Quick, what is the definition of “stock market?” According to Jason Zweig’s new book, The Devil’s Financial Dictionary, it is: “A chaotic hive of millions of people who overpay for hope and underpay for value.” Jason Zweig is investing and personal finance columnist at The Wall Street Journal. His lexicon, inspired by American satirist […]
News & Insights
Longing for the golden era of the 1990s
Are we having a moment of nostalgia for the 1990s? I think I am after reading two articles on the subject in as many days. Remember the 1990s? The U.S. economy was in an expansion where we seemed to have cracked the code on balancing inflation and unemployment. There was a budget surplus. Europe was […]
Wall Street From Our Vantage Point
With the recent volatility in the world stock markets we thought we would comment now rather than wait for the September Newsletter. As Always, be in touch with any questions or thoughts. This is the best definition of Wall Street we know: “The stock market is only indirectly related to economics. It is a function […]
These are painful financial markets . . .
A few weeks ago, John Authers of the Financial Times wrote, “Amid one of the quietest sequences for the stock market on record, making money has proved painfully hard, especially for those who practice the art of value investing.” Recent markets have indeed been painful – lacking conviction and meaning, but offering plenty of uncertainty […]
Never Having to Say Goodbye…
Bloomberg Businessweek had an interesting article recently about something we rarely think about or notice – how we sign off on e-mails. E-mails started showing up in the 1990’s as a quicker and more informal option to letter writing. Originally e-mails were more like a memo and there wasn’t always a salutation or any kind […]
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions…
We are all very rational… at least we like to think so. At times we think things through thoroughly before making a decision. Other times we make snap decisions based on whatever. We drive out of our way to save a couple of dollars on a small item and then drop $10,000 on a stock […]
Big Picture Investment Thinking…
These are strange and difficult times for investors. U.S. stocks are up, but only a handful of companies are driving the indices while a lot of issues are hitting new lows. Storminess in China and Greece, and weakness in oil, gold, and commodities are creating anxiety. And while earnings reports haven’t been disastrous, downward guidance […]
Required Minimum Distribution – Demystified…
Each year about this time we send a notice to all eligible clients reminding them they need to take the Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from their IRAs before year-end. For those investors wondering what the fuss is all about, we thought we would put together the following primer on IRA distribution rules. What Is an […]
When only a few stocks drive the market’s performance
The Wall Street Journal ran an article this week called “The Only Six Stocks That Matter” about this year’s market gains being concentrated in just a few stocks. About half the gain in the Nasdaq this year (up over 7% YTD) has been from just six stocks — Amazon.com, Google, Apple, Facebook, Netflix, and Gilead […]
3000 people attend a cat’s funeral? Only in Japan . . .
Kitkat bars in dozens of flavors, rockabilly music, and KFC for Christmas dinner? These are a few of Japan’s quirky infatuations. And then there are cats – all kinds of cats. . . Only in Japan would a cat named Tama-chan become so revered that she would be given a Shinto-style funeral attended by thousands. […]
Let’s Do An American Restaurant…
Recently I was stumped by a foreign visitor. When asked where they would like to eat, they said, let’s go to an American restaurant. An American restaurant? Do you want to do Italian, Thai, Chinese, French? Maybe Vietnamese or even Nepalese? But American? What’s that? We are a land of immigrants and always have been. […]
The Travel Bug Bites…
Wealth and travel go hand in hand. The British started taking the Grand Tour of Europe in the 18th century. America first got its travel bug in the 19th century and things really took off after World War II. Travel opens your eyes to new places, new people and new customs. Most of all, travel […]
