The two conditions are usually unrelated. Mr. Market is concerned most with the question of whether, in 6 to 12 months in the future, economic conditions will be better or worse. More specifically, an investor continuously makes a judgment about the probable progress of individual companies, industries, and the economy, [...]
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 [...]
Recently released data from the Federal Reserve shows that the Millennial generation, of which I am member, own far less appreciating assets than previous generations have owned at a similar age. According to the study, Millennials at age 30 own just 4.6% of total US assets compared to the 7.8% [...]
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 [...]
What a difference a year and a decade make! Last year at this time the market had quickly dropped 20% lower over recession and trade war fears. Fast forward a year and we are at all-time highs with record holiday spending, signed a newer version of NAFTA, and about to [...]
One of the most interesting aspects of investing comes from the continuously changing tides between types of investments over time. For years now, the largest growth companies like FAANG (FaceBook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google) have been dragging along the rest of the companies among the largest 500 in the [...]
Recently a friend mentioned he was considering cashing out his 401(k). On the outside I remained calm and quietly listened to his plans for the money, on the inside I was screaming NO! He explained that he was leaving his current job and because he didn’t have a large amount [...]
