Used Cars and Retirement
In 1995 Grandpa wrote “Fund Your IRA Every Year, or How to Retire Wealthy by Driving Used Cars.” Twenty-five years later the message remains true and I think bears repeating: time and 1 compound interest work wonders. So, I want to break it down for you. The MSRP (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price) for a 2019 base model Ford Taurus SE is $29,000. The Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price for a 2009 Ford Taurus SE is $5,000. Right away you can see how buying the 10-year-old car frees up $24,000 for you to invest. Using a compound interest table (2) [...]
The Goal of Investing
SOME PEOPLE SELLING INVESTMENT ADVICE SPEAK OR WRITE OF “DIVERSITY” AS IF IT WERE THE GOAL OF INVESTING. IT’S NOT! THE GOAL OF INVESTING IS TO MAKE YOU MONEY. – RON MUHLENKAMP We are all familiar with the phrase “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” It’s important to check the quality of the baskets. Not all baskets are well constructed. In the investment business, a CD basket differs from a bond basket, which differs from a stock. Some people selling investment advice maintain that you should use all of these baskets for diversity. They speak or write of diversity [...]