Why give stock to a donor-advised fund?
What are the benefits of giving appreciated stock to a donor-advised fund if I don’t plan to itemize my deductions this year? Answer: Giving appreciated stock to a donor-advised fund — or directly to a charity — gives you a tax benefit even if you don’t itemize. By doing so, you avoid having to pay taxes on the capital gains that have accumulated through the years. If you... READ MORE
Don’t try to time the bull market’s end
The bull market in stocks has lasted almost 10 years. Is it time to take profits and leave the stock market? In recent years, many experts have predicted — incorrectly — that it is time to reinvest somewhere else. And the precipitous drop in mid-October shook some investors’ faith in a continuing bull market. Frankly, I have no idea when this bull market will end, and neither does... READ MORE
Mutual funds run by artificial intelligence
A computer can trounce a human chess master and solve complex mathematical calculations in seconds. Can it do a better job investing your money than a flesh-and-blood portfolio manager? Investors willing to test that question can do so with a couple of exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, that leave the investment decisions to a computer’s so-called artificial intelligence, or AI. ETF... READ MORE
Here’s how I size up which stock to buy
I like to buy shares when a company’s price-earnings ratio is less than the sum of its earnings-growth rate and its dividend yield. My goal is to find stocks that investors have mispriced — when the P in a P/E is too low, given a company’s prospects for increasing profits and its dividend payout. My formula is a version of the dividend-adjusted PEG ratio, long favored by Peter... READ MORE
How corporate tax cuts may affect stocks
Stocks rose for months on hopes that tax cuts will fuel a surge in corporate profits and dividend increases. But despite some volatility lately, you haven’t missed the rally — it should last well into 2018, especially for the parts of the market that may benefit the most. One way to cash in is with shares of small and midsize firms. Such companies tend to pay taxes at higher... READ MORE
Five cheap stocks to buy for $20 or less
Stocks with low share prices can be a cost-effective way for small investors to diversify their portfolios. But even after a bumpy few weeks, the market remains near all-time highs and is as expensive as ever, making quality cheap stocks more and more difficult to find. Before a rising market tide lifted almost all boats, it wasn’t too tough to find stocks for less than $10 that... READ MORE
Protect your assets in this volatile market
After a long stretch of calm and a relentless rally, the stock market recently took a breather. No one should be surprised — unless you’re surprised it took so long for this bull market to take some downtime. Stock market corrections, typically defined as a loss between 10 percent and 20 percent from the peak, occur about every two years, on average. The last one began in May 2015,... READ MORE
Is more tech in mutual funds a good thing?
As technology takes over more of people’s daily lives, it’s also taking over ever-bigger chunks of their retirement accounts. Surging prices for technology stocks around the world mean the industry is making up a larger proportion of global markets. In the United States, Apple, Google’s parent company, and other tech companies account for nearly 24 percent of the Standard &... READ MORE
Despite concerns, bull market continues
Wall Street is forecasting another year of gains for stocks in 2018, even as worries rise that the end may be nearing for one of the market’s greatest runs in history. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index has nearly quadrupled since the dark days of early 2009, and this bull run of eight-plus years is well into old-age status. Only the rally of 1990 to 2000 lasted longer. But... READ MORE
