Cracked screens and the sunk cost fallacy
September 11, 2020  | By Kevin Smith, CFA

I almost got tripped up by the sunk cost fallacy. Almost! This is a public service announcement to help others avoid a costly mistake. A sunk cost is the time and/or money already spent. It’s done. For example, you spent…Read More

Great companies at bad prices
July 22, 2020  | By Kevin Smith, CFA

Prices matter. In fact, we think prices matter a lot. There is a price low enough to make an unimpressive investment attractive. There is a price high enough to make an amazing investment unattractive. Today, investors in the US stock…Read More

Three Mortgage Refinance Strategies
July 6, 2020  | By Kevin Smith, CFA

After a video interview with Nick Flanagan of Summit Funding, I asked if he could share some helpful examples of the different types of mortgage refinancing. Here is what he gave us. Special thanks to Nick for the education. Cost…Read More

How much MSFT, AAPL, AMZN, GOOGL, FB do I own?
May 21, 2020  | By Kevin Smith, CFA

When you own a diversified portfolio, it doesn’t feel like owning stocks. What you see on your statement is a list of ETFs or mutual funds with names that describe the type of stocks you own “US Large Cap”, “International…Read More

Podcast: “Personal Finances and COVID-19”
May 4, 2020  | By Kevin Smith, CFA

Follow this link to our latest podcast. This is a conversation with Austin-based tech entrepreneur, Kevin McLaughlin. He and I regularly discuss the financial challenges and economic opportunities of the Millennial generation. We talk about methods to deal with losses…Read More

Investing during a crisis: Coronavirus
February 28, 2020  | By Kevin Smith, CFA

Stock prices adjust to reflect the collective expectations of all investors. The basic formula for estimating a stock price is estimating future cash flows and discounting them based on risk. Lower expected cash flows = lower price. Higher risk =…Read More

Your Budget in a Recession
September 26, 2019  | By Kevin Smith, CFA

As of September 2019, life is good here in Austin, TX and much of the United States. Wages are up, jobs creation is abundant, the business community is thriving, home values have been on the rise for years. People under…Read More

Risk Level is SOOOO Important
February 5, 2019  | By Kevin Smith, CFA

The amount of investment risk you take will probably make the biggest difference in how your account performs over short and long periods of time. It deserves our attention more than almost any other topic. The two competing investment objectives…Read More

529 Plan Defaults are Deficient
January 15, 2019  | By Kevin Smith, CFA

College funds are designed to be simple so the largest number of people will use them. Signing up is easy. Linking your bank account is easy. Accessing accounts online is easy. Now investing is easy… maybe too easy. Choosing investments…Read More

2018 Year-End Trading
January 15, 2019  | By Kevin Smith, CFA

The stock market brought us gifts just in time for Christmas. The chart above show the % declines from all-time highs over the past five years for the S&P 500. Christmas Eve just happened to be the most significant pull…Read More