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June 23, 2015 in Investing, Investment Basics Series
We often advise others that mindful living represents a balance: reserving time for work and play, investing and spending, yourself and your community. Just as we invest our own wealth using the same strategy we recommend to others, we also strive to set an example on balanced living. (Admittedly, some days we’re more successful than others!) One way we strive for balance is by making plans each winter to set aside...

June 17, 2015 in Evidence-Based Investing, Investing
Is the US market due for a correction? If you Google that question, you will see people have been predicting a correction in the US stock market for years now. A healthy market will experience corrections, so rather than trying to predict them or live in fear of them, investors are better off incorporating them into their long-term strategies. Our investing philosophy is built on the knowledge that markets go both...

June 9, 2015 in In The News, Investing
“How am I doing so far?” is a fair question every investor asks. Our human nature tempts us to compare our performance numbers with the benchmarks the popular press reports on, such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the Standard & Poor’s 500 and the Nasdaq Composite index. Inappropriate comparisons can cause more harm than good if they tempt you to bail on an otherwise solid approach. See what Sheri has to...

June 3, 2015 in Investing, SAGE Reads
Can your portfolio survive rising interest rates? (Fortune) It’s the question that everyone has been asking. Here’s a guide to whether your portfolio will be able to withstand the coming rate hike cycle, whether it begins this fall or sometime in early 2016. (Hint: You should be fine as long as you are properly diversified.)  The 5 Rules of Personal Finance That Everyone Should Memorize (themuse) “Most people spend their 20s...

May 26, 2015 in Dimensional, Evidence-Based Investing, Investing
May 2015 Gravel Road Investing [column col="1/4"][/column] [column col="3/4"] By Jim Parker Vice President DFA Australia Limited “ Owners of all-purpose motor vehicles often appreciate their cars most when they leave smooth city freeways for rough gravel country roads. In investment, highly diversified portfolios can provide similar reassurance. " To read more: OPEN PDF[/column][divider scroll_text=""]   ...

May 13, 2015 in Dimensional, Evidence-Based Investing, Investing
Have you ever noticed that the best humor usually has an edgy element of truth to it?  Take, for example, this StockCats “Headline Generator” spoof on the commentary that floods our sensibilities every time the market moves a whisker. Admittedly, we financial professionals may be hard up for humor, but I got a good belly laugh out of their creative spin on what (sadly) often passes for intelligent observations. So, yes, there is an abundance...

April 28, 2015 in Investing
If you haven’t noticed, we’ve been on a blog roll lately, explaining common mishaps investors face when assessing how their investments are performing in ever-turbulent markets. We’ve covered Time-Weighted vs. Internal Rates of Return and Confusing Cost Basis with Fund Performance. Today, we’ve got one more area to explore: Comparing your returns to popular benchmarks such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) or the S&P 500 indexes. Compared to What? “How...

April 21, 2015 in Investing, Tax Management
In our last post, we introduced two investment terms that are a little more technical than we normally prefer, but worth knowing when you want to accurately measure your portfolio’s performance:  Time-Weighted Rate of Return (TWR) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR). Since calculating rates of return and portfolio performance requires complex formulas and computer software that may not be readily available, we often see investors turning to an investment’s cost basis...

April 14, 2015 in Investing
If you’ve been reading our blog posts for a while, you know that we try to avoid financial-speak whenever possible. But until the rest of the world follows our lead, sage investors are best served by familiarizing themselves with two weird, but worthy terms: Time-Weighted Rates of Return (TWR) vs. Internal Rates of Return (IRR). We’ll explain what we’re talking about in a moment. But first let’s talk about why it...