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March 2024 Market Commentary
We are now 25% through 2024 and it has been a pleasant surprise so far, especially after the higher volatility market we’ve seen over the past couple of years. A calm market tends to slowly grind up. And as we’ve observed before, the upward movement in this market...
IRS Scams – Don’t Fall for Them!
During tax season, taxpayers (meaning, most of us!) are often bombarded with documents and overwhelmed by a load of information. This creates an environment where scammers can easily step in and take advantage of even the most diligent. Tax season scams are becoming...
Are We in a Stock Market Bubble?
Ray Dalio is a hedge fund manager that I really appreciate for his Zen-like ability to cut through the noise of the marketplace and make his decision making so clear. The following are excerpts from his recent paper on how he determines if we are in a stock market...
What Investors Can Learn from Athletes
Nick Saban, recently retired football coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide said, “If you want to be good, you don’t really have a lot of choices.” He was referring to the choice to either be disciplined or not when it comes to a specific process that leads to success. ...
February 2024 Market Commentary
We are two months into 2024 and we’re back to a very separated market – meaning only a select few segments of the stock market are positive, while others (Small Cap stocks and much of the bond market) are negative. But that doesn’t (yet) mean that the market trend...
3 Questions to Ask Yourself at Tax Time
We see plenty of confusion and questions at this time of year regarding tax forms. And it’s no wonder! Not only do you get an influx of confounding forms in January and February; you also get increasingly gray interpretations of the new tax laws from Congress and...
The Market from 30,000 Feet
I’m sure you’ve noticed how different the countryside looks when flying over it in an airplane, so we are going to take a look at the financial markets from a similar perspective to see what we can glean. This first chart shows the S&P 500 Index over past 30...
Succeeding at Self-Control
Self-control is an important characteristic that can help us in all aspects of our lives from biting our tongue, to passing on the sweet treat, to accomplishing our New Year’s resolutions. But self-control isn’t easy! In fact, it can be downright painful, especially...
January 2024 Market Commentary
It’s a new year and the momentum of the stock market is attempting to carry through into the new year. The first three days of 2024 were down, but once we got through the first five days, the S&P 500 was only slightly negative (basically flat). There are...
Gamify Money Management
I was recently asked to contribute to an article for GoBanking Rates on “Frugal Living Tips Millennials Should Focus On in 2024.” It was fun to think about this topic and I was honored to be quoted in the final version. You can read the full article here: “Frugal...
A Peek into the Future
My usual January comment is that I don’t like to make predictions about the financial markets. Psychologically, one tends to get anchored to a prediction they make, and if the markets behave differently, that anchor becomes a pull toward making poor investment...
Everything is Transitory
In 2021, economic policymakers told us that inflation was transitory. In 2022, they changed their tune and said that inflation is persistent. They both could be correct, depending on the time frame being used. When it comes to long-term investing, many of the...
