Car warranty scams have become a popular way of bilking car owners. I’ve gotten a couple of these, and they really make me angry. Let’s talk about what they are and why they are dangerous. My Car Aside from my home, my car is my most expensive purchase. Many of us take out loans and […]
Car Warranty Scam – Watch Out! Read More »
OK. that’s a horrible title, but I felt horrible after reading this article today on CNBC. Here’s a snippet: Just 4% of today’s retirees said they are “living the dream,” according to a new survey from asset management company Schroders. And just as many — 4% — said they are “living the nightmare.” Most of the respondents
Retirement Stinks, but it doesn’t have to Read More »
In today’s post we’ll talk about what a password manager is and why you need one. I have referred to the need for a password manager in several other posts so I felt like it was time to do a deep dive into what they are, and what they do so that we can make
You Really Need a Password Manager Read More »
Today is turning out to be a rough day for Starbucks. And that after a pretty uninspired last few years. Time to worry? Let’s take a look. I love Starbucks (as an investment) If you’ve read my posts on building an investing thesis here, or dividend stocks here, you’re familiar with Starbucks. It is one
Rough Day for Starbucks – Evaluating an Investment After a Dip Read More »
Who has my personal data? It turns out everyone. Read on to see why this is not cool, and steps you can take to protect yourself. This morning, I was reading the Daily Upside, and the first story was: Good morning. The phone companies were sharing our data?! Get outta town. On Monday, the Federal
Who Has My Personal Data? Read More »
Should I buy an Annuity? Good question. Annuities are complex financial products. In this post, we’ll try and explain what an annuity is, some of the variations, and why an investor may want to consider one. Insurance An annuity is an insurance product. Much of what we talk about on finance-abcs.com is related to investments
Should I Buy An Annuity? Read More »
As investors, we put our capital to work by buying securities in the expectation that they will increase in value over long periods of time. In order to assess our progress, and the wisdom of our choices, we need to measure our performance. This is easier than you may think. Read on for some suggestions
Measuring Security Performance Read More »
Reflecting on some of my investments, it has occurred to me that investing success is as much about avoiding disaster as it is about picking winners. Let’s look at some examples. My Biggest Loser I have 6 companies in which I’ve invested that have dropped in value over 80%. Ouch!! Think about that. Let’s say
Investing Success – Avoid Disaster Read More »
Odd title for an article, but important for us as investors. We all make buy and sell decisions. Hopefully we do this infrequently and with a strong thesis, but we make decisions. We want to feel confident that we are making good decisions. After all, this is our hard-earned money at stake. I mentioned in
Being Right Takes Time Read More »
Earlier this week, I posted some info on social security planning. This is a follow-up to answer a reader’s question about the impacts of delaying social security benefits until 67, and drawing down his 401k instead to cover living expenses. See original post with comments here. An Important Note About Projections The projections here are
Social Security – Now or Wait? A Follow-Up Read More »