Articles (168)

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

Here's what the evidence shows about trying to chase returns over the past 10 ...Read More

One thing is for certain: A steady stream of pundits keep trying to predict the impact on ...Read More

A sound evidence-based investment process needs to consider how market volatility can be used to reduce your ...Read More

Stocks staged a dramatic second quarter reversal, highlighting the need for investors to remain ...Read More

Financial research abounds. At least one fund company, though, is trying to highlight more robust ...Read More

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

Many plan participants may not fully understand all the advantages their employerprovided retirement plan provides. Here are three aspects of a retirement plan that may surprise ...Read More

More complaints about Merrill Lynch again highlight need to work with fiduciaries, not ...Read More

This popular tech tool, which clients can utilize for free, is part of an enhanced IFA financial planning ...Read More

The U.S. retirement plan marketplace keeps evolving. Just ask Shareen Balkey, who sees such changes in 401(k) plans and the like as boosting the need for true fiduciaries to help both plan participants and ...Read More

Dimensional's co-head of research explains how best to track and quantify the premium investors gain from tilting to value ...Read More

Once in the dear dead days beyond recall, an out-of-town visitor was being shown the wonders of the New York financial district. When the party arrived at the Battery, one of his guides indicated some handsome ships riding at anchor. He said, “Look, those are the ...Read More

A pandemic leads S&P to issue a special edition to include this year's quarterly ...Read More

The list of misdeeds involves brokers from Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase and ...Read More

It's only natural to worry that daily stock slides will reoccur. Here's a look at how markets have actually ...Read More

Experts warn that cryptorcurrencies like Bitcoin bring out investors’ worst behavior, even more so than actively trading in ...Read More

How to do something different, without doing something ...Read More

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

At least in theory, tax code changes could open new doors for investors with their traditional IRA ...Read More

I was trained as a journalist to approach any type of speculative claim with a high degree of skepticism. But it took years of sifting through a wealth of academic research and market evidence for me to finally make a career change. In all honesty, it's just become too apparent ...Read More

Staying invested, whether through small-cap or blue-chip stocks, correlates to greater portfolio ...Read More

“Reversion to the mean,” Jack Bogle once said, “is the iron rule of financial markets.” And if you understand nothing else about how investing works, grasping this one simple concept will give you a better chance of succeeding at it than supposedly more ...Read More

As part of IFA's ongoing research series, we've put under our microscope Principal Financial ...Read More

Protecting valuable personal assets is a strategy that experts warn many investors might not be fully ...Read More

 In the first quarter of 2020, investors were reminded of the importance of understanding how markets really ...Read More

Embarking on a financial plan is like sailing around the world. The voyage won’t always go to plan, and there’ll be rough seas. But the odds of reaching your destination increase greatly if you are prepared, flexible, patient, and well-advised. A mistake many ...Read More

The CARES Act creates new flexibility for 401(k) and 403(b) savers. But savings and tax nuances ...Read More

With a proposed merger looming, how has Legg Mason's funds lineup performed as a standalone active ...Read More

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

Dave Goetsch, who worked as an executive producer of TV's "The Big Bang Theory," offers some investment insights. ...Read More

It might not seem intuitive, but this graph shows valuable discipline is when markets ...Read More

The crux of such an ongoing argument has to deal with shareholder diversification and its impact on ...Read More

Small business owners and employees aren't the only ones able to take advantage of tax breaks included in the ...Read More

The independent research shop upgrades its ratings, landing DFA in the top-tier of fund ...Read More

The hedge funds industry is in trouble, and for good reason, notes major news outlets like the WSJ and ...Read More

Building on SPIVA research, analysts dig into how persistent active managers are in beating their benchmarks over ...Read More

By nature, markets are volatile. Here are a few savvy ways to make investing a more palatable road to follow over a ...Read More

As the old saying goes, there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and ...Read More

Different sets of ETF research raise concerns about illiquidity issues during periods of heightened ...Read More

In a wide-ranging Q&A, IFA founder Mark Hebner talks about money management potholes that investors should ...Read More

Spikes in market volatility don't signal it's time to trade stocks. The math just doesn't add ...Read More

Research by Dimensional Fund Advisors looks at key drivers of long-term returns in fixed-income ...Read More

The venerable fund company's alpha-producing abilities and returns are put under our research microscope. ...Read More

The rising number of workers mired in student loan debt is spurring 401(k) sponsors to offer new ...Read More

Imagine you’re at a village fête, and you decide to have a go at guessing the number of jelly beans in a jar. How confident would you be of guessing exactly right or, say within one or two of the actual number? Chances are, it’s a bit of a long ...Read More

It's up to you to claim any leftover funds. The good news: it's likely still legally yours to ...Read More

Most of us remember the days at school when we had our routine fire drill. The fire alarms around the school would ring, we would all calmly and collectedly stand up, form a line, and walk out of the school to a safe place. While I am sure many ...Read More

T. Rowe Price has clearly stated their value proposition to their investors. But what exactly is that value and, more importantly, who is receiving the bulk of that ...Read More

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

The track record of this family's active managers are put under IFA's research ...Read More