What You Can Change
The old prayer goes…”God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” You cannot change the markets; they have a life of their own. But you can change the way you see them and the way […]
No Shortcuts
Sometimes it happens. Someone comes into my office wanting to know about their investments and how we manage money but doesn’t want to go through the financial planning process. The have done their own planning or don’t want to do the work to build a real plan. That’s like going to the doctors office and […]
Investing Should Be Scary
It is always amazing how stock market tops attract so many investor dollars. Just when things are at their riskiest point flows of funds into stocks skyrockets. We convince ourselves that the part will last forever and we hate being left out. The flip side is the head scratcher of a down market, where no […]
So Your Didn’t Win the Lottery
Okay, so you didn’t win the lottery. May I suggest some steps you can take to achieve financial nirvana without relying on luck. If you have credit card debt pay it off. If you can’t pay in full this month, then pay an extra $50 or $100. At least pay the minimum plus any interest charges. […]
All That is Gold Does Not Glitter
Boring, boring, boring. That’s how you might describe one of the best investments my kids will ever profit from. Back in 1990 my children’s grandparents bought them 50 shares of Disney common stock for around $500 per child. The kids received the dividend check each quarter and thought it was neat getting a little extra […]
Changing Lanes
Why is it when we get stuck in traffic the other lane always seems to be moving faster? It is sometimes like that with investments we own. Ours is merely creeping while the other guy’s is moving right along…until we switch lanes. Then we seem to be stuck again in the wrong lane
Is Gold Really Golden?
Sometimes I get a question about investing in gold. Usually it is after a tumultuous time in the stock market or a geopolitical crisis de jour. But thinking of gold as an investment to my mind is wrong. Gold is not an investment it is something to speculate in. An investment grows apart from any […]
Active or Passive ?
If you read any of the financial press aimed at the individual investor you have likely run across the active investor passive investor debate. The majority of financial writers today will lead you to think that you should be very passive in your investment approach, buy an index fund and never sell. If you are […]
An Ounce of Prevention
If you have known someone who suffered a heart attack and survived you might also have witnessed a quick lifestyle change in the survivor. Diet improves remarkably, even couch potatoes suddenly become more active. In general the Heath choices of the survivors improve markedly. That is usually how it happens with money too. We experience […]
2015 Market Recap
A volatile stock market closed 2015 with a small loss of 0.70% on the S&P 500 index and 1.0% for the Dow. The US Dollar gained about 9% against other major currencies resulting in a 1% loss in the EFA Index for dollar denominated investors. The Federal Reserve finally began raising rates at the end […]
