Money Talks
With These Five Moves, You Can Step Back from the Stock Market’s Pain – And Get Ready for the Wealth Window to Come
May 06, 2022Just one day after the U.S. Federal Reserve ignited a stock-market rally worth $1 trillion, blue chips and tech stocks on Thursday experienced their worst single-day free falls since 2020. The tech-focused Nasdaq Composite dropped 4.99% to hit its lowest close since November 2020. And bitcoin dropped to its lowest level in more than two months. Those are numbers –…
Read Full Article3 Simple Ways to Prepare for Stagflation
Apr 29, 2022Last week, I shared some somber news with you… It’s looking more and more likely that we’re headed for stagflation – an economic environment where we see high inflation and a weak economy at the same time. This is a relatively rare situation. We haven’t seen anything like it in the U.S. in nearly 50 years. But the warning signs…
Read Full ArticleInflationary Risk Smoke Signals: What Could Be Ahead
Apr 22, 2022Regular Money Talks readers know I believe inflation will likely remain elevated for the foreseeable future. However, the relationship between inflation and the economy isn’t necessarily as clear-cut as many folks assume. According to the conventional wisdom, periods of high inflation tend to result in a booming or overheated economy and a strong job market (or vice versa). On the…
Read Full ArticleAre These Risky Stocks Lurking in Your Portfolio?
Apr 08, 2022Regular Money Talks readers know I’m relatively conservative when it comes to investing. In fact, my two favorite strategies are as simple as they are safe: I love to own shares of the highest-quality companies – what I call “forever stocks” – for the long term. And I love to sell shorter-term options on those same kinds of stocks for…
Read Full ArticleSimple Strategies to Keep Inflation Out of Your Wallet
Apr 01, 2022A new Quinnipiac University poll this week showed that 30% of Americans believe inflation is the most urgent issue in our country today. No other issue garnered even half as much concern. It’s not hard to understand why. Consumer prices have been soaring at the fastest pace in decades. And essentials like food, home-heating fuels, and gasoline have been leading…
Read Full ArticleDon’t Let Inflation Derail Your Investment Goals
Mar 25, 2022There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about stocks and the economy right now. But if you’re like most folks, inflation is probably near the top of your list. And for good reason. The U.S. government’s official data shows consumer prices surged at a 7.9% annual rate in February. To put that into context, Americans haven’t seen the purchasing…
Read Full ArticleA Powerful Strategy for Today’s Uncertain Markets
Mar 18, 2022I probably don’t have to tell you that the outlook for the markets is incredibly uncertain today. But that’s especially true for folks who are nearing or already in retirement. Traditional fixed-income investments like bonds no longer offer a reasonable risk-to-reward proposition. Bank accounts and CDs pay nothing. And even safe, dividend-paying stocks generally don’t provide enough income for most…
Read Full ArticleA ‘Secret’ to Making Money in Bull and Bear Markets Alike
Mar 11, 2022Over the past couple weeks, I’ve shared some of the most important ideas that have shaped how I invest my own money. The first has to do with the benefits of using a more “tactical” approach to investing. Whether that’s using simple trailing stops or our more comprehensive TradeSmith entry and exit signals, our research suggests most folks do much…
Read Full ArticleThis Is the ‘Secret’ to Buy-and-Hold Success
Mar 04, 2022Last week, I explained why I think “buy-and-hold” investing is a poor strategy for most investors most of the time. In short, it requires strict emotional discipline to follow successfully over the long term. And it can expose you to significant market- and stock-specific risks. However, I also told you there is one specific situation where I think a buy-and-hold…
Read Full ArticleThree Reasons I’ll Never Be a ‘Buy-and-Hold’ Investor
Feb 25, 2022If you’ve been a Money Talks reader for long, you know I don’t always agree with the conventional wisdom on investing and finance. For example, I think the way most people use and think about debt is foolish. And I think 99% of mutual funds are expensive garbage. But if I had to pick just one piece of traditional advice…
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