Financial Automation
Does it feel like you are constantly paying bills all of the time? It may be time to refresh and automate your current financial process. Just simply keeping track of all of our various accounts can be mindboggling and often quite tiring. Since time is one of the most precious aspects in life, why not regain […]
Being “Really Nice” is Not Enough
In an unfortunate skiing accident, I recently tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in my left knee. I am now three weeks post-surgery and doing well, but beforehand spent a month tirelessly interviewing and researching surgeons to perform the operation. Through this process I figured out that they are all “really nice” people and because […]
The Fiduciary Standard – Why the Debate Matters, and Why It Doesn’t
Rockbridge is a fiduciary, meaning that we must always act in the best interest of our clients. We are required to act as a fiduciary because we are registered with the SEC under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The Debate The SEC was given authority to propose a uniform fiduciary rule for all brokers […]
Market Commentary April 2015
Stock Markets After a lot of bumps and bruises, as we show in the accompanying chart, stocks markets were up across the board over the March quarter. Although lagging over longer periods, international developed markets led the way this quarter. Look at the returns from emerging markets. While the 10-year results are consistent with other […]
Why Do I Need An Advisor?
I’ll tell you a few reasons why, and how, an advisor might save you more than you will ever pay in account management fees. Income tax time exposes some of the costly mistakes of investors, especially those who decide that they can manage their own investments. I have heard this for years: “I can do […]
Rockbridge Company Update 2015
This is a perfect time of year to reflect on 2014 and look ahead to 2015. Personally, the favorite part of my job is meeting with clients and prospective clients. Lucky for me, last year I had the most client meetings ever as an advisor. I’ve had the opportunity to build relationships with a very […]
A Changing Landscape
A subtle change is occurring in the investing world that we, at Rockbridge, have been noticing for some time. In fact, I am happy to see the trend accelerate. Investors are utilizing an increasing amount of market-tracking funds and ETFs, rather than using active management. Active management is the process of trying to outperform the […]
Market Commentary January 2015
Stock Markets The accompanying chart shows domestic stocks up and international stocks down over the past quarter and one-year periods. Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were up substantially in these same periods. The largest U.S. companies have been especially strong recently and, because these are the stocks followed by the mainstream media, we have the […]
It’s A Girl! And I Need More Life Insurance…
My wife Amanda and I welcomed a baby girl (Norah Marie Wells) into the world on December 17th. As a planner by both nature and profession, I wanted to make sure we had all of our ducks in a row prior to her arrival. One of my top concerns was purchasing additional life insurance and […]
Long-Term Bond Yields
Ten-year Treasury rates continue to stay at historic lows following the “Great Recession” of 2008. The prevailing sentiment is that rates will climb as the economy continues to recover. On the other hand, it is important to give this view a historical context. There have been times where long-term bond yields have remained below average […]