To Inform: “One Step Forward, Two Steps Back” is perhaps the best way one can summarize today’s market conditions. Markets rallied from June to August on several factors, eventually rising almost 20% from the year’s low hit on June 16. Since then, the S&P has slid almost 10%. Why the tug-of-war? How long will we […]
To Inform: Years like 2022 when both stocks and bonds decline are rare. Because of the conservative assumptions built into the financial plans of the clients we have the privilege of serving we know those plans can tolerate years like this. Nonetheless, it’s sometimes hard to find silver linings in market drawdowns. One silver […]
To Inform: Wednesday night I attended the programming season kickoff event for the Columbus CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Society. I had a front row seat for a panel discussion concerning “The Portfolio for the Future.” Panelists included the President/CEO of an institutional asset manager, the CEO/CIO of a local Private Wealth Firm and senior investment […]
To Inform: On my desk is a copy of Anthony Sampson’s book, The Seven Sisters. The book details the history of seven of the largest oil companies that formed in the years after the breakup of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil. It highlights some of the drama and political intrigue behind the discovery and exploration […]
To Inform: Let us propose a thought experiment. Suppose that fussy old Prince John has usurped governorship of Ohio and he’s taxing you hand over fist. You and your spouse decide that you want to stick it to that criminal curmudgeon, so you take $1,500 of your taxes owed and give it to the private […]
To Inform: An up or down move of 20% is commonly used to define bull and bear markets. By that definition, the NASDAQ index, which is heavily weighted toward technology stocks, is in a new bull market. The NASDAQ index hit a low of approximately 10,646 on June 16 and traded at 12,854 on August […]
To Inform: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” This line from Romeo and Juliet highlights a very important principle – what matters is what something is, not what it is called. There’s been some debate over the meaning of the word “recession” over […]
To Inform: Last night I had the privilege of attending the meeting of a local investment partnership. This group of savvy business owners and professionals meets monthly to enjoy amazing food, allocate capital within their investment fund, and serve as a “think tank” for local and global economic conditions. Part of the meeting involves reviewing […]
To Inform: An interesting question was posed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week: “Over the course of your career has your husband ever made a stock purchase or sale based on information he received from you?” The answer was, of course, “No, absolutely not.” This isn’t a partisan issue as Congressional Representatives from both […]
To Inform: Death and taxes; we know the saying. In spite of the certainty, all of us fail to give our estate plan the attention it deserves. It’s easy to avoid and none of us enjoys thinking about our…well, you know. On top of that, you’ve already signed your estate documents so you’re done, right? […]