My Favorite Blog Posts and Podcast Episodes from 2020
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.
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.
Investments Are Long-Term; Brackets Are Short-Term.
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.
Inflation. Is It Good or Bad and What Can You Do About It?
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.
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.
How Elections Affect the Market
A bit of history helps bring some perspective to trying to read too much into the influence of elections on stock markets.
Having Faith When It’s Scary
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?
Grow Through What You Go Through
While this time has been incredibly difficult for so many, I hope that people look back on this time and remember the lessons they learned rather than the struggles they suffered.
How Elections Affect the Market
A bit of history helps bring some perspective to trying to read too much into the influence of elections on stock markets.
Having Faith When It’s Scary
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?
Grow Through What You Go Through
While this time has been incredibly difficult for so many, I hope that people look back on this time and remember the lessons they learned rather than the struggles they suffered.
Georgia, Political Majorities, & Markets
Unprecedented! That word had been used ad nauseam in 2020.
Four Ways to Connect with Foster Group
How can you stay connected financially during this time?
Equilibrium Markets in the Time of COVID
Over the years, Foster Group has utilized a number of mutual funds and exchange traded funds managed by Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA). DFA was founded in 1981 on the idea of making academic investment research and empirically based portfolio management accessible to investors. In this article, Professor Kenneth French describes how markets responded to the events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
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.
Embrace Uncertainty!
We may not like uncertainty, but we need to understand and embrace it to keep ourselves positioned for both survival and success.
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.
Do You Have an All-Weather Portfolio?
While no portfolio is designed to perfectly handle every scenario, we believe that thoughtful planning, combined with evidence-based portfolio construction, can help investors achieve a higher probability for long-term success in various market conditions.
Do Small Company Stocks Like New Presidents?
In the three months since Joe Biden was elected President of the United States, small company stocks have risen more than 30%. Four years ago, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States and small company stocks went up almost 20% in the twenty-six days surrounding the election, from November 3rd to December 9th. Do small company stock investors just like new Presidents?