Larry Swedroe, 1/14/2020 Since 2002, S&P Dow Jones Indices has published its biannual Indices Versus Active (SPIVA) reports, which compare the performance of actively managed equity funds to their appropriate index benchmarks. It also puts out a pair of scorecards each year that focus on persistence of performance. This is an important issue because if…
Bethany Ketron, CFP®, 12/31/2019 Budget. It’s a term that strikes fear in almost everyone at one time or another. But, while many people view investing as the key to financial success, it’s really budgeting that unlocks the door. After all, you need assets in order to invest them. Because budgeting is so often negatively associated…
Kurt Wunderlich, Associate Wealth Advisor, 9/25/2019 Today’s young professionals often begin their careers staring at a mountain of debt: student loans, car notes, credit card balances and not infrequently a mortgage. When constructing your personalized financial plan, a review of your debts and investment assets is the first step in answering the question: Should I…
The impact of missing just a few of the market’s best days can be profound, as this look at a hypothetical investment in the stocks that make up the S&P 500 Index shows. A hypothetical $1,000 turns into $138,908 from 1970 through the end of August 2019. Miss the S&P 500’s five best days and…
By Doug Buchan, CFP® Here’s a quick tutorial for nongolfers; the rest of you skip to the next paragraph. The term “scratch” golfer refers to someone who shoots even par on average. A typical golf course has 18 holes. Each hole is either a par 3, par 4 or par 5. If a hole is…
Jarrett Simpson, Wealth Advisor When the subject of Social Security comes up during retirement planning conversations, both younger and older investors often greet it with a healthy dose of cynicism. Such discussions tend to include comments like, “Oh yeah, sure. If there’s even anything left for me” or “Isn’t Social Security going bankrupt?” Sometimes I…
It was hard to miss the headlines about escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and China this week—and hard not to notice the up-and-down market activity that went along with it. But what, if any, long-term impact does trade policy have on the economy and, by extension, our portfolios? The BAM ALLIANCE’S Director of Investment…
May 2019 “I have found that the importance of having an investment philosophy—one that is robust and that you can stick with— cannot be overstated.” — David Booth The US stock market has delivered an average annual return of around 10% since 1926.[1] But short-term results may vary, and in any given period stock returns…
Prior to joining Buckingham Strategic Wealth, I worked with institutional clients educating them and supporting their use of indexes within their global equity portfolios. At the time, I was working with MSCI – the index giant – out of their Chicago and San Francisco offices. My clients included some of the largest public pensions in…
Women face all the same issues that men face in retirement, plus they have additional complicating factors. Larry Swedroe and Katie Keary address these factors and offer tips to help even the scales. Find it on Kiplinger.com By clicking on any of the links above, you acknowledge that they are solely for your convenience, and…
Ever since the Great Financial Crisis of 2007-2008, when the correlation of all risky assets rose toward 1, investors have been hearing that because of globalization, the world has become flat and the benefits of diversification are gone. The explanation is generally that the world market has become more integrated and financial markets more globalized….
Every year, the markets provide us with lessons on the prudent investment strategy. Many times, markets offer investors remedial courses, covering lessons it taught in previous years. That’s why one of my favorite sayings is that “there’s nothing new in investing, only investment history you don’t yet know.” 2018 supplied 11 important lessons. As you…
Every year, the markets provide us with lessons on the prudent investment strategy. I’ve so far covered what they taught us in 2018 in lessons one through three and then lessons four through seven. We’ll finish up today with lessons eight through 11. Lesson 8: Inflation wasn’t, and isn’t, inevitable. One of the most persistently asked questions I’ve…
Every year, the markets provide us with lessons on the prudent investment strategy. Earlier this week, I covered lessons one through three. Today, I’ll tackle lessons four through seven. Lesson 4: Volatility doesn’t stay low forever. Your discipline will be tested. While the VIX’s long-term average has been about 20, we entered 2018 with the Volatility…
In a look at the historical data on stock returns following periods of negative performance, Jared Kizer explores why revisiting the market’s longer-term properties can help put last quarter’s volatility into broader context. From March 2009 through September 2018 — a period encompassing almost 10 years and the aftermath of the Great Financial Crisis —…
Whatever your views of the candidates on the ballot next week, given the length and pervasiveness of election coverage this cycle, it’s natural to have a sense of uncertainty regarding how the outcome of the election will affect your life and, in particular, your financial plan. In times like these, when the “stomach acid test”…
