Top Financial Tip for Today

What does the Puumaja crew know about personal finances? Pretty close on absolute zero, so that puts us in good company with the lions' share of so-called financial experts you get on yahoo, the UK media and TV shows with titles like 'Business Brunch' or some such...

..so with that disclaimer out the way take or leave this or do with it what you will, but I read today that if you're investing in equities and bonds (which I wouldn't bother with myself, just sticking to something real like gold and silver and, er, real estate) you should invest your age (as a percentage) in bonds and the rest in equities, unless you like fast living. So, if you're ten, you should invest 10 per cent in Government bonds or even company-issued ones (make sure they carry the 'investment grade' tag, if they're in the UK) and the remaining 90 you can piss up the wall trying to 'beat' the markets.

The Puumaja, being about 100 years old, will be sticking stolidly to bonds then.

(source: "Smarter Investing", Tim Hale, 2nd Ed 2009, Prentice Hall, pp 39-40)