4 Minute Money

"Over My Dead Body!" Use a Will or Trust to Help Avoid Battles over Your Estate A will or trust can prevent long, expensive court battles over your estate assets. Find out which would be more appropriate for your situation.

Why a Stock's Price Doesn't Matter High stock prices may be intimidating, but they do not necessarily reflect the company's value. Read here to learn why.

Growth vs. Income Investing: Is the Cost of Growth Too High? Retirement portfolio: Learn how to allocate growth vs. income investing, according to your risk profile.

Should Retirees Diversify Globally to Protect Their Savings? If you diversify globally will it improve the risk-adjusted returns on your investment portfolio? Learn how global diversification adds non-correlated assets to a retirement portfolio.

Do Simple Investments Generate Higher Returns? What type of investments yield the higher returns: complicated or simple investments? You may be surprised to learn that simple investments tend to have better, consistent returns. Read to find out why.

Should I Sell Out before Losing Money in a Stock Market Crash? Protect your portfolio from a stock market crash by reducing risk and producing more consistent performance through diversification

Are Emerging Markets' Potential Returns Worth the Risks? Learn how diversification can help you manage the risks and returns of investing in emerging markets.

Will Dividends or Interest Boost My Retirement Savings More? Can dividends or interest boost your bottom line? Learn why both dividend- and interest-yielding positions have a place in your investment portfolio.

When Does Past Performance in Investments Matter? When analyzing a company, look at past performance and fundamental assets. Profile Investment Service's most important asset is its dedication to clients.

3 Important Things to Do Before the New Fiscal Year There are 3 steps you should take at the end of every fiscal year. Find out why some calendar dates are important in personal finance.

I Don't Feel Inflation. Is It Hurting My Savings? Understand how inflation affects your buying behavior, spending patterns and savings.

How to Manage a Multicurrency Lifestyle Overseas retires and expat need to use multi-currency strategies to save money, reduce fraud risk, and optimize overseas investing.

Corporate or Treasury Bonds: Which Bonds Are Better? Corporate and Treasury bonds each have advantages. Which should you include in your investment portfolio?

What Is the Best Way to Reduce Risk in Your Portfolio? Learn how to grow your investments at a steady rate by reducing risk in your portfolio.

What Percentage of Your Retirement Portfolio Should Be Bonds? How should you invest your retirement portfolio if you want it to both grow and have little risk? Are bonds appropriate for preparing for retirement?

Does Investor Bias Make You Underperform the Market? By Douglas Goldstein CFP® - helping olim handle their U.S. investments from Israel A friend recently had a losing streak at the casino. Instead of walking away, he played more hands of blackjack. "I was determined to win," he lamented. In fact, he was playing to recoup his losses. He was a victim of investment biases subconsciously affecting his...

Should You Follow Investment Trends or Bet against the Masses? By Douglas Goldstein CFP® - helping olim handle their U.S. investments from Israel Today, many "investment trend" websites are enticing online traders to join. Investors who follow the trend – also known as "momentum trading" – invest in stocks based on rising market prices rather than company fundamentals. The strategy of following th...

Do You Look at the Risk-Reward Ratio of Your Stocks and Bonds? By Douglas Goldstein CFP® - helping olim handle their U.S. investments from Israel The risk-reward ratio is an attempt to quantify the amount of risk you need to take in order to get an anticipated return from any investment. If you were to only consider past returns when deciding whether to invest in stocks or bonds, stocks would appe...

Can Optimism Increase Your Investment Returns? By Douglas Goldstein CFP® - helping olim handle their U.S. investments from Israel Are your investment returns determined by your worldview? Are people hardwired to be pessimists? Millions of years ago, if an optimistic caveman dismissed a rustle in a bush as the wind blowing, our ancestor may have ended up as a tiger's lunch. As a result of this earl...

How to Safely Boost Returns in a Low Interest Rate Environment By Douglas Goldstein CFP® - helping olim handle their U.S. investments from Israel To the dismay of yield-seeking investors, interest rates remain at historic lows. Although rates on long-term bonds may begin to inch up, analysts generally expect that we may remain in a low-interest-rate environment for a while longer. So, what are inc...

Secrets to a Financially Strong Marriage By Douglas Goldstein, CFP® - helping you handle your American investments Displayed prominently in our living room is a list titled, "Abba's Secrets to Success" Now, as my oldest daughter is about to get married, I've compiled "Abba's Secrets to a Financially Secure Marriage" for her and her groom. With their permission, I'd like to share it with you: 1. Be...

Do You Have to Stop Working When You Reach Retirement Age? By Douglas Goldstein CFP® - helping olim handle their U.S. investments from Israel Does reaching retirement age mean you have to stop working? In Israel, the official retirement age for a man is 67. For women, it fluctuates between 60 and 62, depending on date of birth. Retirees until the age of 70 (or 69 for a woman born before 1950), are...

How to Prepare for the Next Stock Market Crash By Douglas Goldstein CFP® - helping olim handle their U.S. investments from Israel Over the past several years, the market has climbed to historic highs, prompting analysts to sound the alarm over the next stock market crash. While I can't say when the next crash will occur, I can say it's reasonable to assume that there will be another stock market d...

Debunking 3 Myths About Not Needing an Emergency Fund By Douglas Goldstein CFP® - helping olim handle their U.S. investments from Israel One of the most fundamental principles of financial planning is to prepare for the unexpected by keeping three to six months' worth of living expenses in an emergency fund. The trouble is many people succumb to the myth that emergency funds aren't necessary becau...

Short on Retirement Savings? Here's What You Need to Do By Douglas Goldstein CFP® - helping olim handle their U.S. investments from Israel More than 10,000 baby boomers cross the retirement threshold every day, and nearly one in four of them of haven't saved enough to retire comfortably. If you've reached that point and realize your retirement savings won't last your lifetime, it's time to have an...