High-Yield International Bond ETFs without Currency Risk

May 20, 2012

Americans have a very different experience in the credit markets than international borrowers and investors. During the 2008 financial crisis –a US “export” to the rest of the world – credit simply disappeared. As Americans tend to borrow long and at fixed-rates, the crisis was far less detrimental to Americans than international investors and borrowers. […]

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Senior Loan ETFs: Safe Funds for Yield Chasers?

May 16, 2012

Investors everywhere have a dilemma: take a risky bet for higher-returns or accept bond yields that barely keep pace with implied inflation. Historically, investors swap stocks for bonds for higher returns in exchange for a riskier portfolio. The choice is no longer so binary, as safer high yield investments evolve. New senior loan ETFs make […]

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Macro Events in Europe

May 16, 2012

Macro Update and Commentary: If you haven’t noticed, the yield on the 10 Year Treasury has remained firmly below 2%, which has mortgage and refi rates at record lows as well.  Most people that had the capability to refinance in recent years probably have already, but for those that haven’t, it probably won’t get any […]

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Is the Permanent Portfolio ETF a Perfect Choice for the Long Term Investor?

May 6, 2012

Can you make a perfect, permanent portfolio out of four asset classes? One issuer, Global X, wants to do just that by turning Harry Brown’s 1980s permanent portfolio into the Permanent Portfolio ETF (PERM). Permanent Portfolio in Practice The permanent portfolio is made up of only four asset classes – gold, silver, equities, and US […]

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Credit Card MUSTS for Businesses

May 1, 2012

In various facets of the business world, I’m still often surprised to see some businesses that do accept credit cards and others that don’t.  As technology has progressed, we’re seeing mobile swipe capability for smartphones while some businesses still don’t accept credit cards at all.  Just the other day, I was picking up a pizza […]

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State Street Takes on Active ETFs with 3 New Funds

April 29, 2012

State Street Global Advisors, arguably the most influential player in the ETF space, announced the launch of three new actively-managed exchange-traded funds. Before the announcement, State Street sponsored only passive portfolio products. Actively-Managed SPDRs The actively-managed products rolled out this week are more than your average plain-vanilla ETF. The products are unique, touching on inflation […]

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Carnival of Passive Investing #17

April 27, 2012

For those that aren’t familiar, a blog carnival is a place to show off the best articles in a particular niche.  Publishers submit articles they think would be a great fit for a carnival and the site running it that week determines what articles make the cut.  It’s a great way for a site to […]

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ETF Transparency: For Big Investors Only!

April 22, 2012

Exchange-traded funds might not be as transparent as you think. The industry of exchange-traded fund issuers has already come under fire from FINRA for disclosures on leveraged ETFs, but new complaints say the transparency rules favor larger investors over smaller, retail investors saving for goals like retirement. How Transparent are ETFs, Anyway? Exchange-traded funds are […]

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What Makes an ETF Tax Efficient?

April 15, 2012

Exchange-traded fund investors know better than to ignore the cost of a particular investment in a portfolio. Most gravitate to ETFs for tax efficiency and low annual management fees relative to mutual funds. Let’s explore one natural benefit to the ETF structure that makes it tax efficient. ETF Structure Affect Tax Liabilities Exchange-traded funds are […]

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