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 →

Employer-provided retirement plans have some tremendous advantages over other investment accounts.  They are convenient, allow for relatively large contributions, and usually receive employer-provided matching contributions.  Unfortunately, they also have some large disadvantages, some of which matter more today than they … Continue reading →

As a follow-up to an article in our last monthly newsletter, “Zombie Bull Disease”, we mentioned that the next few weeks would be important in learning whether or not the Federal Reserve’s “all in” monetary policy intervention would be enough … Continue reading →

The history of estate taxes in the United States is convoluted, and that is an understatement.  There is little point in reviewing all the various changes federal estate taxes have gone through over the decades aside from pointing out the … Continue reading →

Simply put – yes. Most pensions are still calculating their benefits assuming a 7%+ long-term rate of growth. Looking back at the last 30 years of market returns, that doesn’t seem so far-fetched, but unfortunately a pension fund’s ability to … Continue reading →

A 529 ABLE account (or 529 A Savings Plan) was created by the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014 to provide Americans with disabilities the opportunity to save up to $15,000 (2019 limit) per year in a … Continue reading →

One of the most dangerous delusions being pumped and disseminated by Wall Street today is that the economy and stock market can and should continue to thrive indefinitely without interruption. Wall Street is notoriously perma-bullish based on its business model … Continue reading →

As we’ve discussed with clients for a couple years now, the outlook for precious metals has been steadily improving. From a price or relative value standpoint, they’ve seldom been cheaper relative to financial assets and as we’ve stressed, long-term investment … Continue reading →

You may have to account for at least one, but probably more of the preceding issues before and during your own retirement.  However, the biggest threat that we can think of is also the one that gets almost no attention … Continue reading →

The month of July has seen the broad U.S. stock indexes such as the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq achieve new highs – which of course is a good thing for those with meaningful exposure to them. … Continue reading →

For many years now, home-owning Americans had more equity in their homes than they did in their retirement accounts.  In order to afford their retirements, they would have to find a way to unlock that equity, either by selling their … Continue reading →