Golf and Investing
I know this might be hard to imagine for most of us golfers, but which of the following scenarios would you rather choose: 1. Shooting par every time you go out and play a round of golf. 2. Shooting below par 25% of the time you play and failing to reach par the remaining 75% […]
How Bad Was This Quarter for Bond Investors?
The benchmark bond index that we follow, Barclays U.S. Government/Credit Index, lost 2.5%, the worst quarter since 1994. In fact the quarterly result has only been worse 8 times in the past 40+ years (162 quarters). The Barclays U.S. TIPS Index had its worst quarter ever losing 7.1% (data only goes back to 1997). Markets […]
Market Commentary July 2013
Volatility returned this quarter in both stocks and bonds as fears about the central-bank actions across the globe made investors nervous about the future. Large Cap U.S. stocks, represented by the S&P 500 Index, returned 2.9% in the second quarter, bringing the year-to-date return up to a lofty 14.0%. By contrast, the EAFE Index, a […]
Are You A Financial Expert?
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is currently running a study on the financial savviness of the US population. While a majority of people feel they have a good grasp of financial topics, the study shows that is not actually the case. Below are a few of the study highlights: 1 in 5 people are […]
Control Costs: They Matter!
You get what you pay for, right? Actually, when it comes to investing, it’s what you don’t pay for that really counts. Vanguard’s latest ad’s have all revolved around “at-cost” investing for this very reason. Check out the link below where Vanguard explains “at-cost” investing and how it can help investors reach financial success over time. Vanguard’s At-Cost […]
Gambling with Retirement? It’s Time You Take Control!
Over the years there has been a shift of burden in retirement savings from the employer to the employee. The era of company pension plans is fading, leaving Americans on their own to save for retirement; primarily through company-sponsored 401(k) plans. Frontline recently aired The Retirement Gamble, where it highlights some of the downfalls of […]
Are You A Casually Competent Investor?
Steven Grey and Advisor Propsectives recently published a stellar article titled “The Myth of the Casually Competent Investor”. Not only was he spot on with his analysis, he gave some great analogies about how everyone considers themselves qualified to beat the market. A small snippet of the article shows two great examples of how silly […]
Market Madness
During this time of the year office brackets and friendly wagers are seen everywhere, luring in even the faintest of sports fans. This epidemic, also known as March Madness, has gotten ahold of everybody and is the craze of the nation for almost a full month! So besides edge of your seat excitement filled games, […]
Market Commentary- April 2013
Market Commentary Stocks wrapped up a stellar first quarter with the S&P 500 finishing at an all-time high, besting its last high in October 2007. For the quarter, large-cap stocks (represented by the S&P 500) were up 10.6%. Small-cap stocks also did quite well, returning 12.4% in the first quarter. International markets had a positive […]
The Questions You Should Be Asking
The NY Times blog author Carl Richards hits the nail on the head when he highlights how emotions are once again taking over media and investor behavior as the stock market presses higher and higher. The question being asked is “Should we buy or should we sell?” as many rush into the market at its recent […]