Steadfast Finances

 Investing 101         3 comments

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One of things that still baffles me about the stock market is the vast sum of money that exchanges hands (electronically of course) at such a blistering pace.
In the blink of an eye, a few million dollar orders can be quietly executed in any given stock and no one …

 Index Funds, Investing 101, Strategic Planning         2 comments

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I knew the aughts decade, the bubble decade, the lost decade, or whatever you choose to call it was a bad time for stock market performance, but I really didn’t think it was this bad.

Image from Chart of the Day
Pretty depressing stuff when you consider that we started the decade …

 Investing 101, Real Estate         5 comments

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This post is a summary of a private discussion I’ve had with reader Josh regarding my post on spotting investment bubbles. He asks:
When could I reasonably expect my Atlanta condo to be worth what it was 4 years ago when I bought it?
I thought the discussion …

 Consumer Education, Investing 101         4 comments

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Rarely do I mention trading here at SF, but late last week, a story emerged that certain Wall Street firms have — allegedly — rigged the system so they could peek at the incoming buy orders before the order is actually placed.
So you’re telling me that someone may actually try …

 Index Funds, Investing 101         2 comments

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This weekend, I had a long conversation with someone who had — like many — never opened a brokerage account with an online discount broker.
Her trading needs were quite simple, and in the end, we decided the best thing for her to do is open an account with Vanguard and …

 Index Funds, Investing 101         2 comments

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Jack Bogle, Vanguard founder and index fund guru, made an interesting statement that caught my attention during a CNBC appearance this week.
American business is on sale.
When an 80 year old stock market veteran comes out and says the market is a selling at a good price, young investors like me …

 Administration         No comments

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Thanks to the feeling of Spring in the air combined with the time change, my day was really thrown off balance.  Just couldn’t seem to get in the groove all day with wanting to be outside, and the excitement around the Duke vs UNC basketball game.
UNC pulled out an almost certain win to become ACC …

 Banking, Credit Cards, Financial Crisis         No comments

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I’m a firm believer that the stock market will tell you the answer to nearly any financial related question if you know how to ask the question, and similarly, where to find the right answers.
So when someone posed the following question to me today, I did a little digging.
What happened …

 Dividend Investing, Financial Planning, Index Funds, Investing 101, Retirement         13 comments

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If you think the stock market doesn’t behave in consistent (possibly predictable) boom and bust economic cycles, this graphic might change your mind.
Going as far back as 1886, this chart indicates that bull markets and bear markets routinely plague our economy.  Aptly named Supercycles, they come and go in a somewhat predictable pattern.  …

 Index Funds, Investing 101, Investor Psychology         11 comments

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You would know a bursting bubble if you saw it?  Right?
Take a look at the following chart and tell me what you think.  Doesn’t it look a little suspicious?
Has a bubble formed, or even worse, has it just popped?  Take a good look and tell me what you think.

I know… you’re about …

 Buy on the Dips, Long-Term Stocks, Market Themes         3 comments

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As someone who spent most of their career working in the biotechnology industry, I occasionally forget that my salary was paid by some unfortunate soul who had a pretty nasty disease.  Diseases like cancer, extreme hemophilia, or multiple sclerosis were used in everyday conversation, so after a while, you just became …

 Faith Based Investing, Politics         No comments

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OK, so I’m lying my arse off.
But seeing that statement in a big, bold headline just makes you realize how dumb some people must be!
For those not in the know, Pat Robertson recently came out with his economic predictions for 2009 based on his annual conference call with the Almighty.  …