Archive
Financial Planning Introduction
December 22, 2016
Build a 50-15-5 framework for your personal finances. Create a balance between living comfortably today while preparing for a prosperous future. Develop a collaborative relationship with your financial planner.
Managing Your 401k Part 2
November 29, 2016
Following a logically ordered, coherent process is key to designing a sensible portfolio allocation. In part-2 of this series, we turn our attention to designing the stock portion of a retirement plan, including a benchmark-neutral portfolio and an enhanced performance alternative.
Managing Your 401k Part 1
October 27, 2016
If you have a retirement plan account such as a 401k, 403b, or 457b, then like most people you probably have several questions about managing the plan investments. In my experience, most people just don’t know where to start. There is a logical, rational, and simple approach to selecting your investments and allocating money to them.
Maximizing Benefits During Open Enrollment
September 28, 2016
Open enrollment for company benefits is an important time to review, update, or make changes to your employer plans. How do you know if you are maximizing your company benefits? Do you know if the company benefit programs are the most efficient and cost effective for you and your family?
Coherent Investor September 2016
September 19, 2016
From time to time, it is important to step back and review the bigger picture, where we have been and where we are now, so that we can better assess what might be ahead. This is one of those times. After all, it is the market’s price movement which pays investors.
What Moves The Market?
July 31, 2016
This is not meant to be just a philosophical question, but a very practical one. What you believe moves the market affects how you make your investment decisions. Realizing that you don’t know the answer can be more valuable than thinking with certainty that you do know.
Sell In May Depends On Trend
May 30, 2016
The difference in calendar year returns by selling in May is this: You have a 60% chance of under-performing, but in return for less volatility. Selling in May can be a significant benefit to the investor in market down-trends, but then it’s not about selling in May anymore. Investing has always depended on knowing what is the trend now, and what is its likelihood of changing in the near term.
Investor Behavior In Volatile Markets
April 24, 2016
Volatile stock markets create conditions that can interfere with investor decisions. Learning how to recognize cognitive biases and understanding financial behaviors can help investors manage emotions and deal with negative financial and geopolitical news.
Understanding Dividends
March 23, 2016
A surprising number of investors lack a rudimentary knowledge regarding the nature of stock dividends. This knowledge gap contributes to a perpetual misunderstanding regarding security performance. Filling this knowledge gap will help foster an understanding of where dividends fit in an overall portfolio strategy.
Financial Planning Timeline
February 15, 2016
The financial planning timeline helps to identify potential strategies to prepare an efficient and effective plan. While individuals and families have unique financial goals and circumstances, these key dates provide a framework to help make better informed financial planning decisions.