I get asked a lot of investing questions. I am conflicted in answering them. I want to be helpful but I also want to be tactful.

Here are some of the most common questions I am asked. They are followed by the answers I wish I could give.

Q. Have...

October, 2008 was a terrible month. For the prior twelve months, an all stock portfolio racked up losses of more than 43%.

In these troubled times, there is no shortage of advice for beleaguered investors. A well-known advisory firm wrote to its clients that "we have not reached the ultimate...

Jim Cramer recently made news when he solemnly pronounced that anyone who may need a significant portion of their invested funds in the next five years should pull them out of the markets.

Investors who followed his advice missed the 11% increase in the markets this past week. So, was...

Here are some questions I get every day (sometimes every hour!) and my answers.

Q. How much worse could it get?

A. No one knows. Really. A lot of pundits like to get on TV and give their predictions. You should ignore them. It is much easier to take appropriate...

Falling markets don't tell the whole story. You need to understand the real world consequences of the way you invest. Otherwise, you are bound to repeat the problem. The only change will be the name of culprits.

Here is the tale of two investors. Both are true. The names have...

Investors are sickened by the plunge in value of their portfolios. There is a message in the numbers. Let me tell you why you should listen to it.

I divide investors into three basic groups:

Conservative risk investors: These investors have 60%-85% of their assets in bonds and the balance...

I have no idea where the economy is headed. I do not want to trivialize the problems which caused the current crises. It could get better or worse--much worse.

I am struck by the sensationalism of the financial media and suspicious of its motives. Stirring the pot with breathless speculation...

Wall Street as we knew it has disappeared. A huge bailout may happen. This is a fine time to assess what works and what doesn't.

Here is a list of some of the biggest names in the index fund world. I call it the "good" list.

Vanguard
Barclays
...

I don't mean to pick on Business Week. It is a fine magazine.

In its April 7, 2008 issue, it ran a piece entitled: Don't Be Leery Of Lehman. The article cited some Wall Street "pros" who were recommending the purchase of the stock. A financial services analyst at Goldman...

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, analysts had a pretty dismal record in predicting the downfall of Lehman Brothers.

Wachovia had an "outperform" rating starting on March 14, 2007.

Credit Suisse had an "outperform" rating starting on October 8, 2007.

Merrill Lynch changed its rating to...

It should not be difficult for investors to translate the soaring political rhetoric into action.

Find out the position of the candidates on the Fairness in Arbitration Act of 2007. This proposed legislation would ban mandatory arbitration clauses in consumer agreements, including agreements with stock brokers and advisors.

This legislation...

Every year, Dalbar, Inc., a respected independent market research firm, publishes a study entitled Quantitative Analysis of Investor Behavior. The study measures the actual performance of stock and bond investors and compares that performance to various benchmarks.

The latest study found that, for the 20 year period ending December 31,...

Merrill Lynch proclaims that it "...demonstrates its commitments to clients and shareholders through the firm's emphasis on excellence, integrity and ethical behavior."

This week it joined a who's who list of its prestigious brethren in agreeing to buy back auction rate securities it sold to its retail clients....

The title for this week's column was inspired by John Edwards.

Let's forget whether the "love child" really is his. Let's ignore the denials of any knowledge about payments made to his mistress by his finance chairman. Let's also acknowledge that private conduct should remain private.

After the affair,...

Remember the analyst fraud scandal? Major brokerage firms agreed to a $1.4 billion fine to settle charges that their research misled retail investors. At the time, the finest PR firms and lobbyists in the world assured investors that Wall Street had "cleaned up its act". We heard a lot about...

I have a wealthy investment client who was familiar with my background as a securities arbitration lawyer representing investors in claims against their brokers. He had purchased a large amount of auction rate bonds. He was told by his broker (who calls himself a "financial consultant") that these bonds were...

I recently was on national TV discussing 401(k) plans and my new book, The Smartest 401(k) Book You'll Ever Read. The producer of the segment wanted some controversy so she had an investment advisor appear with me.

The investment advisor recommended that employees select only actively managed funds in their...

Many readers had a strong reaction to my advice that you should determine your asset allocation, invest in a properly allocated portfolio of low cost index funds and stay the course during these turbulent times.

Here are some excerpts from those who disagreed with my views. Beneath each excerpt,...

I received a spirited reaction to last week's column in which I advised investors to stay the course. Here is an example:

Mr. Solin, while your advice is "tried and true" one could also assert it is tired and trite. These are times much unlike any we have ever...

Question: Isn't this the time for you to tell would be investors that it is not an investors market and they need to keep their money on the sidelines?

Answer: It is never the time to give that advice. Individuals who can stay in the market...