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All in Investing
As the Fed has begun to raise interest rates -and the economy improves across the globe- yields have been rising, dropping prices for bonds across the board. As an investor, whenever I see the price of something I am invested in drop, my immediate reaction is to evaluate whether this is a good opportunity to add to my investment. So, is now a good time to add to my bond investments?
With the current expansion nearing its tenth year, it's actually possible that someone could have already worked a third of their professional career knowing nothing but expansion. I figured it might be interesting to describe the experience of a recession for all of those that have never known one, and provide some tips to soften the blows.
I’ve repeatedly seen two narratives told over and over again. First of all, debt is bad. Second, although debt is bad, having a mortgage is alright because it acts like a forced savings plan, slowly enabling borrowers to build wealth. But can't the “forced savings plan” idea can be extended beyond simply mortgage debt, if executed intelligently with low interest, short term debt?
The more that I learn, the more I think about investing and how I can be more effective with my portfolio. As the stock market has begun to falter, this has come to the forefront of my mind. Every day I find myself wondering how I can be more diversified and therefore more insulated from the everyday ups and downs of each market.
Life is expensive, and that can make it really hard to save. With rent, cell phones, cars, healthcare, food, childcare, vacations and thousands of other little costs, it’s not unusual for someone to have 80-90% of their income disappear into the ether. Lately, I’ve been thinking about ways I can try to turn at least some of those recurring payments into recurring investments, or at least mitigate them so I don’t lose so much of my income to recurring expenses each month.
HELOCs and refinancing aren't the only options for accessing the equity in a home. This week, I take a close look at a third option.
Forgive the alliteration. There's been an awful lot of hyperbole written about the markets over the past week. I thought it might be nice to take a deep breath and look at some raw figures that might help to put things into context. I don't have any real point here... take from it what you will.
With individual taxable investment accounts and retirement accounts spread across different providers, it can get a little confusing trying to measure my progress, allocation, and income.
Without an investment adviser, I've had to go and create my own portfolio. It's a little scary, for sure, but here's the thing: all it takes is effort. With enough research, patience, self-control and fortitude... I feel I can be just as successful as if I worked with an adviser. What's more, after seeing "how the sausage is made" working at a large wealth management firm, I would say the benefits outweigh the risks.
We may not know when the next recession will come, but one thing's for certain: it's easier to plan for it BEFORE it begins, when times are still good. Here's my plan.
What is real estate crowdfunding and is it something that’s worth investing in?
A couple years ago I developed my own investment guidelines and principles with the eventual goal of building my own portfolio.
How much do I need to retire? I made this easy calculator to find out.
Portfolio Visualizer is a comprehensive suite of investment analysis tools that you used to have to pay thousands of dollars for, but thanks to the interwebs, is now free. Here’s what you can do with it.
As I am sure many of you have read over the years, real estate can be an exceptional investment if held over the long term. At one time my family was in real estate, so I've been hearing that since I was a kid. When I was 14, my Dad put a copy of "How I Turned $1000 into Five Million in Real Estate in My Spare Time" in my room, and I was immediately enthralled with the relative simplicity of real estate investment, it's tangibility, and the access to leverage it enabled.
