$1 Trillion!
Four companies have reached a market cap of $1 Trillion. What does this mean for your portfolio?
Good News About Portfolio Costs from DFA
Investors will benefit from a reduction in investment costs associated with funds managed by Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA), effective February 28, 2020.
Beyond Traditional Investments
Category: Investing » Alternative Investments
Are alternative investments right for you? Matt Moklestad shares some things to consider when looking into this asset class.
Stock Markets Are Positive This Year?
As this year exemplifies, stock markets have the tendency to do things we would never expect.
What This Year Reminds Us About Fixed Income
Category: Investing » Asset Allocation
This year has reminded us of the many important roles that fixed income can play in portfolios.
The Gift of Fandom—and Financial Wisdom
What do investing and being a loyal sports fan have in common? More than you might think. Read on to discover how the ups and downs of fandom can mirror the journey of long-term investing—and why both are worth the ride.
Selecting the Best Ingredients for Your Portfolio
In this third piece of our series on building a better portfolio by thinking of it in terms of tastes, recipes, and ingredients, we’ll focus on the benefits of selecting better ingredients.
Is Your Portfolio Tailored to Fit Your Needs, or Just ‘Off-The-Rack’?
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.
Is the Stock Market a Glass Half Full?
The month of January was marked by negative returns for global stock markets. But, as the well-worn phrase, “Is your glass half full or half empty?” implies, our view of, or the way we feel about the state of markets as investors, may be more related to our personal dispositions than what the numbers indicate.
Our Favorite Book & Podcasts of 2023
Category: Uncategorized
“What books would you recommend?” “What podcasts do you listen to?” At Foster Group we often get asked questions like these. Here’s a short list of some recent responses from our team.
How Should an Investor Position Their Overall Investment Portfolio Now and in the Future?
Category: Investing » Asset Allocation
Right after, “What will the stock market do next?” the positioning question may be the most asked and re-asked question by investors of all types.
The Joy of Generosity
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
In my experience, the joy of generosity is not dependent on monetary value or other objective measures of size or significance. Generosity done well always has the potential to bring joy to both givers and receivers.
The Promise of Small Beginnings
Category: Financial Planning » Charitable Giving
Spring and it's emerging signs of life are great reminders of how many things in our lives start small. But with a little attention year after year, small things can grow to become meaningful and enjoyable contributions to our lives and the lives of others.
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.
The Older & Wiser AI: The Market’s Aggregate Intelligence
Has Artificial Intelligence been causing you anxiety, or made you wonder about the trustworthiness of investment markets? Be reminded that “educated optimism is an antidote for anxious uncertainty”.
Predictable Mistakes
We believe that investors increase their chances of success by avoiding predictable mistakes, those practices that sound like they should work but have been shown time and again to have very low probabilities of success.
Diversifying Away the Troubles with Tariffs
How do tariffs impact your investment portfolio? Kent Kramer takes a look at the latest tariff policies, market volatility, and why diversification is key to managing uncertainty.
Am I OK? Building Income Safety Into Your Portfolio
Market periods like these have a way of making virtually everyone ask the questions, "Am I okay? Is my financial plan going to survive these latest seismic events?" Kent Kramer looks at historical worst-case scenarios and how they could be used to inform your financial plan.