4 Funds With 10%+ Annual Returns For the Decade

January 27, 2010

Were the 2000′s really a lost decade? That’s what the media is telling us. Don’t believe it. For me and for the investors I know the 2000′s were not a lost decade. In a previous post I gave you four reasons why a good investor should not have had a lost decade. One of my points [...]

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Buy Stocks Like You Buy Clothes

January 26, 2010

Do you like to shop? I do. I also love to find a bargain. You know what I mean, don’t you?  Nothing feels better than buying those new pair of jeans at 20%, 30%, or even 50% off regular price. Do you view investing the same way?  You should.  In fact you should like the [...]

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No Brown M&Ms

January 25, 2010
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Dr. Gawande tells the story of rock band Van Halen who buried a clause in its lengthy touring contract that a bowl of M&Ms was to be provided backstage with the brown M&Ms removed.  When the group arrived with its nine truckloads of heavy equipment, the appearance of the bowl of M&Ms – the brown [...]

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First 5 Trading Days

January 22, 2010

The S&P 500 posted a gain in each of the first five trading days in 2010. It was up 2.74%. That is just the fourth time that has happened since 1928, according to Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P indices. The first five trading days has been a fairly accurate barometer for forecasting the [...]

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Over $1 Trillion is Invested in ETFs

January 21, 2010
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The ETF industry is booming. ETFs are currently one of the fastest growing areas of the market. ETF assets rose 46% over year-ago levels, and now make up more than 7 % of all mutual fund assets. There is now over $1 trillion invested in ETFs. There is clearly momentum in the ETF industry. To [...]

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Don’t Chase Performance

January 20, 2010
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Well, it’s that time of year again.  It’s time for the annual lists of top performing stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs of 2009.  Since it’s the end of the 2000′s we also see lists like “The 11 Best Performing Stocks of the 2000’s“. For many investors, it will be tempting to “chase performance” and buy [...]

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Quick Facts on Unemployment

January 19, 2010

Throughout 2009 unemployment rates increased throughout the US. Michigan was hit the hardest and has the nation’s highest unemployment rate at nearly 15%. 5 states have an unemployment rate greater than 12%. (MI, RI, NV, SC, CA) Only 3 states have an unemployment rate less than 6%. (ND, NE, SD) Below is another great infographic from [...]

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Were the 2000′s Really a ‘Lost Decade’?

January 18, 2010
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It’s been well-reported in the media that the 2000′s were a “lost decade”, meaning that the US stock market is trading where it was 10 years ago.  Tony warned you back in April that the media would have a heyday with this news. The media calls this a “lost decade” because an investor who bought [...]

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China now Globes Biggest Exporter

January 15, 2010

Already the biggest auto market and steel maker, China edged past Germany in 2009 to become the top exporter.  This signals yet another sign of the rapid rise and the spread of power from West to East. China – 2009 exports were $1.2 trillion Germany – 2009 exports were $1.17 trillion China’s unseating of longtime export [...]

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The World’s Most Expensive Cities

January 14, 2010

What are the world’s most expensive cities? This infographic courtesy of Mint.com shows you. When a cursor is placed over each highlighted city, an information window will pop up, showing whether it has become more or less expensive to live in this city than it was last year, as well as last year’s rankings for [...]

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