Most people are familiar with or at least have heard of 529 plans. This blog is not a pro and con analysis of them. There are tons of free resources online to help you learn the basics. This week, I would like to share with you something you may not know about 529 plans.
Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage Early?
It seems like a simple question for many people and their answer is that it depends on whether you can invest and earn more than the interest you pay on the mortgage. It is true. However, there are more factors to consider on top of or even before comparing the interest rate and the expected rate of return from other investments.
About Buying Life Insurance as Non-U.S. Citizens
Life insurance can be a very useful tool in terms of transferring risk and estate planning. It may also be beneficial under some limited circumstances as an investment vehicle which I covered in two previous blog posts here. However, if you are not a U.S. citizen, you may wonder if you can still buy life insurance in the U.S.? Does your immigration status affect the pricing? When is the best time to buy it? If you have the same questions in your mind, you may get some general guidance from this post.
Home Bias And Global Diversification
I have been reading a couple of different forums in personal finance recently. When people ask how they should invest, the most common answer I see on the forums is buying an S&P 500 index fund and let it run. Don't get me wrong here, I am a huge fan of a low-cost passive investment approach, especially for a regular investor who has an investment goal with a long time horizon like the retirement. I also understand that it is a lot easier to manage one holding than multiple holdings in your account. However, I believe that investing in a globally diversified portfolio could give you a better investment experience than merely investing in approximately the 500 largest company listed on the U.S. stock exchanges, which lead to this week's article written by our strategic partner, Dimensional Fund Advisors. Enjoy reading!