Selling There’s a time to hold ‘em and a time to fold ‘em. This is a revised version of a post originally published November 17, 2019. See >>>Revision below. >>>Revision: Selling is actually more difficult than buying. When we buy, we do our research and think long and hard. When we sell, the decision can be loaded with worries; regrets; regret avoidance; fear; selling because we made a mistake buying; selling because the stock has […]

(Originally shaped over two decades of investing) This year, I’ll be revisiting how some of my thinking has changed over time—including how I approach money and investing. This is the start of a series that explores not just what I invest in, but how I think about risk, reward, volatility, and building wealth with a solid foundation. The Beginning: An All-Stocks Portfolio I started investing in stocks in 2004. At the time, it felt natural. […]

December came with the loss of Chris’s grandfather—so, off to Phoenix for us plus a trip to Mexico, Christmas festivities, and $28K in dividends. Continue reading Big Dividends, Family Loss, and Mexico (Dec. 2025 Update) at TicTocLife.

Today’s article was originally going to be an economic review of Trump’s first year. In light of what’s going on in Minneapolis, it doesn’t feel right to analyze his handling of the economy. It feels like I’d be trying to shift the conversation away from immigration. The safety of people tops the economy. Fortunately, an old college friend called, and she inspired this pivot. I hadn’t talked to her in several months. We talked about […]

Whether it’s tax time or not, taxes are often on the minds of Canadians. When it comes to our investments, this is also true. And while some accounts offer tax-free returns (TFSA), not all investment returns are taxed the same. Understanding how your investments are taxed can help you keep more of your hard-earned money in your pocket. In Canada, there are 2 main account types Canadians can invest in: registered accounts (such as the […]

Start Building Wealth Now With the Best Investment Advice for Millennial Women Millennial women, we have a lot going on right now. We’re fighting for equal pay while simultaneously facing difficult employment prospects, crippling student loan debt, and inflation that makes it tricky to afford having a family and homeownership simultaneously. None of that is a reason to let our investments fall by the wayside, however. If anything, millennial women need to have even more resiliency and financial know-how than former generations. Since many of us graduated college or were in the early stages of our careers during the Great Recession, we are facing challenges the women of prior generations did not. Contents Toggle Start Building Wealth Now With the Best Investment Advice for Millennial WomenTip 1: Educate Yourself (It’s Easier than You Think!)Tip 2: Retirement Planning Strategies for Women in Their 30sTip 3: Diversify Your Investments to Balance RiskTip 4: Think Long-TermTip 5: Don’t Let Fear Stop YouFAQRecap: The Best Investment Advice for Millennial WomenRelated This article may contain affiliate links which means that – at zero cost to you – I might earn a commission if you sign up or buy through the affiliate link. If you’re not sure where to start, don’t panic. We’ve compiled the best investment advice for millennial women right here so you can be sure your money is working just as hard as you are. Read on for 5 tips to become an investor. Tip 1: Educate Yourself (It’s Easier than You Think!) If you’re worried that learning how to invest is going to be complicated, you’re in good company. Lack of knowledge, perceived or actual, is one of the biggest factors keeping millennial women from investing. This puts them at a distinct disadvantage when compared to their male counterparts. Many women do save money, of course, but they tend to keep their money in liquid or semi-liquid accounts such as money markets and CDs. These accounts have such little growth potential that Time Money estimates women on average have one million dollars less than men do upon retirement. Shocking, right? To counteract this gap, I give you the best investment advice for millennial women (or anyone, really): educate yourself. Quick read to get you started wealth building and investing – How to Get Rich; Without Winning the Lottery A word of caution, though. Don’t let the quest for knowledge keep you from actually investing. An afternoon of thoughtful Googling (or staying right here and perusing our blog!) can give you enough information to help you start investing today. You can start educating yourself right now without even leaving this site. Get more of the best investment advice for millennial women here! [embed]https://youtube.com/watch?v=gOv7SVNaHyM&si=_UVObWaqAWOj8WvF[/embed] Tip 2: Retirement Planning Strategies for Women in Their 30s The millennial age range is wide, but no matter where you fall you should be thinking about retirement now. Social Security is in desperate straits and gone are the days when the employer pension would cover all of

Investment process Superb businesses and Mr. Market Sometimes it’s useful to go back to basics. When I started investing just over 50 years ago, I read that over the long-haul stocks outperform bonds. Over the years, with all the ups and downs of the stock market, I’ve never had any reason to doubt that. My default asset allocation is 100% stocks. The last time I held bonds was from 1998 to 2002 when I went […]

Don’t miss an episode of our podcast, Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors. Tune in on: Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Now, here’s today’s article: I saw someone post this image on LinkedIn this week. Their commentary on the image is: You want to risk-manage your hard-earned assets.Here are some rough estimates on the return you would need (in right) to break even again (regain) after taking a loss (on left). Returning to break-even isn’t a 1-for-1 process.Risk management is key. You might have seen something similar before. I know I have. Lots of investment people out there talk about how small percentage declines require big percentage gains to get back to even. The arithmetic itself is 100% correct. But I ask, “So what? What’s the takeaway?” Their takeaway concerns volatility and risk management. They’re claiming that losses are “extra” harmful because they require larger subsequent gains to get back to even. As this particular investor wrote: “Returning to break-even isn’t a 1-for-1 process.” In other words, “Be extra fearful of losses, because they count ‘more’ than gains.” This is flawed logic. We need to stop this line of reasoning. It doesn’t make sense. Forgot My Keys… Imagine I’m walking to the office. It’s about a mile each way. I get within sight of my office building and reach for my keys…oh sh**, I left my keys at home. I call home, ask my wife to grab them for me, and she meets me part-way. But still…I need to walk 75% of the way back home to meet her. My progress dropped (-75%). I grab the keys from her (~~thank you!!~~) and turn around toward work. How do I get back to where I was before? I would now need more than +300% progress to get back to the office. WOW! 300%! That’s a lot! You might think that my walk back to the office would be ~4x harder than the walk home. After all, 300% is 4x as much as 75%. It might not appear to be a “1-for-1 process.” But we all know how to walk down a sidewalk. We can picture going back and forth three-quarters of a mile. It’s the same distance each way! It is a 1-for-1 process, no matter what the percentages say. When a stock (or the stock market as a whole) has to “go back home” down its own economic pathway, it can just as easily go back up. There is nothing “harder” or “easier” about one direction over the other. The Stocks Don’t Know Stocks don’t know their own price. Stocks don’t know who owns them. Stocks don’t know about percentages. Most of all, stocks have no idea “where on the sidewalk” they are right now. And investors shouldn’t care either. If a company’s new earnings report justifies that it’s now worth an additional $10 per share,

Is Speculative Trading for You? With the popularity of bitcoin, cryptocurrency, crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending, investing has gone from just stocks and bonds to vast investment choices. With the promise of massive returns, readers frequently ask, “I’ve been thinking about “What percent of my portfolio should be invested in speculative assets like crypto, crowdfunding, IPOs, private equity and more. What are Speculative Investments? Financial speculation promises higher returns in exchange for the promise of higher returns. When shooting for sky high investment returns, like more than 10% annually, be prepared for the possibility of losing all or a majority of your investment Contents Toggle Is Speculative Trading for You?What are Speculative Investments?8 Examples of Speculative InvestmentsHow Does Speculation Work?Speculation vs Investing – What’s the Difference?Before Investing in Speculative Assets – Understand Your Risk TolerancePros and Cons of Speculative InvestmentsThe Pros: Why Speculate?The Cons: The Hidden CostsWhat Percentage of Your Portfolio Should Be in Speculative Investments?Is Speculative Trading for You? – Wrap upFAQWhat are some examples of some speculative investments?Is speculative investing the same as gambling?Is Bitcoin considered a speculative investment?Related This article may contain affiliate links which means that – at zero cost to you – I might earn a commission if you sign up or buy through the affiliate link. 8 Examples of Speculative Investments Foreign Currencies Private Equity Precious Metals Cryptocurrencies Margin Trading Penny Stocks Options Trading Day Trading IPO’s Crowdfunding How Does Speculation Work? Speculative investing depends upon the asset that you’re investing in. With day trading, you’ll buy and sell securities quickly to capitalize on small price movements. With crowdfunding apps such as Groundfloor, you’ll set up a bank transfer into a debt fund, in exchange for cash flow. Margin trading requires borrowing money to invest in the financial markets with a risk of a “margin call” (to add more money) should the investment value decline. Private equity funds have application procedures on their websites and might be available only to accredited investors. Invest in crypto through a portal such as Coinbase, an app like Robinhood or an ETF. Speculation vs Investing – What’s the Difference? Investing vs speculating involves risk and probabilities. The stock market returned north of 10% annualized over the last hundred years or so. While bonds averaged approximately 5%. Investing in a diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds both individually and through mutual and exchange traded funds, for long term profits is considered investing. Long term investing typically yields positive investment returns, despite short-term price volatility. Some investments such as stocks and bonds offer dividends or cash flow, to cushion any declines in the investment’s value. Speculative investments promise higher returns than typical stocks and bonds and are riskier. The speculative investment

WiseStacker The 5 Best Animal Health Stocks For Pets Megatrend The 5 Best Animal Health Stocks For Pets Megatrend Introduction In an era of relentless change—AI reshaping jobs, economic uncertainty lingering, and the world feeling more complex and unpredictable by the day—people are retreating inward. We’re cocooning ourselves in our homes, seeking comfort and stability in the one place that still feels safe and predictable. And right there with us, often curled up on […]

The month of December 2025 is another month of dividend income landing in my accounts. Due to becoming debt free, I changed my pay myself model. Starting the beginning of August 2021, I am paying myself 30%, just like before. This will now consist of 24% to investing, […]