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Don’t be an ostrich – confront your risks!

An important element of financial planning is protecting the things you can’t afford to lose: your in­come, for instance, or your house or car. The proper approach is one of managing risks – not necessarily buying insurance, but doing a thorough and thoughtful assessment of the risks you face, then deciding to take one or […]

How much, what kind of life insurance should you have?

Most people with dependents understand the importance of life insurance in their financial plans. Few, however, are methodical or objective in determining the right amount or the right type of life insurance to buy. Life insurance can provide a much-needed safety net for people who haven’t accumulated lots of assets and whose families depend on […]

DFA funds offer low-cost, passive investment option

Most people have never heard of Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) and their mutual funds. One reason is that DFA funds are not available to the general public. Ra­ther, they’re available only to clients of a select group of independent fi­nancial advisors – including Mentor Capital Management – and to certain institutions. Advisors are given access […]

Investing in real estate — the REIT advantage

Real estate offers an attractive supplement to traditional stock, bond and mutual fund investments. It’s tangible and usually more stable than stock and bond prices and often has a low correlation with them. You can invest directly in real estate via your personal residence or by buying rental property. Both offer the opportunity for capital […]

Mutual fund expenses explained

Q: I want to put some money into a mutual fund but after looking at the company’s web site I’m confused by all of the fees. Can you explain them in laymen’s terms? A: Mutual Fund companies certainly don’t go out of their way to clarify their expenses. Except for a few companies known for their low […]

Funds, funds, funds

Confused by different types of funds? Here’s a review of what’s what Mutual Funds With over 8,000 funds available, these investment pools are what we usually think of. Strictly speaking they are open-end mutual funds as opposed toclosed-end funds (see below) because the number of outstanding shares is not fixed. Every time an investor wants to invest money […]

Asset Allocation: More than just diversification

Are your investments properly diversified? How do you know? Diversifica­tion simply means that you don’t have all of your eggs in one basket. The more different types of investments you have the more diversified you are. Asset allocation is a scientific approach to diversification. First, we must carefully define the investment categories. The first breakdown […]

Steer clear of making investments based on emotions

Here’s a hot investment tip: Don’t try to time the markets, because it doesn’t work. No one knows when a market has hit bottom or when it has topped out. Anyone who promises to show you on a consistent basis how to buy low and sell high is peddling snake oil. In fact most people […]

Mutual fund fees and expenses

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission wrote a helpful guide to mutual fund expenses and fees.

Variable Annuities: What you should know

Read through some tips on veriable annuities written by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.