It took me 3 ½ years of law practice (40 years ago) to conclude that was not the best way for me to help people. But I am still thankful I spent the time and money to get my Doctorate of Jurisprudence. It is a great background for financial advisory [...]
The primary rule of financial markets’ behavior is that Mr. Market will do whatever it takes to confound the greatest number of investors, market experts, et al. No one else could possibly be so fickle and unpredictable. I can safely say that almost no one expected the current bullish run [...]
A strong trend change in investing has developed over the past few years. Particularly after 2008, many folks have given up on private investing for growing their long-term wealth. This latest correction of both debt and equity markets obviously will not help. In the Midwest, we do not even like [...]
This morning I received a call from a wise octogenarian client. Is it time to buy? he asked. What was he thinking? He described his experience of 1987. In October that year, the S&P 500 index dropped by 30 percent, over 20 percent on that one Monday, October 19. (Sounds [...]
In all areas of life, there are principles to be learned and applied. Finance is no exception. Many bedrock fundamentals found in the Bible have proven their worth over the past two thousand years or more. One is diversification. Spelled out in Ecclesiastes 11, verse 2, Solomon counsels, Divide your [...]
Last week I opined concerning the dangers of the supposedly conservative strategy du jour, that of having only guaranteed, fixed income investments such as bonds, CD’s, or fixed annuities. Today we will look back at relative performance of different assets during the Teens decade to see if, even during the [...]
Perhaps there have always been preachers of one solitary investment asset class. I remember Howard Ruff with his Ruff Times touting gold, silver and survival tips. He was correct about inflation in the later 1970s. (According to Dr. Mark Skousen, millions of dollars went through his hands in the 1970s [...]
In the past year or more, we have met with a growing number of folks, ultraconservative in their current investment philosophy. They explain that they jerked their money from any stock or diversified investment portfolio years ago, some before and some after the sub-prime mortgage fiasco of 2008-09. They have [...]
(The following is obviously my personal opinion from my Christian worldview. If it offends you, then I apologize for the disturbance, but not for my content.) If you have ever been on a mission trip to a lesser developed country, you probably witnessed that native people, especially children, seem to [...]
Last Wednesday I discussed the Medicare Advantage programs and today we finish with the Part B Supplemental (or Medigap) coverage. By the way, Open Enrollment began yesterday and you have until December 7 to apply for a change of plan. If you have not, I suggest you set up your [...]
