Should I Have Term Life Insurance?
“The Life Insurance Conversation” with clients is always a little awkward. Most people do not like discussing what would happen if they were to die. I was the same way, but now that I have kids my desire to provide…
Single Stocks: Can You Handle The Risk?
When I meet a new acquaintance for the first time, more often than not, they want to tell me about the stocks they own. Apple and Tesla come up rather frequently, among other companies. They always seem somewhat disappointed when…
Value Versus Growth – Time To Pick A Side?
I really try not to play the “value vs growth game” when managing client portfolios (think Exxon and AT&T when you hear “value”, think Apple and Amazon when you hear “growth”). I call it a “game” because games have winners…
Why I Don’t Watch CNBC Anymore
It was mid February 2016 and the S&P 500 was down almost 15%* from its recent high. The market action on this particular day was especially bad so I did what I always do – I turned on CNBC. As…
Investing Trends: International Equities
As investors living in the United States, most investing “media” covers the US equities markets. When someone tells you “the market was up again today”, you may immediately think about the Dow Jones or S&P 500 indexes. However, US stocks…
Don’t Invest Like a Caveman
I recently finished reading “The Undoing Project” by Michael Lewis which follows the private and public lives of two psychologists: Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky. These two psychologists were the first to really examine the psychology of decision making. One…
Are Bonds A Bad Investment Right Now
With stimulus spending on the horizon, and US GDP set to ramp higher, the US Federal Reserve is set to hike interest rates three times in 2017. The US stock market has had an amazing run following the election of…
Active Mutual Fund Managers Are Having A Bad Year, Again
If it seems like I write this same article every year, you are correct. Don’t blame me, blame the active mutual fund managers who continue to miss the mark. A report from S&P Global states that halfway through 2016, 90.2%…
Market Timing: Why Selling Today Could Hurt Tomorrow
The chorus of large money mangers telling the public to “sell everything” is getting louder. This article from Bloomberg does a good job of summarizing the bearish calls – http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-05/goldman-gundlach-and-gross-are-worried-about-the-markets-time-to-get-out. Students of the markets will remember that we have heard these…
You Just Had Your First Child: A Financial Planning Checklist
Although I love writing about financial markets, being a wealth manager is about more than just investing. As my wife and I patiently await our second child due in August, I though it made sense to discuss some of the…