The Patient, Disciplined Investor Sleeps Comfortably at Night
Looking past scary headlines…resiliency July saw markets collide with a whole bunch of unsettling headlines. Greece tiptoed across the default line. Stocks in China, which peaked in June, were badly battered in July. The Fed continues to telegraph that it wants to start raising interest rates sooner rather than later. Corporate profits are running into headwinds […]
Read ArticleThe Best Time-Saving Hacks for Back-to-School Shopping
Back-to-school shopping hacks that will save you time and stress. Can you hardly believe it’s back-to-school shopping time of year again? It feels like the summer has just begun, yet August is upon us and soon the start of another school year. The clock is ticking to get everything in order before school starts again […]
Read ArticleMarket Commentary July 2015
An island of instability One month ago, I spent a considerable amount of time talking about the U.S. economy. I discussed the slow climb out of a deep hole and another speed bump earlier in the year. But there has been some good news – the economy seems to be exiting the funk it entered […]
Read ArticleMarket Commentary June 2015
Two steps forward. One step back. Did you know that the economic recovery is nearly six years old? That’s right – the Great Recession ended in June 2009, which means the economy pulled out of its nosedive and began to climb higher the next month. That is what the National Bureau of Economic Research, which […]
Read ArticleThe Basics of Property and Casualty Coverage
Christopher Van Slyke and Scott Obrien of WorthPointe interview Allstate’s Melissa Fleming about the basics of property and casualty coverage:
Read ArticleMarket Commentary May 2015
95 years young Sir John Templeton may not be a household name, but in the investment world, he is a legend. Born in 1912 in humble surroundings, he attended Yale University during the Great Depression and was named a Rhodes Scholar to Balliol College at Oxford. He began his career on Wall Street in 1937 […]
Read ArticleApril Market Commentary
Warren Buffett: Takeaways from a stellar 50-year track record Market Performance Index MTD % YTD % 3-year* % Dow Jones Industrial Average -1.97 -0.26 10.40 NASDAQ Composite -1.26 3.48 16.60 S&P 500 Index -1.74 0.44 13.66 Russell 2000 Index 1.57 3.99 14.70 MSCI World ex-USA** -2.09 3.17 5.29 MSCI Emerging Markets** -1.59 1.91 -2.19 Source: […]
Read ArticleWhy Tim Duncan Hired The Wrong Financial Planner
NBA star Tim Duncan became the latest professional athlete to file suit against his financial advisor. He alleges that Charlie Banks, who he’s been working with for 17 years, pushed him into investments despite conflicts of interest that ultimately resulted in substantial loss. “I invested in a series of opportunities presented by Charles Banks, […]
Read ArticleMarket Commentary March 2015
In the midst of 2008-09’s downward economic spiral, gloom, and talk the economy could enter a Great Depression, the S&P 500 Index ended March 9, 2009 at 676.53, according to data provided by the St. Louis Federal Reserve. Few predicted at the time that stocks had put in a bottom, and investors had just given […]
Read ArticleSocially Responsible Investing: You Can (Just About) Have It All
In the old days, not so long ago, investors had to decide if it was worth it to them to sacrifice returns by supporting socially responsible companies instead of “sin” companies that produced a more robust bottom line. Looking at it simply from an investment perspective, some studies found that excluding sin companies resulted […]
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