The Journal
Blog
Market insights and trading education from the Alpha Sentinel team.
Sequence-of-Returns Risk: Why the Timing of Losses Matters in Retirement
Why the order of returns matters once you start withdrawing, and the six stages for planning around a poor start to retirement.
Delisting Explained: What Happens to Your Shares
Delisting explained in five stages: why stocks leave an exchange, where shares trade next, and what happens to your ownership and records.
New Issues and IPOs: Why First-Day Pops Mislead Individual Investors
Why first-day IPO jumps mislead individual investors, how offering prices are set, and what to read and watch before buying a new issue.
Cryptocurrency in a Portfolio: How to Think About Size and Risk Honestly
How to think about cryptocurrency in a portfolio: what you are buying, why position size matters most, and which risks sit outside price.
Quantitative Easing and Tightening: Why Central Bank Balance Sheets Matter
Quantitative easing and tightening explained in plain English: what central bank balance sheets are, why they change, and why investors follow them.
Questions to Ask During an Annual Portfolio Review
Questions to ask during an annual portfolio review: goals, allocation, concentration, costs and taxes, plus how to run it yourself. Start with one.
FOMO in the Market: Recognizing the Pull of a Rising Stock
FOMO in the market pulls investors toward a rising stock at the worst-feeling moment. Learn five signs of it and how a stock alert routine helps you pause.
Recency Bias: Why Recent Market Moves Distort Your Expectations
Recency bias makes the last few weeks of market moves feel like the future. Learn a five-step way to widen your lens and check your expectations today.
Disability and Umbrella Insurance: Why They Belong in Your Financial Plan
Disability and umbrella policies address risks a portfolio cannot absorb alone. Learn what each covers, where gaps appear and what to review.
The Behavior Gap: Why Investors Earn Less Than the Funds They Own
The behavior gap is why investors often earn less than the funds they own. See what causes it and the simple rules that narrow it.
How to Set a Risk Limit for Each Holding Before Volatility Tests It
Set a risk limit for each holding before volatility tests it. See how stock alerts and written rules work together when you cannot watch the screen.
Dark Pools and Off-Exchange Trading: A Plain-English Explainer
Dark pools and off-exchange trading explained in plain English: what they are, why they exist, and what they mean for your orders. Read the part most skip.