Money and happiness: part 34343 in a long-running saga, plus all the week’s good reads!
weekend reading
Bank runs and pension rule changes – which happen faster these days? Plus all the week’s good reads…
What caught my eye this week. This might be a Mini Budget moment for the US. Its regulators moved yesterday to shut down Silicon Valley Bank and to take control of its deposits. It’s the biggest US bank failure since 2008. Silicon Valley Bank’s shares had already been pummeled this week as the Californian lender [...]
What caught my eye this week. Three years ago this weekend I began to write on Monevator about the new coronavirus, which by late February had gotten the attention of the markets: Things were definitely feeling freaky by the fourth day of 3-4% declines. When the US market bounced higher into the close on Friday [...]
Mortgage rates are falling to a level that should sustain current prices. Plus all the good money reads!
How British workers are clinging on to the home working freedoms they first tasted with the pandemic, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Checking back on our poll about checking up on your portfolio (and around we go…) plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
A quick check in and the end and the start of a year, plus recent good money and investing reads…
Good reads from 2022 that you should grab now for Christmas, plus the final investing links of the year…
Machine learning will change the world – or so it says – plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
What caught my eye this week. Just in case anyone was wondering why the price of Bitcoin bounced so sharply off the $15,600 level it hit on Tuesday, I have the answer. That was the day I sold my Bitcoin. ((I also dumped the small amount of Ethereum that I had hedging my bets, alongside [...]
The bill comes due for six years of bad stuff, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Like a kid cramming their homework, the markets raced this week. Plus the best reads from around the web…
What caught my eye this week. War pioneer and on/off conqueror of Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte, supposedly said he’d pick a lucky general over a good one. Investors might take the same deal. Alas, there’s apparently no evidence that Napoleon stated the preference that’s famously ascribed to him. Which is a shame. Trying to invade Russia [...]
Brexit gave us the Britain we’re enduring today. What will reverse the slide? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Political chaos finally transmogrified into market chaos, plus all of the week’s good reads…
High inflation is causing pain, but at least it’s paying off your mortgage. Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Get healthy to make more time to make more money. Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Are we about to see a GDP-boosting wave of innovation gains? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
What caught my eye this week. Are your staff still refusing to return to the office for daily time-saving stand-up meetings where you and your pet subordinate make everyone else wait through a 25-minute back-and-forth about who will make a sales call on Thursday? Would your employees rather start their day with a coffee in [...]
Is chronic illness to blame for the UK’s missing half-a-million workers? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
An old-time blogger gets back on his hobbyhorse, plus the rest of the week’s good money and investing reads…
It’s like the more money we come across, the more problems we see… plus the rest of the weeks good reads
What caught my eye this week. I was going to ramble semi-eloquently about how it feels to finally catch Covid, two and a bit years and three vaccination shots on from when this journey started. Perhaps I’d reflect on our early speculation and debate about the virus and the economic costs and consequences of trying [...]
Two podcasts featuring veteran investors unpicking the inflation riddle, plus the week’s good reads…
It all works out if you give it enough time, plus the rest of the week’s great reads…
Everyone has a plan until they’re punched in the face, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Landlords will soon feel the squeeze from higher rates, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
What caught my eye this week. I get the impression people are already tiring of the endless inflation talk. But I find it hard to look away. The stats just keep coming! This week UK inflation hit 7%. That’s a 30-year high and ahead of most economists’ predictions. The old RPI measure of inflation is [...]
Paying for property is getting a lot more expensive, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Is the yield curve inverting really such a big deal? Plus all the week’s best articles on money and investing…
Rishi Sunak was not duty bound to cut fuel taxes, plus the all the week’s good reads…
Whatever happened to the guaranteed equity bond? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
What caught my eye this week. When it comes to collateral damage from the tragedy in Ukraine, investors in Russia can only come near the bottom of the sympathy list. But Monevator is an investing site. And the tumult in Russian assets since the war began is one for the ages. Russia’s stock market was [...]
What caught my eye this week. Very interesting news this week from Belgium is not a phrase that has grown stale from overuse. But as the world gropes towards a better post-pandemic work-life balance I read: …workers in Belgium will soon be able to choose a four-day week under a series of labour market reforms [...]
The Big Squeeze is more like The Big Reckoning, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Would you go back to an office 9-5 if they paid you? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
What caught my eye this week. All of us know that a calendar year is an arbitrary period over which to measure non-astronomical progress. That’s true whether you’re looking at an expanding portfolio or a shrinking waistline. Or, worse, the opposite! Yet 90% of us do it anyway. Far be it from me to take [...]
What to get for Christmas for the investor who reads in your life, plus the last list of links of the year…
Speculative stocks have gotten smashed in 2021 but who’s next? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Getting out of debt is an experience to be savoured like any other, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
You can’t take it with you… but you can read the best money and investing reads along the way!
If you value your time more than your money – and if you have a lot of it – then maybe you’re a time millionaire…
What caught my eye this week. I am down in Cornwall at the moment, living the outdoorsy middle-class Londoner’s cliché dream. Earlier this evening Paul Ainsworth wowed with a rib. Yesterday a Rick Stein spot did wonders with a negroni. The Camel Estuary of course outshines them all. So technically I’m on my holidays. But [...]
What caught my eye this week. I had to dodge through a queue of cars snaking out of a petrol station forecourt and onto the road on my way home this evening. There are also gaps in the supermarkets and High Street stores – albeit definitely more missing teeth than gummy and barren. Oh, and [...]
What caught my eye this week. When I began investing in the early 2000s, the September 11th attacks still loomed large in investors’ minds. Of course, that shadow extended everywhere then. The West was at war in Afghanistan and soon Iraq. Terrorist plots exploded or were foiled with numbing regularity. It all hogged the news [...]
The government hikes taxes despite all kinds of promises. Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
What caught my eye this week. Rejoice that at some point you began reading – or even subscribed – to Monevator. Because while our core message to invest passively, automate your savings, and then find a different hobby is a terrible business model for an investing blog, the evidence is clear its the best advice [...]
Could the pandemic have changed people’s spending habits forever? Plus all the reads…
Many managers are desperate to get back to the office because working from home reveals how little they do
Should the entire pension system be scrapped and replaced? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Robinhood is making a lot of money for a free trading platform, so will Freetrade follow suit? Plus the week’s great reads…
Ted Weschler turned thousands into millions in his humble retirement account, plus the rest of the weekend’s reads…
The Accumulator has been turned into a bobblehead! Plus the rest of the week’s good money and investing reads
In today’s sci-fi stock market, company fortunes turn on the whims of kids, while billionaires pump and dump like bedroom traders.
What caught my eye this week. Have you ever described yourself as just another average kind of personal finance blog-reading mostly passive occasionally active FIRE-obsessed crypto skeptic? Well Indeedably did us all a favour this week by collating the data on what Mr Average really looks like: “Average” varies by locale, so let’s consider the [...]
Will you change your life after we return to normal? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Is it still worth rolling over NS&I certificates? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
What caught my eye this week. A year or so has passed since global stock markets began to recover, resuming their age-old tradition of making smart people look like idiots. Tech stocks rallied first, which was blamed on 20-something traders and lockdown mania. Later in the year, small cap stocks joined the party. Just more [...]
Wall Street reminds us where WSB took its lead from, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
We need some new blood that’s hungry for financial freedom. Plus the week’s good reads…
What caught my eye this week. Rishi Sunak didn’t hike capital gains tax in the Budget. I took it a little personally after I’d voluntarily conjured up a five-figure tax charge, partly fearing he’d double the rate I’d pay. However I’m not too miffed. For one thing, the unsheltered shares I sold were mostly of [...]
What caught my eye this week. Bit of a higgledy-piggledy digest this Saturday, which is right in keeping with a week in the markets that was all over the place. If you sensibly follow The Accumulator’s advice to watch your paint drying and wash you’re hair a third time before you check out how your [...]
Where do you put a lot of money if you’re lucky enough to have it? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
The famous 4% rule might actually be the 5% rule when inflation is low, plus all the week’s good reads…
A few final thoughts on this week’s GameStop saga, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Working from home is winning more converts, but why did it take them so long? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Why opinions should be heavily discounted when investing, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
What caught my eye this week. Happy Near Year! I hope you spent your New Year’s Eve in a Covid-proof bunker with Jools Holland – unlike those living near me or on my dating app who seemed to think the end of 2020 was a reason to get together for a party. Most of us [...]
A reminder to read your financial origin stories, plus the last great reads of 2020…
Some investing books you can get away with giving for Christmas, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
What caught my eye this week. Being nothing if not a business nerd, I spent Friday evening enjoying a new report from Waitrose on consumer trends in 2021. Don’t judge me! It’s not like the pubs were open. Or maybe they were? But I live alone. So I can’t go to them. Or maybe I [...]
Why buy two Bitcoins when one will do the trick? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Beware of bullseyes pasted onto a moving target by pundits, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Investor sentiment on tech has come full circle, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Shifting to a spending mindset to run down your capital, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
The real cost of partaking in the gold rally, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
If even the masters of the universe struggle to smooth the investment journey, what hope do we have? Plus the week’s good reads…
Would you rather own a tech stock or a company that digs up rock? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
The economic chickens could soon come home to roost, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Why direct indexing could rival ETFs and tracker funds, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
The irrelevance of alpha for private investors, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
What caught my eye this week. I have mentioned before my group of friends on an email list who’ve been debating Covid-19 since January. Well, this same group of friends was previously preoccupied by arguing the future of cash. I think cash use is doomed to dwindle in the West, probably fast. Most of them [...]
What caught my eye this week. The US may be about to see another surge in Covid-19 deaths. This is clearly tragic from a human perspective. We might also wonder what it will do to the market. I’ve been pretty relaxed about the UK’s de-lockdown. Daily cases have steadily fallen, contrary to – soon forgotten [...]
What caught my eye this week. I have a soft spot for income investing. I haven’t actually (naughtily, actively) invested with a focus on income since the financial crisis, though. (Why not? That’s a whole other story.) I still expect to live off investment income when I’ve had enough of spinning the wheel on my [...]
Will we appreciate what comes of the Covid-19 chaos in time? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Some great money and investing reads for the last weekend (for now?) in splendid isolation…
What caught my eye this week. Right now it can be hard to picture the economic damage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. We know it’s bad. The leading indicators – joblessness, factory orders, early GDP reports – tell us that. But the full impact is being softened by government and central bank countermeasures. Also, the [...]
A simple way to lend money to yourself to get around a mental hangup, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
We’re not infected enough to be out of the woods, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Why bother trying to figure out coronavirus, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
What caught my eye this week. The graph of this week’s GDP forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility looks like something from a comic book: That’s not an economic projection – that’s the punchline to a three-panel cartoon. Of course the hope is that like a sack full of garden manure dropped onto a [...]
What does the dividend drought mean for long-term investors, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
We’re all locked inside, the sun is shining outside, the market crash continues. Here’s some good reads to take your mind off it all…
The flu that’s flailing away at your nest egg, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Investors are fickle and sectors enjoy (sometimes well-founded) fads, plus the rest of the week’s reads…
Somewhere out there, a bear market is stalking us – are you ready? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Meet the ‘double doublers’ – the multi-bagging investment trusts that might tempt you to stray from the straight and rational…
The results are in for our FIRE debate poll, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
A few more words on living – and working – today versus investing for tomorrow, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
What caught my eye this week. Naturalists have been surprised by the sight of thousands of 10-inch pulsating penis-like creatures wriggling about on a windswept beach. The story was originally reported in the journal By Nature, which shared a photograph of one of the worms: In taking up the story, the Guardian explains: These penile [...]
Grab yourself a free share by signing up to Freetrade, plus all the week’s good reads…
It’s election time, batten down the hatches. Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Keep it simple, silly. No really, don’t complicate matters. Why am I still writing? Why is everything so complicated? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
How wealthy are you in the ways that really matter? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
A new tool makes it easy to see how (little) it costs us directly to be in the EU, plus the rest of the week’s reads…
What would you ask a financial services fairy godmother for? Plus the rest of the weeks’ good reads…
Another bout in the active/passive propaganda battle, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
A new take on the ‘passive bubble’ shibboleth, plus all the good money reads from around the web…
Proposals to raise the pension age to 75 show you can never let your guard down, plus more great reads…
What caught my eye this week. There was something (else) notable about the first TV interview with the three lads from Manchester who restrained a knife-wielder run amok in Sydney earlier this week. In the initial broadcast, I noticed two were wearing Apple Airpods whilst talking to the camera. I thought this pretty striking. The [...]
Musings on what you miss when you don’t spend money, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Could you afford to live on the income from bonds like an Austen character? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
What caught my eye this week. Surprise! For reasons still not clear to me, The Investor has handed me his beloved babe – Weekend reading – for a special guest edition. Before you collectively drop your monocle in your soup, have no fear. I’ll have a little joyride before safely parking back at Monevator Towers. That [...]
Whether or not you plan to retire early, the bell still tolls for young bucks. Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Is passive index investing too good to be true? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
A call for questions to ask the passive investing prophet, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
The unreliable bet on slowing population growth, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Capital gains tax receipts are rising, so take cover! Plus the rest of the weeks’ good reads.
People prefer to be dramatic over being right, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
The Nightmare on Acacia Avenue that is Brexit, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Now auto-enrollment finally has pensions moving back to an even keel, some think we should bugger them up again. Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
What happened to the ‘no-brainer’ interest rate rise / bond crash? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
In which the editor of a bastion of passive investing blog goes giddy meeting a rare market beating manager, plus the rest of the week’s good reads!
What caught my eye this week. I am running late this week, so I’ll cut straight to the chase and suggest you check out this post on investing a lump sum over at the Of Dollars and Data blog. Author Nick Maggiulli writes: The main reason Lump Sum outperforms Dollar Cost Averaging [DCA] is because [...]
Money and investing wisdom boiled down to 29 pithy one-liners, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Are you quite sure that index funds are the future of investing? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Why the investment blog scene seems well past its best, plus links to the good stuff that was published…
Britain slips down the league of most powerful passports, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
New year, new chance to beat the market if you’re a naughty active investor, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
A few good books, a dash of season’s greetings, and a list of great reads – the recipe for the last post of the year!
Brexit, the gift that keeps throwing up over the carpet, plus the rest of the week’s goings-on…
Britain’s property divide continues our slow creep back into the dark ages, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Investing isn’t a game – except when you play Stax, a new investing game – plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
How your personal experiences can overly drive your opinions about different asset classes, and the rest of the week’s good reads…
Does buying shares in an ethical trust really enable you to sleep better at night? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
One immigrant’s incredible journey from Africa to financial independence, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Why one rich person only sleeps well at night with three homes under his metaphorical belt, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Be careful what you wish for when it comes to FIRE for all. Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
It’s ten years since the great financial crisis went truly bananas. Download a free ebook from Ray Dalio to relive the horror!
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Remember the Child Trust Fund? Millions of kids don’t know they have one. Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
The weird stores of value that make Bitcoin look like a no-brainer, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Nobody will ring THE bell before the next bear market – but there will always be lots of false alarms.
Britain’s silliest savings wrapper could be getting the chop, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Working just one more year can substantially boost your standard of living. Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
A new report reveals half the population would never invest in shares, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Times are tough for millennials but there’s also loads of ways for them – and anyone else – to save money. Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Is the passive label a turn-off for investors? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
The great Brexit debate is already two years old, let alone the Brexit itself. Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
How passive investing and indexing is replacing active fund manager picks as the backbone of financial services, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
Academics on the benefits of doing a few more months at the office, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
How a billionaire invests his – well – billions, plus the rest of the week’s good money and investing reads…
This week’s money and investing articles to read when you’re bored of the Royal Wedding…
The failure of a small cap broker provides a stark warning that ring-fenced assets are not 100% safe. Plus the rest of the week’s good reads.
Landlords: Evil or just trying to get along like the rest of us? Plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
What caught my eye this week. Academic research has confirmed what we obsessive savers already suspected – that we’re pretty damn attractive to the opposite sex. As Jonathan Clements at The Humble Dollar reports: Savers, both men and women, were viewed as more desirable romantic partners, because they’re perceived to have greater self-control. In truth, [...]
What caught my eye this week. People seem very confused about Amazon. This week I heard some market pundits chortling among themselves about how crazy high the valuation was for a company that “doesn’t make any money.” Ho ho ho! In fact they only stopped laughing to say Amazon really must be regulated because it’s [...]
A new financial blogger explains on her Shop Floor Mentality, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…
What caught my eye this week. This will be a busy Easter, so I’m getting Weekend Reading out of the way early. And when I say ‘busy’ I mostly mean ‘busy shopping’. I’ll be very glad when my new flat is done. I’m ready to begin laying down the avocado bathroom suite equivalent of the [...]
Understanding the pitfalls in average returns, plus the rest of the week’s good reads…