Do you know how much you’re paying in investment fees each year? If you’re like most people, chances are you don’t.  And not paying attention to those fees is taking years off of your retirement. Expense Ratio Most mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) charge an annual fee as a percentage of assets.  This means […]

Irrational Investors  Most economists work on the assumption that all investors are rational.  All of us who have actually invested know that isn’t true.  But why?   What is it about human psychology that prevents us from making the right decision when it comes to investing?  I Can’t Sell at THAT Price  I’ve written before about how I’ve lost money because […]

Bitcoin has been in the news quite a lot recently.  I’m sure you’ve heard how bitcoin’s price has been increasing thousands of dollars a day.  Maybe you’ve even invested or have been thinking about investing in it. But how much do you really know about Bitcoin? A friend recently asked me what I thought of […]

Price: $15.95 Buy Now: Charing Bull Mug Start the morning off right with this mug.  Even market bears are sure to love it! Price: $14.95 Buy Now: Buy High Sell Low This t-shirt is the opposite of sound investment advice.  But it’s that kind of humor that finance geeks everywhere can appreciate. Price: $13.50 Buy Now: The Snowball Warren Buffett […]

What is Short Selling?  If you’ve spent any time reading about investing or watching CNBC you’ve probably heard the term short selling or shorting a stock.  But what does this really mean?  And more importantly-should you do it?   How to Short a Stock  To sell a stock short, you follow 5 basic steps:   Borrow shares of […]

Why Do Dividends Reduce Stock Price? Stocks that pay dividends can be a great investment.  You essentially earn interest just for owning the stock, plus you get the bonus of any appreciation.  Dividends also play a role in the price of a stock. A Quick Background For those of you familiar with dividends, feel free […]

In a word – yes! Investing is one of the more proven ways to build wealth over time.  The better question is – Why is investing in stocks a smart move financially? The answer to this question has to do with the long-term growth rate of the stock market and the power of compounding returns. […]

Can you really trust investment results? I recently read How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg and while my wife still thinks I’m wrong quite a bit (I disagree of course!) the book contained a great story that should act as a cautionary tale to all investors. Baltimore Stock […]

Someone asked on Quora for advice on resources for getting started on investing in stocks.  This is a common question many people have since a lot of people want to invest, but are scared to start for fear of losing money.  Since investing, when done properly and responsibly, is a great way to build wealth, I […]

New investors often ask, “How much money do you need to start investing?” So How Much Do You Need? Technically you need enough to open a brokerage account and buy one share of stock plus the commission. Some online brokers, like E*TRADE have a $500 minimum to open an account while TD Ameritrade has no […]