Is It A Good Idea to Take Out a Home Equity Loan to Pay Off Credit Card Debt?

You may hear a lot of financial commentators mention that it is a good idea, in their opinion, to take out a home equity loan or a home equity line of credit to pay off credit card debt.  The benefits of using one of these two types of consolidation methods to reduce your credit card [...]

from Joshua Kennon

The Price of Happiness? Science Confirms It Is $75,000 Per Year

In a major peer-reviewed study from Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton from the Center for Health and Well-being at Princeton University, the great debate of psychology – can money buy happiness? – has finally been answered.  It turns out, it can up to a point.  This isn’t some quick news poll either, it is a [...]

from Joshua Kennon

How to Avoid Financial Stress

I was reading through the comments on an article about investing over at Yahoo Finance and a lot of people were whining about the fact that it is impossible to save money.  Only those who inherit their money can be rich (which you all already know is false based on the evidence). A gentleman named [...]

from Joshua Kennon

Part I of the Next Book Is Almost Done …

Today, I should wrap up the quasi-final draft of Part I of the book, which covers somewhere between 110 and 130 pages and provides a list of virtually all of the time value of money equations that are important to new investors.  (I think the final book will end up being roughly 300 to 400 [...]

from Joshua Kennon

People Who Are Drowning in Student Loan Debt

Victims of the Student Loan Industry or Irresponsible Borrowers? I was reading a site called Student Loan Justice as well as a piece at the Huffington Post where people are talking about their “overwhelming” student loan debt that is – wait for it – $15,000 or $30,000.  Basically, less than the value of a car.  [...]

from Joshua Kennon

How One of My Family Members Used Shares of U.S. Bancorp to Build Substantial Wealth

A member of my close family has been using a technique to build substantial wealth that doesn’t require a high income or any specialized knowledge, extra work, or effort.  I was so impressed by the way he implemented this program, I thought I would share it with my other family and friends (as well as [...]

from Joshua Kennon

Using Cash to Increase Your Value Investing Returns

One of the least discussed secrets of great practitioners of the value investing strategy is the use of cash, cash equivalents, and bonds to augment returns.  From Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffett to Wallace Weitz and Marty Whitman, intelligent use of excess funds has as much to do with growing your capital over the long run [...]

from Joshua Kennon

Paying for Your House with Dollar Cost Averaging

A close family member recently used dollar cost averaging and the power of compounding in such a creative way, that I thought it would be useful to share it.  This technique, which he developed after studying the various returns available on different asset classes, was designed to show that two factory workers, both earning the same [...]

from Joshua Kennon

Real Estate Asset Allocation 101

When you’re ready to add the real estate asset class to your investing portfolio, your asset allocation decisions aren’t done.  You have a smorgasbord of options, including REITs, apartment buildings, storage units, parking garages, farm land, strip malls, office buildings, and rental houses, just to name a few.  You can even invest in mixed asset [...]

from Joshua Kennon

What Asset Classes Should I Consider for My Asset Allocation Portfolio?

When you are ready to begin investing with a disciplined asset allocation plan, you may wonder which asset classes are appropriate for your strategy.  According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the best way to determine the best asset class is to consider two factors – your time horizon and your risk profile. Your Time [...]

from Joshua Kennon

Passive Income Asset Allocation Model Portfolio

Asset allocation models designed to generate passive income for investors remain among the most popular of all time because everyone wants to be able to live off their money.  Whether you are retired and need to augment your Social Security income, or you are wealthy and want to generate passive income without touching your principal, [...]

from Joshua Kennon