2016 Recap 2016 is set to go down as one of the most eventful years for investors since the global financial crisis. It was a crazy ride, and the surprises came from everywhere. The vote in the UK – the “Brexit” – shocked the world, as did the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, when […]
Some time ago, one of my colleagues wrote a three-part white paper on how emotions can affect our decision-making processes. How it is next to impossible to remove the emotional bias from everyday decisions when it comes to finances. There was much discussion about how our brains process information and the paper even described the […]
The old clunker sitting in the driveway is on its last leg, and you are trying to decide what’s next. You always see those commercials with the nice shiny brand new cars and the payments advertised seem reasonable until you realize most of them are for a lease. So, you are wondering if it makes […]
Since we are constantly being bombarded with what the Fed may do this month or next, I thought it might be a good idea to look at some history on how we got to this place with a specific eye on the Fed’s 2% target inflation rate. Arguing in favor of a hike is the […]
Last month, Steve mentioned his issues of sending his youngest off to college and how the 529 plan played a role in funding the college education costs for both of his sons. I too am sending a child off to college this year, one next year, and our youngest a few years after that. It […]
The old saying “time is money” is absolutely true when it comes to the world of investing. Time value of money has a powerful effect on investments, so those who begin investing even small amounts while they are young have a huge advantage over those who invest considerably more later in life. This month’s blog […]
U.S. equity markets endured their third consecutive week of losses as volatility climbed. The S&P 500 Index was down sharply enduring its largest weekly decline since May 2012. The sell-off can be blamed on a number of factors, with concerns over global growth coming in first on that list. Ongoing angst over the end of […]
As part of the investment committee for our firm, I often have conversations with clients and our advisor team about all kinds of investment related topics. We discuss proper allocation, RMD strategies, tax related matters, risk-adjusted return, the merits of diversification, comfortable rates of distribution, the psychology of investing, and the list goes on, and […]