Director of personal finance and retirement planning for Morningstar + co-host of The Long View podcast. Serving up practical financial guidance for the people.
“I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed.”--Lloyd Dobler
I pet Cocoa. She is a 6 year old Greyhound and a retired racer. Her racing name was DC Chocolatedrop. She was not good at racing, but she is good at roaching on the couch. Roaching is when Greyhounds lie on their backs with their legs up. Cocoa likes swimming and her honking pig.
I’ve said it before but it bears repeating: One of the unsung advantages of being a long-term investor—perhaps better yet an index investor—is that you don’t have to waste a bit of mental energy trying to figure out what’s happening with the likes of GameStop or AMC.
The cat's out of the bag on this and I couldn't be more excited! 🥂✨🌟
Coming fall 2024, from
@harrimanhouse
and with thanks to the dream team of experts who are contributing insights.
One cycle I wish we could break: The one where investors begin a mad search for noncorrelated/diversifying assets AFTER the markets tank, then capitulate and sell the diversifiers when their performance struggles and conventional assets start performing better. 🤦♀️
Most common portfolio issue that I observe in real people's portfolios: Low-cost index funds augmented by mega-cap individual-stock holdings that completely duplicate the holdings in the index funds. Anyone else?
I'll say it: Individual stocks are TERRIBLE investments for people just starting out. I know that many people learned about investing through their Disney shares yadda yadda but I think we need to be clearer about this when we discuss financial education.
Taylor Larimore, one of the original
@bogleheads
, a war hero and veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, and an all-around prince of a man, celebrated his 100th birthday in Miami today. It was such an honor to celebrate him along with his family and friends. ❤️✨
If your friend or loved one is working on a book, please don't ask "How's the book going?" or "Are you done with the book?"
But when it's done, ask away! Coming September 17, available for pre-order now.
I've focused on investments for nearly 30 years. And yet I just advised a friend that if a prospective financial advisor talks too much about investing and the markets and not enough about other aspects of her financial life, that's probably a bad sign. 🤷♀️
I'm a killjoy on the idea of young people dabbling in individual stocks for this reason: If a 19 y.o. loses the better part of the $200 he put in, there's a risk that he'll conclude that investing is a crapshoot and not come back for another decade. That's a big opportunity cost.
Much of the $GME narrative is around the idea of the little guy "sticking it to the man." But please let's not forget that the late Jack Bogle created an entire SYSTEM for doing just that. It's called buying (and holding) index funds.
Friend: My mom has a great financial advisor.
Me: How do you know the advisor is great?
Friend: Because her portfolio has performed well for a long time.
Me: The market has performed well for a really long time.
Friend: No, seriously, I think this guy is really good.
Me: 🤦♀️
A short, sweet Trader Joe’s story from this morning: My cashier commented on the flowers I was buying, and I told him I was bringing them to someone in the hospital. Cashier: “Do me a favor and pick out another bouquet for yourself on the way out.” ❤️💐❤️🌹❤️🌸❤️
One of the things that seems to routinely shock my friends and family members is that I pay almost no attention to my own investment portfolio from day to day or even year to year--apart from contributing. They seem amazed that I could be so lazy and hands-off.
Anyone else?
I'm not saying a 60/40 portfolio is the be-all end all; one size can't possibly fit everyone. But any time I see people asserting that 60/40 is dead, it seems like a good reason to hang onto your wallet. Expensive merchandise and/or complicated strategies coming right up.
It's so depressing when I make a charitable contribution and watch the charity send it right back to me in the form of expensive mailers to my house. Charities should always provide donors with the option to select e-contact only.
The current inflation discussion is a perfect illustration of how many people make pronouncements about future economic events with a sense of absolute certainty, when in fact they're just kind of guessing. More humility, please.
I’m casually watching some of the Sunday morning shows and it’s stunning how much the finserv advertisements focus on “trading.” It makes me want to scream. For the vast majority of people, investing successfully has nothing to do with trading acumen.
I'm thrilled to announce that I'm FINALLY working on a book about the financial and nonfinancial aspects of retirement!
@harrimanhouse
will publish it in fall 2024. (Thank you,
@brianportnoy
for intro'ing us.)
Some of you have been helping behind the scenes. Grateful for you.🙏
One thing I find myself shaking my head over pretty much daily is the size of the financial complexity complex v. the ease/simplicity of setting up a reasonable portfolio of cheap index funds.
Why are so many people engaged in making it seem harder than it really is?
One thing I've observed: People are super-willing to ascribe their investment success to an advisor or to their specific investments, rarely pausing to consider that THE MARKET has been fantastic for a long time (at least until very recently). 🙄
Laddering bonds is overrated/over-recommended for smaller individual investors, IMO. It can be complicated and difficult to obtain diversification, and in the end the investor builds something that looks an awful lot like...a bond fund.
Rest in peace, my friend. You were the conscience of the financial services industry and leave an awesome legacy of genuinely improving investors' lives. I never thought this day would come.
There's been a lot of ink spilled over why this market is different from the late 1990s. But there's a troubling common denominator: inexperienced newly arrived investors aided and abetted by financial services companies looking to make a buck off them. This will not end well.
Growth stocks' recent fall has been well documented, but I don't think we're talking enough about how style diversification has helped YTD.
Vanguard Growth Index: -20.98% (1/1/22-5/4/22)
Vanguard Value Index: -2.98% (1/1/22-5/4/22)
I had a bit of a revelation about index investing over the weekend. I was reading about Nvidia and thinking about what its competitors might be. Then I thought, wait, what do I care? Owning the whole market is kind of an open-ended bet on PROGRESS. And I like the odds. 👍
I'm SO proud to announce that all of the 2023
@bogleheads
conference sessions are free and available via the website of the John C. Bogle Center for Financial Literacy.
Last night while teaching an investment course to very beginning investors with very little money, I thought about how INSANE it would be to recommend anything but index funds/ETFs to them. Especially if I might not ever see them again.
I've been screening for mutual funds on a major brokerage platform for the past few hours. My god there are still a lot of garbage-y funds out there. 🤦♀️
Vanguard's 10-year Capital Market Assumptions (as of 9/22), stated in a range:
U.S. equities: 4.7%–6.7%
Developed markets equities (unhedged): 7.2%–9.2%
Emerging markets equities (unhedged): 7.0%–9.0%
U.S. aggregate bonds: 4.1%–5.1%
Global bonds ex-U.S. (hedged): 4.0%–5.0%
I love these Chicago-based companies bringing people back to the office at the beginning in January. Making everyone get back to commuting in the heart of a Chicago winter—that’ll boost employee morale for sure. 😂
I have had contact with a lot of professional financial people over the years. One observation: I've seen no rhyme or reason in where the most impressive ones went to school. Big state U, Ivy League, small no-name college. Impressive people come from all of these places.
Maddening story of the day:
A friend's dad is in assisted living and had almost all of his money in CDs that had matured. Bank received the proceeds and parked the money in an account yielding less than 1%. Doesn't it seem like the bank should have called him re. next steps?
I'm getting sick of this battle over the merits of target-date funds. If the criticisms stick and the investing public comes away with the notion that TDFs are suspect or not a solid choice, the critics will have done mainstream investors a grave disservice. Amen to Good>perfect.
This is another ‘in theory you could do better’ attack on tgt date funds. TDFs aren’t perfect but succeed in way they automate tasks that can otherwise bedevil investors who don’t have the ‘time and diligence’ (or nerve!) to build their own. Good>perfect.
Sigh. I'm not saying TD funds don't deserve scrutiny, but I can think of about 10,000 aspects of the finserv industry that are more worthy of criticism. These funds really simplify things/improve outcomes for a lot of people.
#GoodBeatsPerfect
via
@WSJ
On becoming a minimalist, fighting the financial complexity complex, and talking about the hard stuff. Reflections on my 25 (🤔😬🤓🤗!) years
@MorningstarInc
:
Serious question: Do people's kids have classes on how to be a smart consumer of information and how to discern disinformation? It's starting to seem that that's as important a life skill as any.
So everyone knows they're following the right Christine_Benz:
+If your investments are dull, you're doing it right.
+Dogs rule.
+I'd eat a board if it had Trader Joe's Sriracha BBQ sauce on it.
+Fallingwater is one of the greatest pieces of American art of the 20th century.
🤗
“If your burn rate in retirement is 2% or 3%, it doesn’t matter what’s in your portfolio; you’re going to be fine.” Bill Bernstein on safe withdrawal rates at the annual
@bogleheads
conference.
#Bogleheads
Lots of smart people clearly disagree! My main point is that while expense tracking might work for some, for many people it’s better to set a savings target, automate contributions, and live on the rest. A granular spending assessment might be warranted but it might not be.
💯! I’ve come to believe that “track your spending,” that mainstay of personal finance guidance, is a colossal waste of time that gets in the way of achieving financial goals.
Welp, in true Cook County fashion, I got to vote twice this year! My mail-in ballot was not showing up as having been received, even though I dropped it off at a polling place last Monday. So I had to cast a provisional ballot in person. Not sitting this one out!
There’s this narrative (and indeed real research) that spending on experiences delivers a higher happiness ROI. But I’m not sure how to square that with the fact that some of my favorite experiences haven’t cost much/anything. It’s much more about *time* w/people.
Working through my parents' estates these past few years, I was struck by the fact that there were a few items that would have been tremendously helpful but are often unaddressed by conventional estate plans.
💯! I’ve come to believe that “track your spending,” that mainstay of personal finance guidance, is a colossal waste of time that gets in the way of achieving financial goals.
And another thing about Social Security: People REALLY don't love it when you say it's a good idea to delay! One of my readers sends me near-daily emails about why I'm wrong about this. I'm half expecting to find him sitting in my living room some night when I get home. 🙄
When I reflect on my failings as an investor, it's nothing as dramatic as panic selling when stocks are down or buying into bubbles. Instead it's inertia, laziness, complacency, being too busy.
THOSE are the behavioral biases we need to be talking about more.
I wish investment firms gave you the option to not see your balance when you log on. I’m on Vanguard’s site retrieving some tax docs and am literally averting my eyes. 🤦♀️
The case for adding non-US equities looks pretty meh, given rising correlations.
I'm curious: Are people keeping the faith in investing overseas? Why or why not?
"If everyone with a Planet Fitness membership showed up at the gym at the exact same time there would be chaos at the squat racks.... The same thing applies to banks." Great discussion from
@awealthofcs
1099s for taxable brokerage accounts from 2022 provide a wonderful lens to assess how good your "asset location" is. If you received big capital gains in a losing year (e.g., from mutual fund capital gains distributions), it's time to look at a more tax-efficient portfolio mix.
Just finished an article about annuities. The variations among these products are so immense that it seems like the blanket term isn’t helpful and is certainly contributing to consumer confusion. Kind of like the term “financial advisor,” TBH. 🤷♀️
I am sitting in a ballroom full of “Bogleheads” from around the country (and some from overseas!), all here to celebrate Jack Bogle’s life and legacy. It’s impossible to imagine any other individual in the investment industry inspiring that kind of devotion.
The biggest financial planning opportunity to emerge from SECURE 2.0, IMO, is the widened window between retirement and the start of RMDs (age 73 this year and moving up to age 75 in 2033)--and the ability to convert traditional IRAs/401(k)s to Roth during that time. 1/
"I don't want you thinking like that. It makes you small."
I don't think
@ramit
ever said those words to me personally, but they've been hugely influential in how I think about money. I don't want to be small.
1/
@ENVDani
My personal solution is to just unify the 401(k)/IRA contribution limit. So rather than $20,500/$6,000, it's just $26,500 however you choose to deploy it. No 401(k) or lousy 401(k)? Put the whole $26,500 into an IRA. Gold-plated 401(k)? Put the whole $26,500 into the 401(k). 🤷♀️
One thing that seems to get lost in the shuffle: A lot of financially independent people are still working for money because they genuinely like their jobs.
"Access to institutional-quality opportunities." (Just heard that in a podcast ad.) 🤯 Translation: The financial complexity complex is trying to sell you some complicated gobbledygook you don't need.
In hindsight, I worried disproportionately about the following during childhood:
+Being sucked into quicksand
+Electrocution
+Getting lockjaw
+Getting into deep trouble from overdue library books
I've always been kind of obsessed with this graph--price/fair values for all of the companies in our equity analysts' coverage universe. Stocks currently trading at about a 15% discount to their fair values. 1/
With Jack Bogle's passing, one thing that I haven't seen discussed much is his influence on Vanguard's culture. Great organizations operate with a belief system; they stand for something. All of the Vanguard employees I know are true believers in doing right for investors.
One thing I scratch my head over is why major investment firms heavily market TRADING (including options trading) as a productive activity for individual investors, even though it's not likely to lead to positive outcomes and trades are free. What are their major motivations?
This one is really sticking with me. After the late 1990s bubble, I vowed I would speak up the next time I believed a lot of consumers were hurtling toward what is likely to be a painful outcome. It feels like that time is here. 1/4
Shiller's Bubble Checklist:
Sharp increases in asset prices
Public excitement
Media frenzy
Stories of people earning a lot of money, causing envy
Interest in the asset class among the general public
“New era” theories to justify price increases
A decline in lending standards
Good grief, with the prime rate at 8.25%, most 401(k) borrowers are paying interest of more than 9%!
Time to mark 401(k) loans with a skull and crossbones?
I just heard an ad for a trading platform that offers tools "that make it easy to execute complex trading strategies."
I sound like a broken record but investors can be highly successful without complex trading strategies.
End of rant. (For now.)
So, I attended a wake for this friend last night. 👇 He died suddenly after an aortic tear. Lessons for me:
+Always be kind. (He was, unfailingly so).
+Figure out what makes you happy and gives you purpose and peace.
+Find a way to do those things as much/soon as possible.
@alizig
@scott_r_frank
@Padres
💯 I recently ran into a college friend who has been working so hard as an attorney his whole adult life. He told me he was retiring and is sure he has enough $ because he realized what he loves best is riding his bike to the library. Wisdom.
May 8 is Jack Bogle's birthday and a good time to remember all he did to make sure investors got "their fair share."
@Rick_Ferri
@ChipRoame
@JaneBryantQuinn
@knutrostad
and Chip Simon got together to discuss Jack's legacy; I moderated. Watch/listen here.
Sorry but this kind of thing drives me crazy. You know what MOST individual investors are doing? Investing slowly and steadily in their 401(k)s.
The "busy/active individual investor" narrative is so very overdone by the financial complexity complex. 🤯
Yesterday while my sister bowled, I knocked out 2 small stones on my engagement ring. (Clapping!) I didn't notice until I got home so I went back to the bowling alley, assuming it was futile. With helpers and a 🔦, I found the 2 stones!
Lesson: Don't give up without trying.💍
"How can I earn more on my 'safe' money?" The most common question I've been getting from friends and family members these days is one that lacks a satisfying answer. People really don't love hearing that they'll be lucky to earn 1%. 😟
Oh, how I love this photo of me and my dad, from the
@MorningstarInc
magazine! (Thanks to my colleague
@shiftMK
for sharing as she was sifting through the archives.) I miss my dad so much but he's always with me. 💓
I've noticed that saying anything bad about crypto is a little like saying anything bad about investing in gold. It draws out people who have... interesting...and firmly held opinions. But I'll say it: Letting people put crypto in their 401(k)s is a hare-brained idea.
My hot takes from watching financial ads during golf this weekend:
+You can invest successfully without ever trading options.
+Insurance companies should not be a first stop for financial planning.
+If you're downloading a trading app before a vacation, you're doing it wrong.
Financial planning ppl often talk about obtaining charitable tax breaks, but I have a contrarian take. Some of the most impactful help you could provide might be direct financial assistance to people you know. No tax break, but it's a valuable opportunity to make a difference.
The advice to pay off a mortgage early may be controversial in some circles. But I've yet to meet anyone with a paid-off home who feels an ounce of regret or FOMO.
So you know you're following the right christine_benz and not some darn imposter:
📚 Saint Jack = Bogle
🎸 Saint Paul = Westerberg
💰 Less is more when it comes to your investments
☕️🐶💐💕 More is more when it comes to coffee, dogs, flowers, and kindness
Yes yes yes. Anyone else walk out of Econ 101 with a) one of their worst grades in undergrad and b) a deep disinterest in the topic? And later find out that they're actually quite interested in economics? 🙋♀️
A short list of things I never seem to regret doing:
🚶🏻♀️ Taking a walk
👚🛋️ Giving stuff away
📨📞📱 Reaching out to a friend I haven't heard from in awhile