Alexander Green

No one can predict exactly how stocks will perform next year, but if you follow these four pieces of investing advice, then you could see higher returns in 2014.

Last week Forbes came out with its 2014 Investment Guide, but not all of it was good advice. In fact, some of it was dreadful, according to Investment U.

Why you don't know how much you're paying in investment costs. Regardless, though, if you are using a full-service broker or insurance agent, you're almost certainly paying way too much.

The bull market that began in March 2009 is getting a little frothy - mom-and-pop investors have finally gathered the confidence to start investing in stocks again.

A new study reveals that financial literacy actually worsens as we age. See how a 90-year-old's financial decision-making ability compares to a 60-year-old's.

It is possible to beat the market: in addition to everyday market inefficiencies, remember that investors are not always rational. The combination of both provides periods of superb buying and selling opportunities.

Since 1989 this stock market has fallen 65%, but new laws generating labor market flexibility and a change in government make this market an attractive investment.

Despite what your tax advisor may tell you, you should never cash out of an investment for tax reasons alone. Nor do you have to. There's a smarter way to protect your gains from the prying hands of the IRS.

This latest "financial crisis" is political theater, not national bankruptcy. No one really believes we don't have the ability to make good on our debts even if there is a technical default.

Most investors worry about the wrong things - things they can't do anything about, like the shutdown, the debt ceiling and the sequester. You're far better off worrying about the right things.

There is no better "heads-up" in the stock market than top executives and directors piling into their own company's stock with their own money at current market prices.

It's an open secret that the way to make money in stocks is to buy low and sell high. What most investors don't understand is there are two distinctly different ways of buying low.

The mega-rich got richer over the past year because they have substantial ownership stakes in well-run, publicly traded companies. And it's how the rest of us can build, enhance and protect our fortunes, too.

To some extent, we are all conditioned to look for products that are "new and improved." More often than not, what's improved is the packaging and what's new is the price - it's generally higher.

While it's true that there is a strong positive correlation between income and education, studies show that those who earn the most aren't necessarily the richest.

At first glance, penny stocks seem to make sense, especially for investors with less capital. After all, it's easier for a 50-cent stock to go to $1 than for a $50 stock to go to $100, right? No. It's not.

Every experienced investor who is paying attention knows the upending of bonds is coming. However, there is a smart, low-risk way to play it and earn a decent return.

Exposure to commodities should be minimized since history has shown that they can be volatile, expensive and bring low returns over the long haul.

Some people think that the Russian market may be a good buy. When markets are this cheap, they can really pop. Good companies are even better buys, and this might be one of the best stocks in Russia.

Can you really outperform the stock market over time? Efficient market theorists believe that it's almost impossible and those who do are lucky, not skilled. Surely successes like Warren Buffett would disagree.

Investors shouldn't look at a country as a whole as a "buy" or a "sell." Well-run companies are worth a closer look wherever they reside.

Despite what gold bugs claim, there's a strong argument to be made that gold is not a good inflation hedge. The numbers show that over the last two centuries gold has underperformed bills, bonds and stocks.

Long-term investors are mostly concerned with asset allocation, while short-term investors pay attention to companies that are likely to beat earnings expectations. So where should Fed policy fit in to your strategy?

Over the long haul, nothing outperforms ordinary, everyday, dull-as-dishwater value stocks. If you want to make money in the stock market - serious money - buy value instead of rushing after glamour stocks.

The truth is life insurance is almost always a bad investment, unless you die before your expected mortality. You should keep your investments separate from your insurance. Here's why.

There is nothing wrong or illegal with doing everything in your power to keep your tax liabilities to an absolute minimum. These six basic steps will help you tax-manage your portfolio.

Every once in a while, it behooves an investor to stop, take a look at his portfolio, and ask himself 'How am I doing?' For instance, the Dow moved over 16,000 during the last five years. How did you handle it?

Warren Buffett recently opined that bonds should come with a warning label these days. Bond fund buyers are in for a rude awakening when they see what happens to their supposedly "safe" fixed-income investments in a rising interest rate environment.

Scary new reports are revealing a high ratio of insider selling, which should make investors concerned. However, there are a number of reasons for insider selling, and they don't always mean the company is in trouble.

The truth is you don't have to take big risks to make a lot of money in the market. You only have to know what you're doing… Otherwise you'll learn some painful and hideously expensive lessons.