Category: Education


How to Think About Home Price Appreciation

Your home is your castle, and if you’re like most Americans, it is also the single largest component of your net worth. Naturally, you would love to see your home appreciate in value over time. But by how much – what’s a reasonable expectation? To answer that question, let’s take a look back at history… […]

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Don’t Chase the Past

“What are the past returns?” That’s the first and often only question many ask before making an investment. Why? Because we’re wired to believe that those returns are indicative of what we’ll receive in the future. If an investment has gone up 25%, we expect another 25%. If an investment has doubled, we expect it […]

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The Week in Charts – Video (2/28/23)

The most important charts and themes in markets and investing. For the week in charts blog post with all the charts/data, click here. Disclaimer: All information provided is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment, legal or tax advice, or an offer to buy or sell any security. Read our full disclosures here.

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The Week in Charts (2/13/23)

Note: view the video of this post here. The charts and themes from the past week that tell an interesting story in markets and investing… 1) A Screeching Halt For years, the tech juggernauts consistently reported growth rates far in excess of the broad market, a persistent tailwind for share prices. Across the “Big 4” (Apple/Microsoft/Google/Amazon) […]

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The Week in Charts (Video – 2/3/23)

The most important charts and themes in markets and investing. For the week in charts blog post with all the charts/data, click here. Disclaimer: All information provided is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment, legal or tax advice, or an offer to buy or sell any security. Read our full disclosures here.

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The Ultimate Guide to Investing Cash on the Sidelines

This is a situation many of you will be familiar with. You have money to invest that’s been sitting in cash, either from the sale of a business, a recent inheritance, or built-up savings. This is money you don’t expect to need or access for more than 20 years, if ever. You know that cash […]

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Investing Cash on the Sidelines (Video)

An analysis of the opportunity cost of cash, lump sum vs. dollar-cost averaging, and trying to time your exposure to the market… For the blog post on this topic with all the charts/data, click here. Disclaimer: All information provided is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment, legal or tax advice, or an offer […]

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2022: The Year in Charts (Video)

The charts and themes that tell the story of 2022… For the blog post with all the charts/data, click here. Disclaimer: All information provided is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment, legal or tax advice, or an offer to buy or sell any security. Read our full disclosures here.

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The Week in Charts (12/4/22)

Notes: -I have a new channel on YouTube where I share my latest thoughts on markets and investing. You can view the most recent video here. __ This week’s post is sponsored by YCharts. YCharts is giving 100 of our readers free access to their Professional platform until December 16th. Sign up here. With YCharts you can conduct investment research, monitor the markets, […]

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A Bear Market Checklist

The S&P 500 is in the midst of its third bear market in the last four years. If this one feels different than the previous two, that’s because it’s lasted for more than the blink of an eye. At 9 months and counting from the all-time high reached back in January, this is now the […]

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Why Saving Is More Important Than Investing

What matters more: your savings rate or your investing return? Most would probably say the latter as that gets all the attention. We often hear discussions about how to earn higher returns but savings rates are rarely mentioned. In reality, though, saving is far more important for the majority of Americans. Why? Because most people […]

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10-Chart Monday (9/26/22)

Notes: -I have a new channel on YouTube where I share my latest thoughts on markets and investing. You can view the most recent video here. –Register here for my October webinar with YCharts covering the most important charts and themes in markets and investing. __ This week’s post is sponsored by YCharts. Mention Charlie Bilello to receive a free trial and […]

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10-Chart Thursday (9/15/22)

Note: I have a new channel on YouTube where I share my latest thoughts on markets and investing. You can view the most recent video here. __ This week’s post is sponsored by YCharts. Mention Charlie Bilello to receive a free trial and 20% off your subscription when you initially sign up for the service. 10 charts and themes from the past week that tell […]

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How to Earn Bond-Like Returns Without the Risk of Drawdowns

US Bonds are on pace for their worst year in history, down over 11% year-to-date. On a monthly basis, this is now the longest US bond market drawdown ever (25 months and counting) and the largest (-12.3%) since 1980. Why are bonds falling? Interest rates are rising at a rapid rate from historic lows, and […]

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How to Earn a Higher Return Without Taking More Risk

Inertia is a powerful force – and if you’re like most Americans – you’re still earning almost nothing on your cash because if it. According to Bankrate.com, the national average yield on a savings account is a paltry 0.13%. Many of the largest banks (Bank of America, Chase, HSBC, Wells Fargo, and Citibank) are offering even […]

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How the Worst Market Timer in History Built a Fortune

In late August 1930, identical twins Warren and Wally were born in Omaha, Nebraska. They came from a long line of great investors and much was expected of them. While Warren seemed to inherit these genes, Wally wasn’t so lucky and had no investing acumen whatsoever. As teenagers, Warren and Wally were each given a […]

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9-Chart Sunday (9/4/22)

Note: I have a new channel on YouTube where I share my latest thoughts on markets and investing. You can view the most recent video here. — This week’s post is sponsored by YCharts. Mention Charlie Bilello to receive a free trial and 20% off your subscription when you initially sign up for the service. Click here for the latest research from YCharts on whether […]

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10-Chart Tuesday (8/23/22)

Note: I have a new channel on YouTube where I share my latest thoughts on markets and investing. You can view the most recent video here. This week’s post is sponsored by YCharts. Mention Charlie Bilello to receive a free trial and 20% off your subscription when you initially sign up for the service. — 10 charts and themes from the past week that tell […]

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7-Chart Monday (8/8/22)

Note: I have a new channel on YouTube where I share my latest thoughts on markets and investing. You can view the most recent video here. __ This week’s post is sponsored by YCharts. Mention Charlie Bilello to receive a free trial and 20% off your subscription when you initially sign up for the service. — 7 charts and themes from the past week that […]

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The Biggest Mistake an Investor Can Make

The market has gone up over time. But not all the time; far from it. And therein lies the challenge, for you can’t have one (long-term gain) without the other (short-term pain). Since 1990, the S&P 500 has returned an impressive 10% per year. And it’s done so despite two 50+% bear markets and being […]

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9-Chart Wednesday (5/11/22)

This week’s post is sponsored by YCharts. Mention Charlie Bilello to receive 20% off your subscription when you initially sign up for the service. — 9 charts from the past week that tell an interesting story in markets and investing… 1) Two Steps Forward, One Step Back That’s the path all investors must take, as there is no upside without intermittent […]

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7-Chart Sunday (2/27/22)

This week’s post is sponsored by YCharts. Mention Charlie Bilello to receive 20% off your subscription when you initially sign up for the service. ___ 7 charts from the past week that tell an interesting story in markets and investing… 1) Wars and Fat Tails Financial markets do not follow a bell curve. Instead, they operate in the world of fat […]

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6-Chart Saturday (2/19/22)

Note: I have a new video channel on YouTube where I’ll be sharing my latest thoughts on markets and investing. Check out the most recent video on the upcoming Fed rate hike here. This week’s post is sponsored by YCharts. Mention Charlie Bilello to receive 20% off your subscription when you initially sign up for the service. ___ 6 charts from the past […]

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7-Chart Sunday (12/26/21)

Sign up here for our weekly newsletter. This week’s post is sponsored by YCharts. Mention Compound to receive 20% off your subscription when you initially sign up for the service. Enabling smarter investment decisions & better client communications. 7 charts from the past week that tell an interesting story in markets and investing… 1) Hello $29 Trillion The US National Debt […]

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The Stock Picker’s Bear Market

Bezos. Gates. Buffett. Zuckerberg. Musk. A list of the wealthiest Americans all have one thing in common: concentrated positions in a single company’s stock that they founded. It’s tempting to believe that is the model you should follow in your own investment portfolio, but for most, that would be a mistake. Why? Because the odds […]

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