Many investors have a mix of investment types in their portfolios. Do you know what they are, and where to put each account? Learn more.

As a former lifeguard, I often use the analogy of swimming in the ocean to describe what it’s like to make and sustain investment plans. It can help you as an investor to think of financial markets as vast and full of potential, but also risky should you decide to venture out.

Alan Spector has done a lot of consulting on management and quality assurance. In his experience, people often ask, “Can I afford to retire?” and stop there.

At times like these, when record-breaking fire is again ravaging parts of California, we remember that our financial portfolios are not just numbers on paper.

Some investors are really gamblers. They like throwing their money into the pot in hopes of huge returns without much concern about risk. There’s nothing wrong with that as long as you don’t throw in more than you can afford to lose.

I just returned from a week’s vacation that culminated with my participating in the Trans Tahoe Relay swim across Lake Tahoe. This is my 16th year making the 12-mile swim. As I swam, I was awestruck by how blue the water was.