Tagged Questions

3
votes
1answer
77 views

When is a SEP IRA appropriate, can a Roth IRA suffice for self-employed individuals?

I am a self-employed individual working in the software industry; my current salary is commensurate to the market value of a software developer with 5 years of experience. I have not yet opened up a ...
3
votes
1answer
58 views

Roth or Traditional IRA if getting a dramatic increase in income this year?

So I just learned that it's not too late to fund an IRA for 2012. With a week left and never having done this before, I now get to decide which type I want to open. Based on my (really vague) ...
4
votes
4answers
152 views

Multiple accounts stagnant after quitting job.

So I made the move to quit my job of over 10 years a few months back and have never been happier. My one problem is that I now have some accounts that I feel that I could be doing more with. I had ...
5
votes
3answers
514 views

Safer investing (401k/savings) assuming there will be another banking crisis

Assuming one or more of the big (i)banks incurs unsustainable investment losses leading to another banking crisis, what is the safest place to invest my 401k?
6
votes
1answer
219 views

Investment methods for a US non-resident alien, living in the US for the next 2-5 years only

If an employer does not offer a 401k plan, what options do I have to invest in stocks, bonds, ETFs, etc.? Would a Roth account be a viable option considering I will probably be in the US for 2-5 more ...
11
votes
4answers
246 views

How do you balance the risk of having your wealth tied up?

I'm at the point in my financial life we're I'm ready to start investing for retirement in earnest, and I'm planning to invest 15% of my income into retirement accounts, but I hear a lot of stories ...
18
votes
3answers
408 views

Abundance of Cash - What should I do?

There seems to be a glut of information and I don't know where to start. My situation is: No debt/kids Own Home and Vehicles Have a years worth of living expenses in my savings/checking Max out ...
3
votes
3answers
232 views

Financial Advice for Newlyweds

My wife and I are newlyweds, and we are fortunate enough to have little debt and respectable incomes - since StackExchange is neither anonymous or private I won't disclose the real numbers, but I can ...
7
votes
2answers
287 views

When you're really young and have about 2K to start investing $ for retirement, why do some people advise you to go risky?

I've heard people suggest (here and in other forums) that you should be willing to take more risks when you are young. Can someone explain what "risky" options are being referred to? I only have ...
10
votes
3answers
338 views

Own my home, have no debt, and must start taking RMDs on an Inherited IRA. What should I do?

My father passed away and I have a sizable amount of money in an inherited IRA (about 2 times my yearly salary). I don't have any debt to pay off as I already own my home, auto, no credit card debt, ...
10
votes
3answers
242 views

Investing in a leveraged index ETF for retirement. Risky?

I'm 23, and in addition to my 401k at work, I have a few thousand saved in an IRA. Right now I have it sitting in Treasurys earning around 3%. Over the past 50 years the S&P has averaged around ...
7
votes
3answers
179 views

Should I fund retirement with a static asset allocation or an age based glide path?

It seems a lot of people recommend lifecycle funds. They're even an allowed default investment for 401ks now. But given how little I trust Wall Street, I'm curious if there's any quality academic ...
33
votes
10answers
3k views

Should you always max out contributions to your 401k?

I am a year out of college, and therefore, i don't have any real retirement/investment plans kicked off. I was having a discussion with my boss, and he was making a few claims I would like to get ...
10
votes
4answers
254 views

Where is this 10%/year mutual fund, stock market, index?

I've been researching life insurance, and got sucked into whole life policy research, and in every article that says it's a bad investment they assume you can invest the money in some 10%/yr return ...
5
votes
3answers
165 views

Where can I invest my retirement savings money, where it is safer than stocks?

I am 30 year old guy and I am interested in investing my money for retirement. Currently, I get 401K from my company. I am also putting $200 a month into Roth IRA account. I also have a savings ...
0
votes
1answer
97 views

Advice on TIAA-CREF allocation?

I'm in a TIAA-CREF program, which (I think) is like a 401(k). I say "I think" because I haven't studied 401(k)'s, having never invested in one. My question: is there anything special about TIAA-CREF ...
6
votes
3answers
137 views

While building a retirement portfolio, should the concentration be more on increasing net worth or cash flow?

Most of the articles/blogs/websites on retirement savings concentrate on adding more savings and investments to increase the net worth of an individual. But a higher net worth doesn't imply that a ...
6
votes
5answers
655 views

Is the stock market too risky for long term retirement funds? Why should a 20- or 30-something person invest in stocks?

Given the crash of 2008, how do you explain to a person in their 20's or 30's why a good portion of their retirement funds should go into the stock market? (And if you wouldn't, what would you ...
4
votes
1answer
95 views

How to Select IRA Investments?

I'm helping a friend roll over his 401K into an IRA. How can I advise him as he selects what to invest his money in? Factors I know to consider: Rate of return over 1, 3, 5, and 10 years (and ...
7
votes
6answers
464 views

Is my company 401k okay or should I be using an IRA?

My company does not have a matching 401k. Instead it is a profit sharing 401k. How should I approach this? Should I consider investing primarily in an IRA instead? How much should I be ...
8
votes
3answers
184 views

What kinds of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) should specifically be avoided?

This is related to my other question. There, I was asking what exchange traded funds I should consider for inclusion in my retirement portfolio. That got me thinking: What kinds of exchange-traded ...
8
votes
3answers
476 views

What low-fee & liquid exchange-traded index funds / ETFs should I consider holding in a retirement portfolio?

I'm still (one year later) going through an exercise to restructure my retirement portfolio. To date, I've been using a mix of exchange-traded index funds. Some trade on the TSX, and others trade in ...
6
votes
3answers
331 views

Should I buy individual bonds for my retirement portfolio, or stick to funds/ETFs?

To avoid the fees on bond mutual funds or exchange traded funds I have been thinking of buying actual bonds inside of my retirement portfolio. Does that make sense or are there drawbacks to consider?
13
votes
8answers
690 views

Is Real Estate ever a BAD investment? If so, when?

Even in a bad market, over 30 years won't the value of Real Estate always go up? Is it always a sure bet? If not, what should an investor or buyer consider?
8
votes
3answers
500 views

What kind of investments should I have in my RRSP?

I plan to retire in 15-20 years... what kind of investments should I consider holding in my RRSP? I don't like very risky investments, but I also don't want to be too conservative.