Managing your money well
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We've created some great information to get you started off on the right foot, because managing your money shouldn't be a mystery or something only the wizard behind the curtain understands. We encourage you to read these and attend a workshop, so you can understand the how and why of money management before you get started.

Young investors: How to be better than your parents » Read Article

Investors in their 20s have a golden opportunity to start out right, if they learn and follow 10 easy lessons. In this article, Paul Merriman teaches those lessons and gives a self-grading test on each one. Can you score 100?

Superior diversification on a shoestring budget » Read Article

Proper asset diversification makes more difference than anything else investors can do. But it's a daunting task when you're just starting out with little money. In this article Paul Merriman describes a step-by-step plan for doing it right.

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 your investment personality? » Read Article

A simple test may reveal what kind of investor you are. If you know that, you'll have a much better chance of resisting Wall Street's misleading siren songs - and the market's emotional roller-coaster. You'll find the test and some analysis in this article.

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.

Twenty things you should know before you invest in a mutual fund » Read Article

We recommend mutual funds for most investments. This article presents 20 ways to make your funds work hard for you.

Don't have an investment plan? Start here. » Read Article

Some people think a really good investment plan is complex and difficult; they may put it off thinking it's no good unless it's perfect. But an imperfect plan is better than none at all. In this article, Paul Merriman outlines 10 steps that will help you get off on the right foot.

How to manage the most important risks of investing » Read Article

Investing is about taking risks, and when you do that, you're entitled to expect a return commensurate with the level of risk you take. But if you're not careful, your own mistakes can prevent you from achieving the returns that should be yours. In this article, Paul Merriman tells you how to deal with 12 major risks investors face.

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.

How to add $100,000 to your retirement » Read Article

In this article, you'll find lots of ways you can add dollars to your retirement savings. But Paul Merriman also shows that if you want to be among the relatively few people who are truly affluent, you'll probably have to adopt some new attitudes and habits.

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.

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.

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