Modestly improved investor education and extensive marketing have made investors today more conscious of the costs of their investment decisions, and helped promote the use of index-tracking mutual funds and exchange-traded funds as opportunities to reduce expenses and allow investors to keep more of their investment returns. While cost-consciousness is a clear positive for … [Read more...] about Index construction is the most important, least understood part of the indexing revolution
Archives for August 2018
Vanguard commission-free ETF trading is here
I wrote last month about Vanguard's announcement of commission-free ETF trading coming "in August." Well, it's August, and commission-free ETF trading is here! Which ETF's are commission-free to trade? You can find the full list of commission-free ETF's here, but as a rule of thumb, it is supposed to include essentially all non-inverse and non-leveraged ETF's. Potential uses … [Read more...] about Vanguard commission-free ETF trading is here
The stock buyback “controversy” is everything wrong with the finance sector in a nutshell
In the wake of the Republican smash-and-grab tax heist of 2017, many American corporations have had to decide what to do with their freshly repatriated profits and newly distended profit margins, so news junkies have been treated to an extended conversation about investment, payroll, and capital structure. This conversation has been complicated by the insistence of one … [Read more...] about The stock buyback “controversy” is everything wrong with the finance sector in a nutshell
So-called “personal finance education” is a distraction
About a year or so ago I noticed a cliche spreading among a certain set of prominent investors and money managers: that a key obstacle to success among young people today is a lack of personal finance erudition. Today's entry in the genre came from Ben Carlson at Ritholtz Wealth Management, who wrote: "I wish high schools and colleges would teach personal finance. They could … [Read more...] about So-called “personal finance education” is a distraction
Marco Rubio wants to end retirement security for you and everyone you know and love
It's often pointed out that Americans are the only people in the developed world who don't have access to guaranteed paid leave from their jobs to care for themselves and their families. But that's not exactly right: while we don't have a nationwide paid family leave program, lots of people in America do have access to paid family leave. According to the National … [Read more...] about Marco Rubio wants to end retirement security for you and everyone you know and love