investing

We all rely on advice — from friends, family and, at times, complete strangers. Sometimes you get good advice and other times you get advice that is not in your best interest. But if you get advice from a professional like a doctor, a lawyer or a financial professional, you should be able to rely on knowing that it will always be in your best interest.

You probably wouldn’t take investment advice from someone whose business card said Retirement Wizard, but it is not always so simple to spot a fake credential. You may find it harder to tell the difference between a Certified Advisor for Senior Investing and a Retirement Income Planning Specialist.

A friend sent me the following article from the USA Today insert of his local paper. The article proclaimed “ The 60/40 stock-and-bond portfolio mix is dead in 2016” and went on to explain that with bond interest rates near historical lows, one should reach for higher returns by taking more risk with stocks. The article quoted one adviser who suggested investors in their 60s invest 70 to 80 percent of their portfolio in stocks.

Ever hear something like this and scratch your head wondering what it means?

En español | A securities industry group recently proposed changes to how brokers and their firms handle accounts in an effort to protect older consumers and vulnerable clients against fraud.

Last week, 200 “Bogleheads” met for an annual gathering near Philadelphia, PA to hear the legendary founder of Vanguard, the world’s largest fund company, talk about investing. The Bogleheads is a not-for-profit organization in which anyone can post financial questions (at bogleheads.org) and then hundreds of volunteer members (Bogleheads) who are seasoned investors respond with advice — generally without a profit motive.

Just 26 percent of people under 30 are investing in stocks, according to a survey published by Bankrate.com, a personal finance site. By comparison, 58 percent of adults ages 50 to 64 invest in stocks. Since millennials have a much longer time horizon, stocks are generally more appropriate for them. So this trend is exactly the opposite of what logic would dictate.

Ever wonder why prices of bonds and bond funds do what they do when interest rates fluctuate? Here’s what you need to know about how bonds work — as well as what you may think you already know that’s wrong.

When should you begin taking Social Security benefits? That was a question asked of AARP.org visitors and registered website users . Less than 19 percent selected age 70, though that’s exactly what I tell the vast majority of my clients to do. Most object to my recommendation until I frame the decision in a different way, which is that they can spend money now and still let it grow.

Gold is now down 43 percent since its peak in 2011. If you think that’s bad, gold-mining stocks are down more than 70 percent in the past five years.