Smetters is "exactly right, " says tax strategist Joel Dickson of Vanguard Group.

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Ms. DICKSON: A group of freedom riders had come to town in August of 1961, and although Rob wasn't participating with them because he would not take a position of being passive when it came to resistance, he was supporting them, offering them housing, transportation.

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Joel Dickson, head of Vanguard Group's active quantitative equity department, says focusing exclusively on dividend stocks is a mistake, because it can leave investors overexposed to large-company value stocks.

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Roth's advantage over non-Roth alternatives shrinks or disappears if you assume that your tax bracket will be lower in retirement than it is now, says Joel Dickson, an economist at the Vanguard Group.

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But even comparing costs can get complicated: A commission-free ETF may cost more, over time, than a similar fund that requires paying a commission but has a lower expense ratio, notes Joel Dickson, senior investment strategist at Vanguard Group.

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