Ten opinionated guides on ETF mechanics, fees, portfolio building, small-cap investing, impact investing, and how to pick what you actually own — written for people who want to understand what they're buying.
What's actually inside an ETF, how it tracks an index, and why buying VTI gets you a slice of 3,600 companies at once. Start here if you're new — or if you've been investing without really understanding the mechanics.
One US total market fund, one international fund, one bond fund. That's it. This strategy has quietly outperformed most actively managed portfolios over the long run — and it takes about 20 minutes to set up.
SPY and VOO track the same index. SPY charges 0.0945%; VOO charges 0.03%. On $100,000 over 30 years, that gap is roughly $25,000. This guide shows you exactly how to spot and eliminate fee drag in any portfolio.
Bonds aren't boring — they're the part of your portfolio that doesn't crater when the stock market does. This guide covers government vs. corporate, short vs. long duration, and which funds (BND, AGG, SGOV) actually fit different situations.
SCHD and JEPI both pay dividends — but they're built on completely different logic. One targets dividend growth; the other uses options to generate income. Knowing which you own (and why) matters more than the yield percentage.
VTI and VTSAX track the same index and charge the same 0.03% fee. People treat this as a major decision when it's mostly a rounding error, except in taxable accounts and 401(k) plans, where the structure matters in specific, measurable ways.
There are 3,000+ ETFs. Most are noise. Five numbers — expense ratio, AUM, index tracked, tracking difference, and bid-ask spread — tell you almost everything you need to know about whether a fund is worth owning.
XLK is already 30%+ of a standard S&P 500 fund. Adding a tech sector ETF on top means you're more concentrated than you think. This guide covers when sector bets make sense — and when they quietly cannibalize your diversification.
VB and SCHA cover the full small-cap market for 0.04-0.05%. AVUV targets small-cap value and has outperformed both since 2019. If you own VTI, you already have 7% small-cap exposure. This guide covers what the size premium actually is, which fund fits which strategy, and when skipping the tilt is the smarter call.
ESG, SRI, thematic — three different philosophies that all get called "impact investing." ESGV holds over 1,500 stocks at 0.09%. ICLN holds 100 clean energy companies at 0.40%. The label doesn't tell you what's inside. This guide does.
One clear ETF concept per week — plus new guides when they drop. Plain-English investing education, no jargon, no sales pitch.
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