TAGStone Insights
Perspective worth your time.
Clear thinking on the decisions that shape your wealth—organized around the people we serve, with a short note every other week.
Start here
Cornerstone guides for every client.
The essential reading for each situation we serve. Start with the group that fits you best.
Individuals & Families
Managing Concentrated Employer Stock: An Executive Guide
Equity compensation concentrates your wealth in the same company that pays your salary. This guide covers RSUs, options, 10b5-1 plans, and the tax-efficient ways to diversify around your restrictions.
Read articleMarkets & InvestingWhy High-Net-Worth Investors Outgrow the Model Portfolio
When your wealth becomes complex, off-the-shelf model portfolios stop serving you. Here is why coordinated, tax-aware management matters more than picking the next fund.
Read articleEstate & TrustsRaising Capable Heirs: Preparing the Next Generation
Wealth should strengthen the next generation, not weaken it. This piece covers family governance, financial education, and the conversations that prepare heirs for responsibility.
Read articleRetirementBuilding a Paycheck for Life: Retirement Income Done Right
The years around retirement carry the most risk and the least margin for error. This guide covers tax-smart withdrawals, Social Security timing, and turning a portfolio into a dependable paycheck.
Read articleBusiness & Executive PlanningThe 7 Financial Moves to Make Before You Sell Your Business
A business sale is not one decision. It is a series of financial, tax, estate, and personal decisions whose value is often determined before a buyer appears.
Read articleBusiness & Executive PlanningBusiness Exit Strategies on Your Terms
If you’re a business owner, business exit planning eventually becomes essential. Whether you sell to an outside buyer, family, or employees, the question is whether you can exit on your own terms. The reality is that most business owners don’t have a clear, documented exit plan.
Read articleTrusts, Estates & Giving
A Beneficiary's Guide to Understanding Your Trust
Inheriting a trust raises hard questions about distributions, taxes, and your relationship with the trustee. This plain-English guide helps beneficiaries understand their rights and options.
Read articleEstate & TrustsThe Trustee's Guide to Prudent Investment Management
Serving as trustee means managing assets that belong to someone else, under a legal standard of prudence. Here is how a documented process and an Investment Policy Statement help you meet that duty.
Read articleCharitable GivingTax-Smart Giving: Make Your Generosity Go Further
Generosity and tax efficiency are not at odds. From appreciated stock to donor-advised funds and qualified charitable distributions, here is how to give more to the causes you love for less.
Read articleInstitutions & Professionals
The Plan Sponsor's Fiduciary Checklist
Overseeing a 401(k), 403(b), or defined benefit plan carries real fiduciary responsibility. This checklist covers documented process, menu design, and vendor benchmarking.
Read articleMarkets & InvestingSpending Policy and the Long Game for Endowments
An endowment has to fund its mission today without shortchanging tomorrow. This piece covers spending policy, investment policy, and disciplined portfolio construction through market cycles.
Read articleFirm NewsWhat Estate Attorneys and CPAs Should Look for When Referring Clients to an RIA
Estate attorneys and CPAs need an investment resource that integrates with their work and never competes for the relationship. Here is what to look for before you refer.
Read articleLatest insights
Fresh from the desk.
Filter by topic, or browse the most recent notes below.
- Estate & TrustsSeptember 8, 2026
A Beneficiary's Guide to Understanding Your Trust
Inheriting a trust raises hard questions about distributions, taxes, and your relationship with the trustee. This plain-English guide helps beneficiaries understand their rights and options.
- Charitable GivingSeptember 1, 2026
Tax-Smart Giving: Make Your Generosity Go Further
Generosity and tax efficiency are not at odds. From appreciated stock to donor-advised funds and qualified charitable distributions, here is how to give more to the causes you love for less.
- Markets & InvestingAugust 25, 2026
Why High-Net-Worth Investors Outgrow the Model Portfolio
When your wealth becomes complex, off-the-shelf model portfolios stop serving you. Here is why coordinated, tax-aware management matters more than picking the next fund.
- Business & Executive PlanningAugust 18, 2026
Managing Concentrated Employer Stock: An Executive Guide
Equity compensation concentrates your wealth in the same company that pays your salary. This guide covers RSUs, options, 10b5-1 plans, and the tax-efficient ways to diversify around your restrictions.
- RetirementAugust 11, 2026
Building a Paycheck for Life: Retirement Income Done Right
The years around retirement carry the most risk and the least margin for error. This guide covers tax-smart withdrawals, Social Security timing, and turning a portfolio into a dependable paycheck.
- Estate & TrustsAugust 4, 2026
Raising Capable Heirs: Preparing the Next Generation
Wealth should strengthen the next generation, not weaken it. This piece covers family governance, financial education, and the conversations that prepare heirs for responsibility.
- Business & Executive PlanningJuly 28, 2026
The 7 Financial Moves to Make Before You Sell Your Business
A business sale is not one decision. It is a series of financial, tax, estate, and personal decisions whose value is often determined before a buyer appears.
- Estate & TrustsJuly 21, 2026
The Trustee's Guide to Prudent Investment Management
Serving as trustee means managing assets that belong to someone else, under a legal standard of prudence. Here is how a documented process and an Investment Policy Statement help you meet that duty.
- Markets & InvestingJuly 21, 2026
Spending Policy and the Long Game for Endowments
An endowment has to fund its mission today without shortchanging tomorrow. This piece covers spending policy, investment policy, and disciplined portfolio construction through market cycles.
- Markets & InvestingJuly 21, 2026
IPO FOMO: What to Know Before Buying the Next Hot Offering
An exciting company and an attractively priced stock are two different questions. Before buying SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic or the next hot IPO, four questions worth asking.
- RetirementJuly 14, 2026
The Plan Sponsor's Fiduciary Checklist
Overseeing a 401(k), 403(b), or defined benefit plan carries real fiduciary responsibility. This checklist covers documented process, menu design, and vendor benchmarking.
- Firm NewsJuly 14, 2026
What Estate Attorneys and CPAs Should Look for When Referring Clients to an RIA
Estate attorneys and CPAs need an investment resource that integrates with their work and never competes for the relationship. Here is what to look for before you refer.
- Markets & InvestingJuly 7, 2026
TAGStone Quarterly Insights – Q2 2026
U.S. large-cap stocks just posted their best quarter since 2020. So is a market correction coming? The honest answer is yes — and no one can tell you when. Our 2Q26 letter explains why that shouldn’t change your plan.
- Financial PlanningJune 30, 2026
Foundational Finances: Lessons on Money from Ben Franklin
This July 4 marks America’s 250th birthday — a fitting moment to revisit the money lessons of Founding Father Benjamin Franklin. Five timeless insights on budgeting, ready cash, diligence, and knowing what “enough” really looks like.
- Estate & TrustsJune 23, 2026
Client Question: What Should I Do With an Inherited IRA?
Inheriting an IRA can be a windfall — but the IRS attaches strict deadlines, and one misstep can cost you 25% of the account. Here’s a plain-English guide to the three beneficiary types, the 10-year rule, and the four options you have before any clocks start running.
- Financial PlanningJune 16, 2026
Money Scripts, Part 2: How to Rewrite the Ones That Don’t Serve You
Naming your money script is one thing — changing it is another. Part 2 offers practical ways to manage your money scripts, with specific strategies for each of the four common patterns: status, worship, avoidance, and vigilance. Real change starts with noticing the habit undernea
- RetirementJune 9, 2026
Preparing for Medicare: What to Know Before You Turn 65
One of the biggest financial decisions in retirement has nothing to do with your portfolio: enrolling in Medicare on time. The window around age 65 is short, and missing it carries lifelong penalties. Here’s a plain-English look at Parts A–D, Medigap, and the income surcharges th
- Financial PlanningJune 2, 2026
Money Scripts: The Stories We Tell Ourselves About Money
Most of us inherit beliefs about money long before we ever manage any of it. These unconscious “money scripts” quietly shape how we save, spend, and invest as adults — often without our noticing. Recognizing the pattern running underneath your financial decisions is the first ste
- Estate & TrustsMay 26, 2026
Practicing Good Estate Plan Hygiene
An estate plan is only as good as the life it reflects — and life keeps moving. Beneficiaries change, fiduciaries age out, and assets get retitled. Here are five areas worth reviewing every year to keep your plan aligned with what you actually want today.
- Tax PlanningMay 19, 2026
Trump Accounts: What Families Should Know Before They Contribute
Trump Accounts offer tax-deferred savings for children starting this July — and eligible kids born 2025–2028 receive a free $1,000 head start. But for affluent families, the real question isn’t whether to open one. It’s whether you have a plan for what happens at age 18.
- Financial PlanningMay 12, 2026
Client Question: How Do I Give My Kids a Head Start on Investing?
From 529 plans to custodial Roth IRAs, families have several ways to help children and grandchildren build long-term wealth. The right strategy depends on taxes, control, flexibility, and the role money should play across generations.
- Markets & InvestingMay 5, 2026
Disruptive Forces: Thriving in a World That Won’t Sit Still
Tariffs, inflation, geopolitical shocks, and market volatility can feel overwhelming in the moment, but disruption has always been part of investing. History suggests disciplined investors who stay diversified and focused on process are often rewarded over time.
- Financial PlanningApril 28, 2026
Rising Homeowners Insurance: A Financial Planning Reality Check
Homeowners insurance costs are rising sharply across many parts of the country — including areas previously viewed as low risk. Families should increasingly treat insurance as a core financial planning input alongside taxes, investments, and retirement projections.
- Financial PlanningApril 21, 2026
Spend Better, Not Less: A Guide to Thoughtful Spending
The goal of financial planning is not simply to accumulate wealth, but to use it thoughtfully. Intentional spending decisions can help families align their resources with what matters most over time.
- RetirementApril 14, 2026
Client Question: Should I Consolidate My Retirement Accounts?
Many investors accumulate multiple retirement accounts throughout their careers without revisiting how the pieces fit together. Consolidating accounts can simplify investment management, reduce complexity, and improve overall portfolio coordination.
- Markets & InvestingApril 1, 2026
TAGStone Quarterly Insights – Q1 2026
Wars, elections, trade disputes, and geopolitical shocks can create significant market uncertainty, but reacting emotionally to headlines has historically been costly for long-term investors. A disciplined financial plan is designed to withstand periods exactly like these.
- Markets & InvestingMarch 24, 2026
Client Question: I’ve Got a Lump Sum in Cash, Should I Invest It Right Away?
Investing a large sum of money can feel emotionally difficult, especially during periods of market uncertainty. This article explores the trade-offs between investing all at once and phasing money into the market gradually through dollar-cost averaging.
- Estate & TrustsMarch 17, 2026
When Geopolitics Rattle the Markets
Geopolitical crises can create sharp market volatility and unsettling headlines, but history shows markets have repeatedly recovered from wars, conflicts, and global uncertainty. Long-term investors are often better served by discipline and perspective than by reacting emotionall
- Estate & TrustsMarch 10, 2026
The Core Four: The Legal Documents Everyone Should Have in Place
A sound estate plan starts with four core documents: a durable power of attorney, health care proxy, living will, and will or trust. Together, they help protect your family, clarify your wishes, and reduce uncertainty during difficult moments.
- Markets & InvestingMarch 3, 2026
Timeless Wisdom from Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett’s most enduring investing lessons are rooted in discipline, patience, and rational decision-making — not market prediction. His philosophy continues to remind long-term investors that temperament, simplicity, and staying invested often matter more than complexity o
- RetirementFebruary 24, 2026
The Power of Purpose in Retirement
Retirement is not only a financial transition — it is also a transition of identity, routine, and purpose. Families who prepare for the emotional and lifestyle side of retirement are often better positioned to find long-term fulfillment beyond simply leaving the workforce.
- Markets & InvestingFebruary 17, 2026
2025 Market Review & 2026 Outlook
Despite inflation concerns, geopolitical uncertainty, and elevated market volatility, 2025 reinforced the importance of discipline and long-term perspective. As investors look toward 2026, maintaining a diversified plan and avoiding emotional decision-making may remain as importa
- Tax PlanningFebruary 10, 2026
2025 Tax Changes: What Affluent Families Should Review Before Filing
Several important tax changes for 2025 may affect retirement contributions, estate planning, gifting strategies, and income tax planning. Reviewing these updates before filing can help families avoid surprises and identify planning opportunities before deadlines pass.
- Financial PlanningFebruary 3, 2026
How to Have Family Conversations About Money
Many families spend decades building wealth but very little time preparing the next generation to handle it responsibly. Open, thoughtful conversations about money can help children and grandchildren develop financial confidence, values, and long-term perspective before significa
- Financial PlanningJanuary 27, 2026
Are We in an AI Bubble? A Long-Term Investor’s Perspective
Artificial intelligence may prove transformative over the long term, but periods of excitement around new technology have historically also led to speculation and elevated valuations. For long-term investors, the challenge is separating durable innovation from short-term market e
- Financial PlanningJanuary 20, 2026
How to Pay for College: Choosing the Right Dollars, in the Right Order
Not all college dollars are created equal. Thoughtfully coordinating cash flow, 529 plans, taxable accounts, student loans, and retirement assets can help families improve flexibility, manage taxes, and preserve long-term financial security while funding education goals.
- Estate & TrustsJanuary 13, 2026
Protecting What’s Yours (After You Pass): A Procedural Estate Planning Framework
Estate planning is more than drafting documents — it is the process of protecting family relationships, preserving assets, and creating clarity during difficult moments. Thoughtful planning can help families reduce unnecessary stress, conflict, and uncertainty across generations.
- Estate & TrustsJanuary 6, 2026
Protecting What’s Yours (After You Pass): The Importance of Estate Planning for Sophisticated Families
Estate planning is not just about transferring assets — it is about protecting the people, relationships, and values that matter most. A thoughtful plan can help families preserve clarity, reduce conflict, and navigate difficult transitions with greater confidence and peace of mi
- Tax PlanningDecember 30, 2025
When to Claim Social Security: A Break-Even and Capital Allocation Framework
Deciding when to claim Social Security is one of the most important retirement income decisions many families will make. A break-even framework can help investors evaluate the trade-offs between claiming earlier for immediate income or delaying benefits for larger lifetime paymen
- Financial PlanningDecember 23, 2025
Five Behavioral Finance Resolutions for a Better Financial Year
Successful investing often depends less on predicting markets and more on managing behavior during periods of fear, uncertainty, and excitement. Building better financial habits and emotional discipline can be more valuable than making dramatic portfolio changes.
- Tax PlanningNovember 21, 2025
Your 2025 Year-End Financial Planning Guide
A few intentional steps in December can lower your tax bill and strengthen your financial picture. Here’s your 2025 year-end financial planning guide, including retirement deadlines, charitable strategies, tax-loss harvesting, and home efficiency credits to consider before Decemb
- Markets & InvestingOctober 16, 2025
TAGStone Quarterly Insights – Q3 2025
In recent months, two themes have dominated investor conversations: AI investing and the renewed belief in gold as a timeless safe haven. Both trends have resurfaced at the exact moments when crowd enthusiasm is high. That’s why we’re taking a closer look at the gold safety myths
- Financial PlanningSeptember 19, 2025
Educating the Next Generation About Family Wealth
Over the next few decades, an enormous amount of wealth is expected to pass from older to younger generations. This has been dubbed the “Great Wealth Transfer,” and one estimate suggests that $124 trillion will change hands by 2048. It’s an eye-popping figure, to be sure, but it
- Business & Executive PlanningSeptember 9, 2025
Business Exit Strategies on Your Terms
If you’re a business owner, business exit planning eventually becomes essential. Whether you sell to an outside buyer, family, or employees, the question is whether you can exit on your own terms. The reality is that most business owners don’t have a clear, documented exit plan.
- Estate & TrustsJuly 25, 2025
Protecting What’s Yours (While You’re Alive)
At a Glance Protecting your assets while you are alive involves planning for periods when you may be unavailable or incapacitated. Key tools include a financial power of attorney, trusted contact persons on financial accounts, and a healthcare advance directive to ensure your wis
- Markets & InvestingJuly 17, 2025
TAGStone Quarterly Insights – Q2 2025
It’s our pleasure to report on the progress of your long-term financial plan through what proved to be a highly instructive first half of 2025. If markets seemed unusually dramatic, it’s only because they were, but not in ways unfamiliar to seasoned investors. Let me begin by res
- Markets & InvestingMay 6, 2025
TAGStone Quarterly Insights – Q1 2025
The first quarter of 2025 served as another vivid reminder that while history doesn’t repeat itself in investing, it often rhymes. We entered the year amid considerable volatility, as the largest technology stocks fell into bear market territory, triggering the seventh-fastest 10
- Markets & InvestingFebruary 18, 2025
TAGStone Quarterly Insights – Q4 2024
Over the years, I have spent more ink cautioning investors about the perils of bear markets rather than celebrating bull markets because discipline is tested in tough times. However, as evidenced by today’s somewhat stretched valuations, let’s talk about the other great pitfall:
- Markets & InvestingNovember 4, 2024
TAGStone Quarterly Insights – Q3 2024
“The first rule of compounding is to never interrupt it unnecessarily.” —Charles T. Munger As we navigate a world of shifting dynamics, it’s wise to stay grounded in the fundamentals.
- Markets & InvestingAugust 12, 2024
TAGStone Quarterly Insights – Q2 2024
I am pleased to update you on our progress in the first half of 2024. Before examining the current market landscape, it is worth reflecting on what our disciplined approach has delivered so far.
- Markets & InvestingMay 7, 2024
TAGStone Quarterly Insights – Q1 2024
While strong market performance is encouraging, it can also trigger a less favorable response within the investment community. On the opposite end of the spectrum from selling during market downturns, some restless investors might be tempted to chase after speculative trends, no
- Financial PlanningFebruary 7, 2024
Embracing Wisdom and Tuning Out Noise
The unpredictability of markets became evident in 2023, as The Wall Street Journal aptly reported: “Almost no one thought 2023 would be a blockbuster year for stocks. They could hardly have been more wrong.” As we step into the new year, it brings the opportunity to reflect on th
- Financial PlanningNovember 13, 2023
Steadfastness: The Gift You Give
Contemplate how invaluable your steadfastness is to those you love and care for. This is the gift you give.
- Markets & InvestingAugust 28, 2023
Navigating the Market’s Upward Climb
As we find ourselves at the midpoint of the year, it’s an opportune moment to reflect on the long-term journey we’ve embarked upon together in the realm of investments. The financial landscape has unveiled its latest chapters, and I am pleased to share our insights and observatio
- Financial PlanningMay 16, 2023
When Headlines Worry You, Bank on Investment Principles
With increasing anxiety, many investors are eyeing their portfolios for exposure to regional banks. When financial headlines cause worry, focus on your investment plan instead of rummaging through your portfolio for investments to sell.
- Financial PlanningFebruary 25, 2023
Steady As She Goes: Charting a Path Through Uncertainty in the Investment World
The year 2022 was tumultuous for the investment world, filled with uncertainty that tested investors’ mettle. Despite these challenges, the central theme of 2022 was the ultimate heroic act of standing fast in the face of economic and inflationary uncertainty.
- Markets & InvestingNovember 17, 2022
Bear Market Swings
The market has rebounded from its October lows. Whether the bottom is now or another 20% down, here are a few things to keep in mind.
- Financial PlanningJuly 30, 2022
Lessons for Weathering a Recession
Selling one’s quality equity portfolio into a bear market has historically been the best way to derail any chance for lifetime investment success and reaching your financial goals. Here are ten lessons to remember during periods of volatility that can help you stick to your well-
- Markets & InvestingMay 27, 2022
High Inflation and Potential Depth of a Bear Market
Leading financial headlines are inflation, recession, and the potential depth of a bear market. This article will address inflation’s impact on the chances of a recession, the correlation between recessions and stock market valuations (measured as the S&P 500 throughout the artic
- Markets & InvestingFebruary 9, 2022
Evidence-Based Investing in Brief
Evidence-based investors build and manage their portfolios based on what is expected to enhance future returns and dampen related risk exposures, according to the most robust evidence available.
- Tax PlanningDecember 10, 2021
Tax Planning in Turbulent Times – Part 3: Tax-Wise Financial Planning
Managing for tax-efficient investing is just one way we help families reduce their lifetime taxes. We also help integrate all of the strategies into your broad financial interests.
- Tax PlanningNovember 9, 2021
Tax Planning in Turbulent Times – Part 2: Tax-Wise Investing
We view effective tax planning as a way to reduce your lifetime tax bill—or beyond if you’re preparing for a tax-efficient wealth transfer to your heirs.
- Tax PlanningOctober 10, 2021
Tax Planning in Turbulent Times – Part 1: The Tools of the Tax-Planning Trade
Whether you’re saving, investing, spending, bequeathing or receiving wealth, there’s scarcely a move you can make without considering how taxes might influence the outcome. But how do we plan when we cannot know?
- Financial PlanningJuly 27, 2021
Is Inflation Haunting Your Financial Dreams? – Part 2: What We Can Do About It
What if inflation does get out of hand and stays that way for a while? Depending on who you heed, the possibility ranges from unexpected, to possible, to a near certainty.
- Financial PlanningJuly 12, 2021
Is Inflation Haunting Your Financial Dreams? – Part 1: What We Know
Has the specter of inflation got you spooked? Recent headlines are filled with sightings. In this two-part series, let’s take a closer look at what to make of all the commentary and what you can do about it as an investor.
- Financial PlanningApril 19, 2021
All Things in Moderation
The First Quarter 2021 is off to a good start. Most people are eager to return to normal with travel, dining, and shopping this summer. Financial markets are no different…
- Financial PlanningJanuary 15, 2021
The Power of Small, Quiet Acts
Today, let’s pause and take a moment to reflect on the wondrous powers of small, quiet acts. Pandemic aside, there have been plenty of great, big year-end reviews and year-ahead teasers, clamoring for your current attention. Describing 2020 as an “everything rally,” One Wall Stre
- Financial PlanningNovember 9, 2020
Six Financial Best Practices for Year-End 2020 – Third Quarter 2020
Has 2020 left you feeling like the fabled Sisyphus, forever pushing a boulder up a steep hill? Thankfully, with multiple COVID-19 vaccines in the works, there’s hope the load will lighten in the new year, fast approaching. While we prepare for a fresh start, here are six financia
- Markets & InvestingAugust 28, 2020
How to Master the Markets by Mastering Ourselves – Second Quarter 2020
Before we dive into the usual quarterly investment insights, here’s some fun trivia: Did you know you have to count to 1,000 before you’ll find the letter “a” in a spelled-out number? We thought you could use that break from the torrent of mid-year market commentaries on 2020’s b
- Financial PlanningJune 16, 2020
Hunkering Down in Turbulent Times – First Quarter 2020
“What the imagination can’t conjure, reality delivers with a shrug.” —Trumbo (movie voice-over) Brace yourself. Your First Quarter 2020 report is likely to leave you feeling at least a little disheartened. No matter how much we’ve written about preparing for perilous times like t
- Financial PlanningMarch 4, 2020
IPOs: Profiles Are High. What About Returns? – Fourth Quarter 2019
Initial public offerings (IPOs) often attract initial public interest—especially when familiar brands become broadly available to investors for the first time. In recent months, investors have had the opportunity to buy shares of ride‑hailing networks Uber and Lyft, workplace pro
- Markets & InvestingDecember 7, 2019
The Reality of Market Timing – Third Quarter 2019
Over the course of the holidays, it’s not unusual for the stock market to be a topic of conversation at parties and other social gatherings. A neighbor or relative might ask about which investments are good at the moment. The lure of getting in at the right time or avoiding the n
- Financial PlanningAugust 19, 2019
The Uncommon Average – Second Quarter 2019
The U.S. stock market has delivered an average annual return of around 10% since 1926. But short-term results generally vary, and in any given period stock returns can be positive, negative, or flat. When setting expectations, it’s helpful to see the range of outcomes experienced
- Financial PlanningMay 30, 2019
Blink Moments – First Quarter 2019
After a turbulent end to 2018 sent stock indices around the globe into bear-market territory, equities staged a big recovery in the first quarter of 2019. For the quarter, the S&P 500 index gained 13.65% and was within a few percentage points of its record high. The Russell 2000
- Financial PlanningFebruary 7, 2019
Why Should You Diversify? – Fourth Quarter 2018
As 2019 begins, and with U.S. stocks outperforming non-U.S. stocks in recent years, some investors have again turned their attention towards the role that global diversification plays in their portfolios. For the five-year period ending October 31, 2018, the S&P 500 Index had an
- Financial PlanningDecember 5, 2018
Where’s the Value? – Third Quarter 2018
From 1928–2017 the value premium in the U.S. had a positive annualized return of approximately 3.5%. In seven of the last 10 calendar years, however, the value premium in the U.S. has been negative. This has prompted some investors to wonder if such an extended period of underper
- Financial PlanningAugust 20, 2018
E + R = O, a Formula for Success – Second Quarter 2018
Combining an enduring investment philosophy with a simple formula that helps maintain investment discipline can increase the odds of having a positive financial experience. “The important thing about an investment philosophy is that you have one you can stick with.” David Booth F
- Financial PlanningMay 14, 2018
Sailing with the Tides – First Quarter 2018
Embarking on a financial plan is like sailing around the world. The voyage won’t always go according to plan, and there’ll be rough seas. But the odds of reaching your destination increase greatly if you are prepared, flexible, patient, and well-advised. A mistake many inexperien
- Markets & InvestingFebruary 23, 2018
Recent Market Correction – Fourth Quarter 2017
After a period of relative calm in the markets, in recent days the increase in volatility in the stock market has resulted in renewed anxiety for many investors. From January 27 to February 8, the U.S. market (as measured by the S&P 500 Index) fell more than 10%, marking the firs
- Financial PlanningOctober 31, 2017
Key Questions for the Long-Term Investor – Third Quarter 2017
Focusing on what you can control can lead to a better investment experience. Whether you’ve been investing for decades or are just getting started, at some point on your investment journey you’ll likely ask yourself some of the questions below. Trying to answer these questions ma
- Financial PlanningJuly 24, 2017
Stock Investing at All-Time Highs – Second Quarter 2017
As stock markets, once again, continue to hit all-time highs, investors take this news not with celebration, but with trepidation. Modern stock markets have been worrying investors with new highs since they were created several centuries ago. For example, in 1955, Benjamin Graham
- Financial PlanningApril 12, 2017
The Uncertainty Paradox – First Quarter 2017
Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one. —Voltaire “The market hates uncertainty” has been a common enough saying in recent years, but how logical is it? There are many different aspects to uncertainty, some that can be measured and some that cannot…
- Markets & InvestingJanuary 18, 2017
The Power of Markets – Fourth Quarter 2016
In 1958, economist Leonard Read published an essay entitled “I, Pencil: My Family Tree as Told to Leonard E. Read.” The essay, narrated from the point of view of a pencil, describes the “complex combination of miracles” necessary to create and bring to market the commonplace writ
- Markets & InvestingOctober 21, 2016
Presidential Elections and the Stock Market – Third Quarter 2016
Next month, Americans will head to the polls to elect the next president of the United States. While the outcome is unknown, one thing is for certain: There will be a steady stream of opinions from pundits and prognosticators about how the election will impact the stock market…
- Financial PlanningJuly 16, 2016
10 Reasons to be Cheerful – Second Quarter 2016
Do you ever listen to the news and find yourself thinking that the world has gone to the dogs? The roll call of depressing headlines seems endless. But look beyond what the media calls news, and there are also a lot of things going right. It’s true the world faces challenges in m
- Financial PlanningApril 15, 2016
Climbing a Wall of Worry – First Quarter 2016
First Quarter 2016 proved to be a volatile one for investors. Before suddenly rallying in mid-February, stocks got off to their worst start ever to begin the New Year. From peak to trough (high to low), large U.S. stocks, as measured by the S&P 500 index, fell more than 10%…
- Markets & InvestingJanuary 28, 2016
Markets Have Rewarded Discipline – Fourth Quarter 2015
A disciplined investor looks beyond the concerns of today to the long-term growth potential of markets. The chart below shows how $1 invested in 1926 in various asset classes has grown through 2014. The top line shows that $1 invested in small cap U.S. stocks in 1926 would have g
- Financial PlanningOctober 28, 2015
”It’s always something. And then it’s nothing.” – Third Quarter 2015
Stocks saw their first true panic selling in Third Quarter 2015 since the U.S. default crisis of 2011. In a particularly volatile week in mid-August, the Dow fell nearly 2,000 points in just five trading sessions. The VIX index, which measures the level of fear in the stock marke
- Financial PlanningJuly 31, 2015
The All-Weather, All-Road Portfolio – Second Quarter 2015
Owners of all-purpose motor vehicles often appreciate their cars most when they leave smooth city freeways for rough gravel country roads. In investment, highly diversified portfolios can provide similar reassurance. In blue skies and open highways, flimsy city sedans might cruis
- Financial PlanningApril 22, 2015
MasterChef of Investing – First Quarter 2015
In the popular TV program MasterChef, contestants face a series of cooking challenges. From low quality ingredients to inadequate preparation to poor implementation, so many things can, and do, go wrong. It’s a bit like investing. In the world of investment, there customarily are