No Non-Cents Blog

Investing used to require a fair amount of effort. You might have called a broker, filled out paperwork, mailed a check, and then waited patiently for something to happen. Today, you can open an investment account from your couch, transfer money, buy a fractional share of a company, and check how it’s doing before your DoorDash order arrives. For younger generations, investing has never been more accessible. As we recognized International Youth Day on August 12, it’s worth lo

For most of your working life, retirement planning has a fairly straightforward message: Save money. Then save some more. Max out the 401(k) if you can. Contribute to an IRA. Invest for the long term. Don't panic when the market falls. And, most importantly, try not to touch the retirement accounts. You follow those rules for 30 or 40 years, finally reach retirement, and then someone like me says: “Great job. Now start spending it.” Understandably, that can take some getting

When the Market Gets Moody: Financial Lessons from Recent Market Volatility Or, "Why Checking Your Portfolio 17 Times a Day Isn't a Great Investment Strategy." Let's be honest. If you've been investing for more than five minutes, you've probably had one of those mornings where you log into your investment account, stare at the screen for a few seconds, and think, "Well...that wasn't there yesterday." It's usually followed by checking CNBC, checking your pulse, and wondering i

Most financial mistakes don’t feel like mistakes when you’re making them. They feel reasonable, even responsible, in the moment. You save consistently, you invest when you can, and you try to make smart decisions along the way — which, to be fair, already puts you ahead of most people. The problem is that good intentions don’t always translate into optimal outcomes, especially when decisions are made in isolation or without a clear long-term framework. And over time, small in