Investor Education

Important disclaimer: this page contains live references (pointers) to information created and maintained by other organizations. Please note that Financia Capital does not control and cannot guarantee the relevance, timeliness, or accuracy of these outside materials.

Exchange Traded Funds

Exchange traded funds (ETFs) are an important part of our portfolio construction methodology. To learn more about the characteristics and benefits of ETFs, we recommend the following websites:

• iShares.com - iShares from Barclays Global Investors is the world’s largest family of ETFs, and their website is among the best for information, tools, and downloads.
• Morningstar.com - Morningstar earned its reputation by providing investors with information and ratings on mutual funds, and their ETF coverage is excellent as well.

Helpful Resources

While there is no substitute for competent (and complete!) advice from an experienced financial professional, these websites are a good place to search for information on saving for retirement, paying taxes, comparing money market yields, buying Treasury bonds directly from the government to avoid brokerage fees, and several other important personal finance topics:

• The Investment FAQ - From information about retirement account choices (IRAs, 401k plans, etc.) to articles on different types of securities, this is a good first place to look…
• 1040.com - An online tax resource with the information, news, and forms you need to complete your taxes…
• Bankrate.com - Free, objective information and rate quotes for consumer bank products such as mortgage rates, home loans, credit cards, money markets, CDs, auto loans, home equity loans, and more...
• Savingforcollege.com - All about Section 529 college savings plans and other ways to save and invest for a child’s college education…
• TreasuryDirect - Purchase Treasury securities directly from the U.S. Treasury and avoid brokerage fees...
• Bloomberg Retirement - We are not big fans of online retirement calculators, but this one is at least fast and easy. And while you are here, check out some of the other areas on the Bloomberg site – one of the very best sources for the news that matters in global markets…

Best of the Blogs

Blogs are a dime a dozen these days, but here are a handful that we always take the time to visit on a regular basis:

• Megan McArdle (The Atlantic) - Megan is the business and economics editor for The Atlantic. Her wide-ranging economics blog is one of our favorites.
• Carpe Diem (Mark J. Perry) - Mark J. Perry is a professor of economics and finance in the School of Management at the University of Michigan. Dr. Perry's optimism is a refreshing change from the gloom and doom commonly found in blogs about the economy, and his charts and data are some of the most compelling you will find.
• The Big Picture (Barry Ritholtz) - Although we sometimes find ourselves on the opposite side of the market, our hat is off to Barry Ritholtz for creating one of the best markets/economics blogs on the web.
• Global Economic Trends Analysis (Michael Sedlock) - Another excellent "big-picture" blog, featuring the always thoughtful and often trenchant anaylsis of Michael "Mish" Sedlock.
• Nouriel Roubini's Blog - Nouriel Roubini is a professor of economics at the Stern School of Business (New York University), and though often too pessimistic (in our opinion), his big-picture economic views are always thought-provoking.