Index vs. Active – Tracking the Costs
Category: Investing
Foster Group Chief Investment Officer, Kent Kramer, discusses the various costs associated with Active and Index Investing.
Inflation – How High & How Long? | Financial Perspectives
Category: Investing
While the war in Ukraine is in day 25, leaders around the world are looking to not only stem that two-nation conflict, but also to tame the higher-than-expected global inflation which threatens to slow or derail the post-pandemic economic recovery that had been underway.
Inflation Aware Investing
Category: Investing
You know the old saying, “What goes up must come down.” Currently everything seems to be going up at the same time.
Inflation? We’ve planned for this.
Category: Investing » Asset Allocation
Inflation has been a hot topic in recent years, often misunderstood and heavily debated. Attempting to stay ahead of inflation is one of the biggest reasons to invest over the long term. Let’s break it down and focus on what really matters.
Inflation. Is It Good or Bad and What Can You Do About It?
Category: Investing
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.
Investing Wisely for the Marathon
Investing, much like running a marathon, requires strategy and discipline. The temptation to chase short-term gains or follow the crowd can be hard to resist—but it often leads to burnout and disappointment. So how do you stay on track and set yourself up for long-term success?
Investment Policy Statement – Why Is It Important?
Category: Investing
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.
Investments Are Long-Term; Brackets Are Short-Term.
Category: Investing
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.
Investors Must Be Present to Win
Category: Investing
For weeks, the major indices had been declining but in mid-March, we saw a very abrupt reversal. I’m often reminded of the familiar saying “Investors must be present to win.” In other words, the price (or cost) of admission to the investment experience is market volatility.
Mutual Funds and ETFs: What’s the Difference?
Category: Investing
There are structural differences between an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) and a mutual fund that can create advantages to using one over the other.
My Favorite Blog Posts and Podcast Episodes from 2020
Category: Investing
Many of my favorite content pieces from 2020 reflect on the themes of uncertainty, risk, change, and remaining optimistic in the face of unsettling circumstances.
My Top 9 + 1 from Morgan Housel’s The Psychology of Money
Category: Investing
Morgan Housel, author of The Psychology of Money, spent some time with us last month. Here are my takeaways.
Navigating the Course of Retirement Planning
Like in golf, planning for retirement is a game that requires strategy, focus, and a bit of finesse.
Navigating the Noise: A Reality Check on Fearful Headlines
Sometimes headlines are right, but remember they are created to get your attention, not necessarily to provide you with helpful information.
Nervous About the Market? Maybe You Need a Lifeboat.
Category: Investing
Market volatility tends to unnerve even the calmest of investors. How do we know what to hold and how much to hold at any particular time? That’s a crucial question, but the answer does not need to be complicated.
New Year – Rates are Rising | Financial Perspectives
Category: Investing
Welcome to 2022 where the news seem to focus, again, on rising rates –for COVID infections due to Omicron, inflation, and interest rates. The markets seem to be most concerned about interest rates. This week Kent Kramer looks at why that might be the case and what may be in store for interest rates in 2022.
November 22, 2021 Financial Perspectives
Category: Investing
In this week's Edition of Financial Perspectives, Kent Kramer chats with Mary Ellen Stanek, Co-Chief Investment Officer at Baird Asset Management. Baird specializes in risk-controlled fixed income management.
November 23, 2020 Financial Perspectives
Category: Investing
1:13 - In the News: COVID-19 Cases, Employment Recovery
2:36 – Elections through Inaugurations
3:15 – Equity Factors: Comparison of Various Stock Indexes
5:24 – Expectations: Thinking Back to March 23, 2020
2:36 – Elections through Inaugurations
3:15 – Equity Factors: Comparison of Various Stock Indexes
5:24 – Expectations: Thinking Back to March 23, 2020
November 8, 2021 Financial Perspectives
Category: Investing
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?
October 11, 2021 Financial Perspectives
Category: Investing
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?