I'm relatively young so I'm taking a long-term view of my investment strategies. Because of this, I am trying to minimize my fees and taxes as I invest in very diversified index and mutual funds. I'm basically betting that the overall markets will rise over the next few decades. I try not to watch investment advice programs on cable television, but I found myself on a treadmill at the gym watching MSNBC's Millionaires program. There were four millionaires giving advice about what we should inve… Continue

I overheard someone yesterday talking about how they didn't invest in their 401(k) account because they thought they could get a better return on their own by buying individual stocks. I wanted to chime in, but figured it would be rude so I need to vent my comments here. Most companies match your 401(k) investment contributions up to a certain percentage of your income. This is basically free money! You can't find a better investment than getting free money. Your money doubles as soon as you m… Continue

Do you have automatic deposits set-up? It really is one of the best ways to achieve your savings and investment goals. I used to have a hard time saving money every month because there were so many bills to pay and so many things I wanted to do with my money. Now that I use automatic withdrawals, my investments are made before I even see the money. I still pay my bills and spend the money in my checking account, but the process of reaching my investment goals has been automated with no need f… Continue

Tom Friedman of the New York Times says green is the new red, white, and blue. He says a green revolution is blooming around the world that will solve our environmental, economic, and terrorism problems all at once. We certainly would solve a lot of our problems if we found a clean energy solution that didn't require carbon emitting fossil fuels from foreign countries. 70% of our oil use is for automobiles. I would like to invest in and purchase a clean fuel automobile as one of the most patri… Continue

I want to retire early. I don't mean a few years ahead of time, I mean right now. My main problem is that everything I'm interested in is not profitable. It is not profitable to spend time with and teach my children. It is not profitable to be a concerned citizen working to make the world a better place. It is not profitable to take care of my body instead of sitting in front of a computer all day. I'm sick of only being able to do things that are profitable. My goal now is to retire as so… Continue

Are you a speculator or an investor? This is an important question to ask oursleves as we experience the current market swings. If we are investors, we are trying to make a profit over a long period of time. If we are speculating, we are trying to make money in a short period of time with high risk endeavors. Most of the investors I know have been taking the current market losses in stride. They understand that the market is still positive for the year. They know that the market has been very… Continue

I was listening to a radio program last night and heard some statistics about how many Americans are in debt. The numbers were staggering. I'm not sure what the main reason is for this large amount of debt being held by Americans. My first thought is that Americans are working harder compared to thirty years ago, but we are bringing home less money after you adjust for inflation. In the distant past, one person could work while the wife stayed home and this could lead to a nice middle class li… Continue

I've always liked the idea of socially responsible investing (SRI). I want to make money through investments, but I don't want to make money by being a part of negative actions such as dumping toxic waste, cutting down lumber in unsustainable ways, selling poorly tested pharmaceuticals, etc... I want to make money while also knowing that my money is having a positive impact on our society. It is the way I do business and it is the way I want to manage my investments. A lot of times, we have n… Continue

Our economy is based on consumption. Companies have been making money for generations by convincing customers that they should consume their products. We also consume energy and carbon emitting fossil fuels while producing and consuming products. This can't go on forever in unsustainable ways. We can continue to consume products, but some of these products will no longer be available. Oil is a perfect example. Oil companies make money by taking oil from the ground, refining it, and then sellin… Continue

The most important investment lesson I have ever learned is to reduce consumption today in order to achieve financial independence in the future. The best thing you can do is to invest in pre-tax investment vehicles in order to reduce your realized taxable income. If you decide to buy a big boat or house, you not only will need to spend the money on the monthly payments, but you will have to pay taxes on the money before you spend it. It is a double whammy working against your wealth creation.… Continue