For the same reason we liquidated our position in TIPS (Treasury Inflation Protected Securities) earlier this year, we’ve made a change in the commodities category. You might be asking yourself, why would terminating a bond position like TIPS prompt a …
Over the years I’ve come to realize that diversification can mean different things to different people. Most financial advisors preach diversification, but I’m often astonished by the allocation strategies that pass for “diversification” in the financial planning industry. Diversification is …
Much of our latest due diligence and fund research has focused on bonds, and that research recently led us to make a fairly dramatic change to our clients’ bond allocations. Three funds have been eliminated from our portfolios and two …
We’ve made a change in our small-cap value stock category. We’ve replaced the Queens Road Small-Cap Value fund with Diamond Hill Small-Cap Institutional (DHSIX). This fund has been on our radar for years, but only recently were we able to …
Last week, while perusing the Wall Street Journal and catching up on some of the most intense news of recent history, I happened upon a quote by English author John Donne which goes something like this: “No man is an …
Beginning in the late 1960’s, a professor at Stanford University began a series of studies on delayed gratification. Pre-school children were given a single marshmallow and then offered a choice: they could eat the marshmallow immediately or they could wait …
Last week the world learned that 84-year-old Gloria MacKenzie was the sole winner of the $590 million Powerball jackpot. This makes her one of the biggest winners in lottery history. The widowed great-grandmother chose to receive her winnings as a …
We are often asked the question, “What makes you different?” There are many things that set us apart from our competitors, but there is also an official distinction we hold over the majority of other financial advisors. For more than …
The Retirement Salary® is our proprietary retirement income strategy. It is not an annuity or commission-based product. It is designed to provide retirees with a steady, predictable income while allowing the portfolio to continue growing over time. Please view the …
Few would question the merits of using a Traditional IRA as a vehicle for tax-deferred retirement savings. They are very easy to establish, and the investment options are vast. As long as you are under the age of 70 ½ …
The rise in social media networks and other Internet-based outlets, such as messaging and email, have become very important tools for communication in business. Now, with the SEC regulation allowing for companies to push certain types of business announcements and …
While medical expenses should come as no surprise to retirees, the amount of money we anticipate spending on medical care in retirement is often grossly underestimated. Based on a 17-year retirement, a couple who retired last year could expect to …
401(k) plans are a great way to save money for retirement, but they don’t always have the best investment options available within the plan. Employees are generally limited to a list of 10 or 12 mutual funds and are unable …
If economic growth is so anemic, why are stocks so robust? This is the number one question I get these days, and for good reason. After all, since mid-2009 the average annual growth of the economy, as measured by growth of …
We are pleased to announce the redesign of our Quarterly Newsletter. Click here to view the 1st quarter newsletter, which was published on 4/15/2013. Feedback and comments are welcome.
Sir John Templeton, the father of international investing, once said, “Among the four most dangerous words in investing are ‘it’s different this time.’” With the continuation of a lackluster economic recovery and so much congestion in Washington these days, it …
Keld Jenson is a contributor for Forbes online and has written about the other types of intelligence beyond IQ: Emotional Intelligence (EQ), Moral Intelligence (MQ) and Body Intelligence(BQ). He writes that your IQ “pales in comparison with your EQ, MQ …
There are millions of intelligent people in this country (don’t laugh- seriously!), many of whom invest their money in the securities markets. Why, then, are there so few genuinely successful investors? In my opinion, the answer is simple – they …
My three-year-old daughter, Dawson, has been learning her ABCs, and for the very first time, on Sunday, she wrote her name. My wife and I were so proud. We awed over her, as parents tend to do, because we wanted …
Growing up on the east coast, your perception of Texas is what you might see in old John Wayne westerns. When I told my friends and family I was planning on moving here, I could see wild visions floating through …
What 7% Mortgages Mean for Housing and the Economy