Gaining Perspective in a Financial Crisis
“The three stages of a bull market”: the first stage, when only a few unusually perceptive people believe things will get better, the second stage, when most investors realize that improvement is actually taking place, and the third stage, when everyone concludes things will get better forever.” – Howard Marks, Mastering the Market Cycle The […]
Emerging From a Financial Crisis with No Regrets
We all feel caught off guard. The financial professional, the Do-It-Yourself investor, and the 401(k) participant three years from retiring. You might feel like only a few weeks ago you “coulda, woulda, shoulda” done something different with your investments. There is never enough safety when fear takes hold. If we had 10% in stocks a […]
How To Become a No-Conscience Investor
I watched a lot of high school basketball as a kid. On Friday nights and Sunday afternoons, my father would take me to gyms throughout Baltimore to watch up-and-coming players. In one game, I remember seeing a point guard miss his first dozen shots before taking over and scoring 20 points. My father’s comment was: […]
Why Writing is The Most Valuable Professional Habit of an Advisor
“I only write when inspiration strikes. Fortunately, it strikes at nine every morning.” -William Faulkner It is the one-year anniversary of my commitment to the most valuable professional habit benefitting clients: Writing. It took 15 years to figure out, but consistently writing and sharing may be the most important thing I do for our clients, […]
Do safe stocks exist? Evaluating Value and Growth
If you owned stocks or a stock mutual fund last year, you are probably pretty happy with the results, but you may also be breathing a sigh of relief. If you are anything like the many we have spoken with over the last 18 months, there is a sense that this market has been and […]