The Journal
Blog
Market insights and trading education from the Alpha Sentinel team.
The Core-Satellite Approach: Structuring a Portfolio for Limited Time
A self-directed investing guide to core-satellite portfolios: a low-maintenance core, a capped satellite, and a rebalancing calendar you can keep.
How Market Holidays and Early Closes Affect Your Trades and Settlement
Which US market holidays and early closes affect your orders, how holidays push settlement dates later, and how to plan around the calendar.
What the Bid-Ask Spread Is and Why It Affects Every Trade
Bid-ask spread: what the gap between buyers and sellers is, why it varies between stocks, and how order types change what it costs you.
Share Classes Explained: Why One Company Can Have Several Tickers
Why one company can have several tickers: how share classes differ in voting, dividends and liquidity, and how to confirm which one you actually own.
The Illusion of Control: Why Activity Feels Like Progress
The illusion of control makes constant checking and trading feel like progress. A four-stage routine helps separate real decisions from busy motion.
The Endowment Effect: Why You Overvalue What You Already Own
The endowment effect makes people value what they own above an identical item they do not. Learn how it shapes a portfolio and how to test it.
Calculating Your Real Return: Time-Weighted Versus Money-Weighted
Time-weighted return isolates how your holdings performed; money-weighted return reflects your deposit timing. Learn which answers which question.
Regret Aversion: Why Avoiding Regret Leads to Worse Choices
Regret aversion pushes investors to avoid the pain of a bad outcome rather than make the sound choice. Learn how it shows up and how a written plan helps.
Nominal Versus Real Returns: Adjusting Performance for Inflation
A nominal return is the number on your statement; a real return subtracts inflation. See how the two differ and why long-term planning needs the real one.
What Happens When a Fund Closes or Merges
What happens when a fund closes or merges: how liquidations and mergers work, what the notice says and how taxes differ by account type.
How Jobs and GDP Reports Affect Markets: A Plain-English Guide
Jobs and GDP releases can move stocks and bonds within minutes. Learn what each report measures, why surprises matter, and how to read them calmly.
How to Choose a Brokerage: Fees, Custody, Tools and Protections
A practical guide to choosing a brokerage: check custody and protections first, then true costs, tools and service before you move any assets.