After the recent mid-week big down moves in the US and global stock markets AND if you are a long-time reader of TGIF 2 Minutes you are most likely expecting a “stay the course” message today.
The bottom line is: Stay the course. Technically you can stop reading here and go onto your Friday and weekend. How about that for a record 15 second edition??!
Here is the remaining 1 minute and 45 second version:
This edition of TGIF 2 Minutes originally ran on February 16, 2018 just after the (now) temporary 12% decline in the Dow Jones, which ended as a 6% decline for the month.
Typically, I do not get too far “into the weeds” of technical terms in my TGIF 2 Minutes messages. However – this has not been a typical last two weeks in the markets – at least not “typical” as defined by the past several years of gradually UP markets (and portfolios) month after month. Thus, a short walk into the weeds to talk a little about inflation is warranted – and may shed light on the volatility we have experienced lately with more likely to come over the next months and year or so.
See this visual of a rocket launch* – and not just any rocket launch, the Falcon Heavy launch as photographed by a friend of mine with years of clearance for NASA rocket launches – as an appropriate comparison to what inflation can look like. Continue reading “Inflation Revisited”
Calling it a “New World” is a bit of an exaggeration but since this week the yield on the 10-year US government bond topped 3% for the first time in four years, it was kind of a big deal in the investing world.
The 10-year US government bond is a benchmark and indicator for a number of things including: mortgages, companies borrowing to grow, the price of oil … and, yes, stock prices. We all know that the “financial crisis” is now 10 years in the past and for the past 10 years interest rates have been super LOW. This has been both positive and negative for investors. Continue reading “New World… Of Higher Bond Yields”
Good Morning and Happy Spring Break,
Seriously? Is this what Spring Break is supposed to be about? If you are somewhere in Florida or Hilton Head on vacation and anxiously checking your portfolio… then the answer is NO. On the other hand, if you are on vacation and you know that your Adviser “has your back” and your financial PLAN is in place, then the answer is YES. The latter is the definition of “peace of mind.” Peace of Mind does not always come easy – it takes preparation.
Continue reading “Don’t Let Market Volatility Ruin Your Spring Break”
Do we blame it on the Philadelphia Eagles winning the Super Bowl?? (just kidding- I am glad the underdogs won!)
From the archives of TGIF 2 minutes I found a very handy message – one that still holds true two years later for surviving the weakness we are currently experiencing in the stock and bond markets. Here is the original article: click here. The title of the message was “‘Gut Check’ in Rocky Markets” (Jan. 2016). As even as the most experienced savers and investors can tell you, down markets are not fun and they can be scary and stressful. However, I try to remind my clients and friends NOT to allow short-term market moves (weekly, monthly, quarterly…even lasting the course of a year) to lead you to make poor decisions. Rather, make your investing decisions alongside a trusted adviser – and ideally far in advance of a market decline. (Hint: most of my clients can stop reading here and say “TGIF”.)
Have you asked yourself lately…
Although I stress to clients and friends NOT to listen to the Talking Heads on TV, radio & internet—and then make rash investment decisions – when these media personalities comment on dramatic market moves (they LOVE down markets for hype), we are human! It is nearly impossible to ignore completely what is going on daily in the markets. And the stock markets have crept down a bit over the past few weeks. Continue reading “Gut Check in Rocky Markets”
