U.S. Treasury bonds (and bills and notes) are often thought of as risk-free investments. This is true in a sense; the U.S. Treasury has always fully paid back its debts in dollar-denominated nominal terms. However, what many investors miss is the fact that the purchasing power of those bonds is not guaranteed. They can lose real purchasing power … [Read more...]

The investment platform that I recommend to most people is M1 Finance, and this article describes in detail why I think it's so good. In short, it's commission-free and has a very powerful interface for managing position sizes, seamlessly blending ETFs and individual stocks, re-balancing for tactical asset allocation, and building custom … [Read more...]

There are all sorts of ratios and metrics that investors can use to determine whether a stock is undervalued relative to the investment returns it is expected to produce. The most commonly-used one by far is the price-to-earnings ratio, often referred to as the P/E ratio. This article takes a look at the popular P/E ratio, how it's … [Read more...]

The most common concern readers express to me in my inbox is that they want to figure out how to prepare for the possibility of a stock market crash or prolonged bear market. It's a reasonable concern, given how the United States has enjoyed 9 continuous years of economic expansion, we have significant government deficits, and the stock market … [Read more...]

Emerging markets offer investors some of the best long-term growth opportunities, but the risk and volatility can be high. The risks can be reduced, however, with proper analysis. And the volatility can present amazing entry points for disciplined investors. This guide provides an overview of how to analyze and invest in emerging markets, … [Read more...]