Investor Guide
This guide contains information about how to be a great value investor. Here are my best articles and best ideas to get you started on your journey to making money investing. This page is still just getting started, more articles will be added over time.
Cash Basics
Good investing starts with good cash management. When you manage your cash effectively, you will naturally become a better investor when you make the transition by using the same strategy and consistency. These articles are geared towards people with positive cash flow and generally healthy personal balance sheet (if anyone has interest in assessing their debt and strategies to improve let me know – I could add articles).
- Why Cash is a Poor Investment – This is no long term investment.
- Your Saving Money…What to do Next with the Cash – Be sure to understand these important concepts before you manage your money.
- Where the Cash is in your 401(k) - Retirement accounts are not just stocks and bonds. These retirement accounts have a place to put cash, here’s where to find it.
- Where To Put Your Cash Now – To keep your cash safe, put it in investments that protect principal. Here’s some that do and some that don’t protect principal.
Investing Basics
If I had to boil down investing to one idea it would be this: good investments are those that you understand and at their heart are good companies that consistently satisfy their customers and make money.
- Investing Basics – One critical idea you need to know.
- You Don’t Need To Invest In Stocks – Stocks are just one asset class, there are many other ways to make money investing.
- What’s In a Stock Price? – It’s just a number.
- Why It’s Great to be an Investor – Share in the creation of great stuff by other people and companies.
- How Stock/Bond Investments Make Money – Learn how investments make money.
- How To Calculate Investment Return – A method to calculate the return of dividend paying stocks.
Investing Strategy
Investing strategy means determining what your goals are, then finding investments that you understand, fit your return expectations, and risk profile. Wall Street is filled with all types of investments some of which aren’t even stocks or bonds. Learn how to use them to your benefit.
- Why Slow Growth Beats Fast Growth – The most exciting fastest growing stocks won’t necessarily get you the best return, when you consider your time frame.
- How To Earn 8% Per Year Without Equity Risk – Wall Street offers more investments than simply stocks. Earn a good return without taking on the risks of investing in a company.
- The Federal Reserve is forcing down short term interest rates and is strongly influencing long term rates as well. Investors may be on edge on when/if short term rates will go up, but it is likely that rates will be low for a long time. Learn how to profit from low interest rates by taking advantage of this cheap, short term money: How to Use The Fed’s Free Money to Make Money, Part I, and Part II. Here’s my real portfolio that I setup with details on its returns.
- If using margin to profit from low interest rates is too aggressive for you, consider other options.