Can a wise but moderately lethargic investor beat -- or at least equal -- the stock market? Kiplinger's columnist and author of Investing 101 Kathy Kristof aims to answer just that question with this practical investing project. She is taking $200,000 of her own money and dividing it into two pieces -- $10,000 going into Vanguard Total Stock Market Index ETF (symbol VTI), and the rest going into individual stocks that she selects.
Each month, in Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, we'll compare the results of the two portfolios with real numbers that reflect trading costs and taxes, describe Kathy's mistakes and her coups, and divulge new additions to and subtractions from the portfolios. (She plans to focus on U.S. firms, but she may occasionally invest in foreign stocks.) See her previous columns:
- How Investing Is Like Cooking
- ; November 2011
- How Investing Is Like Cooking
- ; November 2011
- Our Practical Investor Picks Her Stocks; December 2011
- Hard-Knock Lessons for Individual Investors; January 2012
- How an Individual Investor Picks Stocks; February 2012
- Our Practical Investor Gets Performance Anxiety; March 2012
- Buying Stocks on the Cheap; April 2012
- Beware Overpaid Executives; May 2012
- Our Practical Investor Fight Inflation; June 2012
- Why You Need REITs; July 2012
- Why I Pick Stocks; August 2012
- Why I Pay Taxes Now; September 2012
- 5 Moneyball Lessons for Investors; October 2012
- Sell Stocks Slowly; November 2012
- A Year-End Assessment of My Stock Portfolio; December 2012
And in the table below, keep track of her portfolio's performance.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Contact Kathy directly at practicalinvesting@kiplinger.com or via Twitter @KathyKristof.
-
Dow Adds 646 Points, Hits New Highs: Stock Market TodayIt was "boom" for the Dow but "bust" for the Nasdaq following a December Fed meeting that was less hawkish than expected.
-
5 Types of Gifts the IRS Won’t Tax: Even If They’re BigGift Tax Several categories of gifts don’t count toward annual gift tax limits. Here's what you need to know.
-
The 'Scrooge' Strategy: How to Turn Your Old Junk Into a Tax DeductionTax Deductions We break down the IRS rules for non-cash charitable contributions. Plus, here's a handy checklist before you donate to charity this year.
-
Best Banks for High-Net-Worth Clientswealth management These banks welcome customers who keep high balances in deposit and investment accounts, showering them with fee breaks and access to financial-planning services.
-
Stock Market Holidays in 2025: NYSE, NASDAQ and Wall Street HolidaysMarkets When are the stock market holidays? Here, we look at which days the NYSE, Nasdaq and bond markets are off in 2025.
-
Stock Market Trading Hours: What Time Is the Stock Market Open Today?Markets When does the market open? While the stock market has regular hours, trading doesn't necessarily stop when the major exchanges close.
-
Bogleheads Stay the CourseBears and market volatility don’t scare these die-hard Vanguard investors.
-
The Current I-Bond Rate Is Mildly Attractive. Here's Why.Investing for Income The current I-bond rate is active until April 2026 and presents an attractive value, if not as attractive as in the recent past.
-
What Are I-Bonds? Inflation Made Them Popular. What Now?savings bonds Inflation has made Series I savings bonds, known as I-bonds, enormously popular with risk-averse investors. How do they work?
-
This New Sustainable ETF’s Pitch? Give Back Profits.investing Newday’s ETF partners with UNICEF and other groups.
-
As the Market Falls, New Retirees Need a Planretirement If you’re in the early stages of your retirement, you’re likely in a rough spot watching your portfolio shrink. We have some strategies to make the best of things.
