Category: Investing
Ignore Elections — Focus on the Long Term
As 2019 draws to a close, we’ve started to field an increasing number of questions about the potential impact of next year’s U.S. Presidential election. Specifically, clients are concerned about the potential impact that specific candidates and the policies they’ve advocated may have on the economy, the stock market, and their portfolio. For that reason,…
Understanding the Mutual Fund Selection Process
For many of our wealth management clients, we gain exposure to certain asset classes through hiring mutual fund managers. With thousands of available options, selecting a mutual fund is a daunting task for many investors. Understanding a fund’s track record, expenses and other publicly available attributes might be a good starting point for fund evaluation,…
Living with Uncertainty and Volatility
Over the past twenty-five years, the internet has profoundly changed many facets of our lives. And the pace of change has accelerated in the past decade with the proliferation of internet-connected mobile devices. Billions of people worldwide now have access to a wealth of knowledge. It’s a never-ending flow of news and information – instantaneous…
The Importance of the CFP® Designation
Our clients are successful because they’re great at what they do, whether they own a local company, run a family-owned business or lead a large corporation. For clients who have a demanding work schedule, finding the time to focus on personal finances can be challenging, which is why it’s important to work with an experienced…
Thinking About Share Repurchases
When public companies generate cash, they have a handful of options: park it in a bank account; reinvest in their business; acquire other companies; pay dividends; or repurchase their stock. Among these avenues, share repurchases draw a disproportionate amount of attention. They are viewed skeptically as a form of financial engineering that is solely focused…
Cyber Security — Thoughts in Hindsight
Imagine your entire world being turned upside down. You thought it wouldn’t happen to you. But now your accounts have been hacked and you are exposed. For many, cyber security is an afterthought until it happens personally. Yet taking simple steps can greatly improve your chances of avoiding data exposure. Below are 10 habits that…
Saving for Your Child’s College Education
Benjamin Franklin once observed, “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” Indeed, planning for your children to attend college is one of the most important investment decisions you’ll make in life. That plan must be developed, reviewed and adjusted many times through the years, long before your child dons a cap and gown…
Focus on Process — Not Always the Outcome
It’s tempting to make investment decisions based on previous performance. When the stock market is continually moving higher, as it had for most of the past decade, investors sometimes overlook the importance of process. But, as we all know, the stock market can be fickle. For that reason, whether the market is rising or falling,…
Bull Market Turns 10 — What the Past 10 Years Taught Us, We Already Knew
The stock market bottomed in March 2009 after a prolonged and deep decline from its October 2007 highs. The financial crisis wounds were deep. The global banking system was nearly torn to shreds, forcing unprecedented monetary and regulatory actions. Debt markets were frozen. A new administration had entered the White House. Stock market investors were…
6 Key Considerations Before You Sell Your Business
Are you thinking about selling your business? Whether you own a new start-up or an established family-owned company, it’s critical to be strategic, thoughtful and intentional because the decisions you make now will affect your ability to protect and grow the proceeds from the sale for years to come. Selling a business isn’t an overnight…