Lost Client, Lost Upside
Our firm recently lost a client. When we lose a client, which happens from time to time, we always reach out to that client to thank them for their business and ask why they left. This particular client had a…
Against The Gods
I recently picked up “Against The Gods – A Remarkable Story of Risk” by Peter L. Bernstein because it was on a number of must-read lists for investing nerds. The book is essentially history book on the topic of risk….
Investing Trends: Emerging Markets
If you are a US based investor, you can be forgiven for ignoring Emerging Market stocks over the last few years. Investors tend to gravitate towards good returns and Emerging Market returns have been anything but good in recent years. …
Statistics Show…
I remember picking up my one and a half year old daughter from her nanny’s house a few years ago. I walked into the backyard to find my daughter climbing a tall “jungle gym” – the nanny was watching from…
Investing Backwards
Investing backwards is easy. Here is how it works: you take a look at a stock/mutual fund/asset class/allocation that has performed very well over the last few years and that’s where you invest. Done. Super easy. The problem is that…
Diamonds
I often meet people with investment accounts at Edward Jones, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, etc. When they learn that I am an Independent Financial Advisor the next question is usually this: “how are you different from my guy at insert…
Investing Trends – Floating Rate Bonds
Since the FED interest rate hike in December of 2016, floating rate bonds have caught the attention of bond investors. Floating rate funds are being sold to income investors as a way to make money in bonds during a raising…
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…