bonds
How Much Does Your Money Manager Cost You?
Noted investing guru Charles Ellis talks about the challenges boomers face from high investment fees, low bond yields, uncertain stock returns, and dubious financial come-ons.
Apple Raises $17 Billion in Largest Corporate Bond Sale Ever
Apple sold $17 billion worth of bonds late Tuesday in the largest sale of corporate bonds ever, part of a plan to increase its share buyback program and boost its dividend.
Don't Ignore the Dangerous Side of Dividend Stocks
Conservative investors fleeing low-yield, fixed-income investments have flocked to dividend stocks. But they often ignore just how much more dangerous those stocks can be.
Money Terms to Know: Asset Allocation
There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to growing your nest egg, so you need to understand the concept of asset allocation to get the best investment returns.
Next Avenue Money Scorecard: How Do You Rate?
Curious to see how your finances stack up compared to other Americans in their 40s, 50s and 60s? Next Avenue gathered the stats so you can find out how you're doing.
Despite Stock Surge, Money Still Flowing Into Bonds
When the Dow started setting records, investors were expected to show their confidence by leaving the safety of bonds and sinking their money into stocks. It hasn't happened.
3 Simple Ways to Increase Your Retirement Income
A new report reveals the nation's dire state of retirement readiness -- and also how deflated so many people feel about their prospects. But don't just give up: Here are the three key areas where you can squeeze out more money to cover your retirement living expenses.
Suddenly, Bonds are Riskier than Stocks
Bonds have outperformed stocks over the last 30-year period, but things are changing and bonds are no longer the safe haven they once were. In fact, bonds already look overvalued, and if rock-bottom interest rates keep moving higher, bond funds could plunge.
Bond Market Crash: Is the 'Safe' Part of Your Portfolio in Trouble?
Just when you've finally gotten over the stock market crash, there's a new potential threat to your portfolio. Even worse, it's in an area that many people think of as being safer than stocks: the bond market.
Should You Invest Your Emergency Fund?
Smart personal finance rules dictate having an emergency savings fund set aside where you can access it fast. But do you really have to keep enough money for three to six months of expenses in a savings account where it earns almost no interest?
How the Fiscal Cliff Deal Saved Dividend Stocks
In recent years, with low interest rates devastating the returns on conservative investment options, income-hungry investors have turned more and more to dividend stocks. And had there not been a fiscal cliff deal, even that last refuge for income investors could have disappeared.
The Dangerous Problem Behind ETFs' Big Asset Surge
Thanks to their lower fees, most ETFs do better for investors than similar mutual funds, and investors have noticed: They poured $154 billion into ETFs in 2012, while yanking more than $119 billion out of stock mutual funds. Just one problem: Most of that money went into the wrong kind of ETFs.
7 Alternatives to Investing in the Stock Market
The stock market is a great investment if you have a long time horizon. But should you stick with stocks once you retire? Most financial advisers recommend cutting back on equities as you get older -- but that money has to go somewhere productive. Here are seven investment alternatives.
11 Easy and Great Ways to Save Money in 2013
With the prospect of higher taxes and federal budget cuts looming on Dec. 31, here are 11 easy ways you can save money and/or put a few extra dollars back in your pocket in 2013.
How to Stop Low Interest Rates From Ruining Your Retirement
Low interest rates have made life a lot easier for many borrowers struggling to make monthly payments. But for retirees, who have to live off their portfolios, low rates have caused huge problems.
An Investment Puzzle: How to Put Your Assets in the Right Places
Obviously, what you invest in can mean the difference between getting rich and losing your shirt. But where you place those investments can be even more important -- especially if you end up picking winners.
Investing Error: Don't Use Stocks as an Inflation Hedge
You%u2019ve heard it so often you can probably repeat it in your sleep: Equities are the best protection against inflation. But academic research establishes clearly that it just isn't so: Stocks aren't a good hedge against inflation at all, particularly high inflation.
3 Simple Tax Terms That Have Been Redefined to Confuse Us
Is the U.S. tax code designed to be confusing? At more than 70,000 pages, its complexity is hard to overstate. But forget its size: Even in its most basic terms, the IRS seems determined to muddy the waters. To help you out, we've unpacked a few of the most weaselly weasel words.
The Economy Ahead: What to Expect in 2012
With 2011 fast coming to a close, it's time to think about what's next -- if you dare. We've got the good news, the bad news, the key points to watch and some good advice on getting through 2012 with your finances intact.
How to Profit from the Top Potential Crises of 2012
From my point of view, we are about to be in heaps of trouble economically, so for 2012, I'm looking to exploit other people's woes like the good capitalist I am. Here are three bets I might pull the trigger on:
US Debt: Money Managers' Least Favorite Investment
Ask the people who invest billions for a living to name their favorite picks for 2012 and you'll get a smorgasbord worthy of a holiday party: Brazilian stocks, U.S. junk bonds, and government debt from Colombia. Ask them what they dislike and they'll name one of the top-performing investments this year: U.S. government bonds.
Is Safe Investing Possible? How to Manage Market Volatility
With all the volatility in the stock market today, some individual investors are wondering if they should be more active with a portion of their portfolio, or back away from equities entirely. But if you bail out of stocks, where can you find decent returns? DailyFinance's Laura Rowley talks with Stuart Ritter, financial planner with T. Rowe Price.
A Rookie's Guide to Investing in Emerging Markets
The U.S. stock market's recent gyrations have many investors ready to look overseas for better returns. But it's a complicated world out there, which is why many less-experienced investors are still sitting on the global sidelines. Here's what you need to know make investing in emerging markets a little less scary.
What Government Defaults Mean for Muni Bonds
U.S. municipalities have filed five bankruptcies this year, and -- next week -- Jefferson County, Ala., could make a sixth. Could city and county defaults shake the muni-bond market just as investors are fleeing to it amid stock-market declines?
Investment Tips: How to Tame the Wall Street Beast
Amid plenty of uncertainty, investors are looking for strategies that will make them wealthy. But you should forget about the idea of getting rich quick and focus on diversity, according to Larry Light, author of the new book, Taming the Beast: Wall Street's Imperfect Answers to Making Money.
Alabama County on the Brink of Bankruptcy
Investors and officials in Jefferson County, Ala., are trying to negotiate a deal to avoid bankruptcy by Thursday's deadline. If they're unsuccessful, the county could end up with the largest Chapter 9 filing in U.S. history, which could rattle the $2.9 trillion municipal bond market.
SEC Claims Dead Money Manager Sold Fake Bonds
The Securities and Exchange Commission has sued the estate of money manager Joel David Salinas, the president of J. David Financial who died last month, and Brian Bjork, chief investment officer of Select Asset Management, for allegedly selling $50 million of fake bonds.
Are You Seriously Considering Buying Bonds?
Bond investors have had to make huge sacrifices in recent years. With rock-bottom interest rates, Treasuries pay so little that they're hardly worth investing in. In comparison, corporate offerings look attractive -- at least in a relative sense.
This 'Fear Trade' Could Bring You 87% Gains
Fear is in the air on Wall Street. Unemployment is high, housing sales are sluggish and the dollar is weak. Now, to add insult to injury, Standard & Poor's has lowered its U.S. debt outlook to negative, putting the nation's AAA credit rating at risk. Fortunately, smart traders can benefit from these worries.