ETFs vs Mutual Funds: The Differences That Matter
Same underlying holdings, different plumbing. The plumbing matters mainly in taxable accounts.
ETF
Total Stock Market Funds: Owning the Whole US Market
A total market fund adds thousands of smaller companies to the large ones — and behaves almost identically anyway.
S&P 500 Index Funds: What You Are Actually Buying
Five hundred companies, but not five hundred equal bets.
International Funds: How Much Foreign Exposure Do You Need?
Roughly 40% of global market value sits outside the US. Most US portfolios hold far less than that.
Dividend Funds: Income That Is Not Free Money
A dividend transfers value out of the share price. It is your own money arriving on a schedule.
Taxable Brokerage Accounts: Flexibility With a Tax Bill
The account with no rules is also the account with no shelter.
The Three-Fund Portfolio
Three funds cover almost everything a long-term investor needs. The rest is preference.
Tax-Loss Harvesting and the Wash Sale Rule
Useful in taxable accounts, irrelevant in retirement accounts, and easy to get wrong by 30 days.
Capital Gains Tax Basics for Investors
Holding for a year and a day changes which rate schedule applies. It is the cheapest tax planning there is.
Robo-Advisors: What the Fee Buys
You are paying for maintenance and for not touching it. For some people that is excellent value.