By Yann Kostic from the May 2015 Edition Foreign stocks had a losing year in 2014, with the MSCI EAFE Index, a wide benchmark of international stock markets, losing 4.90 percent. That’s far worse than the U.S. benchmark S&P 500 Index, which gained 13.69 percent. But that doesn’t mean you should avoid foreign stocks. First, non-U.S. equities […]
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By Yann Kostic from the January 2015 Edition Recently, the U.S. dollar has been on a roll: The U.S. Dollar Index (which measures the value of the greenback against the euro, Japanese yen, Canadian dollar, British pound, Swedish krona, and Swiss franc) reached a four-year high in the third quarter of 2014. Good news in some […]
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By Yann Kostic from the December 2014 Edition For many of us, a portfolio of investments is like a junk closet: It starts out organized, but gradually collects random stuff until it needs some serious cleaning. But unlike cleaning a closet, cleaning your portfolio can save (or even earn) you money. The first step is to look at the […]
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By Yann Kostic from the November 2014 Edition You’ve probably noticed that your mutual fund account statement shows two sets of figures for average annual total returns: one is adjusted and the other, unadjusted. What does this mean? Unadjusted performance figures: Unadjusted performance figures show the performance of a fund during the time periods indicated, taking into account changes […]
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By Yann Kostic from the October 2014 Edition Adding real estate to your portfolio can provide greater diversification, plus a potential for growth, but it can be tricky. That’s why some investors choose real estate investment trusts (REITs) instead. REITs are securities that invest primarily in income-producing real estate or make loans to persons involved in the real […]
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By Yann Kostic from the September 2014 Edition When volatility strikes the stock market, some investors take refuge in bonds. But while bonds are generally less risky than stocks, they, too, have risks. Perhaps the greatest is the risk that a rise in interest rates will cause the value of your bond investments to decline. […]
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By Yann Kostic from the August 2014 Edition Investors saving for retirement often avoid international stocks because of their perceived risk, but going global could actually reduce your portfolio risk. Why? International stocks may offer better value. Over the six months ending April 30, the U.S. stock market, as measured by the S&P 500 Index, […]
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 By Yann Kostic from the July 2014 Edition In today’s challenging economy, many people who aren’t yet of retirement age may want to withdraw money from their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs.) It’s generally a good idea to keep your IRA assets untouched until you can withdraw them penalty-free at age 59½, but if you need to make an exception, […]
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 By Yann Kostic from the July 2014 Edition Well, let’s start at the beginning: if you are a U.S. citizen (or a green card holder) and have more than US$10.000 in foreign financial accounts at any time during the year, you must file an FBAR (Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts Report). The reporting of foreign financial accounts for […]
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By Manzanillo Sun Writer from the June 2014 Edition Most Americans consider 65 the traditional age to take Social Security benefits, but there are other options. You can take them early, at age 62, or late, up to age 70. If you start collecting Social Security benefits in the first year of eligibility at 62 you’ll receive […]
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