Making the Most of a Bear Market
Category: Investing
If you’re a young professional, negative market returns can carry less weight than you might think. Let’s use 2022 as an example.
Chart of the Month – Feb 2023
Category: Investing
Recently, a client asked me about sectors. What are they? And how do they fit into a portfolio?
Positives About the Market
Category: Investing
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.
Chart of the Month – Jan 2023
Category: Investing
It's natural to sit down at the end of the year and reflect on what happened. Here is a short recap of what happened in the markets and the world in 2022.
Chart of the Month – Dec 2022
Category: Investing
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.
How to Construct a Good Investment Policy Statement
Category: Investing
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.
Things to Ponder This Holiday Season
Category: Foster Group
At Foster Group, the most important thing we do is help our clients have peace of mind. The planning, investing and conversations that lead to peace of mind vary from client to client. The benefits, however, are similar.
Chart of the Month – Nov 2022
Category: Investing
The past fifteen years have been phenomenal for U.S. stocks. They've outperformed international stocks by close to 200%. Unfortunately, no one can predict when international stocks will outperform U.S. stocks, or vice-versa.
Recession “Reaction”
Category: Investing
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.
Bear Markets and Life Jackets
Category: Investing » Asset Allocation
For anyone invested right now, it feels like we’re sinking. But just as boats have lifejackets to keep you afloat, your financial life should have its own lifejackets in place to help keep you from sinking in bear market times like these.
Thinking About Stock Market Volatility
Category: Investing
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?
What to Do When the Market Is in a Bad Mood
Category: Investing
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?”
Nervous About the Market? Maybe You Need a Lifeboat.
Category: Investing
Market volatility tends to unnerve even the calmest of investors. How do we know what to hold and how much to hold at any particular time? That’s a crucial question, but the answer does not need to be complicated.
Are You in the Bear Market Buyer’s Club?
Category: Investing
For the person who is currently contributing to a portfolio and does not need to take distributions anytime soon, this is a gift. That’s right, a bear market is a gift to those investors. If you are contributing to an investment account right now, you are already in the Bear Market Buyer’s Club.
Chart of the Month – July 2022
Category: Investing
Sooner or later, we're likely going to see demand cool off. The big question is how quickly inflation alters consumer spending and how quickly that pulls back inflation.
What Does It Mean to Be an Investor? – Part Two
As you peek into the future – hopefully one with greater discretionary time and money – do you envision yourself increasing or decreasing your investment in the well-being of the people close to you and the world in general? Do you see yourself sticking close to the mess of the world or investing in ways that escape it?
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?”
When Market Volatility Creates Opportunity
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
The first half of 2022 has proven to be challenging for investors. Being an investor during volatile markets isn’t easy, but there are a few strategies to consider in order to make the best of a difficult situation.
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.
Chart of the Month – June 2022
Category: Investing
There are nearly two job openings for every unemployed worker with labor statistics showing 11.4 million job openings compared to 5.9 unemployed workers as of April 30, 2022. This mismatch between jobs and workers means that workers have options, including leverage to ask for more pay.