What's new in the FAQ - Investment FAQ

Thanks to the efforts of many contributors, the FAQ constantly gets improved. Sometimes it’s a new article and sometimes a section in an old article gets updated. In any case, you can count on The Investment FAQ to keep up with changes in the investment world.

Bookmark this page and drop by once in a while to keep up with what’s new in the FAQ!

Below is a fairly complete list of the changes made to the FAQ articles and this site since early 1997.

17 Feb 2019
Use strictly secure http (https://) on all pages, links, etc.
16 Aug 2014
Much belated updates for regular yearly changes to limits in the traditional IRA, Roth IRA and 401(k) articles.
19 Feb 2012
Made the annual update to the limits in the traditional IRAand Roth IRA articles. Altho the contribution limits are supposedly indexed to inflation, they remain at $5K for people under 50, $6k for people 50+.
12 Feb 2012
It hasn’t really been 18 months between updates, but I must admit that I have been neglecting this “what’s new” page.
Revised the links in the article on annuities.
16 July 2010
New article on VA loans.
3 May 2010
New page design, same great content.
26 Feb 10
New article about structured settlement annuities.
3 Jan 10
Updated the Roth IRA article for the conversion rules that took effect on 1 Jan 2010.
9 Dec 2009
Updated the article on taxation of non-US nationals.
28 Aug 09
Updated the Roth IRA article to note changes in conversion rules that go into effect 1 Jan 2010.
2 June 09
Major revision of the article on single stock futures.
15 Apr 09
Updated limits in the traditional and Roth IRA articles.
10 Apr 09
Several new articles with content revived and reprinted from the misc.invest.futures FAQ, with specific written permission from Dave Hein: futures delivery, futures crack spreads, futures margin, and futures markets.
8 Apr 09
Updated the contribution limits for tax year 2009 in the article on 401k plans for the self employed.
8 Mar 09
Updated the article on UGMA/UTMA accounts for changes in the kiddie tax that took effect in 2008.
28 Feb 09
Rewrite of the basics of derivatives article.
16 Feb 09
Several new articles in the real estate section: advertising on CL, analyzing an investment, and broker commissions.
15 Feb 09
Updated the article about estate and gift taxes with the 2009 limits.
27 Jan 08
Noted last year’s repeal of the uptick rule for shorting.
4 June 07
Updated Rule 80A information in the article on exchange curbs and circuit breakers on the NYSE.
4 Apr 07
New article about single stock futures.
15 Jan 07
Updated the article about 457(b) retirement plans.
4 Oct 06
New article about long-term care insurance.
26 Mar 06
New article about saving versus investing.
22 Mar 06
Revised the fixed annuity section in the article on annuities.
15 Feb 06
New article about reporting mutual-fund distributions.
9 Feb 06
Updated contribution and income limits in the article on traditional IRA plans.
4 Jan 06
Updated income limits in article about using US savings bonds for education.
12 June 05
Put a Google search box in the sidebar, dropped the old search form.
9 June 05
Fixed some mistakes in the article on 401(k) plans.
22 June 04
No more pop-up ads.
14 Nov 03
Added brief list of reissue forms to the article on US savings bonds.
16 Mar 03
New articles about conventional CDs and marked index linked CDs and
16 Feb 03
New article about loan amortization tables.
15 Feb 03
Revised and extended the article about SEP-IRA plans.
New article with advice on mutual-fund expenses.
15 Feb 03
New article about annual percentage rate and yield.
12 Feb 03
Updated the article on after-hours trading.
29 Jan 03
New article about 457(b) retirement plans.
28 Jan 03
New article about Section 529 savings plans.
26 Jan 03
New article about Market Volatility Index (VIX).
23 Jan 03
New article about 401k plans for the self employed.
28 Aug 02
Added explanation of why shorting is not allowed in IRA accounts to the article about traditional IRAs. Updated the article about Education Savings Accounts.
29 June 02
Updated several articles to reflect the increase in the annual gift tax exclusion amount from 10,000 (in 2001 and before) to 11,000 (in 2002).
30 May 2002
New article about covered puts.
18 May 2002
Updated the article about data sources for technical analysis.
30 January 2002
New article about finding the closing price of a stock on some date.
9 October 2001
Finally got around to updating the article about estate and gift taxes.
1 August 2001
New article about buying a car at a reasonable price.
24 July 2001
New article about income and royalty trusts.
10 July 2001
Updated retirement plan articles with appropriate changes made by the Economic Recovery and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001.
7 March 2001
New search interface (Google) and mailing list manager (Pairlist) are both now available.
4 March 2001
Now hosted at Pair.com.
27 February 2001
StockMaster will close soon, so I am trying to find a new hosting service for The Investment FAQ.
30 January 2001
New article about outstanding shares and float. New article about the SEC’s full disclosure rules (regulation FD).
21 January 2001
Added a paragraph to the article about traditional IRAs with summary of changes made as of 1 Jan 01.
10 January 2001
Added explanation of the netting rules to the article about computing taxes on capital gains.
6 January 2001
Added information about qualified intermediaries to the article about taxation of non-US nationals.
5 January 2001
New article about the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Also updated the article on exchange curbs and circuit breakers on the NYSE.
22 August 2000
New article about the using puts to buy stock.
16 August 2000
New article about the tax consequences of trading options.
16 July 2000
New article about holding company depositary receipts (HOLDRs).
26 June 2000
New article about variable universal life (VUL) insurance.
25 June 2000
Short note about target stock prices.
13 June 2000
New article about unit investment trusts and SPDRs.
6 June 2000
New article about tax treatment of cashless exercises of non-qualified stock options.
28 April 2000
New article about financial advisor compensation schemes.
11 April 2000
New article about fair value of futures contracts.
14 March 2000
New article about numbering systems used to identify securities.
22 January 2000
New article with a survey of investment strategies from John Price.
21 January 2000
New articles on the Chicago Board Options Exchange and tracking stocks.
24 December 1999
Just in time for Christmas I’ve updated the article on estate and gift taxes.
20 December 1999
New article on margin regulations.
19 December 1999
New article on cost basis.
10 November 1999
Major rewrite of the article on DRIPS.
3 November 1999
New web site that allows on-line purchases added to the article on US savings bonds.
25 October 1999
Updated article to reflect new components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
11 October 1999
Many announcements added to the article on after-hours trading.
19 September 1999
New article about the 12 steps of buying a home.
2 September 1999
Listed new developments in the article on after-hours trading. Updated articles on estate and gift taxes and tax treatment of stock gifts.
12 August 1999
New article about reading a mutual fund prospectus.
11 August 1999
Clarified discussion of tick on the NASDAQ in the article about the tick indicator.
25 July 1999
New page with the full list of FAQ contributors. Clarified some details of penalty-free withdrawals in 401(k) plans.
24 June 1999
Short article about paying off debts versus making investments with extra cash.
20 June 1999
New article about estate planning. New article on off-exchange trading.
10 June 1999
New article about the basics of risk.
8 June 1999
New article about analyzing return on equity versus return on capital.
30 May 1999
New article about the strategy of offshore holding.
29 May 1999
New article about small investor access to company conference calls via the ‘net.
28 May 1999
Significant revisisions to the article about after-hours trading.
27 May 1999
New article about the basics of stock trading.
26 May 1999
Several new links in the article on index mutual funds. Added information about time limits on deposits in 401(k) plans. Corrected a mistake and added a link to the article on taxation of non-resident aliens. New DJIA point limits in the article about exchange trading restrictions. Explained the difference between American and European-style option contracts in the article about stock option basics. Also added many new links to the various links pages.
7 April 1999
Added a link to the article on after-hours trading. Added a link to the article on annuities.
5 April 1999
Added a link to the article on researching the value of old certificates. Added a link to the article on DRIPS.
20 January 1999
Fixed the ordinary IRA article to note that husband and wife can each take a penalty-free distribution for a first-time home purchase. Extending the article on US savings bonds with information about the new I Bond.
8 December 1998
Updates for ticker symbol ‘C’ moving from Chrysler to Citigroup.
6 December 1998
Considerable extensions to the article on socially responsible investing. New URL for the OCC’s handbook on options in the article with stock option basics.
25 November 1998
Updated the limits in the article on estate and gift taxes. New article on socially responsible investing. Many new links on the links pages. Explained the acronym in the MACD article. Added explanations to the RSI article. More info in the article on UGMA/UTMA accounts.
23 October 1998
Added a paragraph about transferring UGMA/UTMA accounts.
21 October 1998
Added a note about new IRS regulations that sharply restrict the Roth IRA conversion/reconversion loophole to the Roth IRA article.
14 September 1998
New look for the home page. Updated the Roth IRA article with changes from the technical corrections bill.
2 September 1998
Total reorganization of the links categories so you can find things faster.
19 August 1998
New article on viatical settlements.
17 August 1998
New article on covered calls.
16 August 1998
Extended the article on money-market funds.
3 August 1998
Revised the article on tax treatment of short- and long-term gains with the latest changes from Congress. Same for the article on computing capital gains.
26 July 1998
Updated the article on one-letter ticker symbols.
23 July 1998
A whole investment strategy book is now right here! Read Five Minute Investing by Braden Glett today.
10 July 1998
Revised the article on the dogs of the Dow strategy.
9 July 1998
Extended the article on exchange trading restrictions.
5 July 1998
New descriptions of bond types in the article on bond basics. Many new books on the bookshelf. Fixed the article on RSI. Included a note about rollovers in ordinary IRAs. Extended article on shorting against the box.
10 May 1998
Added note about diluted shares to the article on jargon. Added a few words to the article on stock option basics.
23 April 1998
New information in the article about Keogh plans.
20 April 1998
New look for the home page. New article about choosing a financial planner.
27 March 1998
New article on beating the market.
23 March 1998
New article on estate and gift taxes. New article on reasons to use a full-service broker. New article on book value.
21 March 1998
Added a bit of history to the article about trading round lots concerning the way odd-lot trades were once handled.
19 March 1998
Updated the article about ADRs. Fixed a paragraph in the article about UGMA/UTMA accounts.
19 February 1998
New article on the duration measure for bonds. New article about how to replace a lost stock certificate.
18 February 1998
Fixed erroneous numbers for the MFS phaseout of contributions in the Roth IRA article. Updated the 401(k) article with a recent change in the limit on deferred compensation. Added a long example on computing the average cost basis for mutual fund shares to the article on taxes and capital gains.
8 February 1998
Cleaned up a few points in the Roth IRA article. Updated the article about UGMA accounts.
1 February 1998
Added mention of the NYSE’s rule against publishing the bid/ask prices in delayed quotes to the article on bid and ask in trading.
29 January 1998
Added a few more brokers to the article on electronic trading.
28 January 1998
Significant revision and expansion of the article about Roth IRAs. Added mention of Datek’s “Island” system to the article on discount brokers. Added a new software package to the article on portfolio software. New article about taxation of non-resident aliens for their US investments.
27 January 1998
Added a new book by Jonathan Clements, the writer of “The Wall Street Journal” column “Getting Going”, to the bookshelf. Explained why mutual funds make distributions in the article on mutual fund distributions. Added a bit about SOES and level II quotes to the article on the NASDAQ market. New text about volume and open interest in the article on stock option basics.
26 January 1998
Added the Gardner’s (the Motley Fool guys) new book to the bookshelf.
23 December 1997
Added Jane Bryant Quinn’s new book to the bookshelf. Replaced the article about the McClellan Oscillator with information from Tom McClellan.
19 December 1997
Updated the 401(k) article with the limit for 1998 (10,000). Updated the article about NYSE circuit breakers with proposed changes.
17 November 1997
Added two firms, Lind-Wallock and SureTrade, to the article on electronic trading.
11 November 1997
More updates to the article on conventional IRAs, this time to add back in information about the rules that apply to 1997 tax returns.
2 November 19979
Updated the article about conventional IRAs to include the rule changes from the 1997 Taxpayer Relief Act.
29 October 1997
New articles about the new Roth IRA and Education IRA plans.
28 October 1997
New articles about the relationship of price and interest rate for bonds, and the basis for a stock’s price.
27 October 1997
Some updates to the article on tax implications of mutual fund transactions. Also added a few words to the article about circuit breakers on the NYSE and CBOE, which seemed appropriate for the day on which the 350- and 550-point triggers were first used.
23 October 1997
Zacks Investment Reseach has been kind enough to set up a co-branded page for Investment FAQ users. Follow the link on the FAQ home page to get free, in-depth company research courtesy of Zacks. Also added a brief article about value and growth strategies for picking stocks.
22 October 1997
New article about the basics of strategic financial planning thanks to James Mallett. Also updated the article onpreferred shares.
21 October 1997
Updated the article about treatment of short- and long-term gains, thanks to Rich Carreiro. New article with warnings about Ken Roberts’ course on commodity trading.
20 October 1997
Updated the articles about circuit breakers on the major markets and the various types of brokerage accounts.
16 October 1997
Changed the page design, logo, etc. Tell me if you like it.
10 October 1997
Updated the article about DRIPS with revised information on the First Share program.
8 October 1997
Added a few more brokerage houses to the article on electronic trading paths.
7 October 1997
Updated the article about the US Treasury’s Treasury Direct program.
2 October 1997
New article about the tick indicator. Also added a note about triple witching day to the article on option basics.
1 October 1997
Extended the article on basics of bonds slightly, and updated the article about SEC rule 144 for recent changes in that rule. Also fixed the article about shorting against the box to reflect changes made by the 1997 tax code revisions.
30 September 1997
Added a paragraph about realized and unrealized gains to the article on taxes and capital gains.
29 September 1997
Sorry for the long delay in updating the pages (we moved – does that say it all?). I’ve kept up with your mail but have a pretty big backlog of updates right now. Today I expanded the bookshelf with quite a few titles suggested by readers.
12 July 1997
New article on free-ride trading rules.
8 July 1997
New article on 403(b) retirement plans.
26 June 1997
New article on the investor rights movement.
24 June 1997
New article on average annual returns of mutual funds.
16 June 1997
Added bits to the articles on retirement plans, both IRAs and 401(k)s.
3 June 1997
New articles on company research, shareholder rights plans, and Wade Cook.
6 May 1997
New section on financial planning, first article is on paying off a mortgage versus investing in stocks.
5 May 1997
Brief new article on mutual-fund redemptions.
4 May 1997
Updated the article on US savings bonds for bonds issued after 1 May 1997.
New article on selling unregistered securities via the ‘net.
30 Apr 1997
Added quite a few books to the article on books for investors.
28 Apr 1997
Extended the article on DRIPs about why more companies don’t offer these plans.
27 Apr 1997
New articles on the size of the market and on free charting services.
25 Apr 1997
New article on paying for advice.
22 Apr 1997
Thanks to Stuart Bryant, the software page now includes PC binaries.
19 Apr 1997
New article on stock tables in the newspapers.
Fixed the 401(k) article in a few significant areas.
11 Apr 1997
Added an email list signup facility.
10 Apr 1997
New article (brief) about the Black-Scholes option-pricing model.
9 Apr 1997
New article about company mergers and their shares.
Merged the software listing from the technical analysis page into the software portfolio and tracking page and added a few new ones.
Added a few paragraphs to the article on ADRs about how their prices are determined.
7 Apr 1997
Created this “what’s new” page.
4 Apr 1997
Updated the 401(k) article with 1996 numbers.
New article about co-mingling funds in IRA accounts.
New article about buying mutual funds through a discount broker.
31 Mar 1997
Put up pages that offer tours of the site for beginning, intermediate, and expert investors.
New article about preferred stock.
New article about introducing brokers.
26 Mar 1997
The new site in California went live, including a great search interface and banner ads.
23 Mar 1997
New article about seats on the AMEX.
18 Mar 1997
New article about computing the cost basis for gifts of shares.
New article about trading by non-resident non-US nationals on US exchanges.
3 Mar 1997
New article about trusting the data reported on the ticker tape.
26 Feb 1997
New article about deciding on the price at market open.
10 Jan 1997
New article about transferring accounts between brokerage houses.
2 Jan 1997
New article about getting rid of worthless shares.