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"Three questions to ask of a top-performing mutual fund"
April 13th, 201010:26 AM ETBy Austin PryorA few days ago, I asked if you were on the outside looking in as the market continues its long and steady advance. If so, you're not alone. MarketWatch writer Chuck Jaffe points out that while the S&P 500 is up about 50% over the past year (from 3/31/09 through 3/31/10), relatively few investors have been along for the ride. Jaffe provides d... -
Tax Freedom Day!
April 09th, 201010:37 AM ETBy Austin PryorToday is a big day. After laboring for the first 98 days of 2010 at the behest of our governments, today we escape the bonds of servitude. This is Tax Freedom Day: That means Americans [have worked] well over three months of the year, from January 1 to April 9, before they [had] earned enough money to pay this year's tax obligations at t... -
Leaders, Laggards, and Upgrading
November 25th, 200911:46 AM ETBy Austin PryorAs we approach year-end, we'll be seeing the usual articles that take a look back at the wild ride that has been 2009. Here's one from Morningstar naming Four Big Mutual Fund Surprises of 2009. On the pleasant-surprise side, Upgraders will find two familiar names. Brown Capital Management Small Company (BCSIX) was added to our recommended list... -
It's back-to-basics time
November 20th, 200911:43 AM ETBy Austin PryorAllow me to repeat part of what I wrote in my October editorial: The past two years we've been dealing with [a recession], and some seasoned observers fear the worst is far from over. They advise avoiding the stock market and building your cash stockpile. Another group believes it's likely the economy has turned the corner and the market is lo... -
Moving from strength to strength
November 19th, 200908:28 AM ETBy Austin PryorThis New York Times' article points out that, although the overall U.S. stock market has little in the way of gains to show for the past 10 years, there have nevertheless been pockets of strength beneath the surface: Look a bit deeper, though, and you'll find that there have been some changes in the domestic market, too, in the last 10 years... -
This quiz attempts to measure how risk tolerant you are
November 16th, 200912:43 PM ETBy Austin PryorEarly on at SMI, I developed a brief quiz to help our readers determine how risk averse they are. The results from that quiz, in combination with our "seasons of life" chart, help them arrive at a stock/bond allocation suitable to their risk tolerance and age. At least that's the idea. As we all know, however, the way you answer questions in w... -
Time is running out for Sam and his family
October 14th, 200909:52 AM ETBy Austin PryorLet me tell you about my friend Sam. I've watched the way he handles his finances for years, and unfortunately, he never seems to learn from his past mistakes. He's never learned to live within his means, and he's now deeply buried in debt. One of his biggest weaknesses is he has a hard time saying no when he sees a need. He has a good heart and t... -
Living above your means eventually catches up with everyone ... even Ivy League sophisticates
July 22nd, 200912:50 PM ETBy Austin PryorIf there's one thing we've learned during the past two years, it may be that average investors usually make mistakes on an average scale while savvy big-time investors make mistakes on a big-time scale. Even the brilliant minds at Harvard, it appears: Only a year ago, Harvard had a $36.9 billion endowment, the largest in academia. Now that end... -
Boost your savings
May 28th, 200911:33 AM ETBy Austin PryorBOOST YOUR SAVINGS BY CHANGING A HABIT There is an aspect to your spending that you may never have thought of (and may not be able to get out of your mind once we put it there). Have you ever stopped to consider the potential "future value" of the money you spend today? That is, if you were to save it rather than spend it, what would it be worth ... -
Current Market Behavior Typical of Bull Beginnings
May 04th, 200912:40 PM ETBy Austin PryorIn this look at current market dynamics, Jon Markman does a good job of helping the reader understand why stocks started moving up even before there were signs of an economic turnaround, and why they have continued to do so. After beginning with a sad, but all too common, story about a friend's portfolio, he goes on to explain the current anguish o...
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