He spent days sitting through free seminars to become a super trader. Lesson number one: It’ll cost you.
From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance:
Admit it: You’ve been tempted. You’ve seen the infomercials for trading systems that will teach you how to master the markets. Sign up for a free seminar in your area and you’re on your way to wealth and freedom. Ordinary people just like you are earning thousands each month. Why not join the club?
Fund companies are tinkering with these one-stop retirement plans after their bear-market beating.
From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance:
From U.S. senators to government regulators to shell-shocked investors, everyone, it seems, is drawing a bead on target-date funds for producing such rotten results during the 2007-09 bear market. These funds were supposed to be simple solutions for retirement saving: You picked a fund with a date close to your anticipated retirement. As the date approached, the fund would adjust the bond portion of its portfolio to become more conservative and protect returns.
A quota for analyst sell recommendations may mean better stock research from brokers.
From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance:
At 98 and counting, the number of bank failures this year is beginning to rival the number of institutions shuttered in 1992, at the finale of the savings-and-loan crisis. Fortunately, when a bank goes belly up, most customers have a seamless transition to a new bank. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. currently covers $250,000 per depositor per bank. And most often, a failed bank is bought by another bank, assets are transferred immediately, and customers have uninterrupted access to funds in their accounts.
These funds deliver predictable results for retirement savers.
From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance
When the financial crisis ravaged the stock market and many parts of the bond market, stable-value funds stood out with their combination of modest, positive returns and their, well, stability. As a result, retirement savers clamored for these steadfast funds and the security they offer. The percentage of assets invested in stable-value funds in large-company 401(k) plans that offer a stable-value option rose from 20% in November 2007 to 36% in March 2009, according to Hewitt Associates, a benefits-consulting firm. Although the total amount invested in stable-value funds has fallen as stocks have recovered, such funds retain more than $642 billion in assets, which makes them the largest category of fixed-income investment in 401(k) plans.
Fidelity, with a wide array of investment choices and a terrific Web site, takes top honors.
From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance:
Low commissions are great. Free trades, which some online brokerages offer, are even better. But most investors want more from their discount broker. They want a Web site that’s easy to use, tools that clarify the markets, access to stocks across the globe and some guidance when they need it.
This is the portfolio of Thomas M. Anderson. He is a journalist who is passionate about telling great business stories. He is an associate editor at Kiplinger's Personal Finance. He specializes in writing about retirement planning and investing.
BofA to drop fees for debit overdrafts, which goes beyond federal rules that kick in July 1. http://bit.ly/aQfOIl6 hours ago
RT @LaurenLaCapra: Top SEC economist has stepped down over short-selling restrictions that aren't supported by data/logic: http://bit.ly ... 24 hours ago
This is the portfolio of Thomas M. Anderson. He is a journalist who is passionate about telling great business stories. He is an associate editor at Kiplinger's Personal Finance. He specializes in writing about retirement planning and investing.