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% […]
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 […]
Hindsight is 20/20, But the Future is Unpredictable
How many times have you heard someone say, “In 2008 I knew the market was going to crash…” – or some similar statement of prescience? That would be an example of how hindsight creates an illusion of understanding, as described by psychologist Daniel Kahneman, who won a Nobel Prize in economics for his work […]
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, […]
Part 4: What Opportunities Have I Missed?
The last part of our “Why to Use a Financial Advisor” series involves missed opportunities. Knowing there are unknowns out there in financial planning is the first step in identifying areas that can be improved. A few examples of common missed items that we optimize for clients are: 529 Savings Plan in NYS – New […]
Part 3: Can’t I Do This Myself?
Believe it or not, the simple answer is, “You can, but most likely you won’t.” Emotions – How do you feel about a 10% market downturn? If you have $10,000 in savings, the $1,000 loss stings, but it is not the end of the world in terms of retirement. How about if you have $1,000,000? […]
Part 2: I’m in a Life Transition – Now What?
Years go by with casual spending and saving until one day a major life event materializes. It could be a happy moment such as a marriage, retirement or an additional child. A life event could also be a sorrow-filled experience of a death, a divorce or a loss of a job. Regardless of the event, […]
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 […]
Top Retirement Mistake
The Wall Street Journal recently published a great article called “Five Big Retirement Mistakes”. The top mistake listed was not paying for financial guidance. “People who have no problem paying for the services of an accountant or lawyer often balk at the prospect of cutting a check to pay for investment advice. Instead, they rely […]
Investor Behavior: Market Timing Pitfalls
Dalbar, an independent communications and research firm, has done countless studies trying to quantify the impact of investor behavior on real-life returns. Their studies focus on the difference between investors’ actual returns in stock funds to the average return of the funds themselves. Basically, they are comparing the return the investor gets to the return […]
