Secure Document SharingSecure Document Sharing

February 4, 2014 in Family Money, Investing, Young Adult Series by
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 by
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 by
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 by
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 by
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 by
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 by
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...

June 5, 2013 in Economics, Investing by
  In my last blog post, we explored how to discriminate between helpful and misleading financial charts and graphs. Scrutinizing the source of the material and whether it has undergone robust peer review is one of the best ways to determine the likely quality of an illustration without further ado. Beyond that, it helps to understand some of the tricks that can be – and sometimes are – played in presenting...

May 29, 2013 in Economics, Investing by
If human enterprise is the soul of our capital markets, then its body is made up of numbers. It’s no surprise, then, that there is a never-ending supply of charts, graphs and tables seeking to translate all that mind-numbing market-driven data into a meaningful story at an approachable glance. I was reminded of this by a recent Monevator blog posting: “Too Big to Scale: Long-term Stock Market Returns.” Monevator is a...

April 3, 2013 in Dimensional, Investing by
A Question of Equilibrium “Sellers were out in force on the market today after negative news on the economy.” It’s a common line in TV finance reports. But have you ever wondered who is buying if so many people are selling? “The returns we expect from investing do not necessarily show up every day, every week, every month, or even every year. But the longer we stay invested, the more likely we...