God Owns it All
“Its mine, I worked hard to earn it and it is mine! Don’t tell me how to handle it!” That’s how I used to think. But then, I had an epiphany. Its not mine after all. What I truly believe about the world deeply affects how I relate to the world. That could not be […]
Read ArticleA Trustee’s Fiduciary Duties
I believe the majority of trusts are managed by family members rather than professional trustee or fiduciaries. That is hard to prove since trusts are private documents, but my near 30 years of experience working with trustees makes me believe that is the case. Having family members act as trustee saves money over the cost […]
Read ArticleWhy We Buy What We Buy
Last month, we wrote about stocks and how the collective wisdom of the market values, or prices, companies. Continuing on with that theme, it’s important to understand why we may recommend a particular stock, bond, or any investment for one person, and why that same security may not be appropriate for another. In some ways, […]
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For many months, Wall Street brokers have been complaining about how badly they would be hurt by potential new rules that would require them to at least sometimes work just a little more in the best interest of their clients. Naturally, when the Department of Labor recently announced the new rules, it did so with […]
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You’re intelligent, educated, and working toward success combined with a life balance and happiness. Things seem to be going well for the moment, but there’s an undercurrent of tension in your life with things changing, many future unknown variables, and time-constraints that limit your mental focus to the details and noise of today as opposed […]
Read ArticleCalmer Waters Are Welcome
Probably the simplest reasons anyone invests in stocks are to make money (capital gains), generate income (dividends), or some combination of the two. Of course, that really is putting it in the simplest of terms. Many of you have chosen to follow our recommendations to place a portion of your nest egg in a diversified […]
Read ArticleInvesting: A Matter of Faith
Investing, in the final analysis, is a matter of faith. This, I think, is an important fundamental to understand. I am not writing of “blind faith.” Nor, necessarily, religious faith. It is my conviction that there is no such thing as blind faith. If a person acts blindly, it is not out of faith; it […]
Read ArticleHow to Lose at Investing: Follow Your Gut
Financial Planning magazine reported that its “perceived risk-tolerance level” barometer had dropped 7 points from January to 27.9 in February — the lowest level since its inception. This barometer seeks to measure clients’ (or self-directed investors’) appetite for risk. In looking at the readings over the last 12 months, it’s very easy to understand why […]
Read ArticleWhy Should I Care About Sectors?
The term “sectors” is often thrown around, but what exactly does it mean and why should you care? In short, the economy and financial markets can be broken down into segments called sectors, which are simply large groupings of industries in similar businesses. Each sector can be further broken down into industry groups. For example, […]
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According to Thomson Reuters Lipper, investors pulled over $60 billion from mutual funds in January, the worst month of outflows we’ve seen in years. Mutual fund outflows are one way to get an idea of what retail investors are doing. Whether they are self-directing or calling up their advisors and demanding their plan be thrown […]
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