Would it surprise you that the S&P 500 historical returns tell an eerily similar story to the history of international stock returns. Despite it, people still see the market as a casino or they complicate it with some overly elaborate strategy.
The S&P is the standard benchmark for large cap performance. It’s also an index you can own via ETF or index fund. While the experts argue whether now is a great time to buy the S&P, history tells you a better story.
The S&P 500 has been around in some form since 1926. That gives us 88 years of annual returns to dig through. Since large cap stocks make up a big part of most allocations, this should give you an idea of what to expect from that piece of your portfolio.
Continue Reading…

The million dollar question. Or is it two million? Either way, it’s hard to save for anything without knowing how much you need. When it comes to how much you need to retire, there’s no perfect answer.
International stocks are a great way to diversify away from the U.S. But when a home country bias is alive and well, it’s easy to ignore everything else. U.S. stocks have performed admirably in the past, but international stocks have too.