Investment Articles

Many articles listed below have appeared in the "AAII Journal," an excellent and inexpensive source of information on investing and investor education.

  • Nine Timeless Rules for Investing in Mutual Funds [and ETFs]
    It is surprising how seductive any article can be that proposes some arbitrary number of rules for doing something you are even remotely interested in. So please excuse my use of this artifice because if you invest in mutual funds or exchange-traded funds, or are contemplating investing in them—I desperately want you to pore over these rules.
  • How to Create Your Own Pension: A Closer Look at Immediate Annuities
    Some retirees who face the danger of outliving their money ("longevity risk") choose to self-insure through conservative investment and cash flow management.
  • The Individual Investor's Guide to Exchange-Traded Funds: 2009
    The dramatic growth in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has come to an abrupt halt, although the fund industry did experience some growth over the last year.
  • AAII's Best of the Net
    The Web has become one of the top resources for individual investors, with sites that contain timely and useful financial and investment data, research and other information, often at little or no charge. From stock and market statistics to financial and retirement planning calculators, there is something of value to every individual investor.
  • Surviving a Loss: Smart Steps for Coping With Widowhood
    Hundreds of thousands of women are widowed in the United States each year. If you have recently lost your spouse, you may be confronting many changes in your daily life and need financial support and advice.
  • What You Should Learn From the Financial Crisis
    By March 2009, most U.S. and international stock indexes had lost at least half of their value in the current financial crisis.
  • A Look at Target Date Mutual Funds
    There is an appealing simplicity in the concept of target date funds that has a strong attraction for investors: Just pick a year, and lean back-your portfolio management is now on autopilot, with coordinated diversification among the major asset classes that is rebalanced periodically toward your estimated time of arrival, your target date.
  • Due Diligence: Avoiding Ponzi Schemes and Financial Fraud
    Bernie Madoff is now behind bars. But the uncovering of his enormous and long-running Ponzi scheme, and the fraud committed by several other financial hucksters, highlight the importance of asking the right questions and doing your own due diligence before selecting an advisor or participating in an investment...
  • Retirement Income: Repairing the Damage to Assure the Flow
    Having suffered severe losses in their retirement nest eggs last year, many retirees living off of their savings are
    reviewing their investment and spending plans, searching for new plans of action to ensure their savings can sustain them throughout their lifetime...
  • Where Credit Is Due: A Look at the Ratings
    There are many factors that individuals must consider when making investments in fixed-income securities. Current bond yields, current bond prices, and current as well as future interest rates all may have a big impact on the return of a fixed-income investment...
  • Investment Articles Archive