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The Blog

Weekly insights on the markets, economy, and financial planning

Is Now a Good Time to Start Investing?

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“Is now a good time to start investing?” It’s a simple question, but it’s almost impossible to answer because it requires a market prediction. Most people agree that trying to predict the market is impossible, but it’s human nature to …

Syria and the Market

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The situation in Syria has gone from bad to worse over the last few weeks. The U.S. and allies are preparing for a possible military strike against President Assad’s regime in a country that has been torn apart by a brutal civil war. …

Why Staying the Course is The Best Route

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Remember 2008? Some of us kept our eye on the ball and maintained our long-term investment plans. Others panicked and went to cash, thinking that it would protect them from downside risk, and waited until the market “normalized” before they dove back …

Take a Stand for What You Believe In

Wild West

Aaron Tippin is a country music artist that rose to fame in the early 1990’s. I was a teenager when his debut single was released, “You’ve Got To Stand For Something”. It became a popular anthem for Americans as we …

What Diversification Really Is (And What It’s Not)

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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 …

Flexibility: The Antidote for Interest Rate Uncertainty

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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 …

The Retirement Salary®

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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 …

Great Divide: The Economy and the Stock Market Disconnect

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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 …

The Annual End of the World

Time mag

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 …

Benchmarks and Investor Psychology

Busines Man Trees

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 …

How Much Farther Can It Go?

Market Indicators

As I write, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has closed at over 14,397, a 120% increase since its bottom of 6,547 at the market’s nadir exactly four years ago on March 9, 2009. Countless articles are being written on the …

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