Investing

There is a crucial component of the investment process that gets surprisingly little attention: our investment default settings. We can use them when we aren’t sure what to do, when we’re deciding what to do, when our circumstances have changed but our plan hasn’t (yet), or when we’re just starting out. Here they are.

Most investors don't know anything more about diversification than you "shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket" [but] spending some time trying to understand the ways you might be shooting yourself in the foot could seriously enhance your portfolio returns and stop catastrophic risk. [There are some advantages to diversification if you REALLY know what you are doing but the shortcomings can go a long way towards killing your portfolio returns. In this article we identify what they are and how best to avoid them.] Words: 1055

Those that read this site regularly know my pessimism regarding the future. People frequently ask: “What do I do to protect myself and my family?” or “What should I invest in?” While this discussion will not provide you with specific answers, it should provide a framework that may be useful.

Investing is often described as the process of laying out money now in the expectation of receiving more money in the future. Investment possibilities are both many and varied. There are three major categories 1) currency-based investments, 2) gold bullion and 3) investment in productive assets, and it's important to understand the characteristics of each. [Let me explain the differences and why I choose the latter.] Words: 1780

Warren Buffett is a smart guy and has ascended to near immortal [status] amongst the investment community due to his superior stock picking skills and boundless wealth. [That being said,] listening to his views on portfolio management and diversification could cripple your financial health and may make him one of the most dangerous men in finance. [Let me explain.] Words: 720

Most “home run” investments evolve over time. Rarely do they happen overnight. Investors have to put themselves in the right position to “get home” by getting off to a good start with the investment to begin with. This, along with a little luck, dramatically increases the chance of a big winner. Here are 7 recurring themes to such “home run” style investing. Words: 640

There are many indicators available that provide information on stock and index movement to help you time the market and make money. Market strength and volatility are two such categories of indicators and a description of six of them are described in this "cut and save" article. Read on!

Here’s my list of the most common errors investors make and some related maxims.

Yes, you can time the market! Assessing the relative levels of greed and fear in the market at any given point in time is an effective way of doing so and this article outlines the 6 most popular momentum indicators and explains how, why and where they should be used.

Which types of investment behavior are most associated with negative returns and to what degree? This article isolates 2 specific bad behaviors that hurt investor returns most and recommends how such shortcomings can easily be avoided.