Like most all of us, I look often to see how the market and my holdings are doing. (Patti has it right: she never looks!) My looks are quick: is the market up or down today? Are my holdings up or down today? I know

If you’re a diehard nest egger you only invest in Index funds. But some just can’t avoid the lure of trying to beat the market. Or just can’t make the switch to Index funds all at once. If you are hooked on trying to beat

We all pay costs to invest. The amount we pay each year – our Investing Cost – lowers the amount we get to keep from the gross returns the market, in aggregate, provides all investors. Patti and I pay a predictable, small amount and our

I now have made two monthly payments that are, in effect, rent on our new furnace installed right at the end of last December. As I mentioned in this post, I decided not to use our financial assets to invest into non-financial assets. This

The last post said you will be a successful investor – almost certainly better than the 94^th percentile of investors over time – by investing solely in Index funds. But very few individual investors do this. This post examines why they don’t simply stick

I would think most retirees would be ecstatic if they knew they could be in the top 6% of all investors, and they can. But an amazing percentage of investors make decisions – or fail to make decisions – that would put them at the

A Health Savings Account (HSA) is about the best investment opportunity ever: it’s Triple-Tax Free. Nothing beats that. You likely accumulate +25% more after-tax dollars for spending from an HSA than from the next best thing, your retirement accounts. This post explains why – if

I guess I would judge mine as both Neat and Sloppy. I think it’s always been both Neat and Sloppy. But what’s Neat and what’s Sloppy have switched over time. This post describes what I mean. Is your checkbook Neat and Sloppy? You actually want

If we are to truly enjoy our retirement, we must properly pay ourselves from our nest egg. We first need to pay the right amount each year – our annual Safe Spending Amount (SSA). (See Chapter 2, Nest Egg Care (NEC); see here for

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned this book, Dollars and Sense. I liked its thinking in Chapter 6. That chapter says that we are happier if we disconnect what we are buying from the action of actually paying for it. “We feel better