Investments
How do higher interest rates affect personal finances?
How do higher interest rates affect personal finances? The most obvious effects of higher interest rates are that savers earn more interest income and borrowers pay more interest due to higher rates on loans, such as mortgages. But how else can higher interest rates affect personal finances? Our team came up with a few notable…
Read MoreWhat do high valuation differences in the market mean for your portfolio?
What do high valuation differences in the market mean for your portfolio? One way to characterize stocks is by the ratio of its price to earnings. The stock of companies that have high expected growth rates naturally sell for higher prices. These stocks are often referred to as “growth stocks.” However, an investor’s return is…
Read MoreDoes stock-picking work?
Does stock-picking work? Stock-picking, the practice of selecting individual stocks to outperform the market, is far easier said than done. It is mathematically impossible for the average stock picker to beat a buy-and-hold investor in the same stocks. Compared to their benchmarks, most stocks return less and are far more volatile. The empirical evidence is…
Read MoreIs there a downside to diversification?
Is there a downside to diversification? Which would you have rather owned A or B? A lost an average of almost 1% per year for the decade January 2000-Decemeber 2009 but returned almost 13% per year from January 2010 through June 2023. Cumulatively, A averaged a 6.84% annual return for the period January 2000 through…
Read MoreManaging risk
Managing risk Some of you may have been concerned about the recent failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and any ripple effects on the banking system and the stock market. Before we get into the risk management lessons of SVB, we want to make sure our clients understand that their assets with us are secure.…
Read MoreWas “Always be diversified” the most important lesson from 2022?
Was “always be diversified” the most important lesson from 2022? 2022 presented several useful investing lessons. The news was full of reports about high inflation, yet many assets that were supposed to be good hedges against inflation were down. This is an example of how it is wise to expect the unexpected. Nonetheless, while there…
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