Does history repeat itself in the investment markets?

This is the only time that I had a guest writer of an investment tip. Phil was a client and this is the advice he gave to a Young man.…

You have to be very careful with your money and make sure you can trust the people you are dealing with. Here are some things to look out for.

Quantumonline is the best resource for preferred stocks. Link inside.

Part of the reason it's hard to beat the averages is because of survifor bias. What's that? See inside.

Inside are the links you can use to search for money being held by the government. Kind of an online treasure hunt with real treasure.

Don't take a company's word for everything. Find out for yourself if what they say is really on the up and up.

If you read something about expectations for the economy or financial markets, how should you react?

People talk about stocks having momentum. Is that a real thing?

Trust of authority is an inescapable consequence of being humans. I share an interesting story about Magic Numbers to illustrate this point.

How much you like (or dislike) you job can have a huge impact on your needs in retirement.

Expectations are one thing. The reality is often something quite different.

Thinking that a stock being in particular category such as growth, will ensure that you get the results you hope for can very wrong.

Anchoring means that you have a price in mind for buying or selling a stock. Where does that number come from?

The internet is an extraordinary source of information. But it's also a major source of misinformation.

Some lessons from my Father, Peter, a wise guy, and I mean that both ways.

As you accumulate savings, a small percentage change in your portfolio can be quite a few dollars.

When you talk about the yield on a bond that can mean many things. Understanding what is what is important.

What do patterns in market behavior tell you?

When the press reports the reason for a move in the stock market, what are they really telling you?

We all have a tendency to read the stories that confirm our opinions. But is that really helpful?

An interesting experiment for you to do to find out about how often your hopes and fears come to pass.

If you're buying an actively managed mutual fund, you want to be sure it behaves like one.

If there is someone you like from an investment perspective, there is a question I would ask. Do they ever change their position based on changes in the market?

Harry Markowitz originated an investment theory about choosing assets. Yet he doesn't always follow it himself. Why not?

With any investment you must look at how the internet may affect their business model going forward.

If you want to understand the role of money in the modern world, "The Ascent of Money" by Niall Ferguson is a great place to start.

How do your personal values affect your investing?

How safe is your insurance company?

You can learn a valuable lesson about saving from my favorite brand of shampoo.

When it comes to your finances, usually it pays to avoid taking the easy way out.

Should you delay taking your Social Security?

The title of this tip basically covers it, but if you want to know why, click above.

When it comes to spending your hard earned money it's important to understand if the object of your desire is a want or a need.

About the day one of my client's accounts had an extraordinary coincidence.

There are two kinds of insider trading. One is legal and might help you choose stocks.

A checklist to help you whittle down the seemingly endless choices of investment options.

The new highs and low numbers for the major stock markets have distortions. It's important to know what those are.

Many ETFs are enormously complex. Can you understand their methodology in 10 minutes?

You have too much money. Let me help you with that little problem.

I asked some 'tipsters' and others what was the best investment advice they ever received. Here are their responses.

Don't get tripped up basing financial decisions on limited evidence.

Many people believe the stock market is random. I did a little study to see if it was true.

Buying junk bonds just before they come to term have a big gotcha built in.

The Investment Company Fact book is a treasure trove of financial information. And it's free.

SEDAR is the Canadian equivalent of the US securities filing site, EDGAR.

Managing our emotions is hard when it comes to investments with real money on the line. But it's critical to our success.

You don't need dividend stocks to have dividend payments.

With bond funds even more so then with stock funds, you need to keep an eye on the expense ratio.

The movement of a stock over time may have little to do with the market and a lot more to do with their product life cycle.

When looking at a company's debt situation it's important to look at how long as well as how much.

Review of 'The Crisis of Crowding' I wrote in 2013. Still an interesting take on the 2008 market crash.

If you invest in stocks or especially limited partnerships in a taxable brokerage account, you're not filing your taxes until Spring. Here is why.

Investment advice from Jane Austen and Peter Lynch.

Three reasons not to take your Social Security early.

Wear a watch to tell you what time it is? What crazy person would do that?

Two very different press releases and two very different companies. Aren't they?

Beware backtesting in your new ETF to show their performance.

There are three very good and unfortunate reasons we seem to talk about nothing but retirement.

Two good website to check on investment and other kinds of scams.

Looking at financials is critical to choosing a stock. But there is something even more important.

The most important words in an auditors statement.

For the Winter Olympics I thought I would write a patriotic tip.

When a company is selling more stock there are two kinds of offerings. A secondary versus a follow on offering.

Could underperformance be great news for that stock or fund?

When looking at the stock profits, capitals gains only tell part of the story.

Though sometimes it's not any fun, when you're looking at any investment, get the facts.

Too much or too little insider ownership may not be ideal for a stock.

Does A. cause B.? Or is it just correlated?

Why did the richest man in the world have a payphone in his house?

I'm not a big fan of target date funds. See why.

If you make a change in your portfolio, make an actual change.

Are you trying to buy something when you really just don't have enough money?

Calculating the p/e ratio of a company less their cash may help explain why a stock with a high p/e ratio isn't really all that high.

Changing demographics is something every investor should keep in mind.

The CIA fact book is a very useful reference for investing and general world knowledge.

A three part series on getting out of debt. Part I is the preparation phase.

Part II of getting out of debt. The process.

Ok, now the hard part. Part III is the execution of paying off your debt.

Here is a technique to help you keep from making impulse purchases that you'll later regret.

Inflation isn't evil, as long as there isn't too much of it.

I think of an investment portfolio as being like a mozaic, with lots of different pieces to create the whole picture.

Companies in the financial services industry will often use math to trick you. See some examples in this tip.

A little trick to increase your retirement savings with very little pain.

Every investment works well during good times. But you have to plan for the bad times.

This book is a great look at what happened to America during the 1930s. It's one of my very favorite books.

Wesley warned us (sorta) in the Princess Bride about who is on your side in any financial transaction.

It's hard to think in terms of years when you live your life day to day.

Market timing is a seductive idea. Too bad it's impossible. This tip explains why.

The average person's return on their investments is shockingly low. How can we combat that?

If you're buying individual bonds, it pays to check with multiple brokers.

Dieting is harder than saving money. But also easier in one way.

Prioritizing Expenses can make not having that thing you want, a little easier.

Stocks and Bonds have different ways they are paid out.

Having all your eggs in one basket has risks. And there are some you may not even see.

Whenever you're dealing with money, it always pays to do the math.

Homer didn't realize it, but he was writing a tale of financial restraint.

This is a true story from my life that taught me about sticking with it.

This link to the Bureau of Labor Statistics website can help you understand what unemployment means.

A chart of allowed charitable deductions by State.