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• Consumption Smoothing
• Government, Taxes & Other Disasters
• Index & ETF Investing
• Q&A (from print)
• Retirement

• Yes, You Can Have Too Much of a Good Thing

  Q. My wife and I have about $320,000 of investments. About a third of that amount is invested in two royalty investment trusts. One is oil-based, and the other is in natural gas. Even after the recent dunking the energy market has taken, we are still... Posted Jan 19 2006, 02:40 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Consumption Smoothing, Government, Taxes & Other Disasters, Home Ownership & Mortgages, Income Investing, Q&A (from print), Retirement

• Should Dividends Be Reinvested?

  Q. There are some who say dividends should be reinvested whereas there are others who say it is better not to reinvest. What is your opinion? ---B.A., by e-mail A. The odds favor reinvesting the dividends. There are several reasons for this. The first... Posted Oct 13 2005, 01:59 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Income Investing, Q&A (from print)

• When To Reduce Debt, When To Invest Instead

  Before the stock market collapse, many readers who could pay off mortgages put the money in the stock market instead. They weren't stupid. Quite often their investment advisors told them to take the investment option. Their advisors, in turn, argued that... Posted Feb 10 2004, 09:53 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Income Investing

• Real Estate Isn‘t Kind To Everyone

  Q. I have always wondered why, if real estate most always appreciates, do most people invest in such a risky investment as the stock market? I am a 26-year-old female who has owned my own business since I was 21. I also own a rental property and plan... Posted Nov 20 2003, 03:08 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Income Investing

• The July Interest Shock and Vanguard GNMA Fund

  BOSTON. Among fixed income funds, Vanguard GNMA is a giant. Only PIMCO Total Return, with $41.9 billion in assets, is larger. With nearly $20 billion in assets, Vanguard GNMA is the largest government securities fund. Its manager, Paul Kaplan, has run... Posted Nov 18 2003, 03:13 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Income Investing

• Will Losing Money In Houses Follow Losing In Stocks?

  Q. I am 29, an attorney with two years of practice, and single. For two years I have been maxing out my 401(k) and investing about 20 percent of my gross salary and bonus each year (or about $27,000) into a basic Vanguard S&P 500 fund. I put another ... Posted Feb 20 2003, 02:39 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Income Investing, Q&A (from print)

• The Limits of An All-In-One Fund

  Q. I am a recent retiree. What is wrong in putting everything or most everything I have in my 401(k) and taxable account in a single mutual fund, the Vanguard Balanced Index Fund (ticker: VBINX)? It meets most criteria I like such as 60% stock 40% bond... Posted Dec 26 2002, 11:54 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Income Investing, Q&A (from print)

• There Are Limits To Home Ownership As An Investment

  Q. I am retired, 72 years of age, and living in a small high-rise condo. We have savings of $400,000 and an IRA of $1,300,000. We also have two cars and no debts. Our account value has been on a decline for many months and my wife insists that we pull... Posted Aug 15 2002, 11:29 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Income Investing, Q&A (from print)

• Scaling Down Can Be A Good Idea

  Q. Due to the high expenses of kids in college and the sporadic nature of my commission-only income, I have just sold my house. The house is in a high-demand area and sold very quickly. I feel, in retrospect, that I should have taken a home equity loan... Posted May 09 2002, 03:24 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Income Investing, Q&A (from print)

• Saving Years On Your Mortgage

  Q. I know that I have read it in your column before but I can't remember it today. On a 30-year mortgage at 5.75 percent interest, how many years can I cut off the note if we pay an extra payment or two or three a year? My husband is 53 and I am 49. We... Posted Dec 13 2001, 03:02 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Income Investing, Q&A (from print)

• Getting A Fresh Start: It Takes Time

  Q. The last 5 years were a financial disaster. Divorce, layoffs, poor spending habits and even poorer credit decisions. I remarried in May of 2000 and by November my wife and I each declared Chapter 7 (bankruptcy). Chapter 7 was discharged in February... Posted Oct 11 2001, 10:33 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Income Investing, Q&A (from print)

• Paying Down Your Mortgage Is a Good Choice

  Q. I have come into some extra money. I want to know the best use for it. I have three options. I can pay down my second mortgage on my house, which is at 8.5 percent interest. Or I can pay down my car loan, which is at 5.9 percent. Or I can invest in... Posted Aug 30 2001, 08:55 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Income Investing, Q&A (from print)

• Simplicity Works Best In Old Age Care

  Q. My father passed away a little over a year ago. My mother is in an Alzheimer's home. My sister is managing the estate, which has total assets of about $483,000. About $100,000 will need to be reinvested shortly. The money is in a variety of CDs but... Posted Aug 09 2001, 10:21 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Income Investing, Q&A (from print)

• Diversification Can Protect You From Steep Losses

  Q. I am one of thousands of Dallasites who has watched his 401(k) holdings vanish at an alarming rate. Now, more than a year after the dot.com bubble burst, I am still losing approximately one out of every five dollars invested. My 401(k) investment is... Posted Jul 26 2001, 11:20 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Income Investing, Q&A (from print), Retirement

• Home Mortgage Rates Won‘t Fall Until Long Term Rates Fall

  Q. A few people at work have already refinanced their mortgages at a lower interest rate while I keep waiting for rates to go even lower before I refinance. Every time the Federal Reserve lowers the prime lending rate I keep thinking I will see this rate... Posted Jun 28 2001, 11:33 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Income Investing