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 [...]
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 [...]
In last week’s column, I discussed strategies to avoid potential capital gains taxes. I’m going to continue with the same theme, but in a slightly different way. This week l will talk about required minimum distributions (RMDs), particularly how taking them can create unwanted income tax liabilities, while not taking [...]
Should I pay-off my mortgage is a common question we receive. There isn’t a one-size fits all answer, as each case has unique variables to think about. You can find people who will recommend both for and against paying off the remainder of your mortgage. It’s not always a case [...]
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 [...]
Yesterday it appeared that Hurricane Dorian was weakening somewhat and its probable path this week would spare our Atlantic coast from the worst possible destruction. As it slides slowly northward, the damage may come from storm surges and torrential rain. I have watched some coverage of the preparations. Even Floridians [...]
At Rotary Club of Independence on Tuesday, we heard Randolph G. Russell, a musician and businessman by past vocations. Now he is a historian and author by choice. He travels and encourages Americans to take up the cause of protecting our cultural heritage by promoting knowledge of our history to [...]
Fear over a major stock market decline continues to permeate the investor landscape. It’s amazing how high the level of fear is, considering the market has made recent all-time highs and remains within striking distance. The stock market has a history of fooling the most people, so is it possible [...]
