John Dow

Commodity ETFs look like an easy way to add inflation protection and diversification to a portfolio. Gold, oil, agriculture, and metals feel tangible and intuitive. Prices go up, the ETF should go up. Over long periods, this logic often fails. Many long-term investors discover that their commodity ETF underperforms the commodity itself, sometimes by a […]

Exchange-traded funds look simple on the surface. You buy and sell them like stocks. Prices update throughout the day. Fees are low. For many investors, that is where understanding stops. Behind the scenes, ETFs operate through a structure that is very different from mutual funds or individual stocks. This structure explains why ETFs are usually

Dividend investing and growth investing are often presented as opposite philosophies. One focuses on steady income and perceived stability. The other prioritizes reinvesting profits for future expansion and higher long-term returns. For beginners, the question is not which approach sounds better, but which one actually works better over time when real-world data, taxes, and behavior

For many beginners, investing starts and ends with the US stock market. The S&P 500 is familiar, widely covered, and has delivered strong returns for decades. This often leads to a simple question: Is investing outside the US actually necessary? International ETFs exist for a reason. Global portfolios behave differently from US-only portfolios, especially over

Investment fees rarely feel dangerous. They do not show up as sudden losses or dramatic price drops. Instead, they work slowly, quietly, and consistently. This is why many investors underestimate their impact. Over long periods, fees often matter more than market timing, fund selection, or short-term performance. For beginners building long-term portfolios, understanding how fees

Few debates in investing are as persistent as index funds versus actively managed funds. Supporters of active management argue that skilled professionals can outperform the market. Advocates of index funds point to decades of data suggesting that most active managers fail to do so over time. For beginners, this debate is not academic. The choice

Choosing a broker is one of the first and most important decisions a long-term investor makes. It looks like a technical choice, but in reality it affects costs, behavior, access to markets, and even the likelihood of staying invested over time. Beginners often choose brokers based on advertising, popularity, or what friends use. This usually