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• Buy Closed End Funds at a Discount

  Here’s an interesting factoid. Over the three years ending May 30, the average mutual fund that invested in domestic equities has provided an annual return of 13.30 percent. Rather nice. Until you compare it to another return. The average closed-end fund... Posted Jul 13 2007, 10:30 AM by admin with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Financial Planning, Income Investing, Index & ETF Investing

• The Perils of Hyperactive Investing

  OK. Listen up. It’s hot. It’s July. You’d rather be at the beach. But you’re probably worried about your investments because some hyperactive managers with seven-figure salaries at Bear Stearns have made a mess--- perhaps for all of us --- by buying massive... Posted Jul 06 2007, 10:30 AM by admin with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Income Investing, Index & ETF Investing

• Enhanced Index Funds: Interesting But Problematic

  Q: I've had my 401(k) account with Fidelity for years. I've had my money in its funds most of the time. I have recently compared many of its funds to others, including the index funds that make up many of your balanced, low-cost portfolios. I have found... Posted Jun 13 2007, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Income Investing, Index & ETF Investing

• Four Milestones for Successful Investing

  Allow me to introduce the yellow brick road of investing. Follow this road and you will be a happy investor. Ignore it at your peril. The yellow brick road has four major milestones. The first three are clearly visible. Anyone can get good investment... Posted Dec 09 2006, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 13 comment(s) Filed under: Couch Potato Investing, Financial Planning, Income Investing, Index & ETF Investing

• The End Is (Not) Near

  The downbeat is quickening. First Motley Fool intones that index funds are unlikely to do well in the future (July 20). Then Morningstar says future stock market returns are likely to be disappointing (August 11). This column hasn't offered much cheer... Posted Aug 29 2004, 09:50 AM by scottb with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Income Investing, Index & ETF Investing

• The Long Distance Runner Fund List

  The trouble with the ephemeral heroes of investment management is that your money becomes ephemeral when they do. Putnam Voyager fund, for instance, was a Hero Fund in 1999 when it returned an impressive 56 percent. That was better than the S&P 500 Index... Posted Jan 27 2004, 10:26 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Income Investing, Index & ETF Investing

• Changing The Mea Culpa Portfolio: Going ETF

  It's confession time again. For several years I've ended the year with a report on what I did with a small investment account. The original idea was to invest in a portfolio of individual stocks and hold them long enough to make me a proverbial 'malefactor... Posted Dec 23 2003, 01:39 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Income Investing, Index & ETF Investing

• Three Paths To Lower Fees, Better Performance

  "If someone doesn't have the knowledge and time to manage his own portfolio, how can he be sure he is investing prudently without turning it over to someone else to manage for a fee?" So asked E.M., a Houston reader, immediately after my Thursday (February... Posted Mar 16 2003, 11:58 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Income Investing, Index & ETF Investing

• The Lessons of Really Long Term Investing

  The longer the time period, the better index investing looks. I learned this while doing a new examination of mutual fund performance. In it, I learned that the Vanguard 500 Index fund ranked 46th of the 306 domestic equity funds with 20 year track records... Posted Nov 03 2002, 11:15 AM by scottb with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Income Investing, Index & ETF Investing

• Where To Find The Broadest Market Index Investments

  Q. I agree with your recent column about the destruction of trust. Personally, I have Merrill Lynch accounts that I want to close because I have lost faith in them. However, I don't know what I should do next. I like the couch potato model, but do you... Posted Aug 01 2002, 12:03 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Income Investing, Index & ETF Investing, Q&A (from print)

• Index or Managed Fund?

  Q. I have about $600,000 in my company 403(b) plan, all invested in Fidelity Magellan. We have recently switched to the Vanguard family and have several choices there. One of the choices is the Vanguard 500 Index Fund. I am 58 and am looking at retiring... Posted Dec 06 2001, 09:38 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Income Investing, Index & ETF Investing, Q&A (from print)

• How To Make Moving An Account Easier

  Q. From 1993, I've invested $623,123 through a CPA/financial planner. Of the amount invested $540,000 was in taxable accounts, $83,123 in retirement accounts. It was spread over 21 mutual funds. Today the value is $500,610 and $65,107, respectively--... Posted Jul 12 2001, 01:10 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Income Investing, Index & ETF Investing, Q&A (from print)

• These Days, the Treasury Yield Curve Isn’t Talking

  Q. I am really puzzled by the confusing factors surrounding investing for income, particularly current interest rates, treasury yields, bond fund performance, bank CD rates, inflation, etc. An inverted Treasury yield curve has historically preceded a... Posted Oct 05 2000, 10:23 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Income Investing, Index & ETF Investing, Q&A (from print)

• A Close Look at Value Investing

  Santa Fe . Whatever happened to value? That's not an academic question these days as we scan the scorched investment battlefield. While many thought high flying growth stocks would come crashing to earth (and some have) the most conspicuous damage has... Posted Sep 15 1998, 11:11 AM by scottb with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Income Investing, Index & ETF Investing

• For the very elderly, try a very short ladder

  Q. I am responsible for maintaining the finances for my 92 year old grandmother and would like some advice about the best way to invest for her. She has $2,000 a month in pension and social security income and another $600 a month from interest income... Posted Dec 30 1996, 07:26 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Income Investing, Index & ETF Investing, Q&A (from print)