The Progressive Investor started as a way to educate individual investors about some of the self-serving practices of the financial services industry, as well as their enablers in Congress and at state and federal regulatory agencies.
This effort was needed for two main reasons: Most Americans have a very poor understanding of the basics of investing. Second, the investment industry has a vested interest in making sure average investors are uninformed. This results in a win-win for the investment industry and the opposite for most average investors.
The initial focus of this educational effort was on hidden fees and expenses in the most common investment product: mutual funds. That led to the publication of the book, How 401(k) Fees Destroy Wealth, which showed how fees erode net portfolio returns over time. Then, the need to educate expanded to include regulatory, political, and investment industry issues that were all essentially anti-average investor.
This effort continues today, with articles that are original, pointed, and critical. They include articles you won’t see on large, commercial financial websites that make thousands a month from ad clicks by pushing bad investment advice that is dictated by SEO words and editors who fail to follow basic ethical journalism standards.
So, if you have a topic you want to be addressed or want to advertise on this site, contact us.