To Inform: Credit card debt has become a pervasive issue in the United States, with millions of Americans carrying balances month to month. The convenience of credit cards has made it increasingly common for individuals to rely on credit to cover daily expenses. Credit card companies market them as an effortless way to pay for […]

To Inform: I fully realize I’m not following the first rule of investment management by focusing on the short term. I’m hoping clients and friends will do as I say and not as I do by focusing on the long term! That said, there has been a lot of volatility the past couple of weeks […]

To Inform: A couple of years ago I wrote a Wealthnotes piece titled, “The Trees Keep Growing” (you can read it here). In it, I related my experience visiting a handful of commercial timber sites managed by an investment fund. At the time, markets were digesting a handful of hot inflation reports and realizing that […]

To Inform:  My oldest son, Spencer, is currently in grad school pursuing his dream of becoming a physical therapist. Several years ago, when Spencer was in high school, he had the opportunity to take a personal finance class, something I strongly encouraged him to do. One day after school, he said to me, “Dad, we […]

To Inform: We’re often asked where we think markets stand in relation to the business cycle. While we believe in the statement, “the stock market isn’t the economy,” we think it still makes sense to have a picture as to what is going on in the economy and how developments today may be affecting markets […]

To Inform: Roth conversions are an amazing tool to transfer pre-tax IRA dollars into a Roth IRA where the investments can grow, and any withdrawals can be done tax free. And the most common time to think about doing a Roth conversion is during periods of very low income, especially during retirement. The reason for […]

To Inform: Last night I had the opportunity to attend the monthly meeting of a group of friends who have an investment partnership. Each month they meet, have a lively discussion about stocks, vote on portfolio changes, and enjoy amazing food. They let me come to the meetings as a “strategic advisor” which is a […]

To Inform: The fourth of July is a holiday where I can’t help but think about those 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence. Merchants, farmers, lawyers – this merry band took tremendous risks. What gave them the confidence to take these risks? I think their wealth and the wise use of it were […]

To Inform:  Today marks the close of the second quarter of 2024, and we are half-way through the calendar year. Let’s look at some broad observations for how 2024 is shaping up across asset classes. High quality bonds are basically flat year-to-date (based on the Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index). Heading into the year, expectations were […]

To Inform: Deciding whether to buy or rent is a question that seems to have no definite answer, depending on who you ask. If you ask any existing homeowner, nine times out of ten, the answer is “Buy! It builds equity.” If you ask anyone in their 20’s or early 30’s they might respond with, […]