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We help you make good financial decisions by tuning out the noise and focusing on just a handful of simple, core principles that have proved successful over time. Although they are simple, following them is not always easy.
If this is your first visit, begin at "Getting started" below.
Regular visitors may want to look at our new articles.
Getting started
For US investors:
- Getting started - Start here.
- Investment philosophy - Our investment principles.
- Investing start-up kit - A top-down approach to start investing.
- Investment policy statement - Identify your investment objectives and how you plan to meet them.
- Prioritizing investments - Choosing where to save your investing money, such as an employer's retirement plan or a savings account.
For non-US investors:
- Getting started for non-US investors - Start here.
- Investment philosophy for non-US investors - Our investment principles.
- Investing start-up kit for non-US investors - A top-down approach to start investing.
- Outline of non-US domiciles - Overview of topics specifically for non-US investors.
Personal finance
Personal finance covers not only investing, but day-to-day finances, budgeting, insurance, taxes, estate planning, and retirement.
For US investors:
- Personal finance planning start-up kit - Start here.
- Financial planning - The first thing you should do.
- Household budgeting - Understand how much you make and how much you spend.
- Emergency fund - Have cash on-hand for life's unexpected events.
- Insurance - Auto, home, medical
- Estate planning - Be prepared when bad things happen.
Retirement
Retirement is a major event in many people's lives. It is not only a lifestyle change, but a change in income and spending.
Planning for this life-changing event is important.
- Retirement planning start-up kit - Start here.
- Preparing for retirement - Steps you should take before retiring.
- Retirement policy statement - Lay-out your retirement plans and strategies.
From today's featured article
An Investment policy statement (IPS) is a statement that defines your general investment goals and objectives. It describes the strategies that you will use to meet these objectives, and contains specific information on subjects such as asset allocation, risk tolerance, and liquidity requirements.
Alternatively, you could consider using a simpler investing plan (see below):
- If you find creating a full Investment Policy Statement too complex
- If your investment objectives do not justify the effort needed to create an Investment Policy Statement (more...)
This week in financial history
- 1885 - The New York Stock Exchange established the Department of Unlisted Securities, creating the over-the counter market. Source: Chronology of New York Stock Exchange (1792-1929)
- 1957 - Six European countries (Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg) sign the Treaty of Rome, creating the European Economic Community (EEC), or 'common market'. The idea is for people, goods and services to move freely across borders. Source: EUROPA - The history of the European Union: 1945 - 1959
March 26:
- 2008 - Ford sold Jaguar and Land Rover to India's Tata Motors Limited for $2.3 billion. Source: Tata to buy Ford's Jaguar, Land Rover for $2.3 bln
March 27:
- 2006 - The S&P Completion Index was launched on this date. The index provides a benchmark for extended market index funds that, when combined with an S&P 500 index fund, provides total market coverage of the U.S. stock market. Source: S&P Completion Index
March 28:
- 1985 - Ronald Reagan became the first sitting president to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Source: Remarks to Brokers and Staff of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, New York
March 29:
- 1900 - Louis Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Bachelier, French mathematician, published Theorie de La Speculation; and argued that markets were essentially random. This introduced higher math to the analysis of finance. Source: Théorie de la spéculation, Annales Scientifiques de l’École Normale Supérieure Vol.3 (17) pp. 21-86.
- 1999 - The US Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 10,000 for the first time in history. Source: Closing milestones of the Dow Jones Industrial Average
March 30:
- 2007 - The law allowing German real estate investment trusts (G-REITs) went into effect. Source: Germany enters the REIT universe with a big bang
March 31:
- 1968 - The MSCI EAFE Index was launched on March 31, 1986. Source: MSCI EAFE Index, fact sheet
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Sister projects
Our Canadian sister site, Financial Wisdom Forum, and its wiki, finiki, the Canadian financial wiki, has a similar focus with many like-minded members, and you might also find this site interesting.
We also have a sister site in Spain, Bogleheads® España (en español).
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