Archive for posts by Kent Irwin

My article entitled The Asset Allocation Style of Investing, highlighted this method of investing made popular from the study by Garry P. Brinson, Brian D. Singer, and Gilbert L. Beebower that found that over 91% of long-term portfolio performance is derived from the decisions made regarding asset allocation, and not market timing or security selection. In… Read More »

A few days ago in a question and answer automobile section of the Wall Street Journal, a reader asked if it was okay to buy a SAAB. If you don’t already know, the Swedish automobile manufacturer filed for bankruptcy about a year ago. No one has yet to step up to the plate to buy… Read More »

Does it make sense to buy a new used car that gets great mileage, compared to keeping an old heap, thinking that the gas savings will outweigh the cost of borrowing? Suppose an old family van isn’t needed anymore since the kids are out on their own. It could be tempting to consider alternatives, for… Read More »

Is the rumor true, is the real estate market rebounding? There are early indications that after years of depreciating values, prices in some areas are holding and are trickling up a bit. New homes being built are also on the incline. The inventories of houses for sale are the lowest in several years, increasing the sales rates… Read More »

I’ve talked to several people who have been having difficulty staying current on their mortgage, some just over the past year, and others that have been struggling for several years that have qualified for help recently, and they are able to stay in their homes.  Some have even been turned down for loan modifications and short-sales… Read More »

I started the day poorly this morning, when I listened to Donald Barlett and James Steele interviewed on NPR about their new book, American Dream,’ Betrayed By Bad Economic Policy. I’ve already put this book on reserve at my local library, because it focuses well on some the key reasons why as a country we have… Read More »

The Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University multi-week class has an entire lesson on insurance, or risk management. Wisdom with insurance is key to financial planning to protect the things we own or our family from risk, using as few dollars as possible. To underline a few items from this lesson, and a few things I have a little… Read More »

If you’re one of the millions of people who’ve faced losing your home through a wrongful foreclosure, you might get help, but you must act quickly. Homes that were foreclosed on in 2009 and 2010 should find out about the free Independent Foreclosure Review (IFR) process. The IFR process is by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency… Read More »

Floor vacuum cleaners seem to be a controversial topic these days. I know people who have very strong opinions about their Dyson, Hoover, Oreck, Eureka, Dirt Devil, Rainbow or Kirby. Prices can vary from about a $100 to over a thousand dollars. I have heard people who tell me they really love this or that… Read More »

Often I am asked what I think about loans between friends or family. There are usually two reasons where I see this happening, either to help bail someone out of a difficult financial situation or as way for the lender to earn interest, while helping a friend reduce their debt. If the motive is purely… Read More »