Tax Loss Harvesting for Small Portfolios: Is It Actually Worth Doing Under $50K?
A reader emailed me last month asking whether to start tax loss harvesting on his $18,000 brokerage account. An advisor friend had told him it…
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The Backdoor Roth IRA, Step by Step: How High Earners Still Get $7,500 a Year Into a Roth (2026)
The IRS officially says the 2026 Roth IRA is closed to single filers earning more than $168,000 in MAGI. In practice, that limit has been…
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How to Start Investing With $100: 7 Steps to Get Your First Dollar in the Market This Week
Fidelity will let you buy slices of more than 7,000 stocks and ETFs starting at $1. Schwab will sell you a piece of any S&P…
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The Three-Fund Portfolio for Beginners: Why Simple Beats Complicated (and the Data Proves It)
Here is a number that should make every beginner investor breathe easier: over the 15 years ending December 2024, more than 90% of actively managed…
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HYSA vs. Money Market Account: What’s Actually Different (And Which One Pays More)
This article is part of our Investing & Wealth Building Guide — a comprehensive overview of building long-term wealth with related deep dives. The national…
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Roth IRA vs. Traditional IRA in Your 20s: Which Account Wins the Tax Battle
If you open a Roth IRA at 22 and contribute the annual maximum every year until you retire at 65, you could accumulate over $1.7…
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Index Fund vs Target Date Fund: Which to Choose for Your Retirement
This article is part of our Investing Guide — a comprehensive overview of the topic with related deep dives. A $10,000 investment in a total…
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Bond Allocation by Age: Why the Old Rules No Longer Work
For decades, financial advisors told clients to hold their age in bonds — if you’re 40, put 40% in bonds — but Vanguard’s 2024 research shows this classic rule leaves most retirees with 15–20% less wealth than a more nuanced glide path.
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What Is the Debt Ceiling? A Plain-English Guide for Investors
Every year or two, headlines panic about the U.S. debt ceiling. Politicians make speeches. Markets get jumpy. Most regular people read the coverage, feel vaguely…
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How Tax-Loss Harvesting Can Save You $2,400 a Year on a $200K Portfolio
A $200,000 portfolio that harvests tax losses can save you roughly $2,400 per year in federal taxes — and that money compounds for decades.
