Investments

The Two Levels Of Rich: One Of Which Doesn’t Rely On Index Funds

It’s safe to assume the vast majority of you reading Financial Samurai want to be rich. I trust those of you who’ve been reading this site between 2009 and 2012, when I was writing heavily about investment strategies, have indeed become much richer. The compounding forces since then have been enormous. We are probably one […]

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Stock Market Performance During Previous Fed-Rate-Hike Cycles

Are you wondering how the stock market has performed during previous Fed-rate-hike cycles? This article will explore whether stocks perform well or poorly when borrowing costs rise. On March 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve approved its first rate hike since December 2018. 11 Fed rate hikes later, the Fed Funds rate is at 5.25% –

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Four Important Signs A Recession May Be Imminent

Well folks, the bad times are clearly back again. There’s a growing chance of a recession. What’s worse, there might actually be stagflation, where inflation remains high while economic output declines. For those of you who’ve been consistently investing since 2009 or earlier, experiencing a recession is just a part of the economic cycle. Bad

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Home Country Bias Investing And Why It Can Be A Big Problem

All of us are patriots to some degree. However, it’s good to beware of home country bias to protect ourselves from unexpected risk. Home country bias refers to investors’ tendency to favor companies from their own country over those from other countries or regions. After all, it’s usually better to invest in what we know

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How To Live With Dead Money For A While Under Different Scenarios

Unfortunately, we may have to accept the reality of living with dead money for a while. The forecasts of lower expected returns in the stock market over the next decade may very well be coming true. As a result, we must adapt and think ahead. In this post, I’d like to discuss several suboptimal financial

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Five Financial Observations Since The Start Of The Ukraine War

Russia has invaded Ukraine. Unfortunately, there’s nothing much you or I can do except give our moral and financial support to the Ukrainian people and organizations trying to help. If you’re looking for a donation idea, check out World Central Kitchen, which is providing warm meals to Ukrainian refugees. Let us hope there is a

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How To Hedge Your Bets Once You’ve Realized A Mistake Was Made

Like it or not, we are all bettors. To make things sound better, we like to call ourselves investors. But either way, we’re all constantly taking risks in everything we do. The other day a Financial Samurai reader named Jim challenged me to a $5,000 bet. Surprising! I was going to go back to Jim

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How To Avoid Financial Fraud And Protect Your Investments

Are you aware of the risks you take online? Nearly half the U.S. population was impacted by identity fraud and financial fraud in 2020, responsible for $56B in losses. And the truth is, you’ve never been a bigger target. Technology is woven into our lives. From remote work to shopping to banking, we can send/receive

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