A Conversation with Award-Winning Portfolio Manager Mary Ellen Stanek | Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing

By Kent Kramer

04/08/2024

In this week's special edition of Financial Perspectives, Kent Kramer has a conversation with 2022 Morningstar Outstanding Portfolio Manager award winner, Mary Ellen Stanek, who is managing director and co-chief investment officer of Baird. In this conversation, Kent and Mary Ellen cover everything from market history and trends to surprising interviews.

Chart of the Month – April 2024

Category: Investing

By Michael Westphal

04/03/2024

Trying to time the market and choosing to sell in reaction to headlines tends to be a predictable mistake. There always seems to be a reason to sell. 

Tailoring Your Financial Plan to Match Your Goals

Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles » Align Purposes and Portfolio

By Brittany Heard

04/02/2024

If you are a client of Foster Group and have met with your advisor recently, you may have discussed what’s important to you, what we are planning for as it relates to your goals, and what you hope to achieve.

March: Predictable Madness and Markets | Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing

By Kent Kramer

03/25/2024

In the NCAA tournaments, uncertainty and underdogs pulling off the impossible upset of a top-ranked team is a certainty. This week, Kent Kramer observes how we can learn from March Madness and apply those observations to investing.

“Sportsified” Diversification

Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles » Advance with Science

By Ross Polking

03/13/2024

The benefit of a diversified investment portfolio is that, while again we do not know who the actual winners and losers will be, the risk of excluding the best is greatly reduced.

2024 Looks as Uncertain as Ever | Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing

By Kent Kramer

03/11/2024

The world is, and has always been, a surprising and uncertain place. This week, Kent Kramer dives into Foster Group's foundational investment principle #2: Embrace Uncertainty. He provides four positive reasons to embrace uncertainty and two big dangers of not embracing it.

Chart of the Month – March 2024

Category: Investing

By Michael Westphal

03/07/2024

Many people are apprehensive about the markets, whether we’re in a bear market or a bull market. The fear of a market correction is always present.

Navigating the Noise: A Reality Check on Fearful Headlines

Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles » Accept Uncertainty

By Marcus Iwig

03/05/2024

Sometimes headlines are right, but remember they are created to get your attention, not necessarily to provide you with helpful information.

Basketball, Movies, and the Transformed Investor | Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing

By Kent Kramer

02/26/2024

In this week's edition of Financial Perspectives, Kent Kramer covers everything from basketball and movies to Nobel Prize winners and a unique investment journey with Dave Butler, Co-CEO of Dimensional Fund Advisors.

Watch "Tune Out the Noise": https://film.dimensional.com
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Should I Invest in Bitcoin?

Category: Investing

By Michael Westphal

01/30/2024

Investing is a deliberate act, guided by the overarching principles of enhancing expected returns or mitigating portfolio risk. Let’s look at Bitcoin to see how cryptocurrency might look like an investment opportunity.

How Should an Investor Position Their Overall Investment Portfolio Now and in the Future?

Category: Investing

By Kent Kramer

01/22/2024

Right after, “What will the stock market do next?” the positioning question may be the most asked and re-asked question by investors of all types.

Is a Bitcoin ETF a Fit for Your Plan? | Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles

By Kent Kramer

01/22/2024

Anytime there is something new that gets a lot of media attention, investors should ask themselves, "Is this an opportunity for me or a distraction for what really matters?" This week, Kent Kramer introduces the first of five investment principles for purposeful investors.

Chart of the Month – January 2024

Category: Investing

By Michael Westphal

01/17/2024

Does Your Workplace Cultivate a Championship Team?

Category: Investing

By Geoff Christy

01/16/2024

I recently listened to a podcast called, “Invest Like the Best, with Patrick O’Shaughnessy”. The podcast is based on an article written by Michael Lewis in the New York Times Magazine back in 2009, about Shane Battier, a professional basketball player who was the ultimate teammate. 

Compound the Growth of Your 2024 Plans | Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing

By Kent Kramer

01/08/2024

What small, consistent steps are in your control this year that, if you complete them, can result in accumulated progress for years to come? This week, Kent Kramer discusses how financial planning may help us discover these kinds of things.

The “Gift” You Shouldn’t Open: Predictions | Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing

By Kent Kramer

12/11/2023

It's that time of year -- news outlets are gathering up nicely wrapped predictions and estimates on what the markets will do in 2024. This week, Kent Kramer analyzes how accurate, or inaccurate, these predictions actually have been in the past.

Chart of the Month – December 2023

Category: Investing

By Ryan Lamoureux

12/07/2023

This year, we have seen a runup in several large names, mostly in the technology space. They have been dubbed the “Magnificent Seven” by financial news publications. Why might this matter to an investor? 

It’s Gotten Better – Expect it to Continue | Financial Perspectives (In a Minute)

Category: Investing

By Kent Kramer

11/27/2023

Coming off the Thanksgiving holiday, are you feeling optimistic? If you are an investor, you've likely answered the question with a "yes." This week, Kent Kramer explains why long-term optimism is justifiable in a world filled with bad news.

Have You Come to Terms with the Reality of Your Retirement?

Category: Investing

By Jason Brown

11/21/2023

People come to terms with the fact they will one day retire. Maybe not in the next year or two but sometime in the next five. Often, it’s a reality they’ve been denying. 

That’s Not What I Expected | Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing

By Kent Kramer

11/13/2023

Oftentimes, you don't know what your expectations are until they aren't met. This week, Kent Kramer looks at how relative risk and comparison within investing may impact your investment experience.

Past Performance is Not Indicative of Future Results

Category: Foster Group

By Ross Polking

11/07/2023

“Past performance is not indicative of future results.”  Most people think of investing when they hear or read the sentence above, the ultimate statement of caution. What do you think of this statement when it comes to baseball?