Investments 101 - how do I learn how to understand these?

[Anonymous]

Local guy Ric Edelman has some good books which go over the basics. I started watching his shows and read his book about 20 years ago. Helped me alot. Think he has newer books and I've seen him on PBS lately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does active management mean exactly and how much are you being charged for it?

There are a number of studies that show that active management is bad or not as cost effective as buy and hold.

Biggest thing to know is, what fees are you being charged? If it's any more than half a percent, you are probably being robbed.

I agree, bogelheads or reading pf books from the library, or taking an investing class from a community college is a good way to go.

Maybe I don't mean active management (see - I don't even understand the terms! That's why I need the basics!) More that we have a number of actual specific company stocks vs. something like a vanguard fund, though to be honest I don't really know what a Vanguard fund is, I just see it mentioned here frequently. I believe it is mostly a buy and hold strategy, but there are legacy stock positions so someone does manage the portfolio in terms of looking at diversification / sector weighting, managing capital gains and losses, etc.

I believe fees are around 0.3%

Do you have any particular personal finance (I assume that's what pf stands for?) books or authors to recommend? If I go to the library and just pick one at random is that likely to be good for what I need?

OMG -- how did you get in so deep? How did you even get started in investing if you don't know if you have active management or not; company stocks; mutual funds or ETFs? Seriously -- who did you give your money to? How do you know if it over/under performs the S&P?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does active management mean exactly and how much are you being charged for it?

There are a number of studies that show that active management is bad or not as cost effective as buy and hold.

Biggest thing to know is, what fees are you being charged? If it's any more than half a percent, you are probably being robbed.

I agree, bogelheads or reading pf books from the library, or taking an investing class from a community college is a good way to go.

Maybe I don't mean active management (see - I don't even understand the terms! That's why I need the basics!) More that we have a number of actual specific company stocks vs. something like a vanguard fund, though to be honest I don't really know what a Vanguard fund is, I just see it mentioned here frequently. I believe it is mostly a buy and hold strategy, but there are legacy stock positions so someone does manage the portfolio in terms of looking at diversification / sector weighting, managing capital gains and losses, etc.

I believe fees are around 0.3%

Do you have any particular personal finance (I assume that's what pf stands for?) books or authors to recommend? If I go to the library and just pick one at random is that likely to be good for what I need?

OMG -- how did you get in so deep? How did you even get started in investing if you don't know if you have active management or not; company stocks; mutual funds or ETFs? Seriously -- who did you give your money to? How do you know if it over/under performs the S&P?

I'll let you figure that out for yourself.

[Anonymous]

The Bogleheads Guide to Investing is a good primer. If you are interested in a particular company the quarterly earning calls are interesting. You can find past transcripts on companies website under 'investor".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Bogleheads Guide to Investing is a good primer. If you are interested in a particular company the quarterly earning calls are interesting. You can find past transcripts on companies website under 'investor".

Interesting how? When you read a transcript what are you looking for? I would assume these reports are aimed at people who can put that information into context? I was not a finance/Econ major - I feel what I am lacking is the ability to put the information into context.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does active management mean exactly and how much are you being charged for it?

There are a number of studies that show that active management is bad or not as cost effective as buy and hold.

Biggest thing to know is, what fees are you being charged? If it's any more than half a percent, you are probably being robbed.

I agree, bogelheads or reading pf books from the library, or taking an investing class from a community college is a good way to go.

Maybe I don't mean active management (see - I don't even understand the terms! That's why I need the basics!) More that we have a number of actual specific company stocks vs. something like a vanguard fund, though to be honest I don't really know what a Vanguard fund is, I just see it mentioned here frequently. I believe it is mostly a buy and hold strategy, but there are legacy stock positions so someone does manage the portfolio in terms of looking at diversification / sector weighting, managing capital gains and losses, etc.

I believe fees are around 0.3%

Do you have any particular personal finance (I assume that's what pf stands for?) books or authors to recommend? If I go to the library and just pick one at random is that likely to be good for what I need?

OMG -- how did you get in so deep? How did you even get started in investing if you don't know if you have active management or not; company stocks; mutual funds or ETFs? Seriously -- who did you give your money to? How do you know if it over/under performs the S&P?

I'll let you figure that out for yourself.

I don't care enough to give it a thought -- probably bc I know what active vs. passive mgmt. is; I know my expense ratios; and I know if I'm beating the S&P any given day.

You must be a lawyer or doctor . . . .

[Anonymous]

I think you can pick up enough on bogleheads alone, but if you aren't quantitatively inclined/financially savvy it may take a bit of work on your part. I suspect a corollary of your studies will be that you will want to move your money out of active management and stop paying AUM based fees. You will find that personal finance is a lot like home improvement and car repairs. A lot of people in this area don't take the time or simply don't have the aptitude to understand these topics so legions of charlatans lie in wait to deprive you of your money. Even if you don't decide to manage your own finances a little knowledge will go a long way to make sure you aren't spending more than you ought to, aren't taking on more risk than you need to and are getting the returns you should be getting given your risk level and asset allocation.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please take a class. I got most of my knowledge from an mba. Or yes, read on your own.

An in-perdón class really isn't an option at this point. It would be hard to fit in schedule wise and to be honest it's not my first choice as I'm not a great auditory learner - lectures have never been the best learning method for me.

Any recommendations on particular reading materials or online course resources? I am familiar with (and like) online learning, but the resources I'm familiar with are tech rather than finance focused.

Ever heard of Google? Perfect for your not-auditory learning style, full of online courses and resources and reviews.