Share Your Wisdom

"Don Southworth stole mine! :) Automating our savings. Stow it away before you see it, learn t live on what remains, allow it time to compound."

"When you are debt free and have 3-6 months of emergency funds in the bank."

"Business Adventures by John Brooks. A collection of articles that is still as interesting, funny and relevant today as it must have been then. The author doesn’t assault the reader with paradigm shifts, rubrics or lessons learned. He simply presents engaging business stories to be enjoyed. I talked about in a little more detail here."

"Having experienced high interest rates in the 1980's I wouldn't lock in anything long term at 5% or less. Until then I have a T-Bill step stool (not ladder). 4 tranches of 1-month T-Bills that mature each week. Until budget deficits addressed inflation not getting to 2%."

"Avantis or DFA."

"I realize this isn't for everyone but I use Interactive Brokers for most of my investments. A key benefit is their low cost for currency conversions. They charge 0.002% above the spot price. For every $100,000 being converted, they charge $2. The best I have found at other banks is 100x that and usually it is much higher. I also invest using a "risk parity" passive approach - basically an index approach but diversifying further by investing more in leveraged bonds in order to reduce overall risk - and Interactive Brokers makes it easy to buy future contracts."

"I am not a fan. I could see investing in a REITs fund again but I’m not sure that qualifies now that REITs are in the S&P 500. Yeah, gold investors look like geniuses now, and I used to have a gold mining company ETF years ago. But I’m not buying back in now having missed the recent move. I think the question is what you can reasonably expect the returns to be. I have a high risk tolerance so I can hold on when stocks fall and much of the rest of my portfolio is in short Treasurys and money markets and CDs, which will not lose value. So I don’t see the need for assets just to smooth out volatility or go up when stocks go down if their long term return potential is less than stocks."

"Yes I think residential property investments can be great - I did a small development and built two duplexes, and they are cash flow neutral and become more positive over time as the property appreciates in price and rent, and I pay the loans down. Definitely something to consider for a long term investor if you have a consistent income and risk tolerance and can manage the upkeep and also have a sensible LVR loan"

""Future stock market returns will be lower than the historical average." I've been hearing this on Bogleheads (and Vanguard Diehards) for decades, usually from a respected industry guru. The only suggestion to deal with it is to save more and prepare to work longer. I was already working and saving as much as I could anyway, so there was nothing actionable in this for me and no rational reason to worry about it. Turns out these dire forecasts are usually wrong anyway."

"One big worry. The stability of the U.S. with all this fighting and deficit spending by both Republicans (I am one) and Democrats. If we collapse into in-fighting then the only thing to invest in is gold bricks and shotguns."

"The internet! All this information, shopping, entertainment, socializing and more right at my fingertips without leaving the comfort of my own home! I get groceries delivered, I can download a library book, I can watch videos on YouTube on any number of things (mostly knitting and travel), and I catch up on family in other parts of the country!"

"Yes and no. There is the "belonging to the team (family)" aspect of chores that reflects pulling your weight and contributing to the team's purpose, survival, etc. And then there is the financial life lesson of working hard, doing a good job, and being rewarded for your efforts. Both are critical to a child's upbringing."