-
12 Oct '20
Should I Invest Internationally?
Continue readingInternational stocks have been crushed by U.S. stocks over the past decade—and the return from developed international markets has barely outpacing inflation over the past 20 years. Leading some investors to question if they should own foreign equities given this poor performance. For a variety of reasons, we still believe U.S. investors should maintain exposure […]
-
28 Sep '20
Are TIPS a Good Investment – Inflation Hedge Series
Continue readingWith the Federal Reserve “printing” massive amounts of new money to fund Congress’s record-breaking deficit spending, I thought it would be a good time to review investments considered good hedges for inflation. Ideally a good inflation hedge would maintain (or increase) its real value during periods of high inflation. Today’s post will consider Treasury Inflation-Protected […]
-
17 Sep '20
Are Amazon and Google technology companies?
Continue readingWhen you think of large technology companies, you probably think of companies like the so-called FAANG stocks: Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), Netflix (NFLX), Google (GOOG). Not a bad starter list of highly successful “tech” companies. But from an investing standpoint—of the 5 FAANG stocks—only Apple Inc. is considered part of the Information Technology […]
-
31 Jul '20
Target Date Retirement Funds
Continue readingThe most common investments in many tech company 401k plans are target date retirement funds. These funds provide employees with exposure to a diversified investment portfolio that systematically shifts out of risky asset classes (like stocks) and into less volatile investments (like bonds) as you get older and closer to retirement. Firms like Amazon.com and […]
-
10 Jul '20
A Recovery for the Ages
Continue readingMost risky assets staged a dramatic recover in the second quarter of 2020. The S&P 500 index (large U.S. stocks), MSCI EAFE index (developed markets international stocks) and the MSCI Emerging Markets index all bounced of year-to-date lows set on March 23. The Russell 2000 index (small U.S. stock) shined among the equity indices by […]
-
08 Apr '20
Now What?
Continue readingNow What? Stay calm and do nothing. With global stock markets tumbling and an extreme level of uncertainty around the future, human nature is act, to do something, to intercede, to make things better. Yet as a long-term investor, you are often best served by doing nothing different (or very little). Just let your investment […]