Celebrating Saying Goodbye Day
In our family, we have a tradition in which, the night before our kids’ birthdays, we pause for a moment to recap the last year by reminiscing about their successes and failures. It dawned on me that these are the same feelings investors experience and learn from on their financial journeys.
A Financial Advisor’s Morning Routine: Why I Broke Up With “Breaking News”
Being informed without getting drawn into every breaking news story that touches the economy, markets, or business. Doing well with money isn't necessarily about what you know but rather, how you behave.
Chart of the Month – June 2023
This year’s stock market narrative is a tale of two markets. On one side, a handful of prominent technology companies is flourishing while on the other side, everything else is struggling to keep up. Here we will assess the data.
Baseball and Investing: Managing Behavior for Success
Money is emotional and our “news” cycle is a catalyst. Investors react to what they hear and how they feel, oftentimes to their own detriment.
Positives About the Market
2022 was a historically painful year as an investor with stock markets experiencing a bear market, and bond markets having one of their worst years ever. However, as we enter 2023, I’d like to consider the positives.
How to Construct a Good Investment Policy Statement
I wrote in a previous blog about the importance of having a well-written Investment Policy Statement (IPS). What should be in a well-written document?
Running to Retirement
Stay diversified, and stay the course. That’s good advice for both runners and investors.
Recession “Reaction”
Plenty of arguments exist as to why we will be and/or already are in a recession. However, there is good news out there that isn’t readily reported.
Chart of the Month – June 2023
This year’s stock market narrative is a tale of two markets. On one side, a handful of prominent technology companies is flourishing while on the other side, everything else is struggling to keep up. Here we will assess the data.
Baseball and Investing: Managing Behavior for Success
Money is emotional and our “news” cycle is a catalyst. Investors react to what they hear and how they feel, oftentimes to their own detriment.
Positives About the Market
2022 was a historically painful year as an investor with stock markets experiencing a bear market, and bond markets having one of their worst years ever. However, as we enter 2023, I’d like to consider the positives.
How to Construct a Good Investment Policy Statement
I wrote in a previous blog about the importance of having a well-written Investment Policy Statement (IPS). What should be in a well-written document?
Running to Retirement
Stay diversified, and stay the course. That’s good advice for both runners and investors.
Recession “Reaction”
Plenty of arguments exist as to why we will be and/or already are in a recession. However, there is good news out there that isn’t readily reported.
What to Do When the Market Is in a Bad Mood
When the going is good, we’re not all that concerned with asking or answering the question. It is when the going gets tough, like right now, that we find ourselves more interested in asking. So, “What should we do?”
Thinking About Stock Market Volatility
What caused the stock market to rise by over 20% in the second quarter of 2020 even as the COVID pandemic was out of control? How about the over 11% rise in the fourth quarter of 2021 as inflation ticked up and the Fed was warning of rate increases? It seems a little more obvious why the US stock market has fallen in the first 6 months of 2022, but should it have fallen more…or less?
Speeding Tickets & Investing
Recently, I received a gift from the Iowa State Patrol in the form of a speeding ticket. In reflecting on this experience, it occurred to me that I took an unnecessary risk to attain something I didn’t need and ended up sacrificing money I didn’t have to lose.
Investors Must Be Present to Win
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.
Why Index Funds Don’t Work for Some People
Index funds are popular investment tools for good reason. They are low cost, effective ways to capture market return. Choosing to use index funds is only half the battle though; you must use them correctly to truly benefit.
Still Searching for the One?
You do not need to pick the next big winner in order to have a successful investment experience. As a matter of fact, behaving as if this were possible is an almost certain way to have a terrible investment experience. What are the hallmarks of a more successful approach?