(This column was released to newspapers on August 4, 2020.) I was filled with both nostalgia and loathing last week when Apple Inc. announced plans for a stock split. The nostalgia is because splits have become rare. In the mid-1980s, when I was a 20-something young, fresh investor, you could expect roughly one-fifth of the …
(This column was released to newspapers on July 28, 2020.) I long ago stopped making forecasts of the stock market; I didn’t need to go out of my way to make a fool of myself. Still, I came up with an answer for anyone who asked me where I saw the market headed. “Up,” I …
(This column was released to newspapers on July 21, 2020.) Chances are, you missed the message that the Securities and Exchange Commission recently sent to all investors. It went something like this: Nobody is protecting you, except for you. Oh, regulators weren’t that open and plain-spoken about it, but in finalizing their new “best …
(This column was released to newspapers on July 14, 2020.) Buyers act differently than owners. That applies to homes, cars, investments and much more. To convince you to buy, something has to meet the right conditions. It must be pristine, perfect, just the right thing, exactly what you are looking for, or some combination …
(This column was released to newspapers on July 7, 2020.) Rick in Maumee, Ohio, has used stay-at-home time during the coronavirus pandemic to “clean up my life.” There was a de-cluttering of the house, followed by a purging of his financial files (in accordance with guidelines I laid out in a recent column). He …
Everyone is anxious for life to get back to “normal” right now. Normal, however, has changed. You may miss the gang from the office, the night out at the bar or the chance to go to the movies, but you may be making the most of the relationships with your kitchen, garden, yard or with …
Note: This article was released to newspapers on Nov. 1, 2019 Liam, an eager, blond-haired third-grader, wasn’t playing the odds. He didn’t care about losing five pieces of candy; he couldn’t pull them from his bag fast enough. “You’ve got to go for the big money,” he excitedly told his friends as he shoved …
Unusual times call for unusual advice, which is why I’m now saying something I never expected to while doing my job: Go out and use all of your credit cards. Before you start thinking I’ve lost my mind after weeks of social distancing alone in my work cave, let me explain that the advice has …
These days, “Don’t look” is an actual investment strategy. It’s not just espoused by plenty of experts, but it is being followed by millions of investors whose portfolios were swamped under the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the accompanying economic shutdown. It’s not a terrible strategy either, at least for investors who had a …
For years, consumers and financial advisers have wrestled with the “right” amount to set aside for emergencies. The long-lived rule of thumb on the subject is that three to six months of salary is necessary to have an adequate emergency fund, but few people actually live by that guideline. Not only is that a lot …
