Author Archives: William Baldwin

With the passage of Proposition 30 on Election Day, California boasts the top state income tax rate of 13.3% and moves up in the rankings of states taking the biggest bite out of a $1 million salary. Continue reading →

Stock prices lurch up and down for no good reason. Is this volatility bad? No—not, at least, if you are a steady saver. Continue reading →

Worst possible choice: an assortment of expensive funds. Continue reading →

How much should you have in your retirement account? In all probability, more than you have. If you?re leaving your job at 67, you should have eight times your ending salary stashed away, says Fidelity Investments in a set of guidelines for savers. Continue reading →

Enhance the income from your stock portfolio by writing options?such is the captivating appeal of covered-call investing. You buy Apple at $606, say, and write a September call exercisable at $640. If Apple doesn?t go up very much the option expires un… Continue reading →

The 5-4 decision upholding Obamacare has a side effect: It makes that 3.8% surtax on investment income definitive. Continue reading →

What matters in picking an exchange traded fund? Let’s assume you have picked the category you want exposure to (big-company stocks or junk bonds or whatever). Then three things matter: costs, costs and costs. Continue reading →

What matters in picking an exchange traded fund? Let’s assume you have picked the category you want exposure to (big-company stocks or junk bonds or whatever). Then three things matter: costs, costs and costs. Continue reading →

This story appears in the April 9, 2012 edition of Forbes magazine. Continue reading →

What are the most cost-effective exchange traded funds in the land? We have a list: Top-four funds in each of 11 categories. Continue reading →