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Keith Tufte - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
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- Special Roth IRA Conversion Opportunity in 2010
[Investing:IRA-401k] The tax rules for 2010 allow anyone (even rich people) to roll over their IRA into a Roth IRA. The wealthier you are and the more likely you are to leave your IRA assets to your children (and not spend them in retirement) the more likely a Roth IRA conversion is a good idea for you. It is very likely that income tax rates in the US will be going up significantly which is another reason to consider converting to Roth in 2010.
- Think Globally - Invest Globally
[Investing] Due to more rapid growth in other parts of the world over the past 20 years, the US now represents only 43% of the total global equity market values. Thus, to be truly invested on a globally neutral basis, a US investor would have to put 57% of their portfolio into investments outside the US. Is that a crazy idea or a smart idea? Is that too risky?
- Housing Has Hit Bottom, But Investing in Real Estate Has Not
[Real-Estate:Investing] We have hit the bottom in the US housing market. There are plenty of signs of stabilization in the residential real estate market after the horrible three year downturn.
- Investing in Commodities
[Investing:Futures-and-Commodities] It's an interesting time to look into investing in commodities for a variety of reasons. Commodities can be a good offensive and defensive investment strategy, and can be good portfolio diversifiers to reduce the risk of your overall portfolio.
- Tax Free Income With Municipal Bonds
[Investing] Looking for some relatively safe tax-free income with a higher yield than cash? Investors are wondering where they can invest that is relatively safe and smart and provide a higher return than cash. Tax-free municipal bonds can provide some stability and a reasonable after-tax return for many investor portfolios.
- The Buy Write Investment Strategy
[Investing] After the dramatic drop in the stock market over the past year many investors are looking for ways to invest that are less risky than being 100% long the market. The market has proven to be "too volatile" for many investors recently. If only we could find ways to be invested and get much of the upside in the market but have some kind of "hedge" against declines in the value of our investments and portfolios. If you are willing to give up some of the upside in the market to get some downside protection then the buy/write or "covered call" strategy may be one for you to consider.
- Inflation Protected Treasury Bonds (TIPS) Are Interesting
[Investing] Looking for a conservative and attractive investment? These TIPS bonds are one of the safest investments you can make because there is very little or no credit risk (issued by the US government), liquidity risk (TIPS are heavily traded), or inflation risk.
- Lessons From the Tom Petters and Bernie Madoff Scandals
[Investing] Tom Petters and Bernie Madoff's ponzi schemes have cost investors billions of dollars. What lessons can investors learn from these giant frauds?
- Hedge Funds - Problems in the Industry - Be Careful
[Investing] Hedge funds had their worst month ever in September (2008). Some of the biggest names in the business were down 20%+ in September and/or year-to-date. Many high net-worth investors and foundations have invested in hedge funds over the past 5-10 years. I continue to recommend that most individual investors and small foundations be very careful about investing in hedge funds.
- Stock Market Comment - Where's the Bottom?
[Investing:Stocks] The brutal stock market correction continues unabated. Fear and panic are in firm control of the markets right now. It is like nothing I have ever seen in my 23 years of watching the markets.
- Donor Advised Funds - An Efficient Tool For Charitable Giving
[Investing] Charitable giving is clearly an integral part of the culture of successful families in this country. While Americans are generous with their giving, they are often giving inefficiently from a tax perspective. Donor advised funds are a simple, affordable, and flexible charitable-giving tool.
- Tax Rates - Going Up
[Finance:Taxes] Tax rates on income, dividends, and capital gains are likely to increase over the next few years. What are some smart things investors can do about rising tax rates?
- Asset Allocation - The #1 Factor in Determining Portfolio Risk and Return
[Investing] Asset allocation is the single most important factor in designing and managing an investment portfolio. Asset allocation is the #1 determinant of portfolio performance and it is also the #1 factor in determining the risk of a portfolio.
- Private Equity Investing - The Boom is Over
[Investing] The favorable conditions that helped drive the recent private equity boom have changed dramatically over the past year. Future private equity returns will be much lower than they were over the past 5 years and could prove to be quite disappointing for many investors.
- The Housing Market - Signs of a Bottom
[Real-Estate:Investing] Amidst all the gloom and doom about the US economy and the residential housing market, there are now increasing signs that housing activity is bottoming. The bottoming out of the housing market will be a big positive for the US economy and the stock market.
- The 401(k) Retirement Plan Market - Current Trends
[Investing:IRA-401k] 401K plans have become the default retirement plan for Americans. Most companies have transitioned away from defined benefit pension plans to defined contribution 401K-type plans. Americans are now mostly on their own for their retirement. Are they ready for it? Are they saving enough? Do they know how to invest successfully?
- Bond Investing - Current Bond Turmoil
[Investing:Stocks] Most investors tend to allocate a certain amount to "bonds" and then forget about them. Many think that not much ever happens in the bond market and a bond is a bond. Investors often think that a bond portfolio is typically pretty stable/safe and doesn't need as much time and attention and "analysis" as the stock portion of their portfolio. Besides, bonds are kind of complicated and hard to figure out for many investors. There have been some interesting and unprecedented things going on in the bond market over the past few months that merit investor's full attention. Many bonds are currently unattractive as investments.
- Investment Bubbles and the Chinese Stock Market Bubble
[Investing:Stocks] Investment bubbles come along once or twice a decade. What are the common signs of investment bubbles how should investors play them? Is the Chinese stock market the current investment bubble?
- Long Term Care Insurance Basics
[Insurance:Long-Term-Care] Healthcare costs and long-term care costs continue to increase dramatically. Should you buy long-term care insurance? When? Long-term care insurance is very complicated and difficult to understand.
- Personality Characteristics of Successful Investors
[Investing] Warren Buffet is looking for an understudy and successor to one of the greatest investors ever. What is he looking for? What are the personality characteristics of successful investors?
- The Number 1 Risk to Your Retirement? Inflation
[Investing:Retirement-Planning] Inflation has the power to dramatically reduce your standard of living over the course of a 15-30 year retirement. Inflation erodes your portfolio and spending power so gradually that you hardly notice it or worry about it.
- Hedge Funds Are Not A Good Fit For Many Investors
[Investing] Hedge funds have experienced tremendous growth over the past 10 years. They can be good investments for some types of investors, but less attractive for others.
- What's Wrong With Mutual Funds?
[Investing:Mutual-Funds] Most actively traded mutual funds are poor products from the investor's point of view. There are a number of problems with these products that many investors are not aware of. There are better ways to invest and get exposure to the markets.
- Ten Common Investor Mistakes
[Investing] Investors, investment advisors, and professional investors all make mistakes. I have listed some of the most common and expensive mistakes that I see investors make. Many of these mistakes can end up costing investors dearly over 10-20 years because mistakes now are compounded into lower returns and many fewer dollars in the future.
- The Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) Explosion
[Investing:Stocks] There has been explosive growth in exchange-traded funds (ETF's) because they have many big advantages over mutual funds and other types of investments. Many of the newest ETF's are not particularly well suited for the typical individual long-term investor.
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