Browse by Categories

• Burns at Large
• Couch Potato Investing
• Government
• Government, Taxes & Other Disasters
• Home Ownership & Mortgages
• I Bonds & Tips
• Income Investing
• Index & ETF Investing
• Mutual Fund Investing
• Retirement
• Small Change Millionaires
• Social Security
• Taxes & Other Disasters
• Variable Annuity Watch
• Wealth Scoreboard & Life of Riley Index

• Your Broker is a Hammer, Don't be a Nail

  By Scott Burns Q: I like my broker, but she and I differ on what type of fund to be in. I prefer a low-expense fund. She says: Forget expenses if the 10-year returns bear more fruit. I have $400,000 to invest. I want to do the following: 35 percent in... Posted Jul 09 2008, 03:00 PM by admin with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Financial Planning, Q&A (from print), Retirement

• Same Fund Family but Less Risk

  By Scott Burns Q. I'm semiretired, married, with no children. We own our home. I'm 62, have no pension. Our total savings is $95,000 in Vanguard Target Retirement 2010 fund in an IRA. I just moved it there about six months ago. In the last year... Posted Apr 30 2008, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments Filed under: Financial Planning, Q&A (from print)

• How to Manage Multiple Accounts

  By Scott Burns Q. I am nearly halfway through the process of restructuring my investments. I’m changing from a portfolio of more than 25 individual stocks to one of diversified index funds (a la your Ten Speed or Six-Way Couch Potato Building Block portfolios... Posted Feb 13 2008, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments Filed under: Financial Planning, Q&A (from print)

• There Is No Cure for Nest-Egg Anxiety

  By Scott Burns Q. I retired at age 60 with a package. That was 13 months ago. As the package dwindles, I wonder if I should go back to work. Ugh! I have about $ 900,000. It is about 21 percent in fixed-income, 73 percent in equities and 6 percent in cash... Posted Feb 06 2008, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments Filed under: Financial Planning, Q&A (from print)

• Selecting an Adviser

  Q. My wife and I have been having a hard time selecting an investment counselor. We have interviewed counselors but have not found anyone in whom we can feel confident. We've heard and read stories about trusted advisers abusing their clients’ trust... Posted Jan 02 2008, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments Filed under: Burns at Large, Financial Planning, Q&A (from print)

• How to Get a Good Return on your Cash

  Q. Lately I have noticed ads for high-yield savings accounts. A couple of examples are UFBDirect.com (5.3percent) and Citicard.com (4.65 percent). There appears to be no minimum balance required, no fees, etc. After more than six years I have paid off... Posted May 09 2007, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Financial Planning, Q&A (from print), Small Change Millionaires

• An 8 Percent Yield Means Major Risk

  Q. In a recent column you told a reader that a guaranteed high investment return doesn't exist. You also said, "If someone tells you about an investment that will provide a safe 8 percent return, grab your wallet and run." I take exception to your conclusion... Posted Apr 25 2007, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Couch Potato Investing, Financial Planning, Q&A (from print)

• The Many Levels of Investment Expense

  Q. I am almost 70, and expect to retire the middle of this year with savings (IRA, 401k and company retirement lump-sum) that total about $1.5 million. I plan to roll everything to an IRA but will keep about $100,000 in liquid assets in the IRA for house... Posted Apr 18 2007, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Financial Planning, Q&A (from print), Retirement

• Don't Grieve Over Not Maxing-Out Plan Contributions

  Q. I am a 49-year-old engineer working at a large consulting firm. Our company has a high percentage of highly compensated employees and has limited pre tax contributions to 9 percent of gross income. In my case, this is $4,000 short of the allowable... Posted Apr 11 2007, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Financial Planning, Q&A (from print), Variable Annuity Watch

• Portfolios Are About More than the Year You Retire

  Q. Vanguard recently started a new fund class, Target Retirement funds. Each fund is pegged at a person's expected year of retirement. The funds automatically balance their holdings among U.S. stocks, foreign stocks and bonds in a mix appropriate to the... Posted Feb 21 2007, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: Financial Planning, Q&A (from print), Retirement

• Using ETFs to Build a Portfolio

  Q. I am 47 and work fulltime. I have about $250,000 in my 401(k) and about $150,000 in my IRA from a previous employer. I have invested in the Couch Potato portfolio and in the IRA, and in the past few years have moved to the Margarita Portfolio (I am... Posted Jan 31 2007, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: Couch Potato Investing, Financial Planning, Q&A (from print)

• The worst form of investing except for all the others

  Q: Like you, I believe investing in index funds is a better way for individuals to invest. I was just about to start investing in index funds in my retirement accounts when I came across an old article by Gregg Wolper (Morningstar, 2/21/06) titled "The... Posted Jan 10 2007, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 9 comment(s) Filed under: Financial Planning, Index & ETF Investing, Q&A (from print)

• A 1 percent "wrap fee" is not ok

  Q: Our financial adviser, with First Command financial planning, is suggesting we move all of our current investments to its version of the wrap account, Select Investor Profile. We are investing $500 a month in Pioneer Midcap Value Fund A (value: $275... Posted Nov 29 2006, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 11 comment(s) Filed under: Financial Planning, Q&A (from print)

• You Know You Are Rich When...

  Q. Your recent series on financial planning was interesting, but I still don't know the answer in my own case: "How much is enough?" I'm always trying to find the answer. What are your thoughts on this? ---B.S., by email from 940 A. My all-time favorite... Posted Jun 01 2006, 10:53 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Financial Planning, Q&A (from print), Variable Annuity Watch

• How should you use a life annuity?

  Q. How should single payment, immediate annuities be considered in a retiree's portfolio? Due to their cash-like risk, should they replace a large share of cash and short term bonds in the design of the investment portfolio? ---D.K., by e-mail A. Lifetime... Posted Mar 02 2006, 01:28 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Financial Planning, Q&A (from print), Retirement