer service at 877-736-3764 Monday through Friday 10am - 4pm Eastern Time. Those paying annually may make this change at your next annual renewal date.

Sorry, but there are no refunds for annual memberships, in part or in whole.

No. Sound Mind Investing does not accept any advertising, nor do we receive any compensation from the funds or brokers we recommend. We refuse to let the lure of ad revenue bias the information we present to you.

(Note: Technically, any information you see on this site regarding the SMI Funds is considered an advertisement. The SMI Funds are a separate, but affiliated, business.)

Rarely. We have a number of outside writers who provide articles from time to time. These are people who have a unique area of expertise and with whom we have had a long relationship. We are not actively looking for additional writers. However, if you have a unique area of financial expertise and an article idea you believe would be of interest to our members, feel free to let us know.