Sound Investing

Paul discusses the huge changes in expenses that are due in part to the debate between the “Fiduciary Standard’ that investment advisors work under, and the “Suitability Standard” that brokers apply to their recommendations. While a mutual fund’s expense ratio is the most commonly discussed variable, it turns out there are other factors that may be even more …

Learn what you can do to increase your investment returns and peace of mind, as Paul presents, “Habits and Attitudes of Successful Investors,” from the 2016 RetireMeet Conference in Bellevue, WA. Also available as video on homepage. Download valuable information to accompany this presentation here.

A 32-year-old investor wants to know why shouldn’t he put all his investments in small cap value?  While agreeing with the young investor’s comments, Paul recalls the famous Mark Twain quote, “There are two times in a man’s life when he should not speculate: when he can’t afford it, and when he can.”  So, is small cap value an …

From the latest Dimensional Fund Advisors annual Matrix Book, Paul discusses 10 lessons he thinks will give investors a better long-term perspective of returns, before and after inflation.  He also compares the long-term results of both U.S. and international asset classes.

The Hulbert Financial Digest last week announced it was shutting down after 36 years. Losing the only meaningful tracking of investment newsletters is sad indeed. In many ways Mark Hulbert’s Digest was like having the S.E.C. overseeing the mutual fund industry.  Mark couldn’t find the bad apples, but he could alert readers to the newsletter’s real returns, as opposed to …

Everyone in the financial community knows that emotion-based decisions almost always hurt investors in the long run. This podcast of Chapter 7 from Paul’s book, Financial Fitness Forever, discusses 5 ways an investor can eliminate most of the dangerous outcomes of emotional decisions. It is read by Rich Buck, co-author of Financial Fitness Forever and Live it Up Without Outliving …

In this audio version from Chapter 6 from Paul’s book, “Financial Fitness Forever,” he discusses the long-term impact of diversifying beyond large cap companies to include both U.S. and International small cap and value asset classes, as well as REITs and emerging markets. While he makes no promises about the future, the evidence from over 40 years of …

In “How much risk will you take?” Paul discusses the difficult topic of identifying and accepting the normal risk of investing. This audio chapter from his book, Financial Fitness Forever, also addresses the often overlooked risks of owning both stocks and bonds.

Paul reads from Financial Fitness Forever, “Will You Try to Beat the Market?”, which focuses on how trying to beat the market has had a terrible impact on investors’ returns. This Chapter 4 includes important studies, from DALBAR and Morningstar, suggesting that more than half of all investor returns are lost to bad personal behavior, like being influenced …

Among the many choices investors must make, the most important is who to turn to for trustworthy information, advice and help. This podcast, adapted from a chapter in my book, “Financial Fitness Forever,” is the first in a series of articles to address the four most-important choices every investor faces. The subsequent will address how to diversify, …