What Did You Expect? | Financial Perspectives (In a Minute)
"Everything good in life is just the gap between expectations and reality." - Morgan Housel. This week, Kent Kramer shares his thoughts on market history and setting expectations.
Positives About the Market
2022 was a historically painful year as an investor with stock markets experiencing a bear market, and bond markets having one of their worst years ever. However, as we enter 2023, I’d like to consider the positives.
What Can You Expect in 2023? | Financial Perspectives (In a Minute)
As we head into 2023, the question we get most often is, "What's next for markets and what can we expect in our portfolios?" This week, Kent Kramer and Ryne Oller try to answer just that.
Bad News
Is the title to this blog supposed to be clickbait? Of course it is. That is the point of this blog. Bad news sells.
Investments Are Long-Term; Brackets Are Short-Term.
As the NCAA tournament wraps up, many sports fans are reflecting on their brackets, winning their office pools, and bragging rights with friends. Similarly, others focus on their investments and trying to predict which stocks will perform the best. We may think of these as two separate worlds, but there are numerous similarities between the two.
Is Fear the Only Thing to Fear? | Financial Perspectives
Fear can grab us and demand a response, such that fear itself can become the real danger. This week, Kent Kramer explores how fear and bad news can impact investing and some simple steps you could consider to avoid emotional investing.
Recessions, Retirement, & Investments | Financial Perspectives (In a Minute)
There's a lot of talk in the news about recession. Are we in one? Is there one coming? How long or how deep might that recession be? This week, Kent Kramer walks us through what different economists think might occur.
Chart of the Month – May 2023
In investing, a key consideration is the time horizon. There is a general perception that investing is a risky proposition, but this risk can be mitigated by holding investments for longer periods.
Debt Ceiling Politics & Markets | Financial Perspectives
Politics are always in the news. Right now, we're hearing a lot about the debt ceiling and the need to increase the US debt ceiling so the government can pay their bills ... or maybe not. This week, Kent Kramer provides an overview of debt ceiling history and what we are seeing today.
2024 Looks as Uncertain as Ever | Financial Perspectives
The world is, and has always been, a surprising and uncertain place. This week, Kent Kramer dives into Foster Group's foundational investment principle #2: Embrace Uncertainty. He provides four positive reasons to embrace uncertainty and two big dangers of not embracing it.
March: Predictable Madness and Markets | Financial Perspectives
In the NCAA tournaments, uncertainty and underdogs pulling off the impossible upset of a top-ranked team is a certainty. This week, Kent Kramer observes how we can learn from March Madness and apply those observations to investing.
Chart of the Month – April 2024
Trying to time the market and choosing to sell in reaction to headlines tends to be a predictable mistake. There always seems to be a reason to sell.
Embracing Uncertainty
Educated optimism is an antidote for anxious uncertainty, and it can be of great help in enabling investors to embrace the uncertainty that is with us all the time.
Chart of the Month – June 2024
No one can time the market and determine when those best months will occur. The best months are surprisingly random. More important than timing the market is time in the market.
Are You Getting the Top 4% of the Market? | Financial Perspectives
How many stocks does it take to really move your portfolio? It's a surprisingly small number. This week, Kent Kramer is joined by Foster Group's Director of Investments, Michael Westphal, to help answer this question.
Chart of the Month – October 2024
Is stock market growth a thing of the past? Headlines making predictions about this have come and gone, some turning out to be spectacularly wrong. Let’s take a look.
What Are You Waiting For? | Financial Perspectives
This week, Kent Kramer discusses how the upcoming election is influencing financial decisions, with 63% of Americans deferring choices until after the results. Despite political uncertainty, markets have shown resilience, highlighting the importance of optimism and staying informed for navigating uncertain times.
Webinar: Elections & Your Money
How will the election affect your financial life? In this webinar, learn how financial markets might react and how you might be tempted to respond.
Inflation. Is It Good or Bad and What Can You Do About It?
Inflation has been one of the buzzwords in the news media for the past couple of years. Let's explore if it is good or bad and what can you do about it.
Chart of the Month – February 2025
2024 was another great year for the U.S. stock market, with the S&P 500 index returning 25%. Now that the year is over, we can analyze the winners and losers of 2024. Let's take a look.
What Moves the Market? A Conversation with Vanguard | Financial Perspectives
Join Kent Kramer for an interview with Vanguard Senior Portfolio Specialist Bill Puggini about Vanguard’s views on what may move markets in 2025 and beyond. 2025 is full of potential risks and rewards. Kent and Bill discuss how inflation, tariffs, interest rates, market valuations, and political policies are all things that could distract investors from focusing on their most important long-term goals.