Protect Your Credit
As most of you know by now, the credit reporting agency Equifax was the victim of a massive hack recently. As a result, almost half of all Americans may have had their most sensitive information, including social security number, date of birth and home address, exposed for all the (criminal) world to see. If someone has this information, they can easily steal your identity, allowing them to open an unlimited amount of credit in your name, potentially leaving you exposed to a lifetime of misery. The only good news is that you can protect...
read moreThe Importance Of Philanthropy
“Living well has at least two parts to it: living a life that makes you happy, and living a life that is of service to others…To find an activity truly fulfilling, you must both take pleasure in it and feel a strong sense of connection between it and a larger purpose for your life.” ~ Christopher Eisgruber, President of Princeton, referencing the work of Kwame Appiah, in his welcome address to the incoming class of 2017 on September 8, 2013. This blog is going to be a departure from my usual financial or investment...
read moreThoughts after the RNC and the DNC
(Disclaimer – I am a moderate, centrist Democrat; seemingly an endangered species.) The parties are over in Cleveland and Philadelphia as both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions have have packed up and gone home. The cameras are gone, the balloons and confetti have been swept away and the placards have been sent out on the campaign trail. All that’s left now is the sprint to election day. Each side has their passionate and detractors, whose votes are unlikely to be swayed, no matter what is said or done...
read moreI Hope You Listened
My last two blogs were written on February 13 and February 29. In the former I wrote: “It is not time to panic. Things are not nearly as dire as they were leading up to the crash in 2008. Outside of the negative consequences of a too-strong dollar, corporate revenues, profits and balance sheets are in very good shape. It is part of the normal and natural part of the stock market cycle that after a prolonged period of gains that we must experience a year or two of negative returns. Then, when the gloom and despair have peaked, it will be...
read moreWhat I’m Thinking Today
In honor of the extra day in February this year, and on the eve of Super Tuesday, I thought it was a good time to jot down some random thoughts on the market, the economy and the election. So, in no particular order, here goes . . . I hope you listened to my pleas in the last few newsletters not to panic and sell your quality holdings into the correction. If you didn’t, you’ve enjoyed a gain of almost 1,000 since a bottom was made on February 11. I don’t think February 11 was “the bottom” for the year....
read moreI’m Back – Time To Speak Some Truth
After a long absence from blogging, it’s time for me to return to writing more frequently. Between the upcoming election and the turmoil in the stock market, there is plenty to write about. So let’s get to it. To start things off, I’d like to comment briefly on the election. I will certainly be writing at greater length and frequency in the coming months.(Disclaimer: I am a registered Democrat with fiscally conservative leanings, so nobody is speaking for me in this process.) On the Republican side, I must admit that...
read moreThe Awesome Power Of Compounding
This week will be a simple blog, yet it could be one of the most important things you’ll ever read. And while the concept may seem rudimentary, it is extraordinarily powerful. This is how true wealth is created; not by excessive trading or via arcane investment strategies. No, true wealth is built by compounding your money over time. It’s really as simple as that. For the purposes of this illustration, we’re assuming two college friends, each of whom just turned 21. Investor A (Bob) decides to spend his extra money on new...
read moreDon’t Succumb To Blind Fear
The past week has been a very turbulent, and nerve-wracking, time for investors. Stock markets around the world have been rocked by massive losses. In just the seven trading sessions, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (#DJIA) has fallen about 850 points, or 5%. By comparison, the S&P 500 has fallen 5.2%, the UK FTSE a slightly better 4.8% while the German DAX has dropped a whopping 6.9%. These are significant losses in only seven trading days. Today was a microcosm of the past few weeks as the major averages were whipsawed all day long. At...
read more#DJIA and #DJTA close at record levels,
#DJIA and #DJTA close at record levels, which according to Dow Theory, means we remain in a bull market. Duh. S&P 2 pts away. Dollar up.
read moreHave You Taken My Advice?
This year I’ve written blogs entitled “Don’t Panic”, “I Hope You Didn’t Sell”, “It’s Still Not Time To Panic”, “Tech Stocks On Sale” and “The Market Continues To Climb A Wall Of Worry”, to name a few. Do you see the trend? Throughout the year I’ve urged my newsletter and blog readers, as well as my clients, to simply sit tight, ignore the pundits, and maintain their equity positions. There has been nothing to dissuade me that domestic equities are the...
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