What's the key to making good investment choices? It isn't necessary to understand the inner workings of the securities markets or the mathematical economies underlying investment theory. Instead, 10 axioms of effective investing provide the critical cornerstone for guiding investment philosophy and making decisions. [Here they are.] Words: 2155

Cognitive biases plague us and make it difficult for us undertake adequate analysis and make good choices so knowing about them is imperative if we are going to deal with them. This article identifies 10 such biases and how they impede us making the right investment choices.

There is a crucial component of the investment process that gets surprisingly little attention: our investment default settings. We can use them when we aren’t sure what to do, when we’re deciding what to do, when our circumstances have changed but our plan hasn’t (yet), or when we’re just starting out. Here they are.

Those that read this site regularly know my pessimism regarding the future. People frequently ask: “What do I do to protect myself and my family?” or “What should I invest in?” While this discussion will not provide you with specific answers, it should provide a framework that may be useful.

Most “home run” investments evolve over time. Rarely do they happen overnight. Investors have to put themselves in the right position to “get home” by getting off to a good start with the investment to begin with. This, along with a little luck, dramatically increases the chance of a big winner. Here are 7 recurring themes to such “home run” style investing. Words: 640

Protect your money by steering clear of these 10 major investing mistakes.

If you don’t have dividend stocks in your portfolio, you’re making a costly mistake because the best-performing stocks over the long haul are dividend stocks. Period. Countless studies prove it, too. Don’t waste your time on Google trying to verify that claim. The evidence is right here! [Let's take a look.] Words: 620

You need to stay in markets despite an impending economic collapse. [Really?! Yes, really.] Normally such an expectation would be addressed by getting out of the way of the oncoming disaster and taking ones chips off the table [but,] in this situation, there is no place to hide. Low-risk assets, like bonds and near-cash, produce little to no return...and the threat of rising interest rates and inflation make them dangerous. Higher risk assets are unavoidable, given current conditions. [Let me explain further.] Words: 830

The present economic expansion is being brought about by massive stimulus policies and, as such, does not constitute genuine economic growth. Such bogus economic growth by way of monetary and fiscal stimulus can go on only until either the collapse of hyperinflation brings an end to the artificial boom or the amount of accumulated debt makes state bankruptcy inevitable.

The following article outlines 4 factors which I believe will drive gold prices starting this year and beyond.