The Journal
Blog
Market insights and trading education from the Alpha Sentinel team.
Individual, Joint, IRA and Trust Accounts: How Registration Affects You
How an account is registered shapes ownership, taxes and what passes to heirs. Compare individual, joint, IRA and trust accounts before you open one.
Tender Offers and Secondary Sales: How Private Shareholders Cash Out
How tender offers and secondary sales let private company shareholders sell shares, and what to read before you respond to one.
Availability Bias: Why Vivid News Stories Skew Your Risk Judgments
Vivid headlines make risks feel bigger than they are. Learn how availability bias warps judgment and three ways to correct for it.
SIPC and Account Protection: What Is and Is Not Covered
What SIPC covers when a brokerage fails, what it does not, how it differs from FDIC insurance and how to check your own accounts.
Startup Equity Basics: Options, Strike Prices and Liquidity Events
Learn how startup options, strike prices, vesting and liquidity events work so you can read an equity offer before you sign it.
The Gambler's Fallacy: Why Past Price Moves Do Not Owe You a Reversal
A stock falling six days in a row is not owed a bounce. Learn how the gambler's fallacy misleads investors and what to ask instead.
How Compounding Works and Why Starting Early Matters
Compounding earns returns on past returns, so time matters more than most expect. Follow five stages that show how the effect builds.
An Annual Calendar for Planning Around Equity Compensation Events
Build a yearly calendar for vesting, exercise windows, blackout periods and tax dates so each equity event arrives with a plan.
Exchange Funds Explained: A Tool for Concentrated Stock Holders
How an exchange fund lets holders of one concentrated stock swap into a diversified pool, and what lockups, fees and taxes to weigh first.
Company Stock in Your 401(k): Net Unrealized Appreciation Explained
NUA can change how employer stock in a 401(k) is taxed, but only under strict rules. Seven points to understand before you sign anything.
Credit Spreads: What the Gap Between Corporate and Treasury Yields Says
Credit spreads show the extra yield corporate bonds pay over Treasuries. Learn what widening and narrowing spreads can say about market caution.
Evaluating Your Employer's 401(k) Fund Lineup and Fees
How to evaluate your employer's 401(k) fund lineup: read the fee disclosure, check what each fund holds, and judge the menu as a whole.