Portfolio diversity

Can a single mega total-market index fund outperform an equally weighted basket of large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap funds? The answer may surprise you.

Surviving spouses will either receive their own Social Security benefit or the survivor's benefit, whichever is higher. But they also may get pushed to a higher tax bracket, which. in turn, could mean higher taxes on Social Security benefits.

Concentrate on the factors that you and your clients can control.

A majority of advisers (60%) want to diversify using the same investment vehicles regardless of market conditions, yet 27% say today's market makes diversification harder with current asset allocation.

A retiree living off her portfolio suffers hundreds of dollars a year in lost income for every added basis point of fund expense ratio and advisory fees.

A revealing look at how a multi-asset grouping performs during periods of low and high inflation.

While ETF choices are limited, a handful using these securities offer different approaches and capitalization sizes.

One of the major aims of asset allocation is to craft a portfolio with ingredients that don’t all behave in exactly the same way to protect against all assets heading south at the same time. But, of course, that downside protection can be a double-edged sword.

Many Americans are facing bleak retirement prospects as a result of the current do-it-yourself retirement system.

"People want to chase gains," an adviser says of clients.