By ELIZABETH HARRIS (NYT) 1098 words BOND index funds have been catching on, and for good reasons. Like stock index funds, they have cheaper fees, more transparent holdings and higher average annual returns, over time, than the vast majority of actively managed funds in their…
By Stacy Perman What can the superstar do to repair his balance sheet? Ax some luxuries, focus on asset protection, and cash in on his talent, experts say What kind of financial advice can help a 46-year-old with questionable career prospects and huge debts on…
By BARBARA KIVIAT While folks financing a house or carrying loads of credit-card debt are mourning the end of the lowest interest rates in 46 years, savers who have been stressing over paltry yields on cash investments are partying in response to the Fed’s quarter-point…
Ulysses Torassa, Chronicle Staff Writer Making extra payments against your mortgage is a time-tested way to pay off your house early and can save an enormous amount of interest over the life of a typical home loan. With 80 to 90 percent of initial mortgage…
By ELIZABETH HARRIS SMARTMONEY Got $50? Then do yourself a favor, mutual-fund investors. Sign up for an automatic investment plan. These plans force you to save money before you spend it. And they create another good habit, because they use a tried-and-true investing strategy known…
Kathleen Pender The California Public Employees Retirement System yanked $1.2 billion in assets from Putnam Investments this week, but it is letting AllianceBernstein — another firm implicated in the mutual fund scandal — continue to manage $1.2 billion in pension money for state workers and…
Jim Hopkins. SAN FRANCISCO — Two years ago, Nick and Sloane Morgan were typical investors. They had 75% of their assets in stocks, 25% in real estate and saved about 10% a month. Following the stock market’s dive, they’ve done a 180-degree turn. Undaunted by…
Daniel S. Levine Some people are the shy and retiring type. I think of myself as the shy of retiring type. The phrase “New York Minute” aptly describes how quickly I would stop working if I won a lottery, was remembered fondly in the will…
The Internet is filled with useful tax-planning tools — as well as plenty of tax-shelter scams By RIVA RICHMOND Plotting how to pay less in taxes is an age-old pursuit. Today the modern pursuit of surfing the Internet can help — to a point. A…
Coping with Sudden Loss Seek the help of experts, friends to get your financial house back in order By Staff Writer Annelena Lobb NEW YORK (CNNfn) – Anyone who has experienced it can tell you, there’s no way to prepare for the sudden loss of…