Making the Most of a Bear Market
If you’re a young professional, negative market returns can carry less weight than you might think. Let’s use 2022 as an example.
What Can You Expect in 2023? | Financial Perspectives (In a Minute)
As we head into 2023, the question we get most often is, "What's next for markets and what can we expect in our portfolios?" This week, Kent Kramer and Ryne Oller try to answer just that.
Positives About the Market
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
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 – 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.
Year-End Opportunities & Cautions | Financial Perspectives
It's that time of year – what's left on your list for 2022? This week, Kent Kramer discusses three possible ways to save on taxes, one possible way to increase the return on your cash, and one cautionary tale as a reminder as we think about investing in 2023.
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
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
Stay diversified, and stay the course. That’s good advice for both runners and investors.
What Did You Expect? | Financial Perspectives (In a Minute)
"Everything good in life is just the gap between expectations and reality." - Morgan Housel. This week, Kent Kramer shares his thoughts on market history and setting expectations.
Poker Lessons. Expect to Be Surprised. | Financial Perspectives
Poker is great training ground for evaluating circumstances where you may have enough information to know the odds of success or failure, but not enough information to guarantee the outcome -- a lot like investing. This week, Kent Kramer looks at how understanding odds and probability can help make sense of elections and investment markets.
What to Do When the Market Is in a Bad Mood
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
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?”
Stormy Markets | Financial Perspectives (In a Minute)
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
With the US stock market in bear market territory as we go into the second half of 2022, you might feel like we're in a bit of a storm. If you've been feeling under prepared, Matt Moklestad walks us through six considerations for times like these.
Stormy Markets | Financial Perspectives
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
With the US stock market in bear market territory as we go into the second half of 2022, you might feel like we're in a bit of a storm. If you've been feeling under prepared, Matt Moklestad walks us through six considerations for times like these.
Nervous About the Market? Maybe You Need a Lifeboat.
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
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?
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.
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: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
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
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
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.
Are You Checking Your Accounts Every Day? Stop it.
Does it help or harm the average long-term investor to peek at their own accounts or pay attention to the market every day?
What Does It Mean to Be an Investor? – Part One
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
For a minute, I want to think broadly about the question, “What does it mean to be an investor?”
Knowing What Not To Do | Financial Perspectives
Stocks are down. Bonds are down. Inflation is up. There is a war in Europe. When nothing feels certain, what should investors do? One of the things we can do is pay attention to something else.