Here we are.  Still crossing the figurative bridge (read earlier posts here and here) over a vast valley of uncertainty.  We’ve come a long way in our journey, enduring global economic shutdown, skyrocketing unemployment, considerable strife and tragic loss of human life, and seemingly never ending uncertainty about what comes next. Even though life seems […]

When the quarantine first began, I knew that I needed to establish some habits to keep myself grounded.  One of those habits was a daily gratitude practice (I use the Five Minute Journal).  The journal has many daily prompts, one of which is “Daily Affirmations: I am ____________.”  Recently, I looked back at my entry […]

Throughout the past few months, as I think about markets and investing, I’ve had an image in my mind’s eye. It’s that of the iconic Bixby Canyon bridge in Big Sur, California . As you wind your way down the coast of California on Highway 1, this bridge spans a staggeringly deep valley that plunges […]

“When will this end?” “Has the market reached its bottom yet?” “Could asset prices go higher? “Could asset prices go lower?” “What else will the government do?” “How will the virus progress from here?” These are just a sampling of the questions I’ve been discussing with clients over the past months as the COVID-19 situation […]

Note: Life isn’t easy at the moment for any of us.  We have financial concerns, as well as very real health concerns.  While this post will focus on the “investing” side of things, please don’t think for a minute that I’m blind to the seemingly more pressing concerns surrounding our health and the health of […]

A fundamental part of being an investor is having a strategy for handling challenging times.  It takes someone with a rationale mind, a steady hand, and an ample supply of knowledge and grit to be an investor in times of uncertainty. And once again, we find ourselves in such a time.  It is never easy and it’s […]

“When the facts change, I change my mind “ This well-known quote from John Maynard Keynes is a seemingly sound piece of advice. However, when it comes to your investing journey, you have to be careful about changing your mind too quickly. When major events occur and media headlines express panic and uncertainty, our instincts […]

View fullsize Many investors are still flying high after a very successful 2019. Returns for virtually all asset classes were above average in the year, coming off of a challenging end to 2018. Chart shows the returns by asset class for the year (click on chart to enlarge). Below are some key items we are […]

Rebalancing. One of many investing buzzwords that deserves a closer look. Let’s start with your target allocation. When you started investing, a target allocation was set for you and your specific situation, based upon a variety of factors including risk tolerance, liquidity needs, timeline, long-term goals, and many others. Your target allocation specified how much […]

Here we are again…after months of volatility and discussion of an impending recession, many markets have once again reached all-time highs. Such a sharp turn upward to asset prices in 2019 has many once again asking, “what now?” Here are a few things we are keeping in mind as we serve our clients in this […]