Sadly, everyone from Armed Service men and women, civilians, contractors and unwise investors are buying into this scam without understanding the real risks.
Do you still have a balance in your old employer’s 401(k) or 403(b) plan? You might not think of that as leaving money behind and maybe you figure you can just leave it there and deal with it after you retire. Of course, you’ll pay for the privilege — in more ways than one.
If you participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan at work such as a 401(k) or 403(b), chances are you’re investing in a so-called target-date fund — and overpaying.
Most investors are painfully aware that the past 10 years have been pretty dismal for the average Joe and Jane. The “Lost Decade” is aptly named, seeing as the S&P 500 wound up basically flat over that time, even as it endured several roller-coaster rides. And while there’s no changing the amount of wealth that was destroyed by some fund families in the opening decade of the new millennium, there are a few important lessons investors can take away from these events.
Investing in water is an untapped opportunity. Water, like oil, is finite. There is only so much ocean saltwater, glacier freshwater and water in the air, while global consumption is growing twice as fast as the world’s population.
The expression “as good as gold” suggests that gold is something of a sure thing when it comes to investments. But, while gold and other commodities remain a solid investment choice, when it comes to investing there’s no such thing as a sure thing. The trick to investing in gold is knowing the difference between gold and other asset classes; stocks, bonds, real-estate, even cold hard cash.
There’s a lot of commentary on how to start a business, how to court investors, and how to sell a business. One theme that consistently falls through the cracks, however, is what it takes to, and what it is like to start up and run your own company on the ground level.
Want to hear a crazy story? I know a guy whose entire retirement portfolio is invested in US treasury bonds. The conventional wisdom on retirement savings says that to make the biggest gains and beat inflation, you should hold stocks...
Unlike other MBSes, the principal and interest on Ginnie Maes are explicitly backed by the full faith and credit of the US government. And investors are flocking to them.
With 2009 mercifully behind us, believers in a bounce-back 2010 are staking their hopes on the “January Effect.” The January Effect, for those new to the concept, refers to how securities prices tend to rise in January. The main characteristic of this phenomenon is a rush to buy securities before the end of the year for a lower price, speculating that the price will go up in January, and then selling for a profit.
