I’ve been investing for over 30 years. I’ve been writing about investing for the past 15 years. One of the questions I get the most is whether you should invest in an S&P 500 Index fund or a total stock market index fund–VOO vs VTI (ETFs) or VTSAX vs VFIAX (mutual funds). It’s an important…
Dividend investing has become an obsession. Books have been written about. YouTube channels have been dedicated to it. Some have an almost cult-like attachment to the Dividend Aristocrats. Many investors flock to dividend ETFs because of their higher yields. In contrast, I like dividend ETFs for their lower valuation metrics. Given the high valuations in…
Fidelity launched its ZERO index funds in 2018 to much fanfare. As their names suggest, these funds carry no expense ratios, a first in the industry. As great as a “free” mutual fund may sound, however, many wonder whether there is a catch. Recently a subscribe to my YouTube channel asked the following questions: Could…
It costs money to invest. We pay all types of fees, some obvious, some not so obvious. In this article I’m going to walk through the most common investing fees you are likely to encounter. Then we’ll examine just how destructive a seemingly small amount of fees can be to your wealth and retirement. Do…
Keeping tabs on your investments can be a headache. That’s particularly true, if like me, you have a number of different accounts. While my favorite investment tracking app is Empower (previously called Personal Capital), another tool I use is a free investment tracking spreadsheet. I’m going to walk through the spreadsheet in this article and…
A three fund portfolio is a simple approach to investing that, as the name suggests, involves just three mutual funds or exchange-traded funds. In just three funds, an investor can build a diversified, low cost portfolio that’s easy to manage. Popularized by the Bogleheads, the three fund portfolio is one of several “Lazy Portfolios.” But…