My Top 9 + 1 from Morgan Housel’s The Psychology of Money
Morgan Housel, author of The Psychology of Money, spent some time with us last month. Here are my takeaways.
November 8, 2021 Financial Perspectives
You know the old saying, “What goes up must come down.” How is it that currently everything seems to be going up at the same time? Signs of inflation like oil prices, labor prices, trade deficits. And yet markets are going up with stocks at all-time highs. Bond prices are rising this week when often, bond prices move inversely to stock prices. Government spending is certainly going up, consumer spending is going up and tax rates seem to be poised to rise as well. What do all these upwards mean for investors?
Barbell Portfolios Can Be Hard To Hold On To
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.
October 25, 2021 Financial Perspectives
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
Kent Kramer recaps his top take-away moments from our event last week with Morgan Housel.
Morgan used stories to illustrate lessons to help us understand behavioral finance and psychology and how that affects the way we invest.
October 11, 2021 Financial Perspectives
Friction can slow can down any machine. What was humming along only minutes or weeks ago, can labor under the strain of too little oil, a little sand in the gears, you name it. The US economy and markets have been seeing an increase in perceived frictions over the past month. Can we get back to smoother operations?
Investment Policy Statement – Why Is It Important?
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
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 » Foster Group Investment Principles
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
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?
Elections and Your Money Q&A
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
Since we were unable to answer all of the questions asked during the live webinar, we'd like to share some of the questions and answers in written form.
September 21, 2020 Financial Perspectives
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
0:51 - In the News: Dr. Fauci, Employment, September Markets
4:18 - Which party would be better for markets and the economy?
4:45 - How would taxes change under each administration?
6:48 - 2021: What will have the most impact?
Elections and Your Money
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
Kent Kramer and Jason Brown discuss the potential tax implications of either political party being in office and how the market and economy have performed historically in election years.
September 4, 2020 Financial Perspectives
1:00 - In the News: Record Budget Deficits, Employment Improves, Back to School, Markets Give Up Some Gains
3:00 - Investing "FOMO" - Fear of Missing Out
7:26 - Predictable Mistake: Chasing Top Performers
2020: A Predictor’s Kryptonite
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
At the end of 2019, Foster Group’s Investment Strategy Group wanted to create an object lesson to illustrate how hard it is to predict what will happen in financial markets and the world in general.
August 11, 2020 Financial Perspectives
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
1:09 - News: July 27th - August 7th
4:06 - Market News: July 27th - August 7th
4:42 - Are Things Getting Better or Worse?
5:28 - What's Going on with Gold?
10:05 - How Does Foster Group View Gold?
July 28, 2020 Financial Perspectives
1:14 - News: July 13th - July 24th
4:06 - Market News: July 13th - July 24th
5:40 - Are We There Yet?
7:56 - Which Party Is Better?
11:10 - Seeing Only the Negative
Diversification: Preparing for the Next Surprise
Probably only one thing is certain: The world is still full of surprises yet to be revealed. Is your portfolio diversified in preparation for the next one?
July 13, 2020 Financial Perspectives
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
1:25 - News: June 27th to July 10th
3:49 - Recent Market News & 2020 First Half Markets
6:40 - Headline Risks
12:04 - Know the Sources of Headline Risk
13:53 - Resist Investment Action Based on Headline Risk
15:04 - Develop a Checklist for Headline Risk
3:49 - Recent Market News & 2020 First Half Markets
6:40 - Headline Risks
12:04 - Know the Sources of Headline Risk
13:53 - Resist Investment Action Based on Headline Risk
15:04 - Develop a Checklist for Headline Risk
June 15, 2020 Financial Perspectives
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
1:20 - Economic Update
3:55 - Market Review
5:28 - Will a Recession Be Bad for Small Company Stocks?
14:52 - Quote of the Week
3:55 - Market Review
5:28 - Will a Recession Be Bad for Small Company Stocks?
14:52 - Quote of the Week
ESG Investing. What Does It Mean to be a Responsible Investor?
ESG investing is growing in popularity and public interest. The values being expressed through ESG related portfolio decisions are as diverse as the universe of investors participating in global markets today.
What I Think About When Working From Home
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
In the blink of an eye, it seems, our lives have taken a major turn, because of a sneaky, harmful, invisible germ. The concept of uncertainty is real and palpable.