Helen Maynard's  Instablog

I'm excited about Schwab's announcement of commission-free exchange traded funds.  They're currently offering four ETF's:

Back in August, I created the Gold Star Portfolio -- a selection of mutual funds that have low expense ratios and are rated highly by Morningstar.  It's been almost three months -- time for a quarterly check up.

Kyle at Amateur Asset Allocator hosted this week's Money Hacks Carnival and selected my post on Dollar Cost Averaging as an editor's pick.  Thanks, Kyle!

I'm not sure why Uncle Sam waited so long to publish his tax guide for the newly unemployed.  The US unemployment has been above 5% for over a year.  We really could have used this last winter when the rate of new claims was at its peak.

Polycrystalline Solar Cell

Back in July, I announced the start of a new series of posts on Sustainable Energy, but I haven't had a chance to actually write about the topic until today.  No time like the present, then, to launch into my favorite diatribe:  Solar Heresy.

Dollar cost averaging is the practice of investing the same amount of money at regular periodic intervals.  For example, a person might invest $300 every month.  It's generally thought to be a good practice, but some call it a marketing gimmick, and others call it a losing proposition.  Which is true?  As with most debates, each viewpoint has some truth to it.  Let's look at each.