the financial storyteller

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Best Financial Services for Digital Nomads

As the world continues to embrace remote work, digital nomads are redefining traditional ideas about how we earn our salaries. Why spend your life in a dingy office when you could be working on that PowerPoint presentation on a sun-kissed island in Thailand? To work in this exciting environment, it’s important for digital nomads to have a toolkit of reliable services that cater to their unique…

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The Four Pillars of Investing, Second Edition Review

Recently re-released in its second edition, neurologist turned writer William J. Bernstein’s masterful guide to investing helped a generation to build wealth wisely, and is legitimately one of the best financial books ever written. Historical Context and the Genesis of The Four Pillars of Investing in 2002 2002 was, by all accounts, a terrible year for investors. Following the “irrational…

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The Best Way to Buy Gold

“Gold is the language all nations understand“ –Louis L’Amour Gold has held its allure throughout history as a symbol of wealth, beauty, and financial security. Nowadays, buying gold as an investment has both its passionate devotees and critics. On the one hand, there are the ‘gold bugs’ who are convinced that only gold will save us from hyperinflation caused by the world’s central banks’…

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Should you Buy a Home or Keep Renting?

Which makes more sense from a financial perspective – renting a home or buying one? It’s popular wisdom that buying a home is a no-brainer because houses increase in value over time while renting is basically just throwing away money. In fact, for a lot of people, becoming a homeowner may actually be a bad financial move. There are a lot of calculators out there that let you make an accurate…

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Unraveling the Psychology of Inflation: Why We Struggle to Grasp the Erosion of Cash Savings

Since the pandemic in 2020, we have seen an outbreak of inflation spreading to many countries around the world. Most of us associate inflation with daily purchases becoming more expensive, but it also means that the value of your cash savings is decreasing. For example, savings of $1,000 in 2019 would now only be worth $796 – a loss of over 20% in real terms. If your savings do keep pace with…

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My Review of Wise International Money Transferring Service

Wise is an easy, fast, and low cost way for expats to send money back to their home countries. If, like me, you have moved to a foreign country to work, I’m sure at some point you have needed to send money back home. In my case, I need to make my UK student loan repayments every month. Depending on the country you are living in, this can either be a minor irritation or in the worst cases, a…

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The Best Areas to Invest in by Decade

FANG: Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google In this post I want to look back over each of the last five decades from the 1970s through to the 2010s to look at what would have been some of the best places for an individual to invest their money. 1970s: Oil The oil shock was the biggest economic event of the 1970s. In October 1973, Egyptian and Syrian forces launched a surprise attack on Israel. The…

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$200k is Halfway to $1 Million

If you are invested in the stock market, you are probably closer to $1 million than you realise. If you’ve ever taken a walk, you can probably guess where you’ll be after 30 steps. It’s a simple linear progression, something you’ve done countless times. But what if you took 30 exponential steps? That means doubling the size of your step each time. So, your first step is one meter, your second…

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The Best Investors Never Check Their Portfolios

Many investors have the urge to regularly check how their stocks are doing. Studies show that over the long term, this can be detrimental to building wealth. When you hear good or bad news about stocks or the economy, do you get the urge to check how your investments are doing? If so, you are not alone. In fact, recent research has reveled that half of investors check their portfolio’s…

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Side Hustle Success Stories: Inspiring Tales of Financial Growth.

In the post-pandemic world, side hustles have become a powerful tool for individuals seeking to augment their income and achieve financial goals. The journey of starting and succeeding in a side hustle is often filled with challenges, creativity, and perseverance. In this blog post, we’ll dive into inspiring side hustle success stories, shedding light on individuals who turned their passion,…

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https://youtu.be/ZwztG6ztvS0?si=h1bZ76z_YNElZq5-

International diversification is the process of investing in stocks from different countries around the world. This can help to reduce risk and improve returns over the long term.

Click here to learn more about international diversification: http://thefinancialstoryteller.blog/2023/09/29/you-need-to-own-some-international-stocks/

[thefinancialstoryteller]

Why are my bonds losing money?

Bonds are sold as a safe place for your money. However, since 2020, many investors have discovered that bonds can, in fact, go down in value. What gives? YearTotal Return (%)2023 (YTD)-2%2022-13%2021-1.85%20207.69%Bond funds like the Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF have had a rough couple of years First let’s take a moment to explain the basics of bonds. When you buy a bond, you’re lending money…

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You Need to Own Some International Stocks

Picture a dynamic, young nation in the early part of the 20th century. It’s already one of the ten richest countries in the world, and it’s surging economy, fueled by exports of wheat, beef, and other commodities promises to overtake it’s European forebears within a matter of years. Lured by this promise, thousands of italian and Irish immigrants, are flocking to it’s shores to seek their…

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Here is the percentage of bonds you need in your portfolio

How to decide on your bond asset allocation Bond asset allocation is the process of deciding what proportion of your investments should be in bonds. This is an important decision, as it can have a significant impact on your overall risk and return potential. As a rule, individuals are advised to own some bonds because they are considered less risky than stocks and can help to balance a…

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How to Start Saving for Retirement from Age 40: A Comprehensive Guide

Retirement planning is a topic that often gets pushed to the back burner as we juggle the demands of daily life. However, as you approach your 40s, it becomes increasingly important to focus on saving for retirement. While it may seem like you still have plenty of time, the truth is that starting to save for retirement in your 40s can be a smart and achievable goal. In this blog post, we’ll…

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These are the 10 Richest Areas in the U.S

The United States is home to some of the wealthiest areas in the world. These areas are characterized by high median household incomes, high home prices, and a high concentration of high-net-worth individuals. Here are the 10 richest areas in the U.S., according to a 2023 study by Bloomberg. 10. Darien, Connecticut: $350,896 Darien is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It…

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Here is the Cheapest Way to Make International Money Transfers

Save money on your currency transfers by choosing the right platform! I compared each of the major international services for transferring money from the U.S. I found that the best deals depend on which country you are travelling to. Below I list the best services for the most popular countries for U.S. travellers in 2023. BEST FOR TRAVELLING TO MEXICO: XE XE is a great platform for…

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