Crowdfunding: The New Venture Capital?
Rewind to 2010. “Crowdfunding” was a term you heard and thought “Oh, that sounds fun.” At the time, your eyes probably opened wide when you heard that it accounted for $880 million in project funding. Today, we’re sure your eyes would open even wider when you hear this: a recent report from Massolution states that […]
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Hiring an investment advisor to help you properly prepare for retirement is a smart play. But, have you ever stopped to consider whether your advisor has planned for his own retirement—to ensure you aren’t left adrift when that happens? If you think most advisors have succession plans in place, you’d be wrong. A recent report […]
Read Article2015 Q3 Review: Mindfulness And The Big Picture
Every week I participate in a discussion group that is currently reading and discussing the Majjhima Nikāya, or Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha. The discussion is led by an American Monk who was previously a Zen practitioner. Recently we were discussing the topic of “Mindfulness” and I realized that it has many practical applications […]
Read ArticleReal Estate – Is it a Good Investment?
For many investors, the lure of real estate is, well… real. You’ve heard “get-rich-quick” success stories; you’ve done a bit of research; you’ve heard from your friend, the real estate agent, that its the best investment around. We’ll tell you right off the bat: to an agent, real estate is always a good investment. Does […]
Read ArticleAn Investment Roadmap
The Fed Blinks The September meeting at the Federal Reserve was eagerly anticipated by analysts, economists, and short-term investors because there was the real possibility that central bankers would finally boost the fed funds rate for the first time in almost 10 years. In case you missed it, the Fed chose not to raise rates […]
Read ArticleThe Dragon And The Big Bang Theory
This brief two-part summary covers two areas of interest: China and investor behavior. The first is China, which is on every investor’s mind, and explains how to invest there while avoiding most of the problems you’re hearing about. The second is a personal essay on having a successful investing mindset from a Hollywood executive producer, […]
Read ArticleEstate Planning Protects the People You Love
There is a common misconception that estate planning is only for the very wealthy or much older generations. Perhaps the traditional diction used, “estate planning” is the culprit for much of these misconceptions, because most of us may not think of ourselves as having an “estate”. The truth is that anyone can have an estate […]
Read ArticleDon’t Sweat the Headlines
Volatility Can be Managed In last month’s market commentary, we talked about looking past scary headlines. It’s easy to say when stocks are holding up or moving higher, but a jarring correction may create uneasiness. We are reminded of a comment by John Bogle, retired CEO and founder of the mutual fund giant, The Vanguard […]
Read ArticleManage the Manager
In an ideal situation, employees would love their day jobs, be content with their job titles, and never struggle for growth. However, let’s face the facts — not all career situations are ideal. With a great job comes more responsibility and 9 times out of 10, you face less than ideal obstacles. According to psychologist […]
Read ArticleHow to Read the Panicky Market
Some of the most entertaining times to be a long-term investor are those periods when short-term investors are looking over their shoulders for an excuse to sell. They’re convinced that the market is going to go down before they can get out, and so they jump on any bad news that comes across their Bloomberg […]
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