Client Letter: Portfolio Allocation Changes
We completed our regular rebalancing process last week, and you may have noticed some activity in your accounts. In conjunction with this rebalancing, we also made a few changes to our investment policy allocations in light of future expected … Continue reading
The Value of Objective Financial Planning
Both Vanguard and Morningstar recently released studies quantifying the benefits of working with a financial advisor. The studies were meaningful and more so addressed the quantitative and not the qualitative benefits. The qualitative are subjective, more difficult to … Continue reading
One Of The Biggest Retiree Investing Mistakes: Focusing On Yield Rather Than Total Return
It is common that someone approaching retirement starts focusing on principal preservation. In fact, it often seems that retirees swear allegiance to a commandment: “Thou shall not invade thy principal.” This mindset causes a focus on income-oriented investments … Continue reading
DFA Earns Top Stewardship Mark from Morningstar
Morningstar recently issued a new Stewardship Grade for Dimensional Funds Advisors or DFA. The firm’s overall grade–which considers corporate culture, fund board quality, fund manager incentives, fees, and regulatory history–is an “A” – the highest rating. DFA has been the … Continue reading
Should You Have Managed Futures (Trend Following) In Your Portfolio?
“Managed futures” also known as “trend following” is an investment strategy that have historically achieved strong performance in both up and down markets, exhibiting low correlation to traditional stock and bond investments. It was one of the few strategies that … Continue reading
The Science of Investing & Factors You Can Use To Build Better Portfolios
Investors often use haphazard methods of selecting investments and completely ignore the science of investing. For decades now, academics have studied investment markets and conducted empirical research to try to identify what works and what does not work when it … Continue reading
Will Social Security Be There For Me?
Social Security’s future solvency is a regular discussion point when considering retirement planning issues. It is common for people to think the benefit will be reduced from what is shown on their statement. Yet, that position is often taken … Continue reading
Living with Investment Volatility Once Again
Just as many people were starting to think markets only ever move in one direction, the volatility pendulum swung swiftly the other way over the last few months. Various markets have made significant moves up and down and sometimes back … Continue reading
Patience Pays Off for Investors in 2014
Forecasters often cite a figure of 8%–10% as a likely outcome for stock market performance in the year ahead, and 2014 was no exception. As sensible as this may sound, it is worth pointing out that over the past 89 … Continue reading
Things Everyone Should Know About Investing & The Economy
A recent article, “122 Things Everyone Should Know About Investing & The Economy” from Business Insider, features a lot of interesting and often overlooked facts, figures, and quotes. See how much you know. Regarding market predictions: The phrase “double-dip recession” … Continue reading
