Key Takeaways Read through proxy voting guidelines Look at the board of director’s tenure Compare CEO pay to company performance Are you an investor who’s always wished you could have more say in the way a company is run? Do you have specific governance ideals—such as environmental standards—that you’d like companies to embrace? Vote your […]

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Key Takeaways New regulations kick in June 30, 2020  The new rules apply a “best interest” standard for broker recommendations The new Form CRS aims to help retail clients make informed decisions regarding brokers and advisors Is your broker acting in your best interest? A new set of rules that aim to increase your confidence […]

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Key Takeaways Withdrawing guidance may have lost its stigma amid the coronavirus pandemic Fundamental due diligence can help you fill the guidance gap When it comes to company earnings guidance, no news used to be bad news. Back in the B.C. (before coronavirus) days, a company suspending or withdrawing guidance often got punished by the […]

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Key Takeaways A stock split changes the number of outstanding shares, and the price per share adjusts itself accordingly Though the underlying fundamentals of the company don’t change, there are data points showing post-split outperformance Though a stock split isn’t reason alone to invest, some active traders look for pre-and post-split price patterns  A guy […]

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Key Takeaways Several studies suggest there may be more car and RV travel in summer 2020 and less air travel Travel activities that lend themselves to social distancing look to be popular in 2020 Summer means vacation, but with the novel coronavirus still circulating, travel is taking on a different look and feel. International trips […]

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Key Takeaways Some investors want to make investment choices on their own to have more control  Self-directed investors have access to real-time financial information that can help them make decisions Professional money managers can provide a sounding board for investment decisions When it comes to developing a portfolio, every investor has a different approach. Some […]

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To index, or not to index—that is the question. But what investors are really asking is whether the extra cost of actively managed funds—the opposite of passive indexing—is worth it. There’s no denying that mutual fund managers took it on the chin again in 2014, as about 80% of actively managed U.S. equity funds failed […]

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Hedge funds have been called mutual funds on steroids. Like mutual funds, they can offer a yin to the yang of wild stock market swings, only bigger and better—that is, if it all works out. If it doesn’t, the fall can be epic. Hedge funds are actively managed investment plans closed to all but “accredited” […]

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The explosion of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and automated, or “robo,” strategies using ETFs has cranked up the volume in the debate that pits passive investing against active investing. But this dispute is already more than 30 years old, originally pushed into the investing vernacular with Burton Malkiel’s seminal book A Random Walk Down Wall Street. […]

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Investors often hear they should spend more time on strategy and forge a relationship with a financial adviser who can provide input, albeit at a cost. There’s nothing wrong with that, but between jobs, raising a family, and other responsibilities, not everyone has the time and resources to go full throttle. Those investors might consider […]

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