The Market Crash Is Coming! (…Eventually)
The stock market crash is coming…eventually. But trying to anticipate that crash isn’t too smart. Let’s see why.
The stock market crash is coming…eventually. But trying to anticipate that crash isn’t too smart. Let’s see why.
Gold is one of the oldest investment strategies there is and continues to be relevant even today. Gold tends to move in the opposite direction as the stock market, so it can be a worthwhile…
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If you’re looking to save money for a short, intermediate or long-term goal, such as retirement, you need to find a safe place to park it, earn interest, and have fairly access to your money. But, how do you find such a safe place? The good news is that there are several places to put …
Continue reading “Grow Your Money: Mutual Funds, Index Funds, & CDs”
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Although investing in the stock market can feel intimidating at first, it could be the key to achieving your financial goals. Short of hitting the lottery or building a thriving business that you can sell, buying securities that increase in value over time is usually the easiest path to wealth. After all, the average savings […]
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If you’re educating yourself on how to invest your money for the first time, books such as Thinking, Fast and Slow, The Little Book of Behavioral Investing, and Animal Spirits: How Human Psychology Drives the Economy, and Why It Matters for Global Capitalism may already be on your reading list. But you shouldn't stop there. Many investors are surprised to learn that building wealth isn’t based purely on graphs and facts you can learn from books. In fact, psychology plays a huge role in the process. Cognitive psychology shows that the ways we manage our money has a lot to do with fear, excitement, greed, and personal biases.
We often imagine that investors are always rational and make consistent decisions based on new information. However, statistics show that only 20% of individual investors and 30% of institutional investors act rationally. In real life, investors are closer to behavioral finance, which means that they’re influenced by personal beliefs, impulses, and emotions. Even if you did your homework and researched the best investment strategies, emotional behaviors might prevent you from applying them correctly, so it's important to know some of the types of irrational behaviors that can sabotage you.
Five types of irrational behavior that can sabotage your investment portfolio are:
Studies have shown that people generally believe they are better than average, even when that’s not the case. After a series of successful investments, it's common for investors to assume they have it all figured out. But in reality, it takes years to become an experienced investor, and even the best investors make mistakes.
After the excitement of the first successful investment, it’s easy to become overconfident in your abilities and forget that chance plays a major role in the financial market. One of the most important lessons in investing is that you can never know too much, so no matter what your financial situation is, manage your portfolio prudently.
The more you invest, the more you realize that loss is inevitable. After all, the higher the risk, the higher the reward. But while many investors accept risk in theory, they aren’t ready to deal with loss. This is called loss aversion, and it can prevent you from making a profit. According to researchers, investors experience the pain of a loss twice as strongly as a success, and they’ll do whatever they can to avoid it. As a result, when they notice that an investment is losing them money, whether that investment is a house, stock, or currency, they hold on to it for as long as possible to avoid the sense of finality of the loss. But that can turn out to be a huge mistake and end up losing you more money in the long run.
There are other, more effective ways to limit losses. For example, if you’re trading Forex, you can try copy trading, where live trading results are openly published online, and you can copy the actions of more experienced traders. Or if you’re trading stocks, you can simply set a stop-loss order. This is designed to limit your loss on a security position and make you sell the stock if it drops below a certain value. Of course, there will always be cases when a stock rebounds after an initial drop, but especially as a new trader, it’s wiser to protect your portfolio proactively.
Although diversification is a surefire way to minimize the risk of loss, gain more return opportunities, and safeguard your portfolio against the volatility of the market, research shows that investors tend to stick to assets they know and are comfortable with. This is called a familiarity bias, and it can be detrimental to your portfolio.
One study has shown that beginner investors in particular stick to domestic stocks, such as large telecom companies or factories in their area, without realizing that these businesses may be sinking. Or even worse, people invest only in their employer’s stock, and when that employer goes out of business, they lose both their job and their profit.
Diversifying can be a bit uncomfortable at first since it means researching stocks out of your comfort zone, but overcoming your familiarity bias is important if you want to protect your portfolio. Don’t put all your eggs in the same basket. Instead, cast a wide net when choosing investments.
The ability to put things into perspective and estimate the impact that events will have in the long run is crucial in trading. However, this ability takes years to develop. When you're new to investing, you’re much more likely to inadvertently practice framing – a cognitive error where you have a narrow-minded approach and evaluate investments in isolation rather than as a cohesive whole.
According to Harry Markowitz’s modern portfolio theory, the assets in your portfolio shouldn’t stand alone. Instead, you should consider how they fit into your general portfolio and, when necessary, readjust the portfolio to reflect the new reality of the market. Cryptocurrency is a perfect example of framing. People who bought Bitcoin in its early days and held onto it are probably very happy, but if they didn’t invest in anything else in the meantime, their portfolio consists entirely of crypto now, and that’s a risky move.
The confirmation trap, also known as anchoring or “the house money effect,” occurs when an investor relies relentlessly on a single investment, simply because it worked out well once. Another example of anchoring is when someone takes information from only one source because they were right the first time. But as any experienced investor will tell you, one positive experience is not a guarantee of future success. While learning from the past can sometimes help you understand future numbers, it can also prevent you from making fresh choices based on more relevant insights. To prevent anchoring from limiting your options, always try to view an investment opportunity from different perspectives, stay open-minded, and talk to several consultants before making a decision.
The loss of a spouse is devastating, and in that situation, the last thing you want to worry about is money. Unfortunately, as a widow or widower, money is often one of the most important things to think about. And Social Security benefits are usually one of the firstâand trickiestâfinancial resources to navigate. To help… Read More
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This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
When you are selecting an insurance company, it is important that you are aware of the insurer’s financial strength. Luckily, there are financial rating companies that do the hard work for you. One of these companies is A.M. Depending on the rating, youâll be able to determine which insurance company is best for you. It […]
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Leaving a job typically means saying goodbye to workplace benefits such as health insurance and medical spending accounts. No matter if you quit, get fired, or get furloughed, it's essential to know your options so you can make the most of those perks.
If you're starting a new job with benefits or becoming self-employed, you'll have critical decisions to make about what's best for you and your family. I recently received a couple of questions about how to handle benefits during work transitions, and I'll answer them throughout this post. We'll review the best options for managing medical benefits when you leave or start a new job.
When it's time to leave a job with benefits, it's essential to let your employer know so you can evaluate your options for managing or replacing them right away. The sooner you understand your choices, the more time you'll have to do your homework and consider what's best.
Any insurance perks you have typically end on the last day of the month you get terminated. So, be strategic about choosing your last day, when possible.
If you leave an employer on good terms or get a severance package, ask for an extra month or two of medical coverage if you need it.
For instance, if you work through November 30, your health insurance may end on that day. But if you work through December 1, your insurance may last until December 31. Also, remember that most things in business are negotiable. If you leave an employer on good terms or get a severance package, ask for an extra month or two of medical coverage if you need it.
Here are four work transitions you may need to manage:
Congrats! Benefits at your new job may start on your first day, or you may be subject to a waiting period, such as 30 or 90 days. Don't roll the dice with a gap in critical coverages such as health and life insurance. Something unexpected—a car accident, illness, or death—could be financially devastating for you or your surviving family.
If you have a spouse or partner who also has workplace insurance benefits, you may be wondering which plan to choose or whether you can double up on benefits. Keep reading for tips to handle this situation wisely.
If your new job is with a small company, it may not offer expensive perks such as health insurance. But that doesn't mean you can't get affordable coverage on your own, which we'll cover in a moment.
No matter if your workplace doesn't offer benefits or you're unemployed, there are ways to get low- or no-cost health insurance.
When you work for yourself, you need to provide your own medical benefits package, and the same advice will apply, so keep reading.
A critical right you should be familiar with is COBRA continuation coverage. COBRA, which stands for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, is a law that requires an insurer to continue your employer-sponsored medical insurance, including health, dental, and vision policies after you're no longer employed.
Anytime you leave a job with group health benefits, you can purchase COBRA coverage for a period. Your benefits administrator should give you information about your right to apply for COBRA coverage and the cost.
Anytime you leave a job with group health benefits, you can purchase COBRA coverage for a period.
You can purchase the same or fewer medical benefits than you had before you quit, got laid-off, or fired from your job. But the price won't be the same—COBRA coverage can be expensive because your previous employer does not subsidize it.
You must pay the full COBRA premiums, plus a 2% administrative charge, to the insurer. While it will cost more than you're used to, the upside is that your coverage will be seamless, and you'll be familiar with it.
COBRA protects everyone affected by the loss of group health insurance, including the former employee, his or her spouse, former spouses, and dependent children—when certain qualifying events occur, such as termination or reduction of work hours. It typically lasts for up to 18 months. However, if you're a surviving spouse or divorced from a covered employee, COBRA may continue for up to 36 months.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that you'll just wait and get health insurance when you get a new job or when you become eligible after a new employer's waiting period. If you get sick or need a trip to the emergency room, you could end up with a massive bill.
If you're not eligible for regular, federal COBRA, many states offer similar programs called Mini COBRA. To learn more, check with your state's department of insurance.
If you don't have the option to get COBRA medical benefits or can't afford it, your next best option is to shop for ACA-qualified health insurance. ACA stands for the Affordable Care Act, which set standards, known as essential health benefits, and provides subsidies that make qualified plans more affordable.
If you qualify for an ACA subsidy based on your income and family size, it can make a health plan much less expensive than COBRA continuation.
If you qualify for an ACA subsidy based on your income and family size, it can make a health plan much less expensive than COBRA continuation. But if you have high income and don't qualify for reduced premiums, COBRA may cost about the same or even give you better benefits.
So, shop and compare the cost of COBRA to a private policy when possible. Open enrollment for ACA-qualified health plans is limited to the last few weeks of the year. However, losing your group coverage at work is one of several life events that qualify you for a special enrollment period or SEP to get coverage. But you only have 60 days to sign up for an ACA plan after losing your insurance at work, so don't put it off.
If you miss the special enrollment deadline, you generally won't be able to get a marketplace plan unless you have another qualifying life event. These include getting married, having a child, or exhausting your maximum period of COBRA coverage.
You can get quotes for an ACA-qualified health plan from the following:
Depending on your income, family size, and the state where you live, you may qualify for free or low-cost coverage from Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Also, note that if you're younger than 26, you can enroll in a parent's health plan even if you don't live at home or are married.
Jamie left a voicemail and asks:
I'm starting a new job soon and am wondering if I should enroll in the dental and vision benefits because I already have them under my husband's insurance. How should I compare insurance policies if I need to choose between different plans?
It's not against the law to have more than one medical insurance policy, but it may be a waste of money. Having more than one medical plan doesn't mean that you get reimbursed twice for covered benefits.
Having more than one medical plan doesn't mean that you get reimbursed twice for covered benefits.
The plan you get through your employer becomes primary, and the one through a spouse or partner's employer is secondary. After the primary policy covers you, the secondary would pick up any remaining covered cost. But the combined coverage can't exceed 100% of the cost.
When you have dual health or dental plans, you must pay deductibles for both of them. In other words, you may still have out-of-pocket costs even when you have more than one plan.
Whether you could save money by enrolling in more than one medical insurance plan depends on several factors, such as the monthly premium, annual deductible, and how high your healthcare expenses could be in the future.
You'll need to make these same comparisons when you're choosing between different plans. Evaluate monthly premiums, annual deductibles, co-payments, co-insurance, and the doctor networks to estimate which one is best for your situation.
To get some help, speak to an insurance representative from each plan you're considering. Ask them about the types of healthcare services you and your family typically need or have needed in the past. You can't predict how healthy you'll be going forward. But to evaluate different plans, or know if having more than one plan is worthwhile, you must consider your previous expenses for health, dental, and vision care. So gathering that information should be part of your research.
Adam asks, "My employer makes contributions to my HSA every payday. Do I have to repay them if I leave my job to start my own business?"
Another insurance-related benefit that you may have at work is a tax-advantaged health savings account or HSA. You're eligible for an HSA when you're enrolled in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP). Having an HDHP may be a good option when you want lower premiums, are in relatively good health, and are likely to take advantage of an HSA.
An HSA is portable, so you can take it with you if you leave an employer.
The good news is that an HSA is portable, so you can take it with you if you leave an employer. Your account balance, including amounts contributed by your old employer, are yours to spend tax-free on eligible medical expenses with no spending deadline.
You can spend an HSA on qualified expenses for you or your family members, even if you don't have a high-deductible plan or you're uninsured. However, you can't make any new HSA contributions when you're not covered by HDHP.
If you become unemployed, you can use an HSA for COBRA premiums, or for other health insurance while you're receiving unemployment compensation. But if you spend HSA money on non-qualified medical expenses, the amounts will be taxed as income, plus you must pay an additional 20% penalty.
Another medical spending account you may need to manage when you leave a job is an FSA or flexible spending arrangement. These accounts can only be offered by employers and get funded by pre-tax payroll deductions that you can use for childcare and medical expenses.
Make sure you empty the account by spending the funds on qualified purchases before your last day of work or by the end of the month.
FSAs have a use-it-or-lose-it policy, which means the amounts you've contributed will be forfeited if you don't spend them before leaving a job. Make sure you empty the account by spending the funds on qualified purchases before your last day of work or by the end of the month.
Whether leaving a job is cause for tears or celebration, you can make smart decisions about your medical benefits and save money with some strategic planning. Be sure to ask your benefits administrator or your plan providers for help when you need it.