Before we dive into the usual quarterly investment insights, here’s some fun trivia: Did you know you have to count to 1,000 before you’ll find the letter “a” in a spelled-out number? We thought you could use that break from the torrent of mid-year market commentaries on 2020’s bipolar extremes. The general theme has been […]
You know times are strange when you’re hearing from everyone – from the government to your local grocer – on what to do about the coronavirus. Unless we can source some toilet paper for you (here’s some fascinating commentary on what’s up with that!), what else is there to say? Believe it or not, we […]
Clearly, there is a lot to think about when planning for retirement. While we have a degree of control over many of the choices involved, there’s one big wild card called sequence risk. Sequence risk is the risk that you’ll encounter negative investment returns in early retirement. This is an important consideration because the random […]
“You can outsource expertise but never your understanding, especially when it comes to your finances.” — Ben Carlson, “Don’t Fall For It” As we covered in the most recent installment in our “How To Be Positively Skeptical” series, there are only so many hours in the day to do all the fact-checking you’d like to […]
“All media shares one thing: Someone created it. And it was created for a reason. Understanding that reason is the basis of media literacy.” — Common Sense Media In previous installments of our “How To Be Positively Skeptical” series, we covered the many forces that tease us into falling for misinformation. Bottom line, our brains […]
“[T]he challenge for all investors is to consume the news without being consumed by it.” — Jason Zweig In a recent post, we introduced our multipart series on the importance of separating fact from fiction – as an investor, as well as in your everyday life. Today, let’s talk about your emotional reaction to unfolding […]
“I’m not an optimist. That makes me sound naïve. I’m a very serious ‘possibilist.’ That’s something I made up. It means someone who neither hopes without reason, nor fears without reason, someone who constantly resists the overdramatic worldview.” — Hans Rosling, Factfulness Whether you’re considering an investment opportunity or simply browsing various media for insights […]
Quarterly Client Letter – 2020 Q1 “What the imagination can’t conjure, reality delivers with a shrug.” —Trumbo (movie voice-over) Brace yourself. Your newly released quarterly reports are highly, highly likely to leave you feeling at least a little disheartened. No matter how much we’ve blathered on about preparing for perilous times like these, planning for […]
With much of the country in self-isolation, perhaps you’ve got time to read the entire H.R. 748 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act. If you’d prefer, here is a summary of many of the key provisions we expect to be discussing with you in person (virtually), depending on which ones apply […]
Remember that saying about March coming in like a lion and out like a lamb? Unfortunately, the coronavirus is highly unlikely to dissipate that quickly. Still, the sentiment reminds us how bear markets are like winter showers nurturing spring flowers. For every ferocious bear we’ve historically encountered, an uplifting bull has eventually followed. But it […]