If you’re on the hunt for an investment advisor, you are not alone. According to a 2012 Merrill Edge Report, nearly 45% of U.S. consumers work with some kind of financial professional when making investment choices — and that number is growing. It shouldn’t surprise anyone who has been paying attention. The stock market’s highs… Continue reading →

We all rely on weather forecasts from time to time. It’s nice to know whether to toss an umbrella in the car or bring a jacket, just in case. But you know, deep down, that weather is to some degree about chance. The rain that’s clearly coming might fall five miles west of you, after… Continue reading →

Wall Street certainly has made a lot of money over the years running the country’s 401(k) plans. Inevitably, time passes. So now they want to make sure they can make as much or more running your personal retirement IRA. Trillions of dollars are at stake as people leave work and roll over money into IRA… Continue reading →

Better returns can’t be explained any more simply: If you worry about the pennies, the dollars take care of themselves. Often used to explain budgeting, the old adage applies very well to investing, too. That is, if you can keep your cost of retirement investing to a minimum, you will have more money in the… Continue reading →

From 1980 to 2006, the U.S. financial services sector grew from 4.9% to 8.3% of GDP. A substantial share of that increase represented increases in asset-management fees. Excluding index funds (which make market returns available even to small investors at close to zero expense), fees have risen substantially as a percentage of assets managed. In… Continue reading →

Most folks are savvy about prices, at least when it comes to inconsequential purchases, say, paper towels at the grocery store. Retirement investing advice? That’s more complicated. Consider paper towels. Brand A is your standby, you’ve used it for years and it gets the job done. But Brand B is new on the market and… Continue reading →

The interesting thing about pricing is that people almost always want to spend as little as possible — unless they think the product is special, different or rare. Then the sky’s the limit. The cost of investment advice is no different. Consider perfume. It’s one of those products that retailers simply can’t discount. Department stores… Continue reading →