Consider it continuing education for your future

We've created some great information to help you make better strategic decisions that get you where you want to go. We encourage you to read these and attend a workshop to learn more about how to continue getting ahead.

Why the market beats most investors » Read Article

When mutual funds report their results, it may look as if that's what their shareholders got. But in fact, many investors in those funds never got those returns. In this article, Tom Cock Jr., director of education for Merriman Capital Management, tells why.

How the really smart money invests » Read Article

This article from Fortune magazine (July 1998) looks at how some of the smartest guys on Wall Street put their brainpower to work for investors' benefit.

Saving for college just got better » Read Article

Setting aside money for college education can be a complex endeavor for many families. But some of today's options are much better than those of yesteryear. In this article, we examine the cream of the crop of tax-sheltered 529 savings plans.

The ultimate buy-and-hold strategy » Read Article

In this update to one of the most important items in our article library, Paul Merriman shows how a series of simple but powerful concepts can put patient investors far ahead of the crowd. This 2007 update adds returns from 2006 plus a new portfolio.

Fine tuning your asset allocation » Read Article

Perhaps the biggest job that any investor has is managing risk. If you take too much, you could be flirting with disaster; if you take too little, you could cheat yourself out of the returns you need to take care of yourself, your family and your heirs. In this article, Paul Merriman shows how to get this important equation just right.

The perfect portfolio » Read Article

Great chefs know that it takes more than the right ingredients to make an outstanding meal. If you put everything together in just the right way, ordinary ingredients can turn into magic. In this article, Jeff Merriman-Cohen shows how the same thing is true for investing.

The second most important investment decision you must make » Read Article

In the following article from the FundAdvice.com archives, Paul Merriman discusses the second most important decision investors have to make. Though the article was written a few years ago in the midst of a severe bear market, its insights and lessons are just as important now as they were then.

Four easy steps to better returns » Read Article

Whether you're young and just starting out, you're approaching mid-life and accumulating savings or you're nearing retirement age, you can put a huge number of extra dollars in your pocket and in the pockets of your heirs if you just do a few things right. In this article, Paul Merriman tells how.

What's wrong with 401(k) plans » Read Article

Most 401(k) plans are far from perfect, and chances are good (actually this is bad) that yours falls far short of what it could be. In this article Paul Merriman describes the ideal 401(k) plan, discusses real-life plans we have studied and tells how you may be able to improve your own plan.

How to avoid the worst mistakes investors make » Read Article

A popular topic at our investment workshops is a list of the biggest mistakes investors make. In this article Paul Merriman tells how to recognize them and how to avoid them.

How to be a successful contrarian investor » Read Article

Sometimes the way to get ahead is to do what other people don't do. Though that is easier said than done, it's a key to successful investing, as Paul Merriman describes in this article.

Successful investing: Size matters » Read Article

Most investors' money is concentrated in the stocks of large companies. As Richard Buck points out in this article, that means a lot of people leave a lot of money on the table. Included are seven dramatic charts you have probably never seen.

Investment pornography » Read Article

The provocative title of this article is designed to get your attention. The article itself is designed to open your eyes to the trash that's routinely peddled by Wall Street and much of the financial media.

Strategic laziness » Read Article

Laziness seems to have a lot of fans in these times. But is there a smart way to be lazy and still get what you want as an investor? In the following article, Paul Merriman and Richard Buck examine this question -- in a relaxed manner.

Borrow from your 401(k) plan? Stop and think first » Read Article

Lots of people are tempted to borrow from their 401(k). In this article, Cheryl Curran tells why this is a bum idea.

Investing and baseball » Read Article

We don't usually write about sports. But as Paul Merriman points out in this article, investors could learn a lot if they studied the critical skills that make great baseball players and managers.

Should you trust Fidelity's advertising? » Read Article

Fidelity Investments is the largest mutual fund company, managing hundreds of funds for tens of millions of U.S. investors. But Paul Merriman believes Fidelity's advertisements are deliberately misleading. In this article, Paul shows how to separate the substance from the fluff.

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