Investing

I just responded to a post by norm60189. He mentioned that Jack Bogle popularized index funds. My post got me thinking about my favorite Bogle quotes. Here are three, with my interpretation of the saying.
“Don’t look for the needle in the haystack. Just buy the haystack!”
Research has shown that annually the majority of active managers do not eat the market. As a result investors are better off not trying to pick individual stocks but buying broad market indexes.

Jack Bogle is frequently quoted. Jack was the founder and chief executive of The Vanguard Group and is credited with popularizing the index fund.
Here’s one of my favorite Bogle quotes:
“The stock market is a giant distraction from the business of investing”.
Warren Buffett is also often quoted.  Because Mr. Buffett purchased individual stocks, it was possible to observe how he approached investing as a business.  For example, Buffett eschewed tech stocks, yet had a large stake in Apple.

As many firms and advisors are now focusing more on Foreign market emphasis I am curious what others have allocated.  We have generally been 47-50% domestic equity, 38-35% foreign equity, including about 5%+ in Emerging Markets and the remaining 15% in bonds for the past 5 years.  The higher foreign exposure was a little drag in the past however is boosting returns currently.
Curious of others opinion on international is, we don’t make big swings but stay within a general range.  

I enjoy tasting new beers, and today there are some very good ones on the shelves. Still, it hasn’t always been this way.  Some time in the nascent days of the micro-brewery craze, I recall my boss, the owner of the beer distributor, commenting that it was as if the tiny brewers were having a contest to see who could make the lousiest tasting beer. 
I think that there’s an analogy that can be made between the abundance of micro-breweries and myriad financial products in that not all of them leave a good taste in my mouth. 

Recently I was reading a finance article and it mentioned occasionally utilizing Roth funds to stay within a targeted maximum tax bracket. Also I believe someone recently commented about having a small amount of bonds in a Roth account to limit to some degree the volatility. If everything in the future goes as hoped the Roth funds will be inherited by our children decades from now
Both of these points got be thinking (maybe perseverating) on what to do with my wife’s Roth account.

“The riskiness of an investment is not measured by beta but rather by the probability—the reasoned probability—of that investment causing its owner a loss of purchasing-power over his contemplated holding period. Assets can fluctuate greatly in price and not be risky as long as they are reasonably certain to deliver increased purchasing power over their holding period. And a non-fluctuating asset can be laden with risk.” — Warren Buffett, in his 2011 Berkshire Hathaway shareholder letter.

2025 was a stellar year for investors. “The S&P 500 finished the year with an 18% gain, achieving a ‘three-peat’ of double digit annual returns.” Investors who didn’t bail were rewarded.
We have a larger cash/bond allocation, about 55% stocks. The stocks do the heavy lifting while the cash/bonds provides some drag, but we are thoughtful about where we park it. The conventional thinking is that idle money is inefficient. It does not compound. But we like the flexibility cash provides.

I’ve been having a lot of great discussions with my new AI friend, Google Gemini. (Why not ChatGPT? I do consult it sometimes, but I don’t want to pony up for a paid account.) I like Gemini because it’s very positive. “Words of affirmation” are my love language!
In recent days, I’ve discussed how to balance my Peloton cycling and rowing to get an optimal workout mix to meet my health goals (Gemini gave me GREAT advice on this and was highly impressed with my near-perfect form scores on the Row) and how to convert a chicken-and-rice recipe that my husband has been requesting for the Instant Pot.

I am 77 years old and going to get a $500,000 inheritance. Wondering what to put it in to collect interest and also keep it relatively safe…..

LOOKING TO UPDATE your financial plan for 2026? Below are ten strategies you might consider:
Gaining control
January is a good time to audit your investments. I’d start with this very basic step: If you have accounts at multiple brokerage firms, see if you can consolidate them. This won’t necessarily lead to better investment results, but if you have fewer accounts, it’ll be easier to monitor and to manage them. This might not seem like an important exercise,

I am looking for advice on Vangauard’s recently launched active ETFs – VDIV, VUSG and VUSV. Their expense ratio is ~ 0.40. They are managed by Wellington funds which has been managing some known Vanguard funds
It will be interesting to see how it does in 2026
Thanks.

“The riskiness of an investment is not measured by beta but rather by the probability—the reasoned probability—of that investment causing its owner a loss of purchasing-power over his contemplated holding period. Assets can fluctuate greatly in price and not be risky as long as they are reasonably certain to deliver increased purchasing power over their holding period. And a non-fluctuating asset can be laden with risk.” — Warren Buffett, in his 2011 Berkshire Hathaway shareholder letter.

“There’s been a lot of talk
about an AI bubble. From our
vantage point, we see something
very different.”
Jensen Huang, CEO Nvidia
 
“No company is going to be immune
(if the AI bubble bursts), including us.”
Sundar Pichai, CEO Google (now known as Alphabet)
 
Is the AI revolution a blessing or a curse, an enduring breakthrough or impending economic and cultural apocalypse?

No one describes themselves as average at anything. We’re above-average drivers. Above-average parents. Above-average judges of character.
Statistically, that can’t be true—but it’s how we think.
Investing is no different. The average investor almost always believes they are above average. They read. They pay attention. They try to make smart decisions.
And yet, year after year, investors as a group earn returns that fall short of the market itself.
That raises a simple but uncomfortable question:
What’s the difference between earning the market’s average return and earning the return of the average investor?

I’m considering a Fixed Indexed Annuity (FIA) as a short-term parking spot for part of my money—only for 3 years with a guaranteed 6% return, not a lifetime annuity play. There is no management fee, only surrender fees if taken before the 3-year mark.
For those who’ve used an FIA this way (or evaluated it and passed), what were your results and your takeaways?
What should I watch most closely—surrender charges,