Investing for the Unknowable
September 22, 2021  | By Matt Pierce

By Matthew Pierce, CFA Yogi was right, and it’s particularly difficult when it’s your hard earned money on the line! Uncertainty never goes away, it just changes shape. It is the water we swim in as investors, so we should…Read More

The Year of the IPO
July 19, 2019  | By Kevin Smith

Investors revel in the excitement of a beloved tech company ringing the bell on their opening day on the stock market. Months of media attention and speculation about the opening price lead up to this celebrated event. Will this company…Read More

Saving taxes in a bad stock market
December 21, 2018  | By Kevin Smith

There are two great things about bad stock markets: 1) opportunities to buy at attractive prices, and 2) opportunities to harvest tax losses. We have been hard at work over the last couple of weeks finding ways to save our…Read More

Lower cost ETFs now transaction-free on TD Ameritrade
October 25, 2017  | By Kevin Smith

Good news! Our preferred custodian, TD Ameritrade, recently announced that they are overhauling their offering of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) that trade without commissions. Here are a few key improvements: The list of ETFs that transact without trading costs will…Read More

Correlation and Portfolio Performance
August 31, 2015  | By Kevin Smith

Different types of investments are subject to different types of risk. On days when you notice that stock prices have fallen, for example, it would not be unusual to see a rally in the bond market. Asset allocation refers to…Read More

10 Financial Terms Everyone Should Know
February 11, 2015  | By Kevin Smith

Understanding financial matters can be difficult if you don’t understand the jargon. Becoming familiar with these 10 financial terms may help make things clearer. 1. Time value of money The time value of money is the concept that money on…Read More

Share Class Conversions for Lower Investment Costs
January 22, 2015  | By Kevin Smith

Part of our job as financial advisors is to seek out the best investment service relative to fees for our clients. One of the many benefits of moving your accounts to TD Ameritrade is access to lower cost mutual fund…Read More

All About IPOs
January 13, 2015  | By Kevin Smith

Maybe you’ve heard someone talking about investing in “a hot new IPO” and wondered what all the fuss was about. Or maybe you’ve heard about a company “going public” and thought about whether you should invest in it. If you’re…Read More

What does a -1.62% decline in the S&P on September 25th tell you?
September 26, 2014  | By Kevin Smith

It seems that whenever the daily price change of the stock market exceeds plus or minus 1%, the news headlines provide us with an indication that we should panic or rejoice. As you can see in the chart of daily…Read More

What do insurance companies invest in?
September 24, 2014  | By Kevin Smith

It is important to keep in mind what insurance companies are actually investing in when considering the features of annuities and cash value life insurance contracts. According to a paper published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in April…Read More