Bob's Journal
Found 587 Articles.
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Bob’s Journal for 7/13/23
4 Reasons Index Funds Beat Most Actively-Managed Stock Funds A minority of actively managed stock mutual funds beat the indexes or index funds. That’s well-known. Most people say the difference is due to the higher fees and expenses of actively managed funds. Higher costs are a factor, of course, but it’s not the only reason […]
Bob’s Journal for July 6, 2023
Without AI, Stock Indexes are Down 2% This Year The S&P 500 Index is up 16.79% so far in 2023, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 is up 39.14%. But those gains are because of a remarkably few stocks, and those stocks are closely connected to artificial intelligence (AI). The rest of the market isn’t doing […]
Bob’s Journal for 6/29/23
Five Overlooked, Underestimated Expenses That Can Derail Retirement Many people’s greatest retirement fear is running out of money, and they develop plans designed to make that unlikely. But those plans often overlook expenses that frequently are underestimated and can drain a nest egg over time. Most people are aware of the potential for significant medical […]
Bob’s Journal for 6/22
The Rise in Noneconomic Spending and What It Means to You We’re in an age when noneconomic spending by businesses and governments is increasing, and that will have significant economic consequences. For many years, businesses spent and invested primarily to reduce costs or increase productivity. Results of that were a productivity boom, rising profits and […]
Bob’s Journal for 6/15/23
Don’t Overlook This Key Factor When Considering Retirement Relocation A long-neglected factor to consider when choosing a residence is becoming more and more important to those who relocate in retirement. Because too many people don’t consider that factor, it’s causing a lot of financial pain. The overlooked factor is homeowner’s insurance, something that most people […]
Bob’s Journal for 6/8/23
The Stock Indexes Are Misleading Investors The S&P 500 is up 12.11% so far in 2023, but many investors didn’t earn those returns because only a few stocks contributed to the index’s gains. In the month of May, the S&P 500 had a 0.25% return. But the 10 largest stocks in the index had a […]
Bob’s Journal for 6/1/23
Mutual Funds Still Lead the Pack Exchange-traded funds have grown rapidly since their inception, and they generate a lot more headlines than traditional open-end mutual funds, but mutual funds still dominate the market. At the end of 2022, U.S.-based open-end mutual funds held $22.1 trillion dollars. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) held $6.5 trillion, according to the […]
Bob’s Journal for 5/25/23
Bankruptcies Are Accumulating A few bankruptcies of big-name firms drew media attention in recent weeks. But the big names are only part of the growing number of bankruptcies. Indeed, bankruptcies were expected to increase after the Federal Reserve’s rapid tightening of the money supply began about a year ago. Once money becomes tight and interest […]
