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February 26, 2014 in Investing, Money Management, Tax Management
Part I: Building Blocks for Your Life’s Goals Building your dream home involves countless moving parts: architectural blueprints, plumbing and electric, interior design, landscaping, city permits and more. Few would face such a daunting task without an experienced general contractor to ensure that each piece has been individually addressed as well as properly fitted into the whole. And yet, when it comes to their money, most families wind up with a hodge-podge...

February 19, 2014 in Investing, Real Estate
Depending on your unique risk tolerances and financial goals, there are times it can make sense to allocate a percentage of your portfolio to real estate investments. But there’s real estate, and then there’s real estate. Do the homes you live in count as investments? Let’s take a closer look. The Role of Real Estate in Your Portfolio Why would you invest in real estate to begin with? As Forbes contributor Frank...

February 11, 2014 in Dimensional, Investing, Money Management
As Valentine’s Day nears, it seems like as good a time as any to cover the frequently asked question about whether gold has an appropriate place in your investment portfolio. We’ve got nothing against your considering the tasteful gift of gold for your sweetheart this time of year, but when it comes to your or your loved ones’ life savings, we advise you to avoid all that glitters. In his article,...

February 4, 2014 in Family Money, Investing, Young Adult Series
A recent question from one of our clients struck me as excellent inspiration for a blog post of wider appeal. It went something like this: “My son is now 18 and tells me he wants to invest in stocks, or mutual funds, what do I think, etc. He has $1,700, so not really enough to shake the markets, but I am happy he is developing an interest. Before I respond to...

January 22, 2014 in Dimensional, Economics, Evidence-Based Investing, Investing
We can’t help but love working with a fund manager that is not only intensely loyal to the science of capital markets, but can laugh about it too. These qualities are combined in Dimensional Fund Advisors’ 2013 Review, a market/economic summary that the firm releases each January. While “a lot happened” in 2013, Dimensional reports it was ultimately “a year about nothing.” In a way, it was like the reverse...

October 23, 2013 in Evidence-Based Investing, Investing
In our last two blog posts, we provided some of the key building blocks that make for a solid fixed-income foundation. First, we described the stabilizing role that fixed income typically plays in your portfolio. Next, we discussed why we advise against trading in reaction to current bond market conditions (including the existing climate) rather than according to your own investment goals. Today, we’re going to explore the strategy to...

October 16, 2013 in Evidence-Based Investing, Investing
In our last blog post, we shared the timeless principles we suggest for your fixed income investing. We also previously presented a Vanguard Funds report demonstrating that actively managed stock funds face punishing odds in their quest to outperform appropriate market benchmarks. But what about in the bond markets, especially in the current climate of potentially rising interest rates? Can active management shine? An additional report from Vanguard helps us...

October 9, 2013 in Economics, Evidence-Based Investing, Investing
Interest rates are at historic lows and, for several years now, numerous market pundits have been forecasting an upward move. This leaves many investors fretting about what might happen when rates rise. Some contemplate whether they should be making dramatic changes to their portfolios as a result. It reminds us of that Clash song: “Should I stay or should I go?” This blog post is dedicated to helping you understand...

July 10, 2013 in Investing, SAGE Reads, Young Adult Series
In my June 19th blog post, “An Admirable Addiction,” I described the benefits of being a devoted reader. While I shamelessly let stacks of books vie for my attention all at once, you may prefer to save yourself for one good read at a time. For you, I’ve got just the book for your summer reading: The Investment Answer by Dan Goldie and Gordon Murray. We’ve been sharing The Investment Answer...

June 26, 2013 in Investing, Money Management, Tax Management
When it comes to buying or selling your home, most of us already know that the price depends on three things: location, location, location. Asset location is a similar, if less familiar rule that applies to your investments. By managing asset location within your portfolio, you are able to keep as much of your money as possible – even after taxes take their cut. Given how deep that cut can...