MYGA ladder

MYGA vs CD, and MYGA Ladders

Why You Should Consider MYGAs instead of CDs in a CD Ladder MYGAs are good annuities. Annuities have a bad rap. There are, however, good annuities that the advanced investor should consider. A MYGA (Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuity) may have a […]

Continue reading
Direct Indexing

DIY Direct Indexing

Direct Indexing or VTSAX?   Direct indexing if you are the average DIY investor. The standard of care is VTSAX (or VTI), a 3-fund portfolio, or even 6-10 ETFs in your brokerage account with a smart tax-deferred pairing. When will […]

Continue reading
investment risk trade-off

Investment Risk/Reward Trade-off

Investment Risk and the Risk/Reward Trade-off   As you construct your portfolio, where do you take investment risk? Should you take risk in your Equities or your Bonds? Risk means different things to different people, but without some risk, there […]

Continue reading
How Narcissists use Sandbagging

How Narcissists use Sandbagging

How Narcissists use Sandbagging     Sandbagging is a way to self-discount such that the narcissist always appears grand. If we remember that grandiosity is central to a narcissist’s self-image, we can see how self-discounting and performing better than “expected” […]

Continue reading
risk tolerance and asset allocation

Risk Tolerance and Asset Allocation

Risk Tolerance affects Asset Allocation  Risk Tolerance and Asset Allocation are tied at the hip, and depend on age and recency bias. How you understand risk—and how you balance the stock/bond proportion in your portfolio—is the most important decision an […]

Continue reading
are stocks less risky over time?

Are Stocks Less Risky with Time?

Stocks and Time   People say that stocks get less risky the longer you own them. Actually, stocks are riskier the longer you hold them. You know: don’t invest money you need soon. But for the money you need in […]

Continue reading
Never Sell Low

“First Steps” Investing: Never Sell Low

Never Sell Low (Investing from 20-40) Paul Merriman asked if I had a piece on the “First Steps” of investing for a 20-40-year-old. I usually say that asset allocation is the most important decision (after deciding to invest). Still, a […]

Continue reading