Steve DeBoth

When you hold as many meetings each year as we advisors do, you can gain a perspective at times on the general mood out there.  After years of COVID protocols, inflation, and a seemingly ever worsening political climate, to name a few, it is understandable if you are one of those feeling a general sense of malaise right now.  We’re hearing about it on a very regular basis these days.  Though it may be difficult or impossible to take action that will affect the large forces that feel like they are moving against you, taking action on things you actually…

In the earliest days of the United States, tender and weakened from the 7 years of fighting to free itself from England, the debts acquired to fund the Revolutionary War had piled up with only troublesome methods of repayment left as options.  Many who supported independence from England did so because they did not like paying the taxes England had levied, so raising money through taxes was not an attractive option for the newly minted Treasury.  Issuing currency to pay those debts was also tricky, as with a mostly barter economy back then, any kind of liquidity injected into the…

Nothing reminds you of what you should be doing but aren’t like a good dose of uncertainty.  Inflation and recessions both have the ability to add uncertainty to our lives in the form of higher prices for our necessities, temporary investment losses, and the potential for reduced income.  When you are used to having a certain level of income, be it from employment or investments, and a certain level of expenses, any changes in the wrong direction can be a good wakeup call that what you should be doing to overcome these challenges is probably what you should have been…

Target-date funds have been growing in popularity over the years with their promise that the investments inside them would change over time to stay aligned with their aging investors’ needs for lower volatility and more downside protection as they approached retirement.  Three years ago we wrote a piece (see below) on how important it is for investors to really know just how much risk their target-date funds carry inside them, because we believed that most investors as they approached retirement would want more protection than target-date funds are structured to give.  Fast forward to this year and many target-date funds…

That’s not technically a question, but there are any number of questions contained in that sentence: “Are other people worried right now?  Should I be worried right now?  Are you guys worried right now?. . .” When I hear this question from a client, I always take it to mean there is some amount of worry being experienced on the other end of the phone, but my client doesn’t know if he or she should be worrying. Rather than admit to that worry straight out, it feels safer to ask if other people are experiencing the worry.  So, when a client says, “I suppose you’re getting…