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Passive investing 101 via the Stockspot blog

 Summary: Stockspot is a low-fee, automated way of investing in passive index ETFs. Personally, I prefer Vanguard Diversified Index ETFs (even lower cost) but there are some extra features Stockspot provides (gold, tilts). However, the most underrated free service of Stockspot are the simple, reliably-correct explanations of investing wisdom on its blog. I have told many people to just read the blog and virtually none of them bother or know where to start. In this post, I will link to only the best articles and categorise them.


Details:

Investing principles and lessons

> What I’ve learned from 21 years of investing

> Investment traps you can avoid


Is investing in stocks and growth assets risky?

> Investing your savings doesn’t need to be daunting


Passive investing on autopilot. Why you don't need to develop expertise

> Why investing on autopilot works

> Why it pays to be a (lazy) investor

> Active vs Index investing – what’s the difference?


Getting started. Investing early and life stages

> Before you start investing

> 5 steps to investing checklist

> 3 tips for investing in your 20s


Can you beat the market?

> Why you won’t beat the share market (and why so many still try)

> Retrain your investment brain

> Managing your own investment portfolio: 8 things to consider

> Intellectual humility and knowing what you don’t know

> My tips for aspiring share traders

> Dunning-Kruger Effect: You know less than you think

> How does anchoring bias affect your investing?


What to do when the market falls, is volatile or goes sideways

> 6 mistakes to avoid when the sharemarket falls

> How to invest when markets go sideways

> Market corrections can present the best opportunity to invest

> How to safeguard your investments


Market timing and buying the dip

> When is the best time to invest into ETFs?

> Should you buy the dip?

> Beating the crowd in surprising markets

> The cost of moving to cash

> Should you buy when markets are high?


Dollar cost averaging vs lump sum investing

> Dollar-cost average or go all in?


Your investing goals, time horizon, risk profile

> What is your investment profile and why is it important?


Roboadvisor differences to Vanguard ETFs and performance

> How Stockspot outperformed Vanguard and robo advisors


Staying the course and not switching strategies

> 5 common questions about returns


Inflation and interest rates

> Inflation explained: How to beat inflation by investing

> Why are bond prices falling?

> What the interest rate cut means for your investments


Diversification across asset types

> The role of shares, bonds and gold in your portfolio

> How to build an awesome investment portfolio

> Better the devil you know?


Weighting of local shares in portfolio (e.g. Australian vs International)

> The importance of Australian shares in your portfolio


Gold, bonds and defensive assets

> Defensive assets for long term investors: are they worth it?

> All your investing in gold questions answered

> Why we increased our allocation to gold

> Why bonds belong in your portfolio


Investing in property directly

> Investing in property: are the returns worth it?


Hot sectors (e.g. tech), bubbles and diversification

> What if the tech stock boom has further to go in 2022?


Borrowing to invest. Pay off mortgage first or offset account?

> The pros and cons of borrowing to invest in shares

> Should you pay off your mortgage or invest?


Investing for income

> How to invest for a high dividend yield

> High yield investments: is income investing the right strategy?


Best and worst superannuation funds

> Best performing super funds in Australia (2021)

> What are the best industry super funds?


Passive versus Active investing

> Why we don’t recommend active funds

> We compare LICs vs ETFs, which is best?

> The Paradox of Skill: Why active funds disappoint every year


Fees and costs

> How fees kill your savings


Investing to minimise tax

> Which investments can minimise tax?


Ethical and responsible investing

> What is ethical investing?

> Inside Stockspot’s Sustainable Portfolios

> Ethical investing without sacrificing returns


Smart beta ETFs and factor investing

> Should you buy into smart beta ETFs?

> What is factor investing and should you do it?


Speculative "investing"

> What is Bitcoin and cryptocurrency

> What are NFTs & should you invest in them?

> Investments you should avoid

> Are you a speculator or an investor?


Self Managed Super Funds

> How SMSFs can beat the best super funds in Australia


Investing for kids

> Investing for Kids – Top FAQs


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