TradeWize · Blog
Investing, explained in plain English.
Everything you need to understand investing and keep up with the markets.
Are Annuities Worth It? What $100,000 Pays at 65, Tested
At 65, $100,000 buys a US man about $7,788 a year for life. That's nearly twice what the 4% rule lets you take. But he has to live to 78 to get his money back, and inflation eats the payment. We ran the numbers.
Read the article →Is Gold a Good Investment? Gold vs Stocks Since 1971, Measured
$10,000 in gold in 1971 grew to $1.16 million. The same money in US stocks grew to $3.30 million. But gold won three of the six decades, and it rose in most years stocks fell. Here's the whole record.
Read the article →The 4% Rule: How Much Do You Need to Retire? (Tested Since 1928)
Save 25 times what you spend, take 4% a year, and the money lasts 30 years. We ran that rule through every US retirement since 1928. It worked 65 of 69 times. Outside the US, the record is a lot worse.
Read the article →How Much Money Do You Need to Day Trade? (2026, After the $25,000 Rule)
The $25,000 rule is gone. You can day trade a US margin account with $2,000 now. The harder question is what $2,000 can earn, and the research has an answer.
Read the article →Best Futures Brokers for Beginners: What One Trade Really Costs (2026)
Buying and selling one Micro E-mini costs $1.24 at one broker and $5.24 at another. On a contract that moves $1.25 a tick, that gap is the whole game.
Read the article →Best Options Trading Platforms for Beginners: What Each One Charges (2026)
Opening and closing 10 option contracts costs nothing at two platforms and $40 at another. The bigger cost is one no fee table shows.
Read the article →Prop Firm Challenges: What They Cost and How Many Traders Get Paid (2026)
A prop firm challenge looks like a cheap way to trade $100,000. Out of every 100 people who buy one, 14 pass and 7 ever get paid.
Read the article →Best Crypto Exchanges for Beginners: What $1,000 of Bitcoin Really Costs (2026)
Every exchange has two prices for the same bitcoin. The one behind the big Buy button is the expensive one.
Read the article →Robo-Advisor vs DIY Investing: What the Fee Costs Over 20 Years
The fund costs are small either way. The robo's own fee is the part that compounds.
Read the article →Best Trading Platforms for Beginners: What They Really Charge (2026)
They all say commission-free. The price you actually pay is hiding in the currency conversion.
Read the article →Bitcoin's Golden Cross and Death Cross: Every One Since 2012, Measured
They're late, they're rare, and a year out a golden cross told you about as much as any day.
Read the article →Is Bitcoin's 200-Week Moving Average Really the Floor?
Price broke through it at most bottoms. A year later, it was always higher.
Read the article →