Years Best: Financial Freedom, Jack Bogle, and More – Barron’s

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Soon it will be time to break out the party attire, chill a bottle (or three) of bubbly, don a pair of glittery 2020 plastic glasses, and finalize those resolutions. But with a few hours still left in 2019, we thought it apropos to take a look back at the years most-read articles at Barrons Advisor. They include simpleyet often overlookedtips for financial well-being, a previously unpublished investing manifesto by Vanguards late founder Jack Bogle, and a relatively new use for 529 plans. Enjoy.

Rules of thumb. Back in May, my colleague Karen Hube queried top financial advisors to compile a list of 10 rules for financial freedom, and the resulting article was the most popular at Barrons Advisor this year. The basic rules might seem simple, but theyre powerful, and sadly are ignored by many families, including some wealthy ones.

Bogles advice. Jack Bogle, who founded Vanguard in 1974 and died in January 2019, led a decades-long crusade against investment fees and complexity, and championed a simple yet effective way to amass wealth: a broadly diversified portfolio using low-cost index funds. He shared that recipe about a decade ago in an article he penned for a mens magazine, but the magazines top editor killed it. This year, Barrons Jack Otter, who had asked Bogle to write the piece , found it and shared it with our readers.

Power tool. The 2017 tax law has made 529 college-savings plans an increasingly popular estate planning tool. For example, grandparents can dump plenty of money into a grandchilds 529 plan without incurring federal gift taxes. In addition to helping to finance their grandchilds education, they can reduce their potential tax load.

Doomsday plan. The stock market may have logged a 2019 return worthy of a cork popping, but its hard to know when a bubble will burst, a financial crisis will explode, or a major economy will slide into a deflationary funk. Earlier this year, Barrons Reshma Kapadia surveyed strategists, fund managers, and financial advisors for their investment equivalents of canned food and bunkers for surviving a financial doomsday.

Face-off. Since President Trumps election, the U.S. economy has grown every quarter, defying some pundits 2016 predictions a Trump presidency would lead to a recession. But has the performance been better than during the Obama years? Gene Epstein, who for years was Barrons economics editor, in late May dissected the numbers. Epstein wrote, GDP gains under Trump, while encouraging, show no good evidence so far of having bettered the record of his predecessor.

Happy New Year. May 2020 bring peace and prosperity to you and yours.

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Years Best: Financial Freedom, Jack Bogle, and More - Barron's