Category: Risk

  • Long Term Stock Market Returns

    Looking at a chart covering the performance of the stock market over the last 30 plus years is a lot like looking at a chart of profitable business earnings at a cartoon enterprise meeting–it’s almost a caricature of itself, a steady upward slope shaped like a ski jump punctuated by regular but far-between drops, always…

  • 2015 Market Analysis

    The market had a very bumpy 2015, with a few scary drops, and some quick climbs.  The last quarter in specific stocks bounced back for most sectors after the downturn in quarter 3.  If you didn’t panic and sell out after the big drop in August, you were rewarded as the S&P 500 index was…

  • Are You Dollar Cost Averaging?

    Today we are going to discuss dollar cost averaging (DCA) and how it is most likely helping your retirement portfolio. “Dollar Cost Averaging-  The technique of buying a fixed dollar amount of a particular investment on a regular schedule, regardless of the share price. More shares are purchased when prices are low, and fewer shares…

  • When is it Safe to Get In the Market?

    Perhaps one of the biggest challenges that investors face is determining if “right now” is a safe time to invest (meaning not just the present, but any time). What makes it difficult for investors is a twofold issue: first, is a lack of historical knowledge and perspective, and second, their own emotions. Actually, if one…

  • Is it Safe?

    Perhaps one of the biggest challenges that investors face is determining if “right now” is a SAFE time to invest (meaning not just the present, but any time). What makes it difficult for investors is a twofold issue: first, is a lack of historical knowledge and perspective, and second, their own emotions. Actually, if one…

  • Second Quarter Market Returns

    There have actually been complaints in the media and news about how “boring” the stock market has been so far this year.  Boring is bad in sports, but in the stock market it is usually a good thing.  There has been slow but steady growth in every single sector and sub sector of the market…

  • What is a Hedge Fund?

    Are you missing out on the supposedly huge amount of profits to be made by investing with a “Guru” in his Hedge Fund? Hedge funds are like mutual funds, but they are managed by self titled experts who charge an enormous fee to try and beat the market.  Hedge funds and Investing Guru’s are built…

  • Retirement Planning Basics: Investment Accounts

    Planning your investments to build a retirement fund can be a dizzying prospect. The various questions and options and details and accounts and amounts are enough to make anyone’s head spin. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a generic recipe for success? A nice neat list of step by step instructions on how to…

  • Equities in the Last 30 Years: A Retrospective

    Looking at a chart http://bit.ly/qSHuve covering the performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average over the last century is a lot like looking at a chart of profitable business earnings at a cartoon enterprise meeting–it’s almost a caricature of itself, a steady upward slope punctuated by regular but far-between drops, always ending higher than it…

  • Should you Buy Gold as an Investment?

    We have all seen the advertisements and headlines that keep telling us that investors need to flee to safety and buy gold.  They will tell us that the stock market is going to crash worse than last time, and that investors need a hedge to inflation with gold.  They will say it with charisma and…