Help a Reader: Investme...

I recently received this email from a reader: I just finished a meeting about fixed index universal life insurance.  I have not heard of it before.  It has been around for about 12 years.    How it works in my example:  41 years old invests $6,000 a year for 25 years ($150,000...

How to Have More than E...

The Wall Street Journal recently gave some advice to new college graduates on how to be sure they have enough saved for retirement . It’s a good piece for all of us to read, but if you have a new grad (or graduating soon) in your life, it will be especially valuable for them to...

The Efficient Frontier...

The following is a guest post from Marotta Wealth Management . The capital asset pricing model (CAPM) approximates return as a linear function of beta. Beta is a measurement of how much an investment fluctuates in sync with the markets. For a stable bond, beta might be zero. The markets...

How to Get a Raise or J...

In this tough economy, everyone could use a raise at work. But getting your boss to add extra money to your paycheck isn’t an easy feat – you have to position yourself as an invaluable asset to the company for the raise to make sense for management. This is business after...

Value: The Third Factor...

The following is a guest post from Marotta Asset Management . It’s a continuation of their first factor ( CAPM ) and second factor ( size ) posts. A stock’s valuation is the final factor of the Fama-French three-factor model of investment returns. A stock’s valuation is...

Help a Reader: Growing ...

Here’s an email I recently received from a reader: I have been in a purchasing/production management capacity for the past 5 years (my entire career is 8 years). I recently took a new production management position last year but I believe that my specific skill set, in commercial...

The Myth of Investment ...

When it comes to the tenets of proper investing and personal finance, some rules have been discussed so often that even non-experts know them: Do not get deep into debt, save money for a rainy day, buy life insurance, and do not try to day trade. There is one rule, however, that is...

80-20 Your Finances...

You’ve heard of the Pareto principle , right? It states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes (or effort.) This holds true in all sorts of situations. In business, 80% of the profits are usually generated by 20% of the products. At church,...

Carnival of Financial P...

Welcome to this week’s Carnival of Financial Planning. This edition is arranged by subject heading, so that you can browse efficiently. Enjoy! Budgeting and Economics Jason presents 6 Spring Break Ideas for Families posted at One Money Design , saying, Check out these spring break...

Becoming Wealthy May Be...

A prevailing belief held by many Americans is that there is some great secret to becoming wealthy. If you could just discover that secret, or find the “trick” to it, riches could be yours. Few people realize, though, that the simple “basics” are all you need to build wealth. That...