January 13, 2014 Dear Client: It's a pleasure to send your fourth quarter 2013 (Q4) performance report and statement of management fees. Our belief in a strong US economy led us to overweight large cap US stocks and underweight Treasuries and emerging markets. To lock in gains we reduced our small-cap positions at year end. [...]
October 11, 2013 Dear Client: It's a pleasure to send your third quarter 2013 (Q3) performance report and statement of management fees. We stayed out of emerging markets and long-duration bonds. As the quarter progressed we raised cash and emphasized large cap US and European stocks to protect against the end-of-quarter volatility we expected. US [...]
For 150 years, dolled-up ladies and sharp-dressed gents have celebrated a slice of Americana and flocked to Saratoga racecourse in upstate New York to watch some of the greatest athletes in the world compete for millions of dollars in prize money. Not a bad place to be on a warm summer day. Now from an [...]
I have been asked numerous times by people transitioning into retirement: “Why purchase anything more than Medicare parts A and B?” The underlying philosophy behind this approach is why pay for unnecessary insurance when I am healthy. I respond by asking, “Do you own life insurance, disability insurance, property and casualty insurance, and an umbrella [...]
July 11, 2013 Dear Client: It's a pleasure to send your second quarter 2013 (Q2) performance report and statement of management fees. We believe key to our performance was maintaining our US focus while avoiding emerging markets and long-duration bonds. We plan to continue this strategy moving forward. US stocks posted gains, hitting all-time highs [...]
By Ron Mastrogiovanni (7/1/13) An acquaintance of mine recently informed me that her husband was retiring. Considering that she is only 40, I found this pretty surprising. Apparently, this gentleman is blessed with the same magic that I am and was able to entice a lovely young woman two decades his junior to fall in [...]
Many friends, colleagues, and clients have been asking me about the increased volatility in the markets and possible Fed tampering. Instead of getting caught up in the excitement, here are a few thoughts. Look at cash flow. Last earnings season saw S&P revenues increase 1% and bottomed line profits increased by 5%: certainly a positive [...]
For this week’s Update, we submit some advice from Bob Powell. Bob has more than 20 years of financial services media experience and his work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, MarketWatch, and Your Money. He will be contributing periodically to the Weekly Update. Ask Bob Powell What happens to [...]
A golfing friend of mine has been asking me to write about an altercation he and his wife had with a wild animal last summer. The problem is that if I publish it, PETA would end up picketing both of our houses. My friend is a brawny ex-marine married to an attractive, fiery Italian girl [...]
For this week’s Update, I would like to submit some advice on two unrelated topics from Bob Powell. Bob has more than 20 years of financial services media experience and his work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, MarketWatch, and Your Money. He will be contributing periodically to the Weekly Update. [...]