Self Directed Investing For Retirement Carnival ? Bear Market Rally ...

Bear Market Rally

I have been talking to my subscribers, and in this blog, about how the rally from the March 2009 low should be treated as a bear market rally within a secular bear market that began in 2000. I believe the bear market rally is over and investors should make capital preservation their priority strategy until there is evidence of a new secular bull market.

The next Self Directed Investing For Retirement Carnival will be delayed one week and is scheduled for June 12^th.

?

Value Investing

Miranda at Planting Money Seeds writes Do You Look for Value as an Investor?? We?re always told to ?buy low and sell high? when it comes to investing. What that advice boils down to, however, is simply this: Look for good value.

Investor Junkie writes Why PE Ratios Don?t Matter. Here?s why I think PE ratios are more likely to mislead investors than put them on the trail towards the next hot stock.

[Editor?s Note: I am also an advocate of cash flow over earnings. This post will explain some of the important pitfalls that make accounting earnings an inferior metric for analysis.]

?

Evan at My Journey to Millions writes I Don?t Get the Hype about the Facebook IPO. A few friends have asked me what I thought about the Facebook IPO and I don?t really get the excitement.

[Editor?s Note: Evan says in the post he may be ?crazy?, but he is not. The ?investors? who do not pay attention to valuation and own stocks with P/E ratios in the hundreds are the crazy ones!]

?

Bob at Christian Personal Finance writes The Basics of Value Investing. In today?s mutual fund and computer-driven investment environment, value investing can sound almost exotic. Yet it?s probably the most time-honored way to successfully invest in stocks.

Portfolio Management

Darrow Kirkpatrick at Can I Retire Yet writes When and How to Rebalance Your Portfolio. Rebalancing your portfolio means adjusting the current asset allocation, moving closer to some previously-chosen target. The majority of financial experts advocate some form of rebalancing. And virtually none of them agree on how to do it!

PK at Don?t Quit Your Day Job writes S&P 500 Return Calculator. One issue self-directed investors have when setting up their portfolio strategy and allocation is calculating the historic return of a benchmark appropriately. This calculator takes the guesswork out of it, allowing you to enter any two arbitrary months since 1876 and calculating dividend reinvested (and inflation adjusted) returns over that period.

Asset Allocation & Diversification

Mike Collins at Wealthy Turtle writes Dividend Investing in Plain English. One of the best ways to build wealth is to invest in stocks that pay dividends. But what exactly is dividend investing and how do you get started?

Miranda at Cash Money Life writes The Basics of Asset Allocation. You hear a lot about asset allocation and the need for diversification. This article explains how risk tolerance and your investment time frame should play a large role in how you allocate your assets.

Specific Investment Ideas

Shailesh Kumar at Value Stock Guide writes 9 Stocks to Profit from Global Food Shortage. These 9 stocks are set to benefit from the global food shortage and rising prices.

Robert at The College Investor writes Investing in Gold: A Pure Ponzi-Style Wager on Other Investors. With gold still at a decade high, is it time to get out? Should you even invest in gold to begin with? Learn how gold is NOT a good investment choice, and what you should consider if you give into the gold bugs.

Family Money Value writes Land For Sale. Investing in raw land is said to be riskier than buying developed properties. However, there are ways to make money from land and some benefits over developed properties in holding it.? [Editor?s Note: Normally real estate posts are banned from this carnival. I have made an exception for this post because it is an informative investment article and an interesting read.]

Young at Young and Thrifty writes Investing in Tobacco Dividends ? Collect?em If You Got?em. From a complete numbers point of view, it still pays to be with the tobacco companies instead of against them.

Echo at Boomer and Echo writes Pitfalls of Chasing The Highest Dividend Yield. Choosing a dividend stock involves a lot more than simply looking for the highest dividend yield. Here are some of the pitfalls to avoid.

Mich at Beating The Index writes The Viking Oil Play in Alberta. The Viking light oil fairway is a trending porous sandstone/conglomerate with 6-12 million barrels of original oil in place (OOIP) per section.

Dividend Growth Investor writes Searching for Hidden Dividend Stars. As a dividend growth investor, I try to maintain a disciplined approach to buying attractively valued companies. I do maintain a list with entry criterion, which I apply against a list of dividend growth stocks.

Average Joe at The Free Financial Advisor writes High Yield vs. Other Investing Categories in Pretty Pictures. High yield bonds are often considered risky investment with mediocre returns. Our chart shows just how impressive high yield can be as part of a diversified investment portfolio.

Investment Planning

Britt at Bible Money Matters writes 7 Roth IRA Mistakes to Avoid. Investing in a Roth IRA isn?t rocket science, but investors from all walks of life tend to encounter the same potential pitfalls over and over. Here are a few.

Glen Craig at Free From Broke writes Is Social Security Really a Retirement Plan?? When you hear Social Security you think retirement benefits, right? Most do. But Social Security is hardly a retirement plan on its own. You need to do more.

Squeezer at Personal Finance Success writes Why Social Security Should Not Be Your Sole Source of Retirement Income. What happens if one depends on Social Security for retirement? I explain the risk and the options that are available.

Nick at My Dollar Plan writes Should I Convert My Retirement Plan Into a Roth?? Is a Roth always the right answer? Help me decide.

Evan Pierce at Money Crashers writes How to Save and Invest Money for College. Funding your kid?s college expenses is certainly not as straightforward as you might think. Still, despite all the hurdles and difficulties, numerous opportunities exist that you can take advantage of by being creative and planning carefully.

Jim at Bargaineering writes How Capital Gains Taxes Work. A look at how capital gains taxes work and the impact it can have on your investment returns.

Investor Junkie writes Tax Efficient Investing. When it comes to investing for the long haul, it?s important to consider taxes because they can be significant.

Mr. Money at Smart On Money writes TD Ameritrade Review: Highly Rated Discount Broker. One online broker that stands out among the pack is TD Ameritrade.

Barbara Friedberg at Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance writes Why I Don?t Invest in Individual Stocks Anymore. Peak into my journey from individual stock picking to an equally profitable mutual fund strategy.

[Editor?s Note: Individual stock picking allows an investor to avoid the high management fees of mutual funds which significantly lower long term returns. It also allows you to pick the best stocks instead of owning a large number of stocks that include average and poor valuations.]

?

Related Reading:

Past Self-Directed Investing For Retirement Carnivals

?

?

?

?

?

big bend national park leon russell meredith vieira prop 8 larry bird maria menounos proposition 8