Jay Vivian, former managing director of the IBM Retirement Funds, cautions retirement investors when it comes to investment advice. Continue reading →

Do you know someone who has been hit by lightning? Do you know anyone who knows anyone who has been hit by lightning? Exceedingly unlikely, right? But it turns out to be roughly the same chance as knowing someone — anyone — whose mutual fund consistently stays ahead of the pack. Put another way, your… Continue reading →

You want the best for your kids: The best education, the best experiences, great friends and a safe, secure upbringing. It’s why we work hard and make choices along the way, postponing spending on ourselves in favor of them. Often, that means putting aside money for their college fund. But putting a lot of money… Continue reading →

Jay Vivian, former managing director of the IBM Retirement Funds, on using index funds to lower retirement investment costs. Continue reading →

A great retirement portfolio owns precise measures of specific investment types, depending on your age and personal tolerance for the ups and downs of the market. But what if the mutual funds you buy don’t hold the investments you think they do? Known as “style drift” in the finance world, the more accurate word for it… Continue reading →

Professor Burton Malkiel of the Rebalance Investment Committee explains how to buy low, sell high and earn an extra 1.5% in return. Continue reading →

Much like elite sports and other high-reward pastimes, professional investing is incredibly hard work. People train for years, take tests to earn licenses and then subject themselves to long days and nights just to make it to Wall Street. Among the thousands who do, at least a few succeed — some wildly so. The out-sized… Continue reading →

Professor Burton Malkiel of the Rebalance Investment Committee explains how mutual funds use selective data to market their services. Continue reading →

Jim Cramer, the “Mad Money” cable TV host known for using his perch to preach stock-picking to the masses, has a simple message for retirement investors: Don’t buy stock-picking mutual funds. Yes, he still believes that picking stocks is time well-spent for some, but in a recent episode of his hugely popular show Cramer launched… Continue reading →