Is Gold Really Golden?
Sometimes I get a question about investing in gold. Usually it is after a tumultuous time in the stock market or a geopolitical crisis de jour. But thinking of gold as an investment to my mind is wrong. Gold is not an investment it is something to speculate in. An investment grows apart from any […]
Active or Passive ?
If you read any of the financial press aimed at the individual investor you have likely run across the active investor passive investor debate. The majority of financial writers today will lead you to think that you should be very passive in your investment approach, buy an index fund and never sell. If you are […]
An Ounce of Prevention
If you have known someone who suffered a heart attack and survived you might also have witnessed a quick lifestyle change in the survivor. Diet improves remarkably, even couch potatoes suddenly become more active. In general the Heath choices of the survivors improve markedly. That is usually how it happens with money too. We experience […]
2015 Market Recap
A volatile stock market closed 2015 with a small loss of 0.70% on the S&P 500 index and 1.0% for the Dow. The US Dollar gained about 9% against other major currencies resulting in a 1% loss in the EFA Index for dollar denominated investors. The Federal Reserve finally began raising rates at the end […]
Resolutions
It’s that time of year when we all take stock of our lives and come up with a list of resolutions to make ourselves better for the coming new year. On the financial side of things may I offer a few suggestions. If you do not have a formal written financial plan get one. Your […]
What Duration Means to Your Bond Portfolio
Duration has a special meaning in the investment world. It is a measure of interest rate sensitivity in bond portfolios. You can calculate the duration for an individual bond or for a portfolio of individual bonds and you can derive an average duration. Why is this important? Because in a rising rate environment, like the […]
Thanksgiving
Once a year we have a holiday dedicated to giving thanks for the many blessings that we have received. Who knew that being thankful could make you happier! Here are Eight Ways Gratitude makes you happier_. Sometimes we get things backwards and think that happiness is what makes us grateful, but it turns out that it is […]
Social Security Winners and Losers
If you are at least 62 by the end of 2015 you are a winner! Everyone else, not so much. As part of the budget agreement passed by the Senate and House of Representatives and signed by President Obama “loopholes” in Social Security rules were closed. These “loopholes” included the ability to file and suspend […]
A Blinding Flash of the Obvious
CNBC was on in the background, I wasn’t really paying attention, but then I heard it. “No bear market has ever occurred in the US stock market without a recession” There it was a blinding insight into the obvious. Who was that masked man? I may never know. He was gone before I could focus […]
The Perfect Time to Invest
Is today the perfect time to invest in stocks for the long term? Maybe, history shows that the price of the permanent ups in the market is making it through the temporary downs. No matter what happens in China, we will still be drinking tea from Nestle’, driving cars made by GM on tires manufactured […]
