News & Insights

January is a good month to talk about personal finance. Many people are looking to turn over a new leaf and get motivated about finances. But on January 1, Intuit, which owns a popular free budgeting app, Mint, decided to close the service. Warren Buffett likes to say about investment, “it’s simple, but not easy.” […]

Of course, there are the rest of us here at H+D too, and it would be an injustice not to mention the contributions that each of us makes. Here is a quick recap of who does what day in and day out: Alex Watson is a senior portfolio manager and Investment Committee member, where he […]

Warren Buffett once advised, hang out with people who are better than you: “Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction.” Of course, we couldn’t agree more. It’s the people you work with that make you better. That’s why we’re excited to introduce three recent arrivals at H+D […]

Federal Reserve efforts to tame inflation through steady interest rate increases seem to be having their desired effect. But the last two years have been tough on investors with both stock and bond prices experiencing unprecedented levels of volatility. Against this backdrop, it is no wonder that money market funds have gained broad appeal. Last […]

Investors were grappling with a lot of uncertainty at this time last year. Covid infection rates remained elevated. With inflation still clocking in at 6%-7%, interest rates seemed poised to march ever higher. Abroad, Europe was struggling with sky high gas prices while the war in Ukraine raged on. Against this backdrop, investment strategists largely […]

In our line of work we are privy to a lot of preconceptions surrounding estate taxes. Some of these ideas make sense, while many are outdated, overlook the added nuance of state taxes, or misunderstand the impact of gifting. Note: an estate lawyer is the ultimate source for good information! Many people who began estate […]

ESG investing – the practice of incorporating Environmental, Social, and Governance considerations into investment decisions — has been stirring up a lot of debate and emotions. At least in the mainstream press, it can seem like ESG went from investment darling to reviled failure in a very short time. But that is glossing over a […]

Our annual office chocolate recipe competition was back to in-person this year after going virtual during the pandemic. Entries ranged from above-average execution of Swedish classics (nice thumbprints, Sven!) to avant-garde, meta-culinary experiences (chocolate-covered pickles…thank you, Art). But the winning recipe was the clear standout, and our champion is not from the old guard, but […]

After living five weeks in Zhoushan, my verdict is life there is very convenient and comfortable. Home ownership is widespread. For the vast majority of people, a “home” is an apartment in a high-rise complex consisting of 10 to 20 towers. Our apartment is in an 11-tower complex, each tower 10 to 15 floors. Doing […]

In addition to living on the China coast in Zhoushan, Xin and I travelled over 2,200 miles inland by train, bus, and car. This is the equivalent of going from New York City to Salt Lake City. We got as far west as Xi’An and as far north as Yan’An, the headquarters of the Communist […]

SPOILER ALERT: I cannot add anything meaningful to what is being reported by the Western press on the Chinese economy. But I can confirm what is being said. Business is weak, the manufacturing index is down, exports are lagging, and private investment has declined by a quarter since 2020. There are two important things to […]

My wife Xin and I recently spent five weeks in her hometown in China, 180 miles south of Shanghai. Zhoushan is a series of islands now connected to the mainland by modern bridges and high speed expressways. The population is small by Chinese standards, only 700,000 residents. Zhoushan is a major fishing port and best […]