Are you familiar with the TV show “The Big Bang Theory”? The show is in its 11th season and lots of people by now have heard of Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, Howard and Penny… but for those who have not heard of the show it is really funny and has been a HUGE success.
“Let the good times roll.” I am partial to this expression because my Dad used to say this a lot either as a toast or a statement when things were going well.
As I look at the last few years’ markets, the current economy and the lives and businesses of my clients the expression definitely applies.
Let the good times roll!
Back by popular demand is the Year-End wrap up! Some of these affected our portfolios and others made our lives better…or at least made us smile for a few days.
Last year, 2016, gave us a year of historic market highs, mind-blowing political events (remember Brexit?) and epic sports achievements. This year, 2017, gave us more historic market highs, more epic sports achievements and, yes, more mind-blowing political events. And ever more. Read on….
Top 10 – Part One. Perhaps you may be moved to remind me of a couple of your personal gems to round out Part Two next week. Continue reading “Top 10 of 2017”
Are you familiar with the saying, “Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while”?
The year of 2017 (and every year since 2009) in the stock markets could fall under this category – and prove dangerous to those not recognizing or admitting this reality. In other words when the S&P 500, the index of the largest and most recognizable companies in America, rises every year (including dividends) for 9 years in a row (and was up over 13.5% in 6 out of those 9 years) we have been given a slightly false sense of security that investing is easy.
How about the recent article I read in The Wall Street Journal titled, “Why Do U.S. Stocks Keep Hitting Records? Here Are Five Theories.”* There are at least five reasons for the recent (mostly) strength in U.S. — and global — stocks. Based on historical returns, a nod toward cautious optimism is always healthy as well. For my long-time readers, this means I will also reference “The Greatest Chart Ever”! Read on…
For the non-golfers you may ask, “Who is Jordan Spieth?” But like Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter, Jordan Spieth is one of those characters who nearly everyone now knows, golfer or not…sports fan or not.
Jordan Spieth is, of course, the 23-year old professional golfer who is nearly topping the record books with his winning of three major professional golf tournaments before the age of 24. His win at “The Masters” back in 2015 (at age 21) was almost as publicized as the Cubs winning the World Series. At the end of that same season, he won the season-long (nearly 11 months) “FedEx Cup” which comes with a bonus of… $10 million. Continue reading “What Jordan Spieth Can Teach Us About Investing”
Clarification:
I received a number of inquiries regarding my comment highlighted below in green.
Turning the “Big 5-0” is something that can be celebrated or dreaded. For me, I chose celebration — in Hawaii just recently! I truly believe that life keeps getting better with the turning of every year. Perhaps someday the experience will change, but so far so good.
Various milestones whether it be reaching a certain age, job position (change/ promotion/ retirement), family stature (marriage/ parent/ grandparent), or even sporting achievements…deserve to be recognized. Then, along with recognition comes reflection. Of course, for me, having chosen to manage peoples’ financial lives as a profession, reflecting a great deal on the future comes naturally. My husband may even say that I drive him nuts “reflecting” on the things we need to be doing today and over the next 10-15 years to make retirement a reality. Continue reading “Hawaii 5-0”
Every once in a while, there are topics in the realm of “investments” that pique my interest, or even cause me concern. Over the past year or so one of these is the topic of marketing insurance as an investment to young people.
For those of you who watch college sports on TV — or at live games — you may have picked up on what I am talking about. Obviously, college sports, especially football and basketball, are BILLION dollar industries. The industries surrounding the picking of teams and players are also beyond lucrative. And the advertising opportunities on television and at live games are immense. In walks my concern: all or most of the major insurance companies have become primary, big dollar sponsors of either or all:
Continue reading “Marketing Insurance as an Investment to Young Adults”
In times of stock market weakness – like we are seeing over the past month – we can tend to get scared. We are human. However, I stress to my clients and friends NOT to allow short-term market moves (monthly, quarterly…even yearly) to lead to poor decisions. Why? Please read on…
The following chart reads like a cartoon so not to worry that I am sending you a complicated graph. The RED DOTS = how much the market went down sometime during each year. The BLUE LINES = where the market finished at the end of the year.
