Retirement Watch Weekly
Best Places to Retire
Most people, something like 80%, retire in or very close to the homes they lived in before retirement. Despite that, many media outlets and organizations like to publish lists of the best and worth places to retire. This post from Forbes highlights a survey from moneyrates.com. There are a lot of reasons to criticize the […]
Investing in High Yield Bonds
Many investors incorrectly consider high-yield bonds to be like other bonds, especially treasury bonds. But seasoned investors know that high-yield bonds are more closely tied to stocks and the factors that move them. Their high yields give the bonds a bit of an advantage over stocks, generating higher total returns over most periods and often […]
James Buchanan, R.I.P.
Some economists become at least somewhat famous outside the profession. James Buchanan wasn’t really one of those economists, despite winning the Nobel Memorial Prize in 1986. But his contributions to economics were significant, and his public choice theory of economics not only changed the way many economists think about government, politicians, and regulation, but his […]
Turning Investment on its Head by Robert Haugen
You have to take more risk to achieve a higher return. That’s one of the great investment myths, and it’s widely believed. We recently lost the man who almost singlehandedly fought to expose this as a myth through research. Robert Haugen passed away at age 70. Here’s a fine tribute that discusses his best contributions. […]
Exploding Retirement Myths
That’s what we do at Retirement Watch. There are many myths about retirement that continue to permeate discussions and lead people down the wrong paths. Here are a couple of articles discussing some retirement myths. They won’t be much news to readers of Retirement Watch or my books (though I don’t receive any credit in […]
The Folly of Stock Market Forecasts and Predictions
One of the themes of my book Invest Like a Fox…Not Like a Hedgehog is that people often misuse or misunderstand statistics. This is particularly true in investing, but it’s also true in other areas. Nate Silver made a big name for himself in 2012 by bolding predicting a big victory for President Obama. Previously, […]
Comparing Bonds to Annuities
Can you build a bond portfolio that does a better job providing secure retirement income than an immediate annuity? Economists and many financial advisors believe some portion of a retiree’s portfolio should be placed in immediate annuities. These are the annuities that pay a regular income for life or the joint life of the owner […]
January 2013
January 25, 2013 04:40 p.m. Your Retirement Finance Week in Review There were a few conflicts in the headlines that kept investors from moving strongly in either direction. The positive news was a decision by House Republicans to extend the debt ceiling for three months with no conditions other than a requirement that the Senate […]
