Steadfast Finances

 Credit Cards, ETFs, Index Funds         5 comments

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Charles Schwab wants to get into the index fund and ETF business. Badly!
In doing so, Schwab has created a series of funds to undercut the industry leader — Vanguard — by offering the lowest expense ratio ETFs and index funds on the market. With an expense ratio as low as …

 ETFs, Index Funds, Investing 101, Risk Management         12 comments

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Earlier this week, everyone’s favorite emerging market — Brazil — gave a classic example of why it can be dangerous to invest in emerging markets. Out of the blue, the Brazilian government implemented a 2% tax on any incoming foreign investment to reduce the possibility of a speculative stock …

 Index Funds, Investing 101, Mutual Funds         6 comments

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The debate over choosing actively managed mutual funds versus passively managed funds (via index funds) is nothing new, and in all likelihood, will keep on going for hundreds of years.
While some will say it is entirely possible to outperform the market, index fund proponents will argue that it’s impossible to …

 Global Economy, Index Funds         No comments

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Some sage words of advice from Vanguard’s chief economist, Joe Davis, and Jonathan Lemco, global markets analyst.

Key points:

The world economy is still in recession, but the rate of deceleration is starting to slow. (Clever way of saying the worst is over, but we’re still falling).
Much of the world has seen …

 Dividend Investing, ETFs, Index Funds, Investing 101         1 comment

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Have you noticed that everyone seems more interested in the esoteric, out of the ordinary types of investments these days?
I have.
Some people might want to buy gold because they’re caught up in the fear trade, or others might want to buy raw commodities like oil or natural gas because they’re …

 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 …

 Index Funds, Investing 101, Mutual Funds         2 comments

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Vanguard, for those who did not know, has a few actively managed mutual funds, tax advantaged funds, and even a few sector specific funds.  All have varying fees/expense ratios, a few of them have very high investment minimums ($250,000 plus), and yes, even a few are closed off to new …

 Index Funds, Investing 101         12 comments

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Cramer being Cramer, he might have let his emotions go a little too far this time after the efficacy of his show — Mad Money — was questioned today by a Vanguard index fund proponent.
It’s somewhat understandable considering he’s been under attack recently (Jon Stewart, Barron’s, etc), but this might …

 Index Funds, Investing 101         2 comments

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Vanguard, one of the leading firms in the investment management business, has finally ventured into the blogosphere.
Vanguard is very well known for their pioneering work in passive investing among the personal finance and investing community for their low cost index funds.  However, if you mention their name to someone who …

 401k, CDs, Retirement, Roth IRA         No comments

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If the thought of buying more low priced index funds or actively managed mutual funds leaves a bitter taste in your mouth after the stock market crash of 2008, did you know that Vanguard allows you to buy Certificates of Deposits (CDs) in your Vanguard IRA?
Most people I know are …

 Financial Crisis, Index Funds, Investing 101, Mutual Funds         4 comments

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With smoke from the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy still lingering, most everyday investors like you and I are in a state of hypersensitivity regarding their investments and retirement accounts.
Rightly so, because anyone who held an index fund, or any other investment for that matter, probably took a nasty hit after yesterdays …