Transparent Investing Tool Kit

I’m the kind of guy who believes in numbers and research. You can’t tell me something is “fact” without being able to cite it. To put it in the dry language of statisticians, I’m not persuaded by anecdote, but rather by broad data sets.

Which is exactly why I don’t want you to take my word for it. Transparent Investing includes a summary of all the research on how badly the investment industry has performed at either “beating the market,” or “timing the market,” so you can go look up the results to verify.

Here are a few handy free resources and tools to help you get it right and give you a taste of what’s in the book.

Transparent Investing Free Chapter Download

Do you ever think about investing and wonder “Should I hire an advisor or do it myself?”

There are times and instances where both options are needed. This standalone guide is a version of Chapter 8 in Transparent Investing to help you make the best decision. For more details on asset allocation, the research behind how hard it is to time or beat the market, and other insights, consult the full book Transparent Investing.

Case Studies

Data and research, and even the book Transparent Investing, are great when it comes to helping you make the best possible investing decisions. But there is nothing like a specific example of how someone else put all of the information to use. These case studies will hopefully make things more concrete and tangible as you look at the decisions around your own portfolio (even one you’re just starting to build). While I’ve tried to cover a range of wealth levels and life situations, your particular situation may not match any of these cases. Even if you don’t find a case comparable to your challenges, the choices and the reasons behind them will hopefully prove helpful.

Portfolio Organizer

Thinking of making a change to your current investment portfolio?

Even thinking about it can feel complicated and daunting. This handy portfolio organizer will help you outline your investments and categorize them so you can understand the choices available to you as an investor.

Fund Recommendations

Are you wondering what the best investments are right now?

Chances are the top choices are the same today as they were yesterday and will be tomorrow. Download now for five reliable and low-cost mutual funds to own now and in the future.

Free Online Retirement Calculators

Here are four free websites for helping you calculate your retirement situation based on current portfolio size, savings rate, and retirement income. They’re simple yet useful tools. The pre-tax math is the same whether you’re saving for retirement or something like the cost of college, so the tools may apply to situations beyond retirement.

Many sites offer free calculators, but these four don’t require you to register the way many do. I’m only suggesting you might look at these retirement calculators, not necessarily the products or investment advice the organization may provide. Please be careful of sales pitches, as in some cases these are provided for free in the hope that you’ll follow up.

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