I can’t predict the future, but 2018 was bad for the markets, and 2019 could be worse. If you’re a seasoned investor, you’ve seen this before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was in positive territory much of the year, but ended with a blowout. It lost about 3.6%, counting dividends, for 2018. If you’re new to …
Our Investment Plan: What We Do, What’s Changing, How We’ve Performed
August 20, 2018 By
A reader recently asked me to share my investment choices and portfolio breakdown. I’ll do this by sharing our investment policy statement (IPS). This includes our asset allocation, strategies to control investment fees and taxes, and plans for managing the portfolio. A well written IPS ties an investment plan together, marrying investments with a system …
My Investment Portfolio: 2018
January 2, 2018 By
The past year was one of the best of my investing career. And likely yours too. No complaints. But beware complacency. The Dow Jones Industrial Average returned around 28% including dividends for 2017. My very conservative and diversified retirement portfolio couldn’t match the Dow’s return. But it did well enough not only to keep our …
Raising Cash: My Retirement Withdrawal “System”
July 31, 2017 By
Our cash was running low. It had been a year and a half since I sold significant assets. Last month, when I added up our liquid reserves, they were down to about six months of living expenses. For many a young worker that would be a cushy emergency fund. But for me — an early …
My Investment Portfolio: 2017
January 30, 2017 By
Boring. Yes, it’s been another dull year for my investment portfolio. Other than an IRA contribution at tax time last year, I haven’t initiated a single investment transaction since my last portfolio post. We made it entirely through 2016 living off existing cash, dividends, and a bit of blog income. What kind of portfolio can …
My Investment Portfolio: 2016
January 11, 2016 By
It was another dull year for my investment portfolio. Until last week. In all of 2015, I made a single investing move. Then came the first week of 2016: Questions swirled around highly respected financial firms. I did some long-overdue portfolio pruning. And the Dow, adding drama, dropped more than 1,000 points. When the smoke …
Socially Responsible Investing: Worth the Price?
June 22, 2015 By
Most of us want to be “socially responsible” — however we define that. We don’t want to trash the planet for our children and grandchildren. We don’t think corporations should exploit their workers or their communities. And we don’t intend to profit from the misery of other human beings. Yet most of us also need …
My Investment Portfolio: 2015
January 12, 2015 By
What makes a successful investor? Is it getting double-digit returns? Beating a certain stock index? Outperforming the market for years, and making millions? Or is it just growing and protecting your wealth well enough to achieve your lifetime goals? If you came here looking for sophisticated investing strategies from a self-assured financial wizard, you’ll probably …
My Investment Portfolio: 2014
February 20, 2014 By
How do you actually manage your investment portfolio in a real-world retirement? Nearly every prospective or current retiree has this question. And there are lots of answers out there…. The article I wrote at the end of 2012 disclosing my actual investment portfolio has been in the Top 10 Popular Posts here for most of …
My Investment Portfolio: Full Disclosure
December 13, 2012 By
In writing about safe, simple investing, I often mention that I hold just 9 funds in 2 accounts. And often people ask me about those specific investments or accounts…. I’ve been reluctant to talk about this, for a variety of reasons. Originally I had some privacy concerns, though with a year of blogging behind me, …
My First Dip Into Principal: Market Timing or Cash Management?
September 26, 2012 By
This isn’t one of those full-disclosure "reality" blogs where I document every lurid detail of our financial life. I’m a pretty private person by nature and it’s been a long, drawn out process just for me to talk about our finances as much as I do. I got to this point because it became clear …
How My Investments Prospered in the Lost Decade
December 9, 2011 By
Some might wonder how I managed to retire in early 2011, after the terrible 2000’s, which many analysts have called the “lost decade.” (At the start of January 2000, the Dow index stood at 11,497. At the end of December 2010, it was less than 1% higher at 11,578. An atrocious return, even if dividends …
