Jeremy Siegel Ph.D. has very impressive credentials. He is the Russell E. Palmer Professor of Finance at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of a number of financial books, including Stocks for the Long Run.

Professor Siegel has become a cottage industry. His

Morningstar, Inc., which describes itself as a "trusted source for insightful information on ...mutual funds..." has issued an illuminating report. It is entitled "The Morningstar Box Score Report" and it covers mutual fund performance through the first half of 2009.

Here's the bottom line:

For the three year period...

How many times have you heard this:

Preferred stock is the best of both worlds: The upside of common stock and the protection of bonds?

Not so fast.

According to a study by Guohua Li, Ph.D and Edward O'Neal, Ph.D., principals of SLCG, Inc., this view of preferred...

The daily news reinforces my belief that there is something rotten at the core of the financial services industry. I am not discussing old news like Bernie Madoff. Here are some of the items that crossed my desk this week:

1. The SEC charged two brokers in a Smithtown,...

Is man inherently evil? Maybe that's too big a question.

Are members of the securities industry inherently evil? Will they do or say absolutely anything to get their hands on your money?

Obviously, it would be unfair to make such a blanket characterization, but sometimes you really have to...

Nothing galls me more that hearing that index funds are fine for those who don't have time to research stocks.

Let's look at the performance of those who do nothing but research stocks -- managers of actively managed mutual funds.

Every educated investor knows that over time index funds outperform...

Wealthy investors are different from you and me. They have a secret they don't want anyone to know.

They are bigger suckers.

How can this this be?

They qualify as "accredited investors" who can invest in deals exempted from SEC registration. Without SEC registration, the sponsors of...

On June 30, 2008, the Yale endowment had a jaw dropping $22.9 billion in assets. Previously, it had a stellar record of outstanding returns. It earned 28% in fiscal 2007 and an astounding 41% in fiscal 2000. From 1998-2008, it trounced its benchmarks in every asset class.

Many believed the...

Du Jun, a former managing director of Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong, can sympathize with the plight of investors who suffered staggering losses. He was only making $2 million a year. Obviously, he needed to supplement his income.

No problem.

Mr. Jun had access to confidential information about a listed...

Recently, I appeared on CNBC's "Power Lunch" to debate active vs. passive management. You can see the segment here.

The proponent of active management was Doug Kreps, Managing Director of Fort Pitt Capital Group, financial advisors and the investment advisor to the Fort Pitt Capital Total Return Fund...

Most investors base their investing strategy on the false premise that some "guru" can reduce or eliminate risk by predicting the unpredictable.

Mark Hebner, the founder and President of Index Funds Advisors (IFA), (with whom I am affiliated), has a better way. He has come up with a formula...

Cerberus Capital management describes itself as "...one of the world's leading private investment firms." While it is best known for its ill-advised investment in Chrysler, it also has equity positions in many sectors of the economy.

Stephen A. Feinberg, the co-founder of Cerberus, was lauded in a Business Week...

Here's breaking news: Your trusts and estates lawyer has been violating U.S. law by helping his clients hide money offshore in illegal trusts. Previously, he had brushes with the law due to allegations he deceived his clients. He quietly settled these charges.

Would you still trust him to handle your...

Do my eyes deceive me? As of the close of business on August 14, 2009, a globally diversified portfolio, invested 100% in low cost stock index funds, was up over 25% YTD. Of course, that portfolio is too risky for most investors. What about a more prudent portfolio invested 60%...

Here are the questions you are asking about the market rally:

Is this the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning?

Should I return to the markets slowly or over time?
Is [name of stock] a good buy?

Are we headed for rampant inflation?

Should I...

Brokers love wrap accounts (also called "managed accounts"). They are accounts managed by private fund managers. The pitch is that you get access to the "best" managers who normally would not deal with smaller accounts. You are charged a flat fee which averages around 1.17% a year, plus the cost...

A globally diversified portfolio of index funds invested solely in stocks was down a whopping 40% in 2008. The same portfolio is up 19% in 2009, year to date.

Here is the data for a portfolio invested 60% in stocks and 40% in bonds:

2008: down 23%
2009 (YTD):...

I don't mean to pick on the financial media. They are part of a much bigger problem.

The securities industry is premised on the flawed assumption that they can add value. In reality, as many investors now understand, the value they add is to their own bottom line at the...

A reader of my blogs sent me an e-mail with a Customer Agreement from a major brokerage firm. She asked me to look it over and tell her if she should sign it.

The first thing that struck me was this clause:

"Brokerage activities are regulated under different laws and...

If you think you're going to get rich investing in the stock market, you are a victim of the biggest investing con.

According to a study by Dalbar, Inc., over the last 20 years, the annualized returns of equity investors was 1.87%, which was less than inflation of 2.89%.

The...