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The Blog

Weekly insights on the markets, economy, and financial planning

Putting Recent Market Volatility in Perspective

Market Turmoil

There’s no sugarcoating it, today was nasty. And this week for the global stock markets wasn’t any better. But the last several years have been relatively calm for the U.S. stock market. This bull market has gone 1,418 calendar days …

The China Syndrome

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“The China Syndrome” is an article written by Jim Parker, Vice President, DFA Australia Limited, for Dimensional Fund Advisors Outside the Flags column.

Q1 2014 Newsletter

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Our 1st quarter newsletter features articles by the whole team. Q1 2014 Newsletter from Financial Synergies Asset Management, Inc

The Market Takes a Breather in January

Trees Winter

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 …

The Fund with the Odd Name

Puzzle Pieces

When first mentioned in client meetings, the Merger Fund sometimes elicits looks of confusion or curiosity from its name alone. It doesn’t sound like the other names in your portfolio, and it doesn’t act like them either. It’s considered an …

Low for Longer: A More Active Approach to Fixed Income

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“Low for Longer” is Blackrock’s investment theme heading in to 2014. The Low for Longer tag line is their way of expressing a forecast of tepid economic growth, easy monetary policy and, consequently, low interest rates. Investment catchphrases such as …

Worst Case Scenarios

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Negativity has permeated our society of late. Predictions of disastrous consequences from the federal debt ceiling impasse abound. Some pundits worry that inflation arising from dramatic increases in the monetary supply will surely diminish our future lifestyles. European sovereign debt crises will eventually contaminate the American banking system, and global warming will cause our coastal […]

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)

Rocks

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 …

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