Mutual Funds and ETFs: What’s the Difference?
There are structural differences between an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) and a mutual fund that can create advantages to using one over the other.
Market Madness
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
There is just something about the NCAA Men’s and Women’s College Basketball Tournament. There is tremendous excitement in many families and workplaces as tournament brackets are filled in with predictions about the outcomes of 67 games over a three-week period.
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.
Keep Three Buckets in Your Retirement Boat
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
One way to improve your investment experience is to walk through our lifeboat drill. Brad Rempe shares three 'buckets' to include.
It’s Worth the Trip!
We had completed our hike successfully, and the challenges made it more memorable and satisfying. The same is true for all of us as investors.
Is Your Portfolio Tailored to Fit Your Needs, or Just ‘Off-The-Rack’?
While the alterations may be small and subtle, they make a big difference when it comes to comfort and fit. Our experience is better. For an investment thought experiment, think of the “off the rack suit” as the broad market; we simply take what we get off the shelf with no alteration. Now think of Foster Group as the tailor and the alterations as portfolio personalizations called factor allocations.
Is the Stock Market a Glass Half Full?
The month of January was marked by negative returns for global stock markets. But, as the well-worn phrase, “Is your glass half full or half empty?” implies, our view of, or the way we feel about the state of markets as investors, may be more related to our personal dispositions than what the numbers indicate.
How to Avoid Tyrannically Urgent Yet Unimportant Investment Ideas
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
As we’ll see, each of these are real risks, because if they are unmanaged or unanticipated, they may cause investors to focus on the wrong things at the wrong times and lead to actions that may sabotage goals and portfolios.
How the “Little Guy” Really Wins in the Market
Don’t believe the lie that you don’t belong or that the keys belong to someone who won’t give them to you.
How Should an Investor Position Their Overall Investment Portfolio Now and in the Future?
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
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.
How Elections Affect the Market
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
A bit of history helps bring some perspective to trying to read too much into the influence of elections on stock markets.
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?
Having Faith When It’s Scary
Market volatility can sometimes be downright scary. The other day, I read that the quarter ending June 30th was the 16th worst quarter in the history of the stock market. Even worse, the first quarter was bad too, making it one of the very worst six-month periods in nearly a century. How does an investor respond?
Grow Through What You Go Through
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
While this time has been incredibly difficult for so many, I hope that people look back on this time and remember the lessons they learned rather than the struggles they suffered.
Good News About Portfolio Costs from DFA
Investors will benefit from a reduction in investment costs associated with funds managed by Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA), effective February 28, 2020.
Georgia, Political Majorities, & Markets
Unprecedented! That word had been used ad nauseam in 2020.
Four Ways to Connect with Foster Group
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
How can you stay connected financially during this time?
Financial Risks That Are Not in the News
Stock market risk is the primary focus of the financial news. The reason is simple. The scarier the headline, the more eyes are attracted to it.
Fantasy Football and Financial Planning: What is your strategy?
Category: Investing » Foster Group Investment Principles
Making good decisions and ultimately avoiding costly mistakes can be life-changing. Note that it does not start and end with picking the best player or hot stock but rather goals and a plan.