Back to the Investment Basics (Part 4)

In our last piece, we described our marvelous markets, and how to account for their being both robust and random at the same time. Today, we’ll look at how stock pricing works, and why Nobel laureate

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Back to the Investment Basics (Part 3)

In our last piece, we introduced the importance of saving, which is the first of five basics that have served investors well over time. Today, we’ll look at where stock market returns really come from,

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Back to the Investment Basics (Part 2)

In our last piece, we wrote about how recency bias can damage your investments by causing current crises to loom large, while rewriting your memories of past challenges. Recency tricks us into overpaying

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Back to the Investment Basics (Part 1)

There were so many big events competing for our attention this summer … said nearly every investor, almost every summer, ever.

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Pursuing a Better Investment Experience (Part 5)

Welcome to the pursuing a better investment experience series. We are going to review two topic points regarding market headlines and what you can control, let’s get started.

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Pursuing a Better Investment Experience Part 4

Pursuing a Better Investment Experience (Part 4)

Welcome to the pursuing a better investment experience series. We are going to review two topic points regarding market timing and emotions, let’s get started.   The First Point – Avoid

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Pursuing a Better Investment Experience (Part 3)

Welcome to the pursuing a better investment experience series. We are going to review two topic points regarding market returns and diversification, let’s get started. The First Point

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Pursuing a Better Investment Experience Part 2

Pursuing a Better Investment Experience (Part 2)

Welcome to the pursuing a better investment experience series. We are going to review two topic points regarding market performance facts, let’s get started. The First Point –

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Pursuing a Better Investment Experience (Part 1)

Pursuing a Better Investment Experience (Part 1)

Welcome to the pursuing a better investment experience series. We are going to review two topic points regarding market facts, let’s get started. The First Point – Embrace Market

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Rising Rates: Short-Term Pain for Long-Term Gain?

Investors have likely noticed the improved opportunity set in fixed income due to higher yields. And yet some investors may be hesitant to take advantage of higher yields because of concerns about

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The Stock Market Can Be Less Risky Than Cash

Common sense will sometimes cost you a lot of money. Comparing inflation-adjusted returns shows when investing in the stock market was less risky than cash. Do You Own any Stocks? A Gallup poll shows that

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Want to be a Better Investor?

I was in my early 30s and finally managed to scrape enough money together to start investing. I picked a high-flying mutual fund offered by a popular asset manager at the time. For a while, it made me

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What is Sudden Wealth Syndrome?

C’mon, admit it… Even if you’re super savvy financially, I’m sure you’ve occasionally bought a lottery ticket (or several). I know I have, when the jackpot is so astronomically high that it more

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Market Timing Traps and Temptations

Decades of tracking and analyzing investment portfolio returns keep telling the same story., market timing behaviors are traps. Even though we should know it was just dumb luck, can we get a round of applause

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The ABCs of Behavioral Biases – Conclusion

We’ll wrap our series, the ABCs of Behavioral Biases, by repeating our initial premise: Your own behavioral biases are often the greatest threat to your financial well-being. We hope we’ve demonstrated

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The ABCs of Behavioral Biases (S–Z)

We’re coming in for a landing on our alphabetic run-down of behavioral biases. Today, we’ll present the final line-up: sunk cost fallacy and tracking error regret. Sunk Cost Fallacy What is it? Sunk

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The ABCs of Behavioral Biases (O–R)

So many financial behavioral biases, so little time! Today, let’s take a few minutes to cover our next batch of biases: overconfidence, pattern recognition, and recency. Overconfidence What is it? No

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The ABCs of Behavioral Biases (H–O)

There are so many investment-impacting behavioral biases, we could probably identify at least one for nearly every letter of the alphabet. Today, we’ll continue with the most significant ones by looking

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ABCs of Behavioral Biases (A–F)

Welcome back to our “ABCs of Behavioral Biases.” Today, we’ll get started by introducing you to four self-inflicted biases that knock a number of investors off-course: anchoring, blind spot, confirmation,

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ABCs of Behavioral Biases – Series Intro

By now, you’ve probably heard the news: Your own behavioral biases are often the greatest threat to your financial well-being. As investors, we leap before we look. We stay when we should go. We

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Ideal Investment Portfolio Management: Principle 10 in Evidence-Based Investing

We wrap our 10-part series on the principles of evidence-based investing with how a fiduciary financial advisor can add value to your investment portfolio management. Most importantly, by combining financial

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Investment discipline for Couple taking selfie

Six Hacks for Maintaining Investment Discipline: Principle 9 in Evidence-Based Investing

Investment discipline is all about being able to see past the daily market distractions to maintain a long-term perspective. A big challenge here is knowing how to identify and ignore your own emotional

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Emotional Investing Is Risky Investing: Principle 8 in Evidence-Based Investing

Emotional Investing Is Risky Investing: Principle 8 in Evidence-Based Investing

Many people struggle with emotional investing. That is, they find it difficult to make consistent, rational investment decisions, instead of reacting to current market conditions out of fear, excitement,

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Why Stick with a Globally Diversified Portfolio? Principle 7 in Evidence-Based Investing

Why Stick with a Globally Diversified Portfolio? Principle 7 in Evidence-Based Investing

Why buy and hold a globally diversified portfolio instead of reacting to breaking news? Political, social, and economic headlines come and go. But you never know which market segments will outperform from

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investment universe looking at the milky way

Diversify Your Investment Universe: Principle 6 in Evidence-Based Investing

Holding securities across many market segments, expanding your investment universe, can help manage overall risk. But diversifying within your home market may not be enough. Global diversification can

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What Really Drives Higher Expected Returns? Principle 5 in Evidence-Based Investing

There is a wealth of academic research into what really drives higher expected returns. Simply put, expected returns = current market prices + expected future cash flows. Investors can use this basic equation

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How market work - happy middle aged couple

Understanding How Markets Work for You: Principle 4 in Evidence-Based Investing

Attending to how markets work is important for you and your investment portfolio. Should you buy, sell, or hold tight? Before the news tempts you to jump into or flee from breaking trends, it’s critical

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Resist Chasing Past Performance: Principle 3 in Evidence-Based Investing

Some investors select mutual funds based on their past performance. Yet, past returns offer little insight into a fund’s future returns. For example, most funds in the top quartile (25%) of previous

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Trying To Outguess the Market Has No Role: Principle 2 in Evidence-Based Investing

Trying To Outguess the Market Has No Role: Principle 2 in Evidence-Based Investing

Wouldn’t it be great to hold only top selections in your investment portfolio, with no disappointments to detract from your success? Of course it would. It would also be nice to hold a $100 million winning

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Embrace Market Pricing: Principle 1 in Evidence Based Investing

Embrace Market Pricing: Principle 1 in Evidence Based Investing

Market pricing is about you, the market, and the prices you pay. When it comes to investing it helps to know what you’re facing. In this case, that’s “the market.” How do you achieve every investor’s

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