Calmer 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 […]
Read ArticleAre You a Grocery Store Trader?
Have you ever gone into the grocery store on a whim when you had some extra time? No list in hand, just time to spend in the store. You wander aisle by aisle, picking up a few things that catch your eye. You grab a few staples. Maybe a few treats you haven’t had in […]
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On February 24th, Presidents, PhDs, CEOs, CIOs, and Executives from industry power-houses like BlackRock, JP Morgan, Cambridge, Vanguard, and Merrill Lynch packed into the Belo Mansion in Dallas, TX for the Annual Private Wealth Texas Forum hosted by the Markets Group. Reuters reported that over 250 leading family offices, RIAs, and Private Bank executives would […]
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I recently saw a list of the Top 40 advisors under 40 years old published in the brokerage magazine On Wall Street. Three firms produced 34 of those included on the list: Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch and UBS. Care to take a guess on what criteria they were ranked? On “production,” which is a friendlier […]
Read ArticleRate of Return – Not A Plan
Goals without a plan are really just hopes! Understanding what a plan is, and what a plan is not, can be quite the process. I’ll tackle one aspect of this today by sharing a phrase I typically hear when the topic of investing comes up in social gatherings. “With the amount of money I’ve saved, […]
Read ArticleAgainst The Wind
Recession or no recession Recently, the focus for investors has been all over the map: Oil prices Corporate earnings The global economy China’s economy China’s currency (the yuan) Anxieties about banks (especially in Europe) The Federal Reserve’s next move Global central banks that may be running out of ammunition to counter economic weakness Emerging market […]
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