Another investing week is behind us and a long weekend is in front of us! There was no shortage of market-moving news this week as Moody’s downgraded the US, interest rates marched steadily higher, and the budget/tax bill was passed in the House and moved on to the Senate. However, as we enter the long […]

I’ve received a few questions this week about the recent downgrade of the US. Let’s take a look. Earlier this week, Moody’s (a credit rating agency in the US) downgraded the United State’s credit rating to Aa1 (one level below the highest available AAA). Moody’s was the last of the three major credit rating agencies […]

I’m not sure there has been a time in my investing career where I have felt as compelled to use roller coaster imagery as the past six weeks! Somehow, it seems the most accurate depiction of what investors have been experiencing as of late. Fortunately, for the last several weeks – and most notably the […]

If you took a break from all market news for the past month and a half, you might think April thru early May was an uneventful time. The S&P opened at on April 1 at 5597 and closed at on May 14 on 5893, resulting in a nice 5%+ return in just over a month. […]

I wrote last week about the increased discussion of a recession in the business media (and also discussed the definition of a recession here). It’s safe to say that many in the US are on the lookout for a recession in the coming months. I read an interesting analysis a few weeks ago discussing two […]

I talked with a few clients this week about my top five takeaways from the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting this past Saturday. Here is the list! 1.) Remember your good fortune – I’ve always respected the pride and appreciation Warren has for his good fortune – namely the fact that he was born in an […]

I talked with a client this week about a “hot topic” in the news as of late – what exactly is a recession? This is an important topic to understand so let’s take a look. Before diving into recession definition, let’s look at the broader business cycle. This chart does a nice job showing the […]

As the old adage goes, “April showers bring May flowers.” For investors, it sure felt like it was storming/raining most of the month of April – so let’s hope some sunnier/happier times lie ahead for us in May and beyond Let’s take a look at a few key events from the stormy month of April […]

If you are a bit (or a lot) confused by the daily news flow and the corresponding market movements, rest assure – you are not alone. There is really a seemingly endless stream of conflicting information coming at us each day (if not each hour). There are statements made, statements retracted, statements made by someone […]

If you’ve been reading any financial news as of late, you may have had the same question a client did this week – “should I be buying gold?” The question is justified as the precious metal regained all-time high prices, last seen in 1980 (adjusting for inflation) and is on pace for its best annual […]