Debunkery – Learn It, Do It, and Profit From It –– Seeing Through Wall Street′s Money–Killing Myths

Acknowledgments ix
<p>Introduction: Debunkery Made Easy xiii</p>
<p>PART 1 Basic Bunk to Make You Broke 1</p>
<p>Bunk 1 Bonds Are Safer Than Stocks 5</p>
<p>Bunk 2 Well–Rested Investors Are Better Investors 9</p>
<p>Bunk 3 Retirees Must Be Conservative 13</p>
<p>Bunk 4 Age Equals Asset Allocation 17</p>
<p>Bunk 5 You Should Expect Average Returns 20</p>
<p>Bunk 6 "Capital Preservation and Growth" Is Possible! 23</p>
<p>Bunk 7 Trust Your Gut 26</p>
<p>Bunk 8 One Big Bear and You re Done 30</p>
<p>Bunk 9 Make Sure It s a Bull Before Diving In 34</p>
<p>Bunk 10 Growth Is Best for All Time. No, Value. No, Small Caps 39</p>
<p>Bunk 11 A Good Con Artist Is Hard to Spot 44</p>
<p>PART 2 Wall Street "Wisdom" 49</p>
<p>Bunk 12 Stop–Losses Stop Losses! 51</p>
<p>Bunk 13 Covered Calls . . . Gotcha Covered 54</p>
<p>Bunk 14 Dollar Cost Averaging Lower Risk, Better Returns 57</p>
<p>Bunk 15 Variable Annuities Are All Upside, No Downside 60</p>
<p>Bunk 16 Equity–Indexed Annuities Better Than Normal Annuities 65</p>
<p>Bunk 17 Passive Investing Is Easy 68</p>
<p>Bunk 18 Do Better With Mutual Funds by Sending Your Spouse on a Shopping Spree 72</p>
<p>Bunk 19 Beta Measures Risk 75</p>
<p>Bunk 20 Equity Risk Premiums Forecasting Future Returns With Ease 80</p>
<p>Bunk 21 When the VIX Is High, It′s Time to Buy 84</p>
<p>Bunk 22 Be Confident on Consumer Confidence 88</p>
<p>Bunk 23 All Hail the Mighty Dow! 92</p>
<p>PART 3 "Everyone Knows" 99</p>
<p>Bunk 24 So Goes January 101</p>
<p>Bunk 25 Sell in May 104</p>
<p>Bunk 26 Low P/Es Mean Low Risk 107</p>
<p>Bunk 27 A Strong Dollar Is Super 112</p>
<p>Bunk 28 Don t Fight the Fed 116</p>
<p>Bunk 29 Interest Pays Dividends 120</p>
<p>Bunk 30 Buy a 5% CD for 5% Cash Flow Easy! 123</p>
<p>Bunk 31 Baby Boomers Retire, World Ends, Etc. 126</p>
<p>Bunk 32 Concentrate to Build Wealth 130</p>
<p>PART 4 History Lessons 135</p>
<p>Bunk 33 Pray for Budget Surpluses 137</p>
<p>Bunk 34 High Unemployment Is a Killer 143</p>
<p>Bunk 35 With Gold, You re Golden 148</p>
<p>Bunk 36 Stocks Love Lower Taxes 152</p>
<p>Bunk 37 Oil and Stocks Seesaw 158</p>
<p>Bunk 38 Swine Flu, SARS, Ebola, and Other Viral Disasters Make Markets Sick 163</p>
<p>Bunk 39 Consumers Are King 167</p>
<p>Bunk 40 Presidential Term Cycles Are Stock Market Voodoo 172</p>
<p>Bunk 41 My Political Party Is Best for Stocks 178</p>
<p>Bunk 42 Stock Returns Are Too High and Must Fall 182</p>
<p>PART 5 It′s a Great Big World! 187</p>
<p>Bunk 43 Foreign Stocks Just Feel So . . . Foreign 189</p>
<p>Bunk 44 Who Needs Foreign? 192</p>
<p>Bunk 45 Big Debt Is National Death 195</p>
<p>Bunk 46 America Can t Handle Its Debt 199</p>
<p>Bunk 47 Indebted to China 202</p>
<p>Bunk 48 Trade Deficits Make Deficient Markets 206</p>
<p>Bunk 49 GDP Makes Stocks Grow 211</p>
<p>Bunk 50 Terrorism Terrorizes Stocks 215</p>
<p>Notes 219</p>
<p>About the Authors 228</p>
<p>Index 229</p>