TABR News

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 […]

Bob Kargenian was quoted in Barron’s last week in a letter to the editor: “I was rereading the Sept. 14 interview with Joe Rosenberg (‘The Wisdom of a Nonconformist’), and I was struck by the contradiction in one of his comments. He said, ‘Equities over the past 15 years have generated meager returns. To those […]

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 […]

Two weeks ago, our calendars passed September 21, the official beginning of Fall (though it doesn’t seem that way with 95 degree days in Southern California).  We also know that on December 21, it will mark the official beginning of Winter.  Seasons have a huge impact on you and me. We know that seasons will […]

Last quarter, I promised an expansive look at the use of cash (or hedging) in client portfolios. So, that is forthcoming below, along with the latest look at inflation, and the difference between what I will call “tax return vs total return” on your Fidelity statements. Plus, the usual update on the progress of the […]

Our last two monthly updates began warning of increasing risks in the stock market, and in the past two weeks, that became a reality, with the S&P 500 dropping over 11% in just six days, before rebounding sharply. Nothing has changed in that outlook. In our view, the major trend is down until proven otherwise […]

CONCLUSION—Stocks Are Lost In Space Remember the television show which debuted in 1965 called Lost In Space, featuring Jonathan Harris as Dr. Smith and the Robot? With its master, wandering around whatever planet they were on, whenever the Robot’s computers would sense something was wrong, it would flap its artificial limbs and yell, “Danger, Danger!” […]

For the last 18 months, I’ve volunteered with an organization called Homes for Our Troops, which builds specially adapted homes for severely injured veterans. I’d like to relate a story about the veteran that I’m working with since it may be helpful to some of our TABR clients. The soldier lost both of his legs […]