On February 12, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at an all-time high of 29,551. At that time, the economy was humming, corporate earnings were rising and unemployment was at lows last seen during the mid-1950s. While global health experts were increasingly worried about a potential pandemic caused by a new Coronavirus, it seemed to be something that was off... View Article
Last week, we saw market movements that signaled a low-yield environment. Since then, rates have continued to fall. Currently the 10-year treasury is trading close to 50bps and the entire yield curve is pricing at below 1% for the first time in history. Although these unprecedented movements may reflect more short-term fears, we believe they should motivate a revaluation of traditional... View Article
It seems investor sentiment has quickly changed since the beginning of the year, not to mention from just about 10 days ago as witnessed by the recent stock market decline. Many argue “why” this has happened and here’s a quick look at the potential reasons: Coronavirus: Most argue this is the primary reason for the recent market sell off. Its certainly terrible what is happening across... View Article
Everyone has a different value of a dollar. Regardless of how we view our investments, manage our liabilities, claim our social security benefit, and many other financial decisions, the illusion of wealth is real. If given the choice of receiving $100,000 at the start of your retirement or $500 per month for the duration of your retirement, which would you... View Article
Many investors in retirement have certain goals in common: more money rather than less, minimal wealth volatility, and enough financial cushion to cover the extra costs of, hopefully, living a very long life. Retirees have generally tried to meet those goals with a simple rule of thumb: hold a balanced stock/bond portfolio and withdraw at a sustainable rate. Historically this... View Article
It was in this letter exactly a year ago that we sought to provide some perspective about the steep decline stocks had just experienced in fourth quarter 2018. Over the course of just a few trading sessions in December, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 12%, and the Russell 2000 small stock index fell 14%. The plunge sent the major... View Article
Take a minute to think about your birthday this coming year. Who will be there with you? What will you be doing? What will you be eating, and maybe more importantly, what will you be drinking? Now, think ahead and do the same for your birthday in 20 years’ time. What does the scene look like? Who is there? What... View Article
It’s no surprise that people often struggle to act responsibly, even when they know better. They charge too much on their credit cards, eat ice cream for breakfast and skip the gym. Many of these self-control issues are driven by present bias, which is the tendency to make choices that are distorted by the prospect of an immediate reward. Here... View Article
It has been said that golf is an easy game, it’s just hard to play. Much the same could be said of investing. The principles of long-term investment success aren’t particularly complicated. Construct a well-diversified portfolio appropriate for your risk and return needs. Stay the course and let compounding work its magic over time. Easy, right? And yet…it isn’t. Emotions... View Article
In recent days the increase in volatility in the stock market has resulted in renewed anxiety for many investors. While it may be difficult to remain calm during a substantial market decline, it is important to remember that volatility is a normal part of investing. Additionally, for long-term investors, reacting emotionally to volatile markets may be more detrimental to portfolio performance than... View Article