December 13, 2021 Financial Perspectives

Are you wondering what happened to that big tax and spending bill that was working its way through Congress, you know the one that was supposed to raise taxes on most Americans with incomes over $400,000 and invest heavily in various domestic programs? You’re not alone. This week Kent Kramer discusses what is in and what is out of the latest rendition of the Build Back Better Bill.

Inflation Aware Investing

You know the old saying, “What goes up must come down.” Currently everything seems to be going up at the same time.

November 22, 2021 Financial Perspectives

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.

Do I Have Portfolio Exposure to China?

In recent weeks, China has been a part of US financial headlines for a number of reasons. At Foster Group, we believe in globally diversified model portfolios. We invest our equity portfolios across domestic markets, international markets, and emerging markets. Our models have equity exposure to over 51 countries.

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

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 12, 2020 Financial Perspectives

1:15 - In the News: What Employment Can Tell Us About Economic Recovery
2:52 - Stock Market Returns in October
3:43 - Value Stocks vs Growth Stocks Historical Returns
5:19 - Why Do Value Stocks Tend to Outperform Growth Stocks?
9:37 - What Should I be Investing in Now?

Elections and Your Money Q&A

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

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

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

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 21, 2020 Financial Perspectives

0:50 - In the News: August 10th - August 21st
2:46 - What Is “Aseasonality” and Why Can It Lead to Impatience?
4:30 - Historical Disruptions
5:50 - Behavioral Biases: Why Does This Seem So Bad?

August 11, 2020 Financial Perspectives

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