Restoring the American Dream One Portfolio at a Time

Kolar eschews pandering to market manias and financial frenzies, instead emphasizing %E2%80%9Ccommon sense guidelines%E2%80%9D for investors of all ages to build wealth. These focus on a balanced portfolio of mutual funds and Treasuries. His adherence to the %E2%80%9Ctraditional approach%E2%80%9D includes staying invested for the long haul, acknowledging the importance of dividends, keeping costs firmly down, and limiting purchases of individual stocks to %E2%80%9Cquality companies.%E2%80%9D While this may be sound advice, attempts to appeal to the everyman via distracting invocations of celebrities add scant value to his ideas. Kolar%E2%80%99s insistence that the traditional verities of investing still offer the safest harbor for the beleaguered investor may hold true, but he scarcely acknowledges the blow to confidence from the scandals and financial tumult of recent years. Nor does he seem to sense that the escalation of the government%E2%80%99s impact on the economy might disrupt the historical patterns of investor gains. Still, this guide certainly has useful information and tips for investors, and readers must judge whether Kolar%E2%80%99s reassuring voice drowns out the skeptics.