Last week the Dow Jones (^DJI) topped the 17,000 mark with a gain of about 3.25% for the year. The markets have been on a tear for over three years with no significant downturn since the long forgotten technical correction …
We’ve spent a lot of time discussing money safety and how to be better at securing your online identity, financials, and overall internet and device setup. With the launch of the new Android platform Blackphone, I thought it would be …
We’re coming up on the half-way point for the year, so I thought it would be a good time to recap what’s been happening in the portfolios. All in all, it’s been a good year for all the major asset classes we …
In last week’s blog, Heath pointed out the tendency of people to base investment decisions on irrelevant facts or reference points. In the field of behavioral finance, this is known as anchoring. Heath provided a great example of anchoring: basing …
People are fascinating to me. You’d think that over thousands of years, the human brain would have evolved to become capable of making unbiased decisions as a means for survival. But based on James Montier’s book “Behavioral Investing” our brains …
Many of us amp up our travels in the summer (especially to escape this heat!), and money safety should be at the forefront of every decision made. While traveling domestically or internationally, you have to be concerned about theft in …
Last week, Bryan Zschiesche and I attended the Envestnet Tamarac 2014 Advisor Summit. We attended the various sessions and workshops in an effort to further our knowledge of the software and technological tools that this fantastic company provides to us. With …
Mike Minter and I are attending a conference this week in Chicago hosted by Envestnet Tamarac, the software provider of our rebalancing, reporting, and contact management programs. Our primary goal in attending the conference is to learn new ways to …
A couple of years ago, ING started a great marketing campaign to encourage people to start saving for retirement. The “What’s your retirement number?” slogan was undoubtedly derived from a common question that financial advisors hear from clients every day. …
Accessing your account information online isn’t for everyone, but there are some true benefits to being able to receive e-documents and not having to worry about your information traveling to your neighbor’s house by mistake. Below I’ve outlined some of …
As we have all experienced, time and repetition can cause us to take for granted things that others recognize as being extraordinary. During the past week, two new clients mentioned how impressed they were with the rebalancing strategy we employ, …
If you keep up with the financial news outlets, you’ve probably been exposed to the latest debates on high-frequency trading (HFT). In Michael Lewis’ new book, “Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt,” he says that the stock market is rigged. His …
We are living in a time where our existence is more exposed than we’ve ever known. Our emails, names, phone numbers, personal pictures, and other personal data are associated with everything we do.
According to bankrate.com, the average savings account earns a disappointing 0.06%. But many online savings accounts are paying closer to 1% which is over 10 times the national average. That might not sound like much to get excited about, but …
A prerequisite for investing is optimism about the future. After all, if you don’t believe that things will be better tomorrow than they are today, there would be no reason to squirrel away your money. It can be difficult at …
As a client of Financial Synergies, you’ve undoubtedly heard us use the terms “growth” and “value”; they are even included in the names of some of our funds, and are strategies we utilize in your portfolios. Growth and Value are …
As Mike Booker mentioned in the Q4 newsletter, we think bonds still deserve a place in most portfolios. After all, bonds are ultimately one of the greatest diversifiers an investor can own. Historically, conservative investors have allocated large percentages of …
On April 1st, 2014, Financial Synergies will welcome Greg Valliere, Chief Political Strategist for the Potomac Research Group, to a special client event at Willie G’s in Houston. With over 30 years of experience covering Washington, Greg focuses on the …
After a year like 2013 stocks deserve a little breather, and that’s exactly what they got in January. Stocks (S&P 500) ended the month down -3.5%, while bonds (Barclays Aggregate Bond Index) posted a 1.5% gain. Last year stocks were …
When I was home over the holiday break, my father asked me a very important question about why we are different from other large brokerage firms. I simply responded with an impatient answer: “We are an RIA, Dad.” At that …
What 7% Mortgages Mean for Housing and the Economy