A tariff is not the answer to the China problem
For nearly a year, tensions between the US and China regarding trade have had a negative impact on the stock market. Many investors are now concerned that a full blown trade war is inevitable. One of the primary reasons for President Trump’s willingness to impose stiff tariffs on Chinese imports [...]
Unlikely the market tops out over trade wars
Here we go again. In what feels like a repeat from the end of 2018 for the stock market, trade wars are front and center again in the minds of investors. The market is down about 5% from recent highs, and people are wondering if we’ll experience a similar 20% [...]
Relative Strength Basics
Today’s column is designed to give you a little better understanding of what is going on inside the black box of your investments. Hopefully it will be enlightening. If you are a DIY investor, this principle is quite important for you to know or study. On television Mr. Market seems [...]
Letting Go of Control Can Help You Let Go of Fear
Anyone who reads my column regularly probably knows I’m a planner. There are rarely occasions where I make a decision before researching the matter in depth weighing both the pros and the cons. This desire to always have a plan, probably stems from the fact that I feel an overwhelming need to always be [...]
Taking the Long View Pays off
For investors, proper perspective is about the most important quality one can possess. I am referring to the practice of viewing where we are in terms of historical benchmarks and the statistical probabilities from long history Our shared human condition is that we are creatures of the here and now. [...]
Little things really do add up
This past Monday, Chase Bank made national news for an unintentionally controversial tweet they sent their 365,000 followers. The tweet depicted an imaginary conversation between a person and their bank account. The full tweet was as follows You: “why is my balance so low?” Bank Account: “make coffee at home” [...]
Boldness in tough times can pay off well
The old saying "fortune favors the bold" has been on my mind. In the majority of cases, when examining success, it stems from a bold belief and action. It took some getting out of your comfort zone, having some faith, and then letting the hard work and planning to payoff. [...]
What happened to my tax refund?
April 15 has come and gone. Hopefully you did not find yourself in sticker shock when you signed your tax return this year, but if you did you’re not alone. I have heard a lot of people say their refund was not as much as usual, or they actually owed [...]
Investing lessons from tough times
A few weeks ago we noted the 10-year anniversary of the stock market low of March 9, 2009. As one might expect, others have considered this too from various perspectives. The most insightful I have seen yet is How the Financial Crisis Has Affected Individual Investors 10 Years Later by [...]
Secrets of wealth aren’t so secret
Today, in many circles it has become culturally acceptable to vilify millionaires as somehow evil or not worthy of the wealth they have accrued. Young people in particular have bought into the lie that in the interest of fairness, wealth should be taken from those who have built it and [...]