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The saving versus paying off debt is an age-old quandary that has plagued people since the advent of consumer debt. Pose this question to a group of financial planners and the responses will be split, roughly down the middle. While there might be as many advocates for savings as there would be for paying down debt, the broad consensus will likely be that it really depends on the situation.

The gap between the 20-year S&P 500 return and the average equity fund investor return expanded in 2013. This was the first gap expansion since 2010 and only the 3rd in 10 years. The S&P 500 return increased from 8.21% to 9.22% in 2013 while the average equity fund investor return increased from 4.25% to only 5.02%. This resulted in the gap widening from -3.96% to -4.20%.

Over the past few years, we’ve carefully assembled practical tips and videos you can use to help you make better and more informed life decisions. WE ARE ALL PREDICTABLY IRRATIONAL! See examples of "cognitive illusions," and learn why humans make predictably irrational decisions. For example, did you know that your vision can literally “trick” you whenever it can?

It's hard to save money. It's really hard. It's hard for monkeys and it's hard for us humans as well. Laurie Santos, associate professor and director of Yale University's Comparative Cognition Laboratory, and her colleagues conducted some very interesting experiments involving capuchin monkeys and financial decision-making.

Studies have demonstrated that the track record for individual investors is not encouraging. From 1990 to 2010, the unmanaged S&P 500 Index earned an average of 7.81% annually. Over that same period, the average equity investor earned a paltry 3.49% annually! http://www.investopedia.com/articles/stocks/08/invest-on-your-own.asp#ax...

Les distorsions cognitives sont souvent la cause des mauvaises performances. Comment les minimiser? http://www.morningstar.fr/fr/news/94912/les-investisseurs-sont-ils-ratio...

Deuxième distorsion cognitive: l’endowment effect, le fait de surestimer ce que vous avez dans le portefeuille, en perdant des opportunités de vente. http://www.morningstar.fr/fr/news/94948/investisseurs-irrationnels-si-ce...

L’aversion au risque paralyse parfois les investisseurs qui ne savent pas quelle stratégie adopter. Warren Buffet a souvent expliqué qu’il suivait deux règles de base en tant qu’investisseur professionnel. Règle numéro un: "Ne pas perdre d'argent", règle numéro deux : "Suivre la règle numéro un".

Real Estate Prices had fallen by 50% in some U.S. Cities. While homeownership rate has been declining since 2004, and housing affordability is lower due to higher home prices and mortgage rates, we are still optimistic on the U.S. housing market. With home prices that bottomed out in 2012, home price appreciation has continued at a strong pace (more than 10%) in most top cities.

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