Chart of the Month – May 2023

In investing, a key consideration is the time horizon. There is a general perception that investing is a risky proposition, but this risk can be mitigated by holding investments for longer periods. 

Chart of the Month – May 2024

While cash may offer stability and security in the short term, the DFA Returns Web chart from 1926 through February 2024 suggests that the growth potential in stocks offers a higher rewarding investment opportunity in the long run.

Chart of the Month – Nov 2022

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.

Chart of the Month – Nov 2023

How Do Treasuries Lose Money? US Treasury bonds are generally regarded as safe. Sometimes they’re referred to as “risk-free” assets. This is a bit of a misnomer.

Chart of the Month – November 2024

When we examine the historical relationship between equities and cash, it becomes evident that while cash may offer safety and short-term stability, equities tend to outperform over time. For long-term investors, remember that your plan should influence the portfolio and that reacting to market conditions is not a wise reason to change your plan.

Chart of the Month – Oct 2022

As an investor, perspective is important. At the end of the day, a diversified, low cost, properly allocated portfolio based on your financial plan is what matters.

Chart of the Month – Oct 2023

Have you ever said to yourself “If I would have just bought that stock, I would be set!” Or “How did I not see this coming? I was watching this stock years ago!” Or maybe “I should have never sold that stock!”

Chart of the Month – October 2024

Is stock market growth a thing of the past? Headlines making predictions about this have come and gone, some turning out to be spectacularly wrong. Let’s take a look.

Do Simple Better

A focus on the fundamentals is not just good advice for the sports world. It applies to many areas of our lives and certainly our finances.

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?

Do You Have an All-Weather Portfolio?

While no portfolio is designed to perfectly handle every scenario, we believe that thoughtful planning, combined with evidence-based portfolio construction, can help investors achieve a higher probability for long-term success in various market conditions.

Does Your Workplace Cultivate a Championship Team?

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. 

DraftKings Knows More About You Than You Know About You

For 12 seconds, consider what a company knows about you and their own profitability if they are willing to offer you a $500 risk-free bet to get started. That’s what DraftKings just promised me in a commercial. Sounds awesome, doesn’t it? OK, the 12 seconds are up. What did you come up with?

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.

Embrace Uncertainty!

We may not like uncertainty, but we need to understand and embrace it to keep ourselves positioned for both survival and success.

Embracing Uncertainty

Educated optimism is an antidote for anxious uncertainty, and it can be of great help in enabling investors to embrace the uncertainty that is with us all the time.

Equilibrium Markets in the Time of COVID

Over the years, Foster Group has utilized a number of mutual funds and exchange traded funds managed by Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA). DFA was founded in 1981 on the idea of making academic investment research and empirically based portfolio management accessible to investors. In this article, Professor Kenneth French describes how markets responded to the events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.