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.
Satisfying Your Tastes and Preferences for Investing and Dining
If you were asked to describe what you liked about your favorite food, where would you start? If you were asked to describe what you would like in your investment portfolio, what would you emphasize?
The Biggest Risk to Investors Remaining in 2020?
Aside from COVID-19, what represents the biggest risk for investors in the second half of what is turning out to be a historic 2020?
Coronavirus Worries Drive Economic Uncertainty and Stock Market Declines
Investment markets around the world have been declining sharply this week in response to the Coronavirus outbreak.
Recent Market Volatility: Coronavirus Worries Are Only Part of the Story
In addition to the coronavirus, other sources of investor uncertainty include global economic growth, the UK finalizing their Brexit negotiations, trade negotiations between Europe and the US, President TrumpÆs impeachment and ongoing Senate trial, and 20
Diversification: Preparing for the Next Surprise
Probably only one thing is certain: The world is still full of surprises yet to be revealed. Is your portfolio diversified in preparation for the next one?
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.
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.
Being a Counterintuitive Investor – Do Stock Markets Follow GDP?
It turns out GDP growth rates and stock market performance are not highly correlated in the way we would expect.
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.
Georgia, Political Majorities, & Markets
Unprecedented! That word had been used ad nauseam in 2020.
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.
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?
Embrace Uncertainty!
We may not like uncertainty, but we need to understand and embrace it to keep ourselves positioned for both survival and success.
Are You Afraid of (Market) Heights?
Investors have been experiencing some fear of heights recently. Many stocks and stock markets are at or near all-time highs. So, here’s the question investors need to ask themselves today, ”Do you think that stock markets 26 years from now will be higher or lower than they are currently, even if today is an all-time high?”
Navigating the Noise: A Reality Check on Fearful Headlines
Sometimes headlines are right, but remember they are created to get your attention, not necessarily to provide you with helpful information.
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.
Three Categories of Risk for Retirement Income
Risks can often feel much different to retirees. The overarching risk for retirees is that something takes place that results in a permanently lower standard of living. Retirement researcher, Wade Pfau, has identified three major categories of risk for one’s income in retirement.
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.