Resources and Stories for Real People

Confirmation errors mislead the proverbial dog that believes his bark makes UPS trucks go away. The dog can test his belief by seeking disconfirming evidence. How about not barking next time the UPS truck is in the driveway? If the truck stays in the driveway, that would be confirming evidence;

U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) — a key economic measure capturing the total value of goods and services produced — was recently announced at an estimated growth rate of 3.0% for the second quarter. This follows a -0.5% decline in the prior quarter, which was the first time quarterly U.S.

An elderly couple moving to an assisted living apartment calls their son in another state for help moving their belongings. A widow in her 90s finds it difficult to clean her home, yet refuses to hire help. These people are not wealthy, but neither are they poor. Each has more

In a volatile year for U.S. stocks, the overall U.S. bond market has maintained a positive year-to-date total return throughout 2025. For investors allocating to balanced portfolios of both asset classes, bonds are likely to have played a useful role, sometimes helping offset periods of disappointing stock returns and reducing

A recent study from Morningstar’s Jeff Ptak estimates that the average U.S. fund investor held about 82% of their equity portfolios in U.S. stocks as of late 2024.1 Although the U.S. market has undoubtedly grown relative to non-U.S. stocks over the last 15 to 20 years (as shown in Figure

My daughter’s bus leaves her stop at 7:25 a.m. To get there with ample time, I know I need to leave our house at 7:15. Otherwise, I risk needing to text the other bus stop parents something along the lines of, “Hershfield family coming in hot! Please hold the bus