Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 3:54AM So why aren't we getting the truth about the economy? Pessimistic consumers buy less. And fewer sales spells economic trouble ahead. Consumers are 70 percent of the American economy, and consumer confidence is plummeting. It's weaker today on average than at the lowest point of the Great Recession.
Monday, April 4, 2011 at 3:22AM Mergers-and-acquisitions lawyer Susan Pravda, discusses the realization that her portfolio is suffering from benign neglect. "I had a money market fund here, a stock brokerage account there, and a bunch of 401(k) plans floating around," she recalls. Her investment results were solid, if not spectacular. But Pravda wondered whether she might have fared better if she had followed her own advice to clients and hired a pro to help her devise a custom portfolio.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 5:05AM An impact study just released discussing how mutual fund expenses effect fund performance. It turns out that lower-expense funds outperform higher-expense funds--and expenses are a better predictor of future returns.