Categories: Investing 101

Emerging Markets Fund Strategies: A Key Choice for Investors

Posted by: Ben Steverman on October 25

For U.S. investors looking to exploit growth in emerging markets, one question is how much of their portfolios to allocate toward these fast-growing regions of the world. It's a question...

Retire later? New study says many actually leave sooner

Posted by: Amy Feldman on July 15

Especially since the financial crisis began, people have been saying they'll solve their retirement woes by working longer. The reality, according to a new study from the Employee Benefit Research...

Advice for a Young Investor

Posted by: Ben Steverman on December 18

I have a story up now, "Personal Finance: 20 Dos & Don'ts for 2009." Reader "Alex" responded to my tips with a great question: I'm 22, working, and have the...

Gifts to Replenish the Nest Egg

Posted by: Lauren Young on December 01

I did a segment this morning on Retirement Living TV’s Daily Café about gifts that will actually replenish your loved one's nest eggs. (Some of this advice is my own...

The VIX: Could the “Fear Gauge” Call a Market Bottom?

Posted by: Ben Levisohn on October 08

Since the Dow started its precipitous drop from its record high of 14,000 one year ago, options traders and savvy investors have been waiting for the S&P Volatility Index, or...

Advice on How to Prepare for the Worst

Posted by: Ben Steverman on August 04

Economic downturns make people feel vulnerable. Tough times remind us how precarious our financial security can be. You think of the horrible possibilities: You could lose your job. You could...

The Next Investment Bubble: Onions?

Posted by: Ben Steverman on July 23

The Onion reports "Recession-Plagued Nation Demands New Bubble to Invest In": WASHINGTON—A panel of top business leaders testified before Congress about the worsening recession Monday, demanding the government provide Americans...

How Do You Save Money? A Plea for Suggestions

Posted by: Ben Steverman on July 22

If you want to be wealthy, you need a healthy income and you must invest wisely. But neither of these are enough unless you're saving enough. Financial advisors often say...

Weekend Reading

Posted by: Ben Steverman on May 23

Financial issues have a reputation for being dry. Maybe that's because only the very best writers know how to show investment novices how exciting this topic can be. But it's...

Sell Your Employer's Stock. Now.

Posted by: Ben Steverman on March 19

Maybe this is, indeed, blindingly obvious, but after the Bear Stearns (BSC) fiasco I need to get something off my chest: It is never, ever a good idea to own...

Personal best -- and worst -- of the year

Posted by: Aaron Pressman on December 21

As the year draws to a close, it’s a time of reflection. Investors can look back to see their smart and not-so-smart moves as they look ahead to 2008. So...

Bad News on Limit Orders

Posted by: Ben Steverman on November 20

New research suggests the widespread use of limit orders may be one reason individual investors do poorly when trading stocks.

Two more good sources of bloggy investment insights

Posted by: Aaron Pressman on October 10

A couple of good finds in the investing blogosphere today. James Picerno, author of The Capital Spectator, has a great, deeper analysis post up today on the new State Street...

Eye on Morningstar

Posted by: Lauren Young on August 23

Morningstar has been adding some interesting features to its site. Last week, I noticed a new Options channel, which is still in the Beta stage. The site offers content, such...

Conniptions over Cramer miss the mark

Posted by: Aaron Pressman on August 21

There are at least two critical parts to making money in the stock market. The first, the obvious one, is picking stocks which will do better than the market. The...

Must-read book helps explain the current turmoil

Posted by: Aaron Pressman on August 17

With the name Pressman, it’s not infrequently that I get the joke “good name for a reporter.” Richard Bookstaber, whose new book, A Demon of Our Own Design, has become...

No pot of gold at the end of the forex rainbow

Posted by: Aaron Pressman on May 09

Here's an ancient investing insight that remains as true as ever: if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. But a lot of folks are forgetting that...

Wallstrip returns the favor

Posted by: Aaron Pressman on January 29

After I wrote a brief profile of the stock market video blog Wallstrip in the magazine two weeks ago, they returned the favor by doing a show on the ever-expanding...

The best of intentions can't save fee-based brokerage accounts

Posted by: Aaron Pressman on December 12

Eliot Spitzer has a new racket he's chasing down on Wall Street, charging that UBS put some customers in unsuitable fee-based brokerage accounts. He's late to the party as the...

Back to School: Personal Finance 101

Posted by: Lauren Young on August 31

I'm amazed at how many back-to-school financial pitches I get: Today my inbox featured emails on changes to 529 plans; smart credit card strategies for college students, as well as...