To Inform: Earlier this week we had a number of clients and friends take part in our Portfolios at Your Place videoconference. One of the key items we talked about was what things might look like when the economy starts to reopen and the related investment implications. COVID-19 is a global health crisis and a […]

To Inform: If you’re like me, looking to the past can be a great way to find lessons on how to navigate the present. On Winston Churchill’s first day as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Adolf Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. The evacuation of British troops surrounded at Dunkirk was only two weeks away. Over […]

To Inform: By now, you probably have seen the CARES Act was signed into law last Friday, March 27th.  As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CARES stands for “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security.” The size of this economic relief is unprecedented as the legislation provides $2 trillion in funding. Similar to other financial […]

Stepping Back from the Noise As I type this, the Dow is up over 1,400 points and every single asset class on the tracking list I keep on my phone is green. It’s certainly nice to take a deep breath, but the rising market isn’t going to change one thing I planned to discuss in […]

To Inform: It was a bit surreal writing “March 19, 2020” at the top of this paper as the date marks the one-month anniversary of the all-time high in the stock market.  On February 19th, major stock indexes closed at their all-time high and economic numbers, corporate earnings, and consumer confidence were strong and showing […]

To Inform:  The Stockdale Paradox is a concept popularized by the book Good to Great by Jim Collins. The name refers to Admiral James Stockdale who was the highest-ranking U.S. military officer in the “Hanoi Hilton” prisoner-of-war camp during the height of the Vietnam War. According to the concept, balancing realism and optimism in a […]

To Inform:  After a week of 1000 point moves in the Dow in both directions, it’s strange seeing another down -700 points (as I’m typing this) but knowing the U.S. stock market is actually UP over 2% from where it was a week ago. We continue to pray for the people impacted by the coronavirus […]

To Inform:  As we said in a separate client update, what a difference a week makes. The S&P 500 hit an all-time record high on February 19. A week ago, leading economic indicators were hitting new highs and a large percentage of corporate earnings reports were exceeding expectations. Then the Coronavirus news hit… in the […]

To Inform: If you’ve been paying attention to the news lately, it seems the financial media is focused on negative headlines. Despite concerns related to Coronavirus, 2020 U.S. elections, and uncertain geopolitical risk, it’s worth noting that there is still good news to be found. One area of good news is the state of the […]

To Inform: It’s not the most fun thing to think about on Valentine’s Day weekend, but our financial news feed is being dominated right now by the Wuhan coronavirus and its potential impact on the global economy. While our discussion here focuses on the economic impact, our prayers are for the much more terrible human […]