Articles (178)

Reports cite complaints that bank's wealth management unit is pushing riskier investments and cross-selling banking ...Read More

Advisors offering fiduciary services to 401(k) and 403(b) plans aren't all the same. In fact, they come in two distinct ...Read More

The size and value premiums kept gaining steam in the first quarter of a new ...Read More

The financial industry has made great strides toward offering better investment choices, but too many people keep falling into the same traps.  Read David Booth’s five timeless lessons for every investor ...Read More

The latest update of this research series analyzes fund performances by investment behavior versus actual ...Read More

IFA's ongoing research series examines the former Waddell & Reed unit's actively managed mutual ...Read More

The switch to ETFs in some tax-managed mutual funds is being structured by DFA as a tax-free ...Read More

Financial literacy program focuses on helping investors learn in an objective, pitch-free ...Read More

Don't take lightly April's focus on investment education. At IFA, Mark Hebner says he sure ...Read More

The latest research in S&P's long-time study takes a fresh look at how active managers stack ...Read More

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are receiving intense media coverage, prompting many investors to wonder whether these new types of electronic money deserve a place in their portfolios. Cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin emerged only in the past decade. Unlike traditional ...Read More

Concentrated stock positions raise a different set of portfolio issues. Here's how we approach such ...Read More

Bitcoin and related cryptocurrencies (now numbering in the thousands) are the subject of much debate and fascination. Given bitcoin’s dramatic price changes, it is not surprising that many are speculating about its possible role in a ...Read More

This type of irrevocable trust can help couples protect their assets. It can also create undo legal hassles, ...Read More

IFA defines index funds as mutual or exchange-traded funds that follow a set of rules of ownership that are held ...Read More

Here's a comprehensive listing for a new year with commentary on key changes and ...Read More

The media has been sharpening its focus on cycles lately, but not in anticipation of the Tour de France. Rather, the financial media’s spotlight is on business cycles. A common refrain from the industry is that the performance of certain groups of stocks is tied to the ...Read More

A handful of large technology stocks have garnered attention for outsize returns in recent years. Collectively referred to by the FANMAG acronym, Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Microsoft, Apple, and Google all substantially outperformed the US ...Read More

After peaking, GameStop’s subsequent fall in price put it in the low profitability growth space of the small cap market, which we exclude across our equity portfolios due to low expected returns. Our daily process allowed us to again respond quickly. By February 3, we had ...Read More

Here's how much havoc owning a lot of shares of the same company can create in an otherwise diversified ...Read More

A recent flurry of return spikes for a handful of US stocks has captivated investors and noninvestors alike. Wall Street news trending on social media even amid an NFL playoff season is indeed an unusual event.So, what should investors make of these dramatic price movements? A ...Read More

IFA's ongoing research series examines the banker's actively managed mutual ...Read More

Investment returns have two parts: the expected return and the unexpected return. The expected return is the best guess of what will happen based on all the information currently available. The unexpected return is the surprise, the difference between what does happen and what ...Read More

Addiction experts are warning that excessive stock trading represents a growing gambling ...Read More

Patient investors who kept their tilts to small-cap and value stocks were rewarded in the year's final ...Read More

The year 2020 proved to be one of the most tumultuous in modern history, marked by a number of developments that were historically unprecedented. But the year also demonstrated the resilience of people, institutions, and financial markets. The novel coronavirus was already in ...Read More

The value of our advice is only as good as the data provided. Here's a tip sheet for a more efficient ...Read More

The latest report digs deeper than its sister SPIVA scorecard to focus on how consistently active managers ...Read More

A DAF can be a tax-efficient and less-complex tool to accomplish your philanthropic goals. Here's what to ...Read More

Medicare Part B and Part D surcharges are tied to income. Here are some tips to help avoid triggering higher ...Read More

In this study, we compare DFA's funds to those from the investment shop that John Bogle ...Read More

To help choose the best retirement savings option that fits your needs, here's a look at some ...Read More

Contribution limits for 2021 in some areas of retirement are rising. Meanwhile, others are staying the ...Read More

To prepare for the end-of-year filing crunch, we present our top recommendations to lower your tax ...Read More

New entrants into the field of systematic investing must look for ways to differentiate themselves. Impressive backtested performance is one way to stand out. But are these backtests robust? Are they likely to withstand the challenges of real-world implementation? Historical ...Read More

During any downtime in this holiday season, here are some quick ways to sharpen your finances heading into a new ...Read More

Here's a cheat sheet to help wade through your healthcare ...Read More

Key options exist for handling required minimum distributions (RMD), including tax rules impacting qualified charitable ...Read More

Determining the best use of these tax-friendly options can prove crucial to boosting your retirement ...Read More

IFA's stock and bond indexes kept gaining ground in the year's third quarter. Here's a breakdown of what took ...Read More

Climate scientists have identified greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as the largest contributor to global climate change.1 As a result, many investors are looking to reduce their emissions exposure through their portfolios and wondering if doing so would affect their expected ...Read More

As part of IFA's ongoing research series, we've put under our microscope Putnam's actively managed mutual ...Read More

Portfolio management is only one aspect of building wealth. A new report points to other low-risk ways to stay ahead of rising ...Read More

How big of a difference can an objective set of professional eyes add to an investor's overall financial success outside of managing a portfolio? A new study takes a look at just that question. Instead of considering hypotheticals, however, this report goes directly to the ...Read More

Cash is a safe-haven for savers. But it can turn into a real drag in trying to reach your long-term investment goals. ...Read More

It’s probably not news to most value investors that the value premium has struggled over the past decade. What might be news is just how extreme an outlier recent value stock underperformance represents. The periodic returns for value versus growth in Exhibit 1 convey a ...Read More

At IFA, we've designed an alternative portfolio with a stock tilt to more profitable ...Read More

A top-heavy stock market with the largest 10 stocks accounting for over 20% of market capitalization and a marquee technology firm perched at No. 1? This sounds like a description of the current US stock market, dominated by Apple and the other FAANG stocks,1 but it is actually ...Read More

As part of our ongoing research into active managers, we put this insurance giant's funds under our ...Read More

I have been sheltering in place on a former dairy farm in rural New Hampshire—surrounded by more Scotch Highland cattle than people—and relying on my iPhone and Microsoft Surface Pro to keep in touch with the office via email and Zoom video. I haven’t sat in a ...Read More

To many people, the financial markets are nothing more than a giant casino where the odds are stacked against ...Read More

The job of a free-market is to set prices so investors are rewarded for the risk they ...Read More

If you have ever spent any time in a casino, it is likely that you have seen supposedly random events that appeared to be non-random. Perhaps the roulette wheel came up red seven times in a row, for example. If your reaction was to place a large bet on ...Read More

Figuring out a good Social Security benefits strategy can be a confusing and complex challenge. Here's how IFA can ...Read More

How did Fortune's "Ten Most Admired Companies" hold up over time compared to 10 index-based ...Read More

Maybe we're just a bunch of geeks. But each year, we look forward to this latest collection of market ...Read More

As part of IFA's ongoing research series, we've put under our microscope Great-West's active ...Read More

The story of how this insurance giant has grown involves two of history's most well-known ...Read More

The 'Oracle of Omaha' has led Berkshire Hathaway to prominence. But has the past 20 years been as ...Read More

Diversification is important not just in terms of investing, but also in developing a well-rounded and comprehensive financial ...Read More