In this paper, we calculate the real rate of return from purchasing the S&P 500 index from 1871 through 2001. We assume the investor purchases the index in January of each year and holds it forever, consuming dividends, but never selling the index itself or else selling it after its present...

Jared Kizerís analysis indicates the return to stock-picking skills is not enough to offset the additional transactions costs of a managed portfolio. Thus the superior performance of Vanguardís managed portfolio was due entirely to its tendency to overweight small stocks and value stocks...

We consider an economy (e.g., Chile 1973-83 or modern Turkey) with a minimum wage sector and a free sector, and a tax on labor earnings. We ask "Can a slightly binding minimum wage simultaneously raise tax revenue, employment, and economic efficiency?" We answer "Yes, if the elasticity of demand...

Is there any justification for investing in managed mutual funds, or are managed funds for suckers, as indexing advocates argue? We answer this question by looking at a long time span of real fund returns (27 years) for one specific company (Vanguard) that is notable for its low fees on managed...