Ideas on Personal Finance
Everyone thinks they can do it: Buy low; sell high. Retire early. Go on CNBC and talk about it. But April 2025 has been a masterclass in why that almost never happens in real life – unless you have a crystal ball! Let’s look at a couple of examples. April 9: A 90-Day Pause and … Read more
What a difference a month makes! This time last month, the US stock market was hitting all time highs. Now the market is in a correction (down more than 10%). I try to avoid talking about politics—this is a personal finance blog, after all! However, there are times when politics has such a big impact … Read more
In theory, investing is pretty straightforward – Buy Low, Sell High! Buy things when they are down. Sell things when they go up. In practice, investing is pretty difficult. Let’s take the first part of the equation – buying low. When stocks go down, we should buy them, right? But when stocks fall 10% there … Read more
A couple of years ago, the stock market crashed, and everyone was freaking out. The S&P 500 index fell from a high of around 4,800 to a low of about 3,500 in 2022—a 27% drop. Many stocks fell even more—Amazon’s stock dropped by half, and Meta (Facebook) was down 65%. Back then, I wrote a … Read more
This election cycle has been tough, and I’m glad it’s finally over! Half the country is happy, and half is not. I miss the days when people would just shrug and move on after an election. I guess I am getting old!! But since this is a finance blog, I will not drive into politics … Read more
In the whirlwind of today’s news cycle, it often feels like the world is always teetering on the edge of catastrophe. Negative headlines dominate our screens, and the constant deluge of dire news can be overwhelming. However, it is crucial to acknowledge an undeniable truth: the world is, in reality, progressing rather than regressing. The … Read more
This is my last article in the ‘stock market crash’ series. Over the last year, the market has taken us on a roller coaster ride. First, it fell by 20%. Now even as everyone is forecasting a recession, the market has recouped its losses. Through all these ups and downs, it is very easy to … Read more
It has been a roller coaster start to 2023! A month ago, everyone was worried. The market was down 20% in 2022. However, over the last month, the market has surprised everyone and has steadily gone up. In fact, the market is up more than 15% from its lows of last year! Stocks have been … Read more
Happy New Year! I am glad to say goodbye to 2022. What a year it has been for savers and investors. The high inflation was bad for savers, and the market downturn was bad for investors. Almost every type of investment was down. However, 2022 did offer some useful investing lessons. Diversification does not matter, … Read more
Last week, a friend mentioned that he is expecting there will be a recession next year. He said he is saving money to invest when the market goes down. He is probably right – there will be a recession next year. However, waiting for that to start investing is not a good idea. There are … Read more