Stocks are ownership
Write the job of each account: near-term cash, retirement income or long-term growth.
INVESTING FLIGHT SCHOOL
Know what you own.
The account is a container; the investments inside determine exposure, cost, and behavior.
Bonds are lending
Use diversified, low-cost funds as the default; add complexity only when it solves a named problem.
Funds are bundles—not automatic diversification
Set a target allocation and rebalance rule before markets become emotional.
FLIGHT CHECK
Questions before acting.
Every holding
Asset class
Concentration overlap
Expense ratio
Tax treatment
THE ACTUAL SOLUTION
Leave with a decision—not another article.
Write the job of each account: near-term cash, retirement income or long-term growth.
Use diversified, low-cost funds as the default; add complexity only when it solves a named problem.
Set a target allocation and rebalance rule before markets become emotional.
Write the rule in plain language and test whether you can follow it during a bad market.
Model investment growth
OPEN →YOU ARE DONE WHENEvery holding has a job, cost and place in the target allocation.
OPTIONAL DEEP DIVES