THE AAII JOURNAL MARCH 2021 ISSUE
COVER ARTICLE
What Are Bond Ratings and Why Do They Change?
There are many factors considered in creating a bond rating, and the criteria will differ based upon the type of entity being rated.
Features
in Stock Strategies,Dividends
Viewing the Sector Exposure of Dividend Stocks Through the Aristocrats
One factor that dividend investors often overlook is asset allocation, or the type of firms being invested in.
in First Cut Stocks,Dividends
Dividend Aristocrats With Longest Streak of Dividend Increases
The Dividend Aristocrats strategy has demonstrated a history of weathering market turbulence over time by capturing most of the gains of rising markets and fewer of the losses in falling markets.
in AAII Stock Ideas
An Update: Stocks Powering AAII's Top Strategy of 2020
Shares of small U.S. companies soared past larger firms to end 2020, making one of our small-cap screens the best performer for the full year.
in PRISM Wealth-Building Process,Risk
How Much Risk Can You Handle and Still Meet Your Goals?
An investor’s overall tolerance can be determined both by the timing of their goals and financial and psychological factors.
in AAII How-To
Taking the Fear Out of Risk
Investors need to learn how to minimize the risk that can be controlled and make sure that we are compensated for the risk that is unavoidable.
in First Cut ETFs,International
International Stock ETFs Outperforming Their Peers
Which international stock funds have a consistent history of outperforming the funds in their category?
in First Cut Mutual Funds,International
International Stock Mutual Funds Outperforming Their Peers
Which international stock mutual funds that are open to new investors have a consistent history of outperforming funds in their category?
in Portfolio Strategies,Rebalancing
Rebalancing Update: A Revised Allocation Plus Additional Insights
Modifying the allocation did not alter the primary benefits of rebalancing: significantly lower volatility as well as smaller drawdowns relative to not rebalancing.
in AAII Model Portfolios
Shadow Stock Portfolio Outperforms Over the Long Term
The effect of the large variability in short-term stock market returns is diminished with longer holding periods.
Notes & Opinions
in Editor's Note
What You Can Tell From a Bond’s Rating
Not all high-yield bonds are at the high end of the risk spectrum, but investors who use bonds or bond funds to offset the volatility of stocks or to provide income will find safer ground within the investment grade category.
in Dispatches,Retirement Planning
Employers Keeping Retirement Match Steady
The majority of employers did not change their retirement account contribution formula in 2020 in spite of the coronavirus pandemic.
in Dispatches,Stock Strategies
A Slowing Reversion to the Mean for Value Stocks?
The prolonged underperformance of value stocks relative to the market may be explained as a slowing of long-term market profitability trends, according to a portfolio manager and analyst with Invesco.
in Dispatches,Behavioral Finance
Perception of Extreme Returns Depends on Experience
The one-day returns an investor has previously experienced from any of the stocks they hold have a large effect on their selling behavior.
in Dispatches,Exchange-Traded Funds
Specialized ETFs Disappoint Despite Charging More
Specialized exchange-traded funds—ETFs targeting specific sectors or investing based on prevailing themes—charged higher fees and deliver poor risk-adjusted performance.
The AAII Journal, a leading investment publication, provides readers with a continuing stream of insights and ideas that focus on how you can improve your investment results. Unlike many investment magazines, ours is completely unbiased, educational and contains no advertising.
AAII has published this prestigious financial journal every month for more than 40 years. Members receive it for free and have access to thousands of evergreen articles online so they can reference information and strategies for previous market situations with a few clicks of the mouse.
Our stock journal helps individual investors manage their portfolios, build sound investment strategies and navigate all types of financial conditions. Articles range from optimizing target-date fund portfolios to retirement account withdrawal strategies and analysis on robo-advisor performance.
The magazine also has recurring features our members find invaluable. Every quarter, we dissect our model stock portfolio and provide updates to its holdings and performance. This analysis helps individual investors manage small-cap value investments.
We also offer an annual tax guide in our financial magazine. This detailed investment magazine issue covers many details that individual investors need to consider when filing their taxes. It keeps readers updated on any recent changes to tax laws and provisions and provides a handy guide to tax implications of personal investments to cut through any tax filing confusion.
Another annual feature covers ETFs (exchange-traded funds) and mutual funds. This edition helps individual investors understand what to look for when investing in funds. Online, we accompany those articles with sortable tables so that members have an interactive component to their investment research. This helps individual investors plan their portfolios and invest with confidence.
Other regular features in the AAII Journal include financial planning, stock ideas and investor professor. Financial planning articles walk investors through the process and difficulties of crafting strategies for creating wealth regardless of age. They also cover difficult situations, such as estate planning, and helpful advice for getting kids and grandchildren interested in investing.
Stock ideas, as the name implies, give readers a peek at new screens and the stocks that pass them. This part of our investing magazine helps readers identify new opportunities in the markets, flagged by a mix of quantitative and qualitative analysis. Because we all, as investors, need ideas, this remains one of the most popular categories.
Investor professor helps readers invest with knowledge and confidence. It deals with contingencies, such as “What happens to your investment if a company goes bankrupt?” and gives actionable advice on what resources you should use when considering a new broker. Our readers enjoy this section because of its practicality and enduring tips.
Frequent internal contributors include president John Bajkowski; AAII Journal editor and vice president Charles Rotblut; Stock Superstars Report lead analyst Wayne A. Thorp; and Dividend Investing editor Derek Hageman. Together, these internal contributors have nearly a century of market wisdom and research, which they share with clear and concise prose to help individual investors improve their knowledge and portfolios.
The AAII Journal also includes frequent guest contributions from the financial and economic space. Articles from outside industry experts differentiate our financial magazine from others and provide additional points of view for our readers. Previous guest authors have included John C. Bogle, founder of Vanguard; Jay Clayton, chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; Charles Schwab; and Nobel laureate and Yale professor Robert Shiller.
We hope you’ll enjoy our articles and, if you’re not a member, consider joining the Association so you can get our prestigious magazine sent to your door every month.
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