Should You Dollar Hedge Your Foreign Bonds?

Should You Dollar Hedge Your Foreign Bonds?

A well-diversified investment portfolio should at least include bonds as well as stocks. And in the case of bonds, you will discover that there are more sub-asset classes than there are for stocks. Today I’m focusing on bonds issued by foreign governments. One of the challenges with those kinds of bonds is that as a…
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Has The U.S. Ever Defaulted On Its Debt?

U.S. Treasuries have been considered the safest debt on the planet ever since the end of World War II. But they are backed only by the “full faith & credit” of the U.S. government. Despite the two major political parties squabbling every couple of years over raising the debt ceiling in order to pass a…
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California Home Insurance Premium Increases

In light of the recent Southern California wildfires, all California residents probably assume that their homeowner’s insurance premiums will be going up. But by how much? And how do California rates compare with those in the rest of the country? The insurance comparison platform Insurify just completed a cost and projection analysis for homeowner’s insurance…
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Where To Invest During a Tariff War

A number of readers of my previous article on Trump’s tariff war asked about the best places to invest during the current situation. Let’s explore the various stock markets and sectors to see which ones might make the most sense to take advantage of at this time. We’ll start with those areas that are most…
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The Wrong Way To Buy A House

Let’s say you’re in the market for your first house. Thanks to family support and your own frugal lifestyle spending, you’ve managed to accumulate $600K for a down payment. After searching for months you discovered a fixer-upper in the suburbs for $1 million (after all, you’re in the Bay Area). The real estate agent recommended…
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My View Of Trump’s Tariff War

In a word, I believe it’s extremely misguided. Here’s why. First, what problem is Trump trying to solve? The only justifications he has made are that (1) the U.S. is being economically “ripped off” through other countries’ tariffs, and (2) we need to bring manufacturing back onshore (presumably to increase jobs). Let’s tackle the rip-off…
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