Investing

Four years ago when I was writing snail mail newsletters, I wrote one about residential real estate agents. I opined that there were far too many age...

Risk, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. A "risk free" portfolio can be the riskiest investment you will ever make.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying investors are stupid. I'm saying they follow the advice of people who pay no attention to the data. As a consequence, they engage in "stupid investor tricks."

I get asked a lot of investing questions. I am conflicted in answering them. I want to be helpful but I also want to be tactful. Here are some of the most common questions I am asked and the answers I wish I could give.

One good thing (perhaps the only good thing) coming out of the current financial meltdown is that I no longer have to listen to the self-serving hy...

This morning, Senator Chris Dodd warned that Congress might take a step that would send shivers down the spines of every CEO: federal caps on executive pay.

Advisors who want to be honest will tell their clients they have no idea when the markets will "reach the ultimate bottom." All we can realistically do is place the current markets in historical perspective.

Bad Idea. Unless you absolutely MUST sell your home now, don't even put it on the market. Here are my reasons: 1. Buyers are all looking for a st...

Over the six years Capital Compensation Partners was in business, the firm made $261 million, and the firm's clients lost $203 million. All the risk was borne by the clients, who got obliterated in the end.

Bloggingstocks has culled together two lists of companies to watch -- and invest in -- depending on whether John Mccain or Barack Obama was elected t...

In times of extreme market volatility, investors are tempted to rely financial pundits. It is important to realize that their advice is flawed and conflicted.

Some journalists have been suggesting that values in commercial real estate will be the next to crash - following housing and dragging the U.S. econo...

We are seeing some of the best stock valuations in the last century. Once fear of illiquidity dissipates, the stock market will get back to normal levels.

Investors are understandably concerned about the markets. Bailing may be appropriate for some. Staying the course may be the right decision for others.

Far be it from me to contradict one of the world's greatest stock sages and business analysts. But I will.

Falling markets don't tell the whole story. You need to understand the real world consequences of the way you invest. Otherwise, you are bound to repeat the problem.

When I give talks to groups, I ask for a show of hands for those investors who can tell me the risk of their portfolio as measured by standard deviation. Less than 1% respond.

Some advice for our fellow taxpayers in the great financial bail-out.

Like stocks, institutions go down too. Having all your money with one brokerage firm or financial advisor is foolhardy, even if they are "diversifying" your investments.

What we are witnessing is more than the restructuring of Wall Street. It should also fundamentally change the way we invest and the kind of information upon which we rely.

As for the securities industry, I can only hope that investors will abandon them in droves, and finally recognize them as emperors with no clothes.

Another study demonstrates the consequences of following the advice of brokers and advisors who push actively managed funds on their trusting clients.