Index & ETF Investing - Registered Investment Advisor

A Visit with John Bogle

By Scott Burns At 80, he says he doesn’t get enough done. And while ever more money is moved around the world by legions of finance Ph.D.s, he offers this assessment of investing. “ It’s not rocket science.” Meet John Bogle. He’s...

Posted Feb 19 2010, 03:00 PM by admin with | with 1 comment(s)

Filed under: Income Investing, Index & ETF Investing

It Helps to Understand Brokerage Economics

By Scott Burns Q. How does one go about setting up an IRA consisting of the Couch Potato funds or another low-expense portfolio? Most financial advisers are at least as interested in their own revenue as they are their clients’. They are not particularly...

Posted Jan 27 2010, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments

Filed under: Index & ETF Investing, Q&A (from print)

Retiring Soon? Index Funds Still Best Choice

By Scott Burns Q: I took your advice and read Daniel Solin's "The Smartest 401(k) Book You'll Ever Read." Then I took his advice and contacted Fidelity Investments about buying index funds for my 403(b) because my employer/school district...

Posted Aug 12 2009, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments

Filed under: Index & ETF Investing, Q&A (from print), Retirement

You Don’t Need Perfection--- Just the Right Direction

By Scott Burns Q. I'm 33 years old and this is my first time doing a 401(k). I received my benefits package information but it might as well be in a foreign language. I see different kinds of stock funds to choose from. Each one has different companies...

Posted Jul 29 2009, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments

Filed under: Index & ETF Investing, Q&A (from print), Retirement

To Do Well Over 50 Years, Reduce Costs

By Scott Burns Q. I am a 26-year-old man, looking into starting a Roth IRA. I have been investing in my government 457 plan for the past three years but am unhappy that I will be taxed on my gains at retirement. I am one of the few people left in the...

Posted May 13 2009, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments

Filed under: Financial Planning, Index & ETF Investing, Q&A (from print)

There Is No One-Size-Fits-All Portfolio

By Scott Burns Q. I just read Suze Orman. She said that you should “put your age” in bonds. I am 53 and have only 10 percent in bond index funds. Everything else is in stock index funds in my IRAs. ; ;Fifty percent seems extremely conservative ;at my...

Posted Mar 11 2009, 03:00 PM by admin with | with 1 comment(s)

Filed under: Income Investing, Index & ETF Investing, Q&A (from print)

Measuring Madoff

By Scott Burns Media accounts immediately labeled the disappearance of $50 billion, masterminded by Bernard Madoff, as "the largest fraud in history." It is a greater wealth loss than having a household name company -- such as Walt Disney, Anheuser...

Posted Dec 26 2008, 03:00 PM by admin with | with 6 comment(s)

Filed under: Index & ETF Investing, economy

Three Ways to Have Vanguard at Fidelity

By Scott Burns Q. Does Fidelity have a fund that compares to the Vanguard Balanced Index (ticker: VBINX)? I like the performance and the low expense fees the Vanguard fund has. I also like the ratio of 60 percent stocks, 40 percent bonds. I currently...

Posted Dec 24 2008, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments

Filed under: Index & ETF Investing, Mutual Fund Investing, Q&A (from print)

The Lehman Treasury ETF Is Safe

By Scott Burns Q. I recently purchased a large (for me) amount of the Lehman 1 to 3 month Treasury bill ETF. How would you estimate the risk of that investment in light of Lehman's current financial position? Is this still safe, based on the Treasurys...

Posted Nov 12 2008, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments

Filed under: Index & ETF Investing, Q&A (from print)

The Art (and Benefit) of the ‘Steady Eddy’ Portfolio

by Scott Burns Craig Israelsen, an associate professor at Brigham Young University, wants us to know that it pays to build “Steady Eddy” portfolios for retirement. Having lots of asset classes, he says, is a good start. His recent article “The Benefits...

Posted Dec 14 2007, 03:00 PM by admin with | with 9 comment(s)

Filed under: Index & ETF Investing

Spoiling a Good Thing

On Wall Street, if a little of something is good, then a lot of it must be magnificent. How else to explain the proliferation of exchange-traded funds (ETFs)? From the launch of the first in 1993 (to duplicate the performance of the S&P 500 index...

Posted Aug 17 2007, 03:30 PM by scottb with | with 2 comment(s)

Filed under: Index & ETF Investing, Mutual Fund Investing

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

It's Expensive to Have The Investment Come to You

Q: A friend gave me an article you had written about personal finance. You used a schoolteacher as an example, showing how we can make bad choices in our attempt to save money. I have been using a manager for about 10 years, but I now know he is probably...

Posted May 30 2007, 10:15 PM by scottb with | with 2 comment(s)

Filed under: Index & ETF Investing, Q&A (from print)

AssetBuilder - Registered Investment Advisor :: Simple Investing Smart Future

Subscribe to our RSS

Registered Investment Advisor

A Visit with John Bogle

It Helps to Understand Brokerage Economics

Retiring Soon? Index Funds Still Best Choice

You Don’t Need Perfection--- Just the Right Direction

To Do Well Over 50 Years, Reduce Costs

There Is No One-Size-Fits-All Portfolio

Measuring Madoff

Three Ways to Have Vanguard at Fidelity

The Lehman Treasury ETF Is Safe

The Art (and Benefit) of the ‘Steady Eddy’ Portfolio

Spoiling a Good Thing

Buy Closed End Funds at a Discount

The Perils of Hyperactive Investing

Enhanced Index Funds: Interesting But Problematic

It's Expensive to Have The Investment Come to You

Contact Us