For 28 years, I have practiced as a Registered Investment Advisor, a fiduciary under securities law. When I started 44 years ago, it was not possible to serve the middle class by fees. We had no computers and Charles Schwab had not yet put together his concept of a supermarket [...]
This past year was good for most investors, particularly those owning stocks and precious metals. This also fits with the historical averages in being the first year of a new presidential term. Today we will look back to see the best and worst performances along with some new trends that [...]
As we know, some people see the risks and dangers everywhere while others see opportunities everywhere, perhaps because of the risks and dangers that exist. An entrepreneur is one who sees a problem and is foolish enough to think she or he can solve it or improve on existing solutions. [...]
By the time you are able to read this, we will or should know voters’ choices in New Jersey, New York City, and Virginia. I assume most watchers will be surprised in one way or another. There have been notable ironies in the preparations for them. First, New York City [...]
I have been a member of AAA of Missouri for about 28 years, I think. I am surprised that it has not been even longer because I am one of those people who needs a lot of help related to automobile mechanics. At times, they have hinted that I am [...]
In the past few days, MSN published a story by Ana T. Sola’ reporting a survey by Empower, a 401k provider, that most Americans now think age 58 should be the appropriate time to retire. I would say that the 1,001 responders undoubtedly included a high percentage of younger workers. [...]
The phrase 'Pig in a Poke' was coined in Britain as a means of saying that a buyer should be careful to see and know what they are buying. The French word for bag or sack is poque. That has been changed in our language to poke. A dishonest seller [...]
From tornados in spring to hurricanes in late summer, we are accustomed to weather caused disasters in these United States. Environmental disasters have obviously occurred for millennia, but our societal responses have improved a great deal in recent years. My perspective comes from 20 years of personal involvement which began [...]
Today I want to provide perspective I hope will help those of you frightened to death about the financial future. For me, perspective is found by looking at circumstances from a 35,000’ elevation viewpoint. The precise details of what ifs are scary, but general principles much more positive. I am [...]
Recently I wrote about the difference between two major groups of stocks in the US stock market. The total of technology companies—1,055 by one measure—have dropped by a composite of 10.4 percent year to date through Monday afternoon. That is the worst sector thus far. On the other hand, the [...]
