#investing

2026 capital gains brackets and NIIT, worked examples of timing sales, gifting stock under the new charitable rules, and why 2026 is odd for Opportunity Zones.

How direct indexing works, 2026 fees and minimums, worked tax-loss harvesting and fee math, wash-sale traps, and when a plain index ETF is the better choice.

How securitized credit works: ABS, CMBS, RMBS, and CLO tranches, default history, 2008 vs 2020, and CLO ETFs such as JAAA and CLOA with fees and yields.

How leveraged and inverse ETFs behave beyond one day: compounding examples, volatility decay and financing costs, the SEC's 2x limit, and hedging options.

How Cboe builds the VIX, why VIX futures products lose value in contango (VXX is down 99% since 2018), the XIV collapse, and the volatility risk premium.

Risk parity explained with worked math: why 60/40 is about 90% stocks by risk, the leverage needed, and how RPAR fell 22.8% in 2022.

How merger arbitrage works: pricing a deal spread, the odds it implies, hedging stock deals, 2026 antitrust timelines, broken deals, taxes, and fund costs.

How preferred stock behaves in practice: rate and call math, where holders rank when a bank fails, which dividends get lower tax rates, and fund costs.

2026 investment tax planning: how dividends stack on other income, a Roth conversion example with hidden 27% to 30% rates, IRMAA and NIIT, and a calendar.

Real returns by asset in the 1970s and 2022, why stocks and bonds fell together, what worked, and what protection cost in the years that followed.

Rolling 10% out-of-the-money S&P 500 puts costs about 2.3% to 2.6% a year at 20% implied volatility. Cost math, collars, put spreads, and Cboe index data.

Quant investing for individuals: factor ETFs and their fees, how multiple testing inflates backtests, momentum before and after 1993, and cost drag.

High-yield bonds with September 2026 data: tight spreads, default and recovery math, what ratings mean, callable bonds, funds vs. individual bonds, and taxes.

Convertible bond math with a worked example, the bond floor and why it can fail, call and settlement terms, the 2025-2026 issuance boom, and how to invest.

How pre-IPO investing works in 2026: accredited investor rules, secondary platforms, SPV fees and markups, preference stacks, lockups, taxes, and fraud.

FIRE math for 2026: savings rate vs. years to FI, withdrawal rate research, sequence risk, the ACA subsidy cliff, and penalty-free access before 59½.

Non-traded NAV REITs, core funds, and closed-end real estate funds compared: appraisal lag, redemption limits since 2022, fees, and waterfall math.

The legal duties behind "fiduciary," how Reg BI and annuity rules differ, where conflicts remain, rollover math, and how to verify an advisor in 2026.

Index fund investing with 2026 data: how often active funds trail, S&P 500 vs. total market, fees and tax traps, lump sum vs. monthly, and rebalancing.

What factor investing is, what 100 years of Fama-French data show for each factor, the long droughts, how to size a factor tilt, and what it costs.

How to rebalance: what drift did to a 60/40 portfolio from 2022 to 2025, calendar vs. threshold rules, research on frequency, and tax-efficient methods.

Commodity futures roll costs with a worked example, K-1 versus 1099 funds (DBC, PDBC, USO), gold ETF fees, and the 28% collectibles rate, as of September 2026.

Hedge fund strategies with 2026 data: long/short, macro, event-driven, relative value, and quant, plus fee math, liquidity terms, taxes, and due diligence.

ETF vs mutual fund payouts, qualified dividends, foreign tax credits, munis at 2026 brackets, and a 20-year test of where to hold stocks and bonds.

How structured notes work: buffered, principal-protected, and autocallable payoffs, issuer credit risk, estimated value vs issue price, and tax treatment.

Angel investing in 2026: who qualifies, SAFEs vs. notes vs. priced rounds, dilution and pro-rata math, how many checks you need, and QSBS and loss rules.

TIPS, I bonds, commodities, REITs, gold and stocks compared on real yields, taxes, and their record in years when inflation ran above 5%.

Set a retirement savings target, use the 2026 401(k), IRA, and HSA limits, handle the new Roth catch-up rule, and fund accounts in a sensible order.

Real advisor fee schedules and Kitces survey data, plus a 30-year cost table for 1% AUM, tiered, robo, and flat fees, and what Vanguard says advice adds.

A practical guide to alternatives: who can invest, fee math, capital calls, why smoothed returns mislead, and what the 2026 private credit gates showed.

REIT investing with 2026 data: sector returns and yields, FFO vs. AFFO with a worked example, how REIT dividends are taxed after OBBBA, and non-traded REITs.

How commercial property is valued, a worked deal with DSCR and negative leverage, 2026 CMBS distress by sector, tax rules, and passive ways to invest.

How dividend investing works in 2026: yield vs. growth math, payout safety checks, yield traps, qualified dividend and REIT tax rules, and account placement.

How AI and machine learning are used in portfolio construction, why backtests mislead (with the math), the record of AI-run funds, and SEC action on AI-washing.

How the main options strategies work, with worked numbers: the Greeks, covered calls, put spreads, and IV crush, plus 2026 rule changes, taxes, and costs.

How private credit makes and loses money: real loan terms, why default rates disagree, what BDC fees and borrowing cost, and 2026 redemption limits.

ESG ratings, why providers disagree, US, EU and UK fund-name rules, the 2026 proxy season, and ESG vs plain index ETF fees as of September 2026.

How individuals can invest in private equity in 2026: evergreen funds, feeders, listed options, 401(k) plans, eligibility, fees, and redemption limits.

Robo-advisor fees compared as of September 2026: Betterment, Wealthfront, Schwab, and Vanguard, plus 30-year fee drag and what tax-loss harvesting means.

How tax-loss harvesting works in 2026: wash-sale traps (IRAs, spouses, dividends), the $3,000 limit, lot selection, crypto rules, and deferral math.