News & Events

The Great Recession lasted less than two years, encapsulating the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression in the early 1930s. Starting at the close of December 2007 and lasting through the beginning of summer 2009, the Great Recession is defined by high unemployment rates and soaring home foreclosures. Recessions are primarily financial, of course, […]

Election years make many people anxious, investors included. Some of them panic and cash out early or think that they can predict more than is realistic based on the outcome of an election. But these lines of thinking typically lack sound support and do not take historical patterns into account. Over the years, we have […]

We are in the midst of some unprecedented times! We just finished some of the strangest weeks the world has ever recorded. Events were canceled, large gatherings were discouraged, and then even prohibited. Businesses and schools have had to adjust swiftly. Teachers and kids are doing distance learning from home. Restaurants are offering curbside pickup […]

Written by Tami Acree This article is primarily directed toward Millennials; that is, people born in the late 1980’s and the 1990’s. However, the recommendations stated below reflect principles that apply to every generation. If you have successfully navigated through several market cycles throughout your investing years, feel welcome to forward this article to someone […]

Written by Sandy Stuart   There are two major economic systems at work in the world’s economy: capitalism and socialism. It used to be that if an American politician could be tainted with the “socialist” label, his or her career would be finished. Not today. Bernie Saunders, a Democrat who wants to be president, claims to […]

Written by Joel Bengds Stock markets around the globe have experienced a great deal of market volatility over the last quarters of 2015 and now in 2016.  As you know, in 2015 the equity markets experienced a correction (i.e. when an investment declines 10% or more off a recent high) and then spent most of […]

The recent turmoil in the investment markets might cause one to think that people have lost money this year in U.S. stocks.  But in fact, most of the U.S. indices are sitting on double-digit gains, and the second quarter actually added to those gains. Despite a rocky last month, the Wilshire 5000–the broadest measure of […]

Behavioral studies about investing have always interested me. Perhaps it is the challenge of (or futility of) predicting the unpredictable, human behavior. All the studies I have read on the subject end up at the same place. Fear and greed rule! I would add another trait, that of overconfidence, which is born of pride. Fear, […]

My last article (see Low Interest Rates) concerned some of the potential problems associated with having interest so low for so long. I pointed out that “bubbles” might develop for some assets and that market corrections could result. You might wonder what actions we might be contemplating with client portfolios. Let’s look at what is […]

Interest rates in the U.S. have been quite low for about four years. They have been REALLY low since 2008. Economists are starting to worry about the effects of such a prolonged period of low interest rates. We could easily find ourselves with too much of a good thing. The purpose of this article is […]