The dramatic nature and slant that the media add to their stories to get us interested in reading the page. Do a quick self-check to see through the production and into the facts.
Conventional wisdom is quoted often in news reporting about everything from the economy and markets to sports and politics. This week, Kent Kramer looks at current conventional wisdom regarding markets and the economy.
Like in golf, planning for retirement is a game that requires strategy, focus, and a bit of finesse.
With the biggest tech companies regaining stock market leadership, it’s understandable why investors and the media are attracted to these stocks. However, it’s tempting to forget how these same companies’ stock prices performed in 2022. This week, Kent Kramer shares some investment lessons to be learned from this AI/big tech story.
Has this been a worrying or boring month in investment markets? Has it been a volatile last four weeks reflecting the narrative in the news media? This week, Kent Kramer introduces framing theory and how we may apply this to investment markets.
Money is emotional and our “news” cycle is a catalyst. Investors react to what they hear and how they feel, oftentimes to their own detriment.
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.
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.
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.
“But it’s different this time!” I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard this over the years. While it is true that the set of circumstances driving the market are always unique, the end result is almost always the same.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, gas prices spiked to a nationwide peak of $5.02/gallon on June 13, 2022. Since then, the price of gas has been coming down, but the discussions about it have not slowed at all.
Many people like the idea of higher expected returns that stocks may produce, but the higher return potential comes with more risk. This week, Kent Kramer walks us through a possible approach to understanding how much of your portfolio could be invested in stocks.
Many people like the idea of higher expected returns that stocks may produce, but the higher return potential comes with more risk. This week, Kent Kramer walks us through a possible approach to understanding how much of your portfolio could be invested in stocks.
Market volatility can sometimes be downright scary. The other day, I read that the quarter ending June 30th was the 16th worst quarter in the history of the stock market. Even worse, the first quarter was bad too, making it one of the very worst six-month periods in nearly a century. How does an investor respond?
A popular question investors often ask is whether NOW is a good time to invest. This week, Kent Kramer talks about what is happening in markets now, and in the past, and what investors may want to know.
A popular question investors often ask is whether NOW is a good time to invest. This week, Kent Kramer talks about what is happening in markets now, and in the past, and what investors may want to know.
The housing market has been hot since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prices have soared and the interest rate to borrow money for those homes has been at historically low levels. But what is happening now?
Plenty of arguments exist as to why we will be and/or already are in a recession. However, there is good news out there that isn’t readily reported.
For anyone invested right now, it feels like we’re sinking. But just as boats have lifejackets to keep you afloat, your financial life should have its own lifejackets in place to help keep you from sinking in bear market times like these.
What caused the stock market to rise by over 20% in the second quarter of 2020 even as the COVID pandemic was out of control? How about the over 11% rise in the fourth quarter of 2021 as inflation ticked up and the Fed was warning of rate increases? It seems a little more obvious why the US stock market has fallen in the first 6 months of 2022, but should it have fallen more…or less?
