By Scott Burns “The reason that ‘guru’ is such a popular word is because ‘charlatan’ is so hard to spell.” —William J. Bernstein The time is right for an investor’s manifesto. And William J. Bernstein has written it. I won’t say that it is the...

By Scott Burns Q. We are retired and have a 2003 Cadillac Seville and a 2000 Toyota 4Runner (both paid for). When it comes time to purchase a new car, is it cheaper to lease or buy an auto? I suppose the best thing to do would be to buy a used...

By Scott Burns Do you ever get the urge to just… go away? I certainly do. With the press of deadlines and other work, vacations are really important. For several years my wife and I have taken mini-vacations simply by looking for houses to...

By Scott Burns Q. My wife and I are 81 and 84. We have $400,000 (all our savings) in two $200,000 CDs that are averaging 3.8 percent interest. One CD matures in May 2010. The other matures in May 2011. We have no debts. And we can live on our income...

By Scott Burns George Friedman holds up a recent Fortune magazine, his face a portrait in incredulity. The cover declares that China is buying everything, much as the Japanese were doing nearly two decades ago. The inside story is titled “It’s...