10 Essential Podcast Episodes for Beginner Dividend Growth Investors
Everyone starts somewhere. If you are new to dividend growth investing, these 10 episodes are the perfect starting point. 🔗 https://europeandgi.com/how-to/dividend-growth-investing-for-beginners-10-podcast-episodes-to-listen-to-first/
Even Top Managers Struggle to Sell Losers
During the conversation today with Lee Freeman-Shor and Clare Flynn Levy who have analyzed the trade data of many of the best fund managers in the world - I asked what decision type do successful managers have the most issues...
Follow Pro Steps to Spot Winning Stocks
For most investors, a well-diversified portfolio of funds will do the trick. But if you want to try to identify winners like the pros on Wall Street, there are steps you can take. https://t.co/6RP6PY8ebH
Prioritize Retirement Savings over Apartment Down Payment
You’re 32, Software Engineer, NYC. $250k income. $350k retirement $250k brokerage. Do you max retirement/brokerage accounts or focus on saving for a $1M apartment down payment?
Start Small, Grow Your 401(k) Match Incrementally
If your company has match with your 401K and your budget can’t handle contributing 5%. Don’t skip your contributions — start with 1% and move the needle as you get a bump via bonus or pay. I did this and...
Consistently Beating the S&P? Just Buy the Market
Beating the S&P 500 isn't difficult. But beating the S&P 500 consistently, over the long term, is very very difficult. Many people overestimate their ability to pick good stocks over the long term. They eventually realize that it’s a losing game. That's why...
Bigger Homes Reset Wealth, Stalling Financial Growth
The “Upgrade Trap” Why Most People Become Poorer Every Time They Buy a Bigger House This is one of the most ignored patterns in Gurgaon. People think upgrading homes means moving forward. In reality, most upgrades reset wealth. And every reset delays compounding. The First Property...
Tech Leaders Seek AI, Yet Need Real-World Planning
It’s a bit ironic that so many tech founders and executives find me through AI, only to hear my first piece of advice—don’t rely on AI. I recently addressed a rolling GRAT question from a young married couple and discovered they...
Buffett's 5 Quiet Habits That Grow Middle-Class Wealth
Warren Buffett: 5 Subtle Habits That Quietly Build Massive Wealth For The Middle Class https://t.co/N7BvM6vNW2
Patient, Rational Nerds Dominate; Few Rise Above 99%
Charlie Munger: "99% will be in the bottom 99%. That's just the way it's going to work." "In my generation, the nerds who were patient and rational eventually did well — who lived within their income and worked at being sensible...
Microcap Success: Rare, Unpredictable, Right Time, Right Place
It’s always been amazing to me how you can have 10 microcaps in the portfolio with a similar positive fundamental/solid management setup over the next two years. You think they can 2-3x. A few will and several won’t quite make...
Turn Your First $100 Into Investment Seed
$100 will not make you rich. But the decision you make with your first $100 will determine whether you ever become rich at all. Getting your first $100 is a big deal. Whether it came from a freelance job, a gift, a side hustle...
Stop Duplicating Savings: Align Education Funds with Investments
You open a savings account labelled "Education Fund." You start contributing every month. You feel responsible. Meanwhile, there's an investment plan you set up years ago. Quietly compounding. Already on track to hit $200,000 by the time your child turns 18. Nobody...
Your Zip Code Decides How Much You Keep
The $1M take-home test: → NYC W2 — gross $1.99M → LA W2 — gross $1.92M → Florida W2 — gross $1.52M → Florida biz owner — gross way less → Puerto Rico Act 60 — keep almost all of it Where you live is a...
Smart Borrowing, Family Tax Planning, Avoid House Debt
💰 Personal finance links: why rich people borrow money, tax planning as a family affair, and why you shouldn't go broke buying a house. https://t.co/6LdWwApcUY image: https://t.co/viXpGW7Ln3 https://t.co/C7cYELGUSE
Explore Historical Return Stacking with Our New Tool
We get lots of questions around what return stacking looks like. So, we built a simple tool to explore how different stack sizes and blends, when layered on different stock/bond bases, behaved historically. (Link below.) https://t.co/ogWicOHDD6
Save 15% Early, Secure Retirement by 65
If you want to retire at 65, you have to save at least 15% of your salary (including 401k match) starting at 25. Use that money to: 1. Get full employer's 401k match 2. ESPP (if applicable) 3. HSA (if eligible) 4. Roth IRA 5. Finish...
Premium Valuations Possible Even for Commodity Sellers
I wrote this article a couple years ago before resources went on a tear, but I still like to look at cyclical or hated industries through this lens. How does a business get a premium valuation when they sell a...
Sweden Beats California in Capital‑Friendly Wealth Building
“Sweden is more capital-friendly than California in almost every category that matters for building generational wealth”
Invested Money Isn't Enough—Action Drives Returns
A client told me something last month that I've been thinking about ever since. He said, "Ben, we put in the money. And then what? We just sit here and hope?" He wasn't angry. He was genuinely confused. Like there should be...
Compounding Value: Small Gains Reinvested Build Wealth
"Long-duration businesses create value through incremental reinvestment." The biggest investing secret? Value compounds quietly over time. Long-duration businesses win because they reinvest small gains again and again. That’s how real wealth is built.
Steady, Low‑volatility Investing Beats Roller‑coaster Returns
Investors who embrace boring strategies that minimize rollercoaster-like movements in their portfolios are often the ones who stay on track to meet their financial goals. https://t.co/AmWppEmzl3
Compounding Beats Social Security Contributions by Millions
Social Security vs Investing 🤔 So far I’ve paid ~$200K into SS Will add ~$15K/year → ~$560K total by 62 If that same money was invested in SPY… ≈ $2.3M 📈 That’s ~$1.8M in gains vs a system you don’t control....
24 Dividend Leaders Offering Consistent Growth
24 popular dividend stocks that can help you build passive income over time. From V, WMT, MCD, and COST to JPM and GOOG — these are companies with strong businesses behind their payouts. The goal isn’t just yield… it’s consistency + growth. Which...
New Tax Credit Pushes Buyers Toward American‑Made Cars
A new tax deduction lets buyers claim up to $10,000 a year on interest paid for new, American-made cars purchased between 2025 and 2028. To qualify, the vehicle must be assembled in the U.S., verified by its VIN, and bought...
Tiny Fee Differences Compound Into Massive Portfolio Losses
1% investment fee per year will lower your portfolio by ~25.8% over 30 years. 0.10% investment fee per year will lower it by only ~3% over 30 years. That 22.8 percentage point difference could cost you $$$. Fees also compound. Pay attention.
5% Dip Is Normal; Expect 14% Average Drops
Over the last 75 years, the average intra-year market drop has been 14%. If you are overly stressed out about the current 5% drawdown, the stock market isn’t for you. Downside volatility is the price investors pay for long-term outperformance....
Buffett's Rule: Skip Hype, Hunt Undervalued Fundamentals
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett's strategy? Stay away from flashy stocks, and assess fundamentals to find undervalued ones. https://t.co/qsceHG36d7
Cross‑border Property Ownership Complicates Estate Planning
"If I buy property in Singapore and I already own something in KL, how does that affect what happens to both if something happens to me?" That question told me everything about where this client was at.
Ask the Right Questions to See Through the Market
5 questions that separate investors who see the market from investors who see through it. Swipe. Same data, completely different intelligence depending on your role. Which question would change your allocation this quarter? https://t.co/jl0egsdwNw
Lynch’s 10 Principles: Simple Rules Over Economic Overanalysis
Peter Lynch once said: "If you spend 14 minutes a year thinking about economics, you have just wasted 12 minutes." Here are his 10 investing principles to navigate uncertainty:
Big Positions Blur Reality—Stay Rational, Stay Grounded
The biggest issue with holding big positions (winners and losers) is when you lose your rationality. You only see what you want to see or hope the business to be, not what it actually is. You must always stay anchored...
Probate Avoidance Isn’t the Sole Measure of Success
"Avoiding Probate" is misleading as the marker of estate plan success. Because probate is so commonly framed as something to be avoided at all costs, its presence is often interpreted as evidence that the estate plan failed. That interpretation is...
Keep Investing Simple to Achieve Long-Term Financial Goals
The key to reaching your long-term financial goals is often to keep investing simple. https://t.co/vu3RFU8Uw3
Turn 30 Into Wealth: Skill up, Save, Invest
Are you still broke at 30? Time to flip the script and build real wealth. Start here: • Grow yourself: Level up skills to boost your income. • Spend smart: Cut unnecessary fluff—every dollar counts. • Save aggressively: Aim for that...
Advisers Hunt Tax Alpha Amid AI Threats and Goal‑Setting Hurdles
🆕 Adviser links: searching for tax alpha, the AI threat, and the challenge of goal setting. https://t.co/9J3UbREYin chart: https://t.co/DlD779WvsT https://t.co/kv9j0u0L9q
Buy Casino Stock in Tax‑deferred Account, Profit Long Term
I've developed an easy trick to make money gambling. Buy the casino's stock in an IRA or other tax-deferred acount, then wait about 20 years.
Gold's Declining Allocation May Soon Boost Returns
In the 1970s gold was recommended in many places as a 10-15% weighting of your portfolio. Today it’s basically zero. Gold has shot up but if recommended allocations skew higher to follow prices it could be a long term tailwind...
Suze Orman: Decades of Money‑Management Expertise
Personal finance expert Suze Orman has years of experience guiding people on how to make the most of their money. https://t.co/ldmDmg2eVO
2026 Equity Risk Premium Update for Practitioners Released
The equity risk premium (ERP) is an essential ingredient in hurdle rates in corporate finance, discount rates in valuation and expected returns in financial planning. In 2009, I pulled together everything I know about the ERP, in a paper that...
Swap Powers Boost Flexibility and Tax Efficiency in Irrevocable Trusts
The downside of irrevocable trusts are that they are "irrevocable" and can't easily be undone ➡️ But here's how "swap powers" – the ability to exchange assets in an irrevocable trust with other assets of equivalent value – can be...
Capital‑light Models Boost Returns on Reinvested Cash
"Capital-light models amplify the power of reinvested cash flows." 💡 Want your money to work harder without tying up massive capital? Capital-light investment models are game-changers.l
Step‑up in Basis Can Erase Capital Gains Tax
If you bought a home for $500k and it is now worth $1M when you pass away, your children generally receive a “step up in basis.” If they sell it, they may owe no capital gains tax. But if you gift...
Trim the Bulk, Let Outliers Drive Returns
The 80/20 rule is just a Power Law in disguise. Often, in a portfolio: 📈 20% of your holdings will drive 80% of your returns. 📉 80% of your stress will come from 20% of your "average" bets. The secret to long-term success? Cutting...
Group Investments by Risk, Not Asset Class, for Smoother Returns
How a "total portfolio approach" that groups investments by risk and performance characteristics (rather than asset class) could lead to a smoother ride for investors (@JasonKephart | @MorningstarInc) More curated articles on investment planning this #WeekendReading: https://t.co/L80cXNYxuT
Invest Early, Retire Richer: 10 Years Beats 25
This is crazy: If you are 35 and start investing $5k/yr and stop at 60, you will have ~$431,754 (8%/yr assumption) But if you are 25, start investing $5k/yr and stop at 35, you will have ~$615,580 at 60 (8%/yr assumption) $75k less...
Invest by Following Crowds Selectively, Seek Misunderstood Resilient Niches
As Charles Mackay observed in 1841, "Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, one by one." We are social creatures whose...
Munger's 10 Uncomfortable Money Truths Everyone Ignores
Charlie Munger On Wealth: 10 Hard Truths About Money Most People Don’t Want To Hear https://t.co/nbDYQBQi3R
Wealth Grows When Debt Funds Asset Purchases
Your parents told you to avoid debt. That advice kept them middle class. The wealthy use debt to buy assets. Learn the difference.
Buying Hides Massive Hidden Costs—Compare Rent Wisely
When you buy, you'll spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on irrecoverable costs like: - Interest - Transaction fees - Maintenance - Opportunity cost But the real Q to ask: 1. How does the math work out for buying vs renting? 2. What about the non-financial...