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I hate to be the resident dream-shatterer... but I feel obliged to point out bluntly what others seem to be casting aside. The notion that you can reliably earn 9% annualized (7.5% real) by picking your own stocks is ludicrous and you are going to get wiped out. Why do you think that the...

I haven't read anything yet about income the land could produce. 1) Tillable acres? 2) Timber? What is the nature of the land?

I bought a 1997 Saturn (manual trans) in 2003 with 96k miles for $3200. Flash forward to 2010. Car now has 178k, and I have put a grand total of maybe $350 into it. Brakes/rotors, water pump, belt, brake caliper. Still has original clutch. Saturns also have a timing chain and not a belt...

As a fellow MN-ite I can heartily recommend canoeing: Rice Creek (N suburbs) - spring Minnehaha -spring if rainy. 2009 a total bust. Cannon river (cannon falls area) Root river (lanesboro) Rum River - spring/summer Kettle river (certain parts to be avoided unless you have a death wish) St...

One other thing came to mind, Do not ignore the overwhelming influence of so-called 'free' samples the reps leave at the physician offices. I can cite numerous studies showing the influence that samples exert, and I can say from personal experience that the Nexium reps are taking full advantage.

Ahh the power of commercials. If you believe it works better (hint hint) it must be working better. "I trust my heart to lipitor", for example. Here's the deal. Prilosec is made from a mixed enantiomer - that is to say it contains mirror image molecules, right and left handed. Not identical...

Did y'all know that Roubini is holding 100% Equity? He is hoping this thing will drag out as long as possible. Same for Warren Buffett - fortunes are made in times like these. The longer down, the more shares these fellas can snap up.

Bottom shelf hooch? Man we ARE having hard times :) I'm in the total return investing theory camp - only down 50% or so. Stay the course!

Yeah but... zzzzz The scenario you post is not typical of anyone I know. Sorta driveby media-ish. How about running it again - pit a $500/mo investment in W5000 vs. MMA and then compare. That would be somewhat useful.

Ahh I figured I'd draw you out of the woodwork :) Exceptions exist.. but in general fund managers tend to be all stock heading into declines (ie, they won't consistently protect you) and build large cash positions that they maintain well after the rally starts (they lag in performance relative...

Beta is hardly a static measure. I think you'd be better served by choosing an appropriate stock:bond (and cash) ratio than trying to pick an arbitrary, ever-changing beta. Fund managers achieve beta by holding cash - why pay them a high ER to hold cash when you can do it yourself for free?

Use whatever is indexed and lowest cost, be it ETF or fund. Picking individual stocks or bonds is for suckers. Picking individual TIPS may be of benefit if you are trying to match income streams with future obligations. Since my crystal ball is cloudy and I have no idea what financial...

The title of this thread is misleading. A debate implies (to me) that there are valid points and counterpoints and that the decision can be correct either way depending on what variables you use to decide... There is no debate - there are those that know and those that think they know better...

Would you rather buy low or buy high? Future returns are tied closely to valuation at the time of purchase. Nobody knows what the market will do tomorrow. Historically, it is more likely to go up than down. Recoveries start before bear markets end. To stop contributing would be to ignore...

Weakest argument for hiring a FA, ever. I'd buy the emotional argument for having a FA, but thats about the only reason.

Valid argument, but perhaps you are missing the point... If you are a long-term buy and holder, you don't really pay any attention to 300 point rallies so it doesn't matter. If you are really good, you look at your holdings only quarterly. Plenty of other reasons not to active trade besides...

I find my visceral response to this question intriguing. As a 'mostly thin, sorta fit' person, my inclination was to immediate think this would devolve into a fattie-apologism thread. I'm pleasantly surprised to see that it hasn't. A few comments towards us 'skinnies' but it has been pretty...

Bowhunting! Nothing like taking to the woods in the crisp predawn hours and climbing up a tree to await one's quarry. Lots of quality reading and journaling time. Sometimes I get so relaxed its easier to watch the deer walk by and save the harvest for another day. Plus, fall season is not...

Not too bad. A few changes I'd suggest. 1) Ditch templeton EM fund. Stick with the low-cost vanguard fund. EM in a market allocation makes up around 20% of foreign holdings - you are significantly overweight to EM. That may be intentional and its not wrong, but make sure you understand why you...

And crazy high volatility, and its very non-diversified. Horrible advice in light of what the OP is asking for. What about the ungodly expenses and 'we will take 20% of profits' fees? It is nice that hedge funds can hold a lot of cash, but when the market turns hedge funds underperform...

Who knows. You may regret not purchasing VTI instead. HY notes are a crapshoot. If rates rise, NAV dies. Risk of default. If rates lower, they call them in. All the risk, none of the upside. If I was retired I may be lured by the high payout but certainly not at this point in my life. In a...

Currency / Gold / Silver have no long-term expected return. With the exception of its temporary blips during crises, that should be obvious by inspecting past returns.

True - I suppose it depends on whether you follow the dividend or total return strategy. Since I am in the latter, I see no purpose for HY.

I'm giggling over here reading this. The way to avoid a 30 percent loss is to diversify and understand your need/willingness to take risk. Its ironic that proponents of active management (timers, TA, et al) quote Warren Buffett as support of their method - but he much more closely resembles...

I'm using wells fargo PMA for brokerage and roth accounts.. nice to hold vanguard funds / etfs there without dealing with vanguard directly.