Monthly Updates

Last weekend, I realized we were about due to publish our monthly update, but little had changed since mid-May. Since there was a lot of focus on the British elections this past Thursday to potentially leave the EU (European Union—thus the name Brexit), I figured why not wait. After Friday, I definitely have more to […]

No, I’m not referring to the four-letter slang word that many a golfer utters after hitting their tee shot into the water hazard or the trees. Instead, this is about a term called a “fiduciary,” which may be getting as much attention these days in the investment industry as Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton or Bernie […]

Though my intentions have been to get our quarterly newsletter onto a more regular early February, May, August and November publishing schedule, I am still behind on that objective. Nevertheless, here is the first of four that we will get done this year. As promised, we have an update on our personal experience with a […]

Many years ago, renowned money manager and newsletter writer Marty Zweig coined the phrase, “Don’t Fight the Fed!”  Zweig’s research found that over history, stocks mostly behaved positively when monetary conditions were favorable (lower rates) but typically encountered trouble when policies were unfavorable (rising rates). Lower interest rates do not always help the stock market, […]

A few weeks ago, the Carolina Panthers played the Denver Broncos in the 2016 Super Bowl. Carolina entered the game with the top-ranked offense in the league, scoring 500 points, more than any other team.  Meanwhile, the Broncos had the top-ranked defense, based on several categories, and only 3 other teams had allowed fewer points […]

Last Thursday evening, January 14, my mother, Hermina Kargenian, passed away at the age of 91. Since we are involved in your lives, and many of you have experienced the loss of a parent and shared with us, I thought it appropriate to do the same. It is the nature of a Mom to protect […]

When all was said and done in 2015, the majority of stock indexes were down for the year, and the bond market showed very little in the way of change, with the exception of the high yield bond market, which simply illustrated that there is risk in chasing yield without a plan. What’s Happening Now […]

I’m about three weeks behind my intended publishing of this quarterly newsletter. Part of that delay was related to our main topic, as we’ve moved the core equity exposure in portfolios from actively managed equity funds to index-based ETFs (exchange-traded funds). Before I delve into that, and all the context that goes with it, we’re […]

On September 29, stocks were near their lows for the year, with the S&P 500 down about 12% from its May peak, and other indexes even more.  In the last five weeks, that decline has been mostly erased, with gains of nearly 12% in large cap stocks.  Other areas have lagged though, which may set […]

In this past week’s budget legislation in Washington, Congress has decided to close what are perceived “loopholes” in the Social Security rules. The bottom line is, should this legislation be approved by the Senate, Congress will have killed off the various “File and Suspend” strategies to allow spousal and dependent benefits to be paid while […]