Chart of the Month – May 2022
Since the beginning of 2020, checkable deposits have quadrupled, giving consumers the ability to continue spending and withstand increased prices. What does this mean for inflation and prices in the future?
Chart of the Month – Aug 2022
The housing market has been hot since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prices have soared and the interest rate to borrow money for those homes has been at historically low levels. But what is happening now?
Chart of the Month – Oct 2023
Have you ever said to yourself “If I would have just bought that stock, I would be set!” Or “How did I not see this coming? I was watching this stock years ago!” Or maybe “I should have never sold that stock!”
Chart of the Month – Dec 2022
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
Those of you who keep up with the financial news are likely familiar with the three most quoted indices, the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the NASDAQ. Sometimes, the returns for all of them are similar, but sometimes they are not.
Chart of the Month – Feb 2023
Category: Investing » Diversification
Recently, a client asked me about sectors. What are they? And how do they fit into a portfolio?
Bad News
Is the title to this blog supposed to be clickbait? Of course it is. That is the point of this blog. Bad news sells.
Chart of the Month – Mar 2023
Category: Investing » Diversification
Is there conclusive evidence that one sector is better than another when it comes to returns?
Chart of the Month – Aug 2023
Increasing interest rates have many effects, not only on the economy, but also on stocks. Given the recent rally, we wanted to highlight that rising rates do not always mean that stocks will go down. While the stock market is not making new all-time highs just yet, the market has been resilient to a regime thought to be a drag on the markets.
Chart of the Month – Mar 2022
Are you feeling the pain at the pump? What is driving oil prices higher?
Spring Training Thoughts for Your Portfolio
While the impact of each may not be dramatic on their own, collectively they add up and represent the things we do to incrementally add value to our clients.
Are You an Owner or a Lender
Category: Investing » Asset Allocation
Do Simple Better
A focus on the fundamentals is not just good advice for the sports world. It applies to many areas of our lives and certainly our finances.
High Profit vs Low Profit: The Returns Are In!
If higher returns are offered to riskier investments, why is it that companies with higher profits generate better returns? Aren�t these companies less risky?
Keep Your Eyes on the Horizon and Wings Level
Category: Investing » Alternative Investments
We often get asked by clients about different ideas they heard from a friend, a new exclusive deal they got invited into, or, most frequently, a specific company or stock that a friend gave them the scoop on. The reality is that a lot of the “great ideas and deals” never amount to any real return, and many end up going to zero.
A Few of My Favorite Things
Almost everyone has a few of their favorite things. One of my top questions to ask friends and clients is, “What are some of your most treasured memories and keepsakes?”
Cars, Planes, and Market Crashes
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
Since becoming a pilot about 6 years ago, I’m often asked about plane crashes. If you are an investor, the odds of enduring a market crash are almost 100%. Just as I have to do when flying, at Foster Group, we plan ahead for a market correction by using sound planning and investing.
Media Drama: Facts or Fiction?
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
The dramatic nature and slant that the media add to their stories to get us interested in reading the page. Do a quick self-check to see through the production and into the facts.
A “Real” Estate – Part One
Category: Foster Group
As a financial advisor for the past 28 years, I’ve been asked about real estate hundreds of times. Every type of real estate carries pros and cons, risks and rewards.