The Value of a Sale
Did you partake in any Black Friday sales last year? The annual shopping event following Thanksgiving, named black Friday for its ability to get retailers “back into the black,” had retailers concerned in 2023. With prices rising everywhere…
Is Your Home an Investment?
The former home of Groucho Marx, the cigar-chomping, round-glass wearing comedian of the 1920s, is up for sale in Long Island, New York. For the low price of just $2.3 million, you too could own the five-bedroom, 3,800-square-foot home built…
45 Years, 25 Lessons
A few weeks ago I attended the retirement party of someone I’ve called a dear friend for over 49 years. Long ago, we were both young financial advisors chasing similar career paths. We even migrated to independent businesses around the same…
Where Were You 50 Years Ago?
October 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most tumultuous months in American history. Do you recall the events of October 1973?
October 6, 1973 – On Yom Kippur, the most sacred day in the Jewish calendar, Arab states led…
The Pro’s and Con’s of Passive Investing and When To Engage a Financial Advisor
Passive investing, an investment strategy aimed at maximizing returns over the long run by keeping the amount of buying and selling to a minimum, is a popular choice for many. However, like any financial strategy, it has its pros and cons. To…
FOMO No “Mo”
The 'Twaddle Tendency' is a term coined by Charles T. Munger, an American investor and philanthropist, to describe the inclination of people to have opinions and hold beliefs about subjects that they do not fully understand. It's a potent cognitive…
Let Compounding Run Wild
Albert Bartlett's quote, "The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function," encapsulates a profound truth about human understanding and financial growth. The principle of compounding, represented…
Forecasting: An Illusion of Knowledge
Have you ever tried shaking one of those magic eight balls found in the toy aisle? You know the gist: Ask a random but important question like, “Will the Broncos win the Super Bowl this year?” Then get a generic answer like, “Ask again…
How Your Financial Plan Should Drive Your Investment Allocation
In the world of finance, there is a popular sentiment that aligns with the philosophy of the renowned investor, Warren Buffett: "Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving." This nugget of wisdom speaks to the…
The Problem with Pessimism
With markets improving and the overall economy strengthening, why is everyone so negative about our country’s current financial state? By many measures, I believe our economy is far better than people’s sentiment toward it.
The last two…
Own or Loan? Equities vs. Bonds
With interest rates on the rise, we’ve had an uptick in people asking us about bonds and whether it makes sense to re-evaluate fixed income in a portfolio. For readers of my column, you might remember that I’m not a fan of bonds for one…
Investing Nuggets 49 Years in the Making
The Denver Nuggets were one of 5 NBA teams to never appear in an NBA Finals series. Operative word "were", as they are set to tip off tonight against the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the first NBA Finals in franchise history. It has been 49 years…
Quit Beating Yourself Up
Netflix has a new documentary chronicling the Bernie Madoff story. My wife and I aren’t the biggest TV watchers, but we started the series at the recommendation of a friend. If you haven’t heard the name, Madoff was the architect of arguably…
3 Reasons Why Market Volatility Shouldn’t Get You Down
It's easy to feel like your investments are on a rollercoaster ride on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
Looking at historical market data shows us that, while potentially unnerving, short-term market fluctuations are normal. This holds…
Two Lessons from History
As a child, I found history class to be an insufferable bore. The study of people well before my time in circumstances far different than anything I would likely encounter seemed like an act in futility. But age brings wisdom, and as a chronologically…