Investment Guide 2012 MUST READ

• New Ways To Get Rich
• The Friends And Family Plan
  How to play venture capitalist to your son, niece or neighbor while building your wealth and relationships.
  By Ashlea Ebeling
• Boom Time For Landlords
  If you’re ready to get your hands dirty—and even if you’re not-investing in distressed housing could pay off.
  By Morgan Brennan
• Invent Your Own Profits
  From how-to videos to crowdfunding, the Internet makes it easier than ever to turn an original idea into a money making product.
  By Zack O’Malley Greenburg
• The Brilliance (And Madness) Of Crowdfunding
  Ordinary folks can now get in on the ground floor of the next hot startup—or get taken. Calling Sherlock Holmes.
  By John Wasik
• Go Rogue With Your Ira
  You can hold more than stocks, bonds, mutual funds and CDs in your retirement accounts. But watch out for traps.
  By Deborah L. Jacobs
• The Ultimate Neighborhood Bank
  The Indo-American community in Edison, N.J. builds wealth the old-fashioned way, financing each other’s businesses.
  By Monte Burke
• Hedge Fund Peril
  Alternative investments remain a favorite allocation tool for financial advisors. Beware shiny objects.
  By Daniel Fisher
• Hobbyists’ Reward
  Collecting rare objects can enrich both an investment portfolio and life—if you follow some sensible rules.
  By Deborah L. Jacobs
• Take Your Gold To Go
  A new precious metals exchange aims to ease the burden of owning physical gold and silver.
  By Abram Brown
• Lend Thy Neighbor
  Looking for yield? Put some peer-to-peer loans in your portfolio.
  By Chris Barth
• Charity
• Value Philanthropist
  By investing in Indian untouchables, hedge fund manager Mohnish Pabrai is bringing a buy-low/sell-high discipline to charitable giving.
  By Halah Touryalai
  
  
  • Stocks And Funds
  • The Total Economy Portfolio
    Public companies earn a shrinking share of all U.S. profits. Here’s a low-cost way to adjust your portfolio to that fact.
    By Richard Ferri
  • Demographic Dividend
    Investors waiting for India to become China 2.0 may be disappointed with its path but not its returns.
    By Chris Barth
  • The Buffetts Next Door
    Deja Vu For DIY Funds
    By Matt Schifrin
  • Small Stocks
    When insiders buy, you should, too.
    By Jim Oberweis
  • Screen Test
    Picking winners out of losers.
    By Marc Gerstein
  • Retirement
  • The Best Places To Retire In 2012
    Our annual list features 25 cities in 18 states offering reasonable costs, a healthy lifestyle and mostly good weather.
    By William P. Barrett
  • Automatic Or Manual?
    Target date funds put your 401(k) on autopilot. You might get better mileage by shifting for yourself.
    By Tom Anderson
  • A Fat Yield And A Deduction
    Charitable gift annuities enable retirees to do well by doing good.
    By William Baldwin
  • Retiree Vs. Retiree
    Investors searching for income and pensioners desperate for quick cash are both learning an expensive lesson.
    By Daniel Fisher And John Wasik
  • Taxes
  • Farm Like A Billionaire
    You, too, can reap tax breaks, profit and (shhh! don’t tell the IRS) pleasure from a big backyard.
    By Ashlea Ebeling
  • Deduct Your Bucket List
    Whether you want to trek the rain forest, learn a new language or sail the world, Uncle Sam might help you pay for it.
    By Kelly Phillips Erb