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Category: personal finance

Apple’s split puts a focus on numbers that truly matter

August 12, 2020 by admin

(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 …

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Trust in the market’s long-term direction: Up

August 13, 2020 by admin

(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 …

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SEC’s new ‘best interest’ rule won’t really protect you

August 13, 2020 by admin

(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 …

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6 questions to answer before buying a stock or fund

August 13, 2020 by admin

(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 …

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Put your portfolio to this 5-question test

August 13, 2020 by admin

(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 …

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5 things to make part of your ‘new financial normal’

September 9, 2020 by admin

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 …

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Kids like and learn more from cash than Halloween candy

May 24, 2020 by admin

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 …

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Why using all your credit cards now will protect your finances

September 9, 2020 by admin

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 …

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Time to look at your accounts and decide ‘What’s next?’

September 9, 2020 by admin

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 …

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Do you have $2,467 saved for emergencies? You should

October 30, 2019 by admin

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 …

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