Who’s ready for some financial smack-down? If there’s any two groups of investors I can think of that are more divided, it’s those who invest in real estate and those who invest in stocks - like a North and the South of financial planning if you will. So the question here is this: Which one actually has a better chance of making you more money in the long run? This may be a controversial debate, but we’re going to settle this argument the MyMoneyDesign way – by running the numbers! So let's see what we come up with ... … [Read more...] about Which Is Better – Rental Income or a Stock Market Index Fund?
S&P 500
How to Pick Good Mutual Funds for Your 401k or Retirement Plan
Let me see if I can describe how your employer 401k or 403b retirement plan orientation went: • You all walked into a meeting. • An HR administrator handed you a folder chucked full of loose documents. • You were released with little direction and told to bring the papers back all filled in. Am I close? It’s pretty sad that something so important to our livelihoods later on in life is treated as another routine task. There are many things that should be explained to you when you sign up for your 401k (click here for my complete guide on this topic). But if there’s one thing where … [Read more...] about How to Pick Good Mutual Funds for Your 401k or Retirement Plan
How to Buy a Stock Market Index Fund
You've heard their name. You know they're a good investment to have. But what exactly IS an index fund? If you buy one, what are you actually getting? And why do so many experts unanimously recommend that you invest in them for your retirement? In this post, we'll briefly explain why stock market index funds are so popular and show you how you can easily buy one on your own. First of All, What is an Index Fund? When someone refers to an index fund, usually they're talking about the S&P 500 stock market index. The S&P 500 (along with the DOW and NASDAQ stock … [Read more...] about How to Buy a Stock Market Index Fund
Would Dollar Cost Averaging and Bonds Have Saved You From “The Lost Decade”?
In the first part of this series, I wanted to test the claim that dollar cost averaging (DCA) was an effective strategy for protecting your investments. Too often I’ve heard claims against investing within the media saying that if you had bought stocks (particularly) during “The Lost Decade” between 2000 and 2010, then you would have had a -23% return on your money. After crunching the numbers, we determined that dollar cost averaging would have beat a static investment in the S&P 500 and returned a -6.8% return instead of a -23%. That’s great, but who wants a negative return?! Why … [Read more...] about Would Dollar Cost Averaging and Bonds Have Saved You From “The Lost Decade”?
Would Dollar Cost Averaging Have Saved You From “The Lost Decade”?
From time to time when I get my 401k statement, there is a small newsletter mixed in with my financial statement. It usually presents some very introductory information about retirement, investments, etc. In this issue one of the topics was dollar-cost averaging. For those of you who don’t know, dollar cost averaging (DCA) is a strategy where you invest the same amount time after time. During the good times when shares are higher, you buy fewer shares. During the rough times when shares are lower, you buy more shares. This strategy prevents you from buying at the wrong time and … [Read more...] about Would Dollar Cost Averaging Have Saved You From “The Lost Decade”?