Similar to the Patriots, investors entered the month of December with some positive momentum. Unfortunately that momentum quickly disappeared as the stock market had a historically bad December finishing down over 9% for the month.
Every year there is somebody on one of the talk shows who will say, "Next year is going to be a stock pickers market. You're going to have to be selective." For the 37 years we (Dimensional Fund Advisors) have been in business, it has never turned out to be the case.
Taking steps to improve your finances early in the year may help to put you in a better position by year end, thereby alleviating unnecessary stress and anxiety.
Dimensional’s 2018 analysis of US-based mutual funds shows that only a small percentage of funds have outperformed industry benchmarks after costs—and among top-ranked funds based on past results, only a small percentage have repeated their past success.
Now that you're retired, which account should you withdraw money from first?