The April 2, 2016 edition of Barron’s includes a piece by Randall W. Forsyth, “Markets: What Everyone Knows That Isn’t So” and it includes some great examples of well- accepted notions not working. One of the best measures of what is well-accepted is…magazine covers! Mr. Forsyth writes: “Once again, magazine covers gave clues to the […]
No More Monopoly Money – or $100 Bills?
Monopoly is going cashless. A new generation of kids will not get the feeling of being handed two crisp $100 bills for passing Go. Instead, the balance on their “card” will increase. Granted, different versions of the classic game are coming out all the time and this cashless version is one of those, but it’s […]
How did Buffett do?
Fascinating experiment…we all know what an iconic investor Warren Buffett is. When it comes to putting together a stock portfolio, why not just follow his picks? How have they even done anyway? Here’s one study: if you owned Buffett’s top 10 stock picks and rebalanced each quarter, you would have earned about 9% (from 2000 […]
Major Social Security Changes
Congress did it again.
It was tucked away in that bill. You know that bill – the bill that John Boehner gave to President Obama as his going away gift, the bill that no one read, the secret budget bill that the people didn’t get to weigh in on.
The Power of Compounding
Does it really matter when you start saving? Right after college, many graduates take a few years to repay student loans or enjoy their new financial freedom and don’t start something as ‘boring’ as saving money. That’s an okay choice, as long as you know what it will cost.
Riding a roller coaster
As of late, it’s hard to be invested in stocks and not feel like you are on a roller coaster. It seems that every day has the potential for a huge up move or scary down move. We often call this “volatility”, but whatever the name, it’s tough to watch.
Rational and irrational
Applying cold mathematical formulas to the stock market can only explain part of what goes on. In reality, the market often behaves quite unreasonably.