Zaccardi’s Favorites
Mike Zaccardi | Jan 19, 2023
I BEGAN WRITING for HumbleDollar in early 2020. As a market junkie, but one who’s also deeply curious about personal finance, I was already a regular reader of the site.
Since then, I’ve contributed roughly 140 pieces. My articles and blog posts often focus on the financial markets and long-term investing, with a nod toward the financial independence movement. What do my 10 favorite posts have in common? They’re mostly focused on macro trends and my own financial journey.
- If Only (Jan. 13, 2020). I stumbled upon an old savings bond in early 2020 that yielded a modest rate. That got me thinking about the returns that might have been if the money had instead been invested in stocks.
- Reading the Signs (July 14, 2020). This summer 2020 article, penned when baseball stadiums were empty due to COVID-19, discussed several market indicators I use to assess both the economy and my portfolio. While most data are best disregarded, a few signals matter in my playbook.
- Which Road? (Feb. 19, 2021). I put my feet up on the HumbleDollar couch in early 2021, outlining possible paths I might venture down following my departure from fulltime employment. Truth be told, I’m still figuring it out.
- Vive La Difference (Aug. 23, 2021). HumbleDollar started publishing shorter blog posts during the second half of 2021. These pieces were a good vehicle for me, given my limited attention span. Putting on my analyst hat, I dug into the sector breakdown of different stock market regions.
- Parents Know Best (Sept. 2, 2021). While not hugely wealthy, my parents managed to save enough to fund a decent retirement that should soon begin. Their recent kitchen upgrade also earned a thumbs up from me.
- Dinner Is Served (Sept. 15, 2021). I love a great ribeye steak and enjoy learning about retirement planning. In this blog post, I describe some of the strategies that advisors use to hook new clients at those infamous steak dinners.
- Christmas in October (Oct. 9, 2021). Supply chain disruptions and goods shortages were major concerns heading into the 2021 holiday season. I urged consumers to shop early that year. While those logistical snafus have now been largely resolved, higher prices have—unfortunately—stuck around.
- Out of Reach (Feb. 2, 2022). Among 2022’s most troubling financial events was how unaffordable housing became for first-time buyers. Even when mortgage rates were under 4%, real estate was expensive.
- Sites Worth Seeing (March 30, 2022). My former students and current investment-writing colleagues often ask what my favorite investment websites are. Here I describe my go-to sites.
- Cash No Longer Trash (Aug. 1, 2022). With so much financial gloom in 2022, higher interest rates on short-term cash accounts emerged as a bright spot, and they remain so today. In this blog post, I noted that money market fund yields would be on the rise.
This is the second installment in a series devoted to the favorite articles and blog posts penned by HumbleDollar’s most prolific writers. The first installment was from Dennis Friedman.
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Thanks for your Top 10, Mike. I’ve enjoyed your analytical and macro view on markets and investment overall. Thank you.
Mike, I always enjoy, and learn from, your contributions. Please keep ’em coming.
Mike, I enjoy all your articles. It’s interesting to read about a young man who caught the saving and investing bug early in life. And I’m glad that Jonathan and you make your market blog posts available here. The fact that you taught at my alma mater is a plus.
Thank you, Edmund! And great to hear from a fellow Osprey 🙂