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Barbell Portfolios Can Be Hard To Hold On To

Category: Investing
By Marcus Iwig
11/03/2021

Barbells work great at the gym because they put weight on a bar in such a way that it’s balanced, leaving room in the middle for someone to use it to workout. We often see portfolios that are designed like a barbell at the gym: lots of risk in one account and lots of cash or very short-term securities in another. In aggregate, it might produce some balance, but the reality is that it can create some real challenges.

The Influence of Trust

Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
By Foster Group
10/11/2021

A good relationship with our clients comes down to a handful of things. One of those things is whether a client trusts that we know more than they do about the type of investing we do at Foster Group.

Investment Policy Statement – Why Is It Important?

Category: Investing
By Matt Moklestad
10/08/2021

It is important for all investors, whether an individual, family, retirement plan, or nonprofit, to plan their investment approach around their goals and objectives. Investment Policy Statements (IPS) often document these items. Here are four reasons why it is important to have a clearly articulated IPS.

An Investment Portfolio Is Like a Good Smoothie

Category: Investing
By Joe Bantz
10/04/2021

Recently, I rediscovered the benefits of homemade smoothies for breakfast. They are nutritious, natural, easy to make, efficient, and delicious! This morning, I was thinking about how a good investment portfolio is like a good smoothie! 

DraftKings Knows More About You Than You Know About You

Category: Investing
By Foster Group
09/16/2021

For 12 seconds, consider what a company knows about you and their own profitability if they are willing to offer you a $500 risk-free bet to get started. That’s what DraftKings just promised me in a commercial. Sounds awesome, doesn’t it? OK, the 12 seconds are up. What did you come up with?

Equilibrium Markets in the Time of COVID

Category: Investing
By Guest Blogger
09/09/2021

Over the years, Foster Group has utilized a number of mutual funds and exchange traded funds managed by Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA). DFA was founded in 1981 on the idea of making academic investment research and empirically based portfolio management accessible to investors. In this article, Professor Kenneth French describes how markets responded to the events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

You Will Have Forgotten Monday, July 19

Category: Investing
By Foster Group
08/26/2021

By the time you read this, you will have most likely forgotten today. My guess is that you won’t remember what went on this day. You might remember a feeling or thought you had when you heard what was happening in the stock market. But then, you sent an email, mowed your lawn, took your dog on a walk and ate something healthy, like broccoli, for dinner.

Do Simple Better

Category: Investing
By Brad Rempe
03/27/2020
A focus on the fundamentals is not just good advice for the sports world. It applies to many areas of our lives and certainly our finances.

Good News About Portfolio Costs from DFA

Category: Investing
By Matt Moklestad
03/10/2020
Investors will benefit from a reduction in investment costs associated with funds managed by Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA), effective February 28, 2020. 

10 Mistakes Investors Make Without Advisors

Category: Investing
By Foster Group
03/03/2020
Everyone wants to cut out the middleman. When the market does well, many people think: “Anyone can do what an advisor does.” Human nature often delivers a different story.

How Elections Affect the Market

Category: Investing
By Kent Kramer
02/28/2020
A bit of history helps bring some perspective to trying to read too much into the influence of elections on stock markets. 

Embrace Uncertainty!

Category: Investing
By Kent Kramer
12/30/2019
We may not like uncertainty, but we need to understand and embrace it to keep ourselves positioned for both survival and success.

Is Your Portfolio Tailored to Fit Your Needs, or Just ‘Off-The-Rack’?

Category: Investing
By Kent Kramer
11/18/2019
While the alterations may be small and subtle, they make a big difference when it comes to comfort and fit. Our experience is better. For an investment thought experiment, think of the “off the rack suit” as the broad market; we simply take what we get off the shelf with no alteration. Now think of Foster Group as the tailor and the alterations as portfolio personalizations called factor allocations.