When Batting .700 Isn’t Good Enough…
You’re smarter than the average investor, right? You’ve done the research and despite hearing how difficult it is to predict the market’s direction over a specified period of time, you’re confident you know better than the CFAs, Ph.Ds and Quant’s building the algorithms on Wall Street. You even understand that, by definition, if the stock market…
Read MoreRiding High… 2Q2019 Review
The sky is falling mentality has just pushed the stock market to record highs. That the housing market is slowing, wages are stagnant-or negative in real terms, and you can get a higher return investing your money in 3-month government debt than 10 year debt (yield curve inversion) doesn’t seem to matter and the markets…
Read MoreUsing Covered Calls to Generate Income and Hedge Concentrated Stock Positions
Deciding to sell a stock you’ve inherited or held on to for 25 or more years can be difficult and even emotional, and increasingly I find myself suggesting alternative strategies than an outright sale for the purposes of diversification.
Read MoreZoom Out
“Why should I invest money in the market when it’s near all-time highs?” – Investors, c. 2015, 2005, 1997, etc
Read MoreWinter is Coming… but When?
After a bruising final quarter of 2018, 2019 kicked off with a bang, with US Stock Markets finishing the first quarter up roughly 14% and US Bond Markets up nearly 3%. International Developed Markets and their less-developed emerging brethren also performed well, up 10.45% and 9.92% respectively. Unfortunately, those gains weren’t enough to push international markets…
Read MoreRead This Before Investing: The Investment Policy Statement
Enter the Investment Policy Statement or IPS. The IPS is not a contract and makes no guarantees. Rather, it articulate the types of investments (ingredients) and range of outcomes an investor should expect given their risk tolerance.
Read MoreA Valentine’s Day Gift
December’s market selloff- or rather, January’s recovery, provided investors with a tremendous gift. We now have the rare opportunity to reassess our portfolio and perhaps more importantly, our behavior and tolerance for risk, without the usual triggers for such evaluation; namely significant loss of capital. As many studies have shown, the vast majority of investors…
Read More2018 Market Review
As we reflect on 2018, it is tempting to sugarcoat the year by simply reporting that it was a record-setting year for stocks – because so many investors would rather quickly forget the end results. So here are the end results: 2018 was the worst year for stocks since 2008 and only the second year…
Read More2Q Newsletter Commentary
Key themes from the second quarter of 2018.
Read MoreFilling Your Tax Bucket
How do you recognize 300K of capital gains in your taxable account without paying taxes? This article addresses this question and explains, in simple terms, how our tax system works.
Read MoreRobbed…by the Sheriff: How to Avoid Being Scammed
Here are two examples of how people close to me were scammed and some steps you can take to protect yourself from something similar happening to you! It Starts with an Unexpected Call. Last week, my friend’s schedule was upended when she received a call from the county Sheriff’s office stating that she…
Read MoreTax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA)… translated into non-tax speak
Every once in awhile, Congress does… well… something. Despite efforts by both parties at times, Congress managed to pass legislation in late December of last year that will have a real impact on most Americans. These changes, which took effect January 1st of 2018, will, in many cases, mean reduced tax rates for most, though…
Read More8 Tips for Dealing With the Equifax Fallout
As you’ve probably heard, Equifax, a now-shortened leg of the oligopolistic credit agency tripod, was hacked months ago. Although the public continues to learn more bit by bit, the lights were only recently turned on- only after executives allegedly unloaded stock upon learning of the breach, though before sharing it with the public. Let’s give…
Read MoreWho’s In Charge Here?
All financial planners, investment advisors, wealth managers (insert word for money, followed by a word for a person) are registered with either a Broker-Dealer or a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA or IA). Individuals who work for a Broker Dealer are referred to as Registered Representatives while those working for a Registered Investment Advisor are, confusingly,…
Read MoreTop 5 Reasons You Need a Financial Advisor
I’m often asked if it’s really necessary to work with a financial advisor – yes, there are people who ask financial advisors if it’s necessary to work with financial advisors!
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