“The Simpsons” debuted on Fox on December 17th, 1989.  At that time the patriarch of the family, Homer, was 34 years old, putting him solidly in the middle of the Baby Boom generation.  His wife, Marge, also a Baby Boomer, … Continue reading →

It’s a pretty common occurrence to hear someone has had their identity stolen, or credit cards duplicated, or bank account compromised.  Despite the security industry’s best efforts, there are still weak links in the chain when it comes to our … Continue reading →

Although not everyone fully understands inflation and its pernicious impact on standards of living over time, all of us have experienced it and know what it feels like in the moment. It’s annoying to pay more for something than we … Continue reading →

Emotionally processing the death of a loved one, especially a partner, is difficult enough without the added stress of managing financial and other affairs after death.  There are a lot of details to manage in the most common and stable … Continue reading →

“The stock market is not the economy.”  Maybe you’ve heard this before, as any time the economy seems to be struggling but the stock market isn’t we are reminded that these two things are not synonymous.  However, they are related … Continue reading →

Saturday Night Live fans may remember the skit where Bruce Dickinson (played by Christopher Walken) helps Blue Oyster Cult nail the recording of their hit “The Reaper”. It’s a great cast of actors in this bit, but Gene, played by … Continue reading →

Yes. 2021 has the potential to be a very interesting year for a host of reasons. First, the risks and uncertainties: Covid-19 – We just don’t know how quickly the majority of people will get vaccinated and subsequently get back … Continue reading →

Everyone knows the expression “playing with fire” is a way to say someone is engaging in risky behavior, and it is frequently implied the consequences of that behavior could be particularly painful.  Yet, we couldn’t live without fire, be it … Continue reading →

Before getting into a fairly high-level overview of markets as we see them, we thought it worth commenting on a few more socio-macro themes. Not only do these things matter because they affect our day-to-day lives more directly than markets, … Continue reading →

As we draw closer to wrapping up a very trying and difficult 2020 and continue to face tremendous uncertainty around the presidential election, social unrest, job security, life, markets, etcetera, the famous quote from Charles Swindoll comes to mind: “Life … Continue reading →

“Buy low, sell high”.  Everyone’s heard of that one.  In fact, we’ve probably all heard it so much we no longer have to think about the math behind it, we just *know* that means you’ve made money.  There are some … Continue reading →

“Americans can always be trusted to do the right thing once all other possibilities have been exhausted.” – Quote often ascribed to Winston Churchill If there’s one thing most can feel good about these days, it’s the fact that the … Continue reading →

We have written many times how when it comes to planning and investing, human brains are the biggest hindrances to the owners of those brains. The possibility of large investment gains is so seductive, especially with financial news programs showcasing … Continue reading →

For years we’ve been raising the issue of the systematic increase in wealth inequality in America. Whether monetary policy from the Fed or crony capitalism in Washington, the end result has been a widening gyre between the haves and the … Continue reading →

We had a piece in the September 2013 Cadence Clips called “The Cost of Panic”.  In it, we showed how investors who panicked and deviated from their investment plans when stock prices dropped from 2007 to 2009 caused irreparable harm … Continue reading →

When we look back 100 years at the relationship between the size of the stock market and the underlying economic fundamentals either by way of gross domestic product (GDP) or the amount of “stuff” that corporations produce (Gross Value Added), … Continue reading →

In four weeks, stock markets have given back more than three years-worth of gains. For our number-oriented readers, that equates to losses accumulating 40 times faster than gains. As the expression goes; “risk happens fast”. If the month of March … Continue reading →

If the latest data using the best meteorological methods available suggests there’s a storm coming and one takes actions to prepare, does that qualify as panic? One of the things we’ve noticed over the years in raising flags about the … Continue reading →

On December 20, 2019 the President signed into law the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (the SECURE Act). The new law is intended to expand opportunities for individuals to increase their retirement savings. Some of the changes … Continue reading →