Burns was the Morning News investment columnist for 21 years until three years ago when he walked out the back door in one of the News' draconian staff cuts. But he's still in the paper on Sundays and Thursdays as an independent "syndicated" columnist, meaning he works for himself now and sells his column back to the News and 82 other newspapers around the country. Let's not even try to understand why the News would allow Burns to leave but keep Steve Bloviatin' Blow on the payroll. The point here is that Burns has always churned out smart, people-centric investment advice without a drop of churn-and-burn hype. The fact that he is semi-retired himself—and an entrepreneurial success in his golden years—only adds to his credibility. For a straight-on treatment of financial issues in language you can understand, Burns can't be beat. And who knows? Stay in a state park some day: He might be that bald guy in the Airstream next to you.
Historical prices of stock mutual funds and their respective expense percentages are readily obtainable. What I've never known is whether the prices are net of expenses or rather are prices before expenses are deducted. Very probably it is the former. If so, why bother with expenses at all and just consider the prices?
John D. King
Scott Burn's columns are great. As you say his ego is not in them at all and he just gives you the facts and the law, not trying to hide his opinion but not forcing it either. And he give you the names of good books to read on the subject.
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