The typical teen believes it is important to live within one’s means and to have good money habits. But the typical teen also lacks basic financial knowledge and has unrealistic expectations about their earnings potential as adults. The average teen looks forward to an annual salary of $145,000 once they hit the workforce. Boys, who expect to earn $173,000 per […]
Year: 2007
Was the February market drop a portent of things to come?
Complacency will get you into trouble, at least in the financial markets. Back in February, when the U.S. stock market dropped almost 3.5% in one day (following an 8% plunge in the Chinese market), investors became alarmed, newspapers ran front-page headlines for several days, and television “experts” opined about the market’s sudden volatility. It wasn’t the market that had suddenly […]
Forget trends and patterns: Randomness rules the stock market
Despite impressive evidence that most short-term movements in the markets are random, professional and amateur investors alike continue to throw hundreds of billions of dollars at strategies designed to beat the market. The common perception is that certain securities are “mispriced”—that is, investors have bid them too high or too low based on their inherent value.The human mind has evolved […]
Financial gurus can be too simplistic
Best-selling author Suze Orman has become a veritable guru to women (and many men) who want to get a handle on their finances. Through her books, television shows, and personal appearances, Orman has preached a philosophy of financial responsibility and debt reduction. There is no question that her basic message is helpful and important to the many Americans who find […]
Client Letter – Q1 2007
Please take a moment to remember the 3.3% decline in the Dow, which occurred less than a month ago (and was caused by the sell off in Asian markets). Now, look at your performance reports. You’ll notice that your investments are up for the quarter by two to three percent, which is a great quarterly return. It always amazes me […]
Want to retire? More savings, not higher returns, will get you there
First, the good news: it is entirely within your power to make a significant difference in your retirement income security. Now, the bad news: because it is within your power, you have to do the work. You cannot rely on the investment markets to carry you to a comfortable retirement. Your level of retirement savings—not the performance of your retirement […]
In the stock market as in horse racing, go with the odds
Predicting the stock market is like handicapping the horses: you can pull in and analyze lots of variables, but in the end it’s better to go with the odds. Bettors at the track look at a horse’s lineage, recent races, jockey, performance in similar weather, and hundreds of other variables. In the end, however, the results of that particular race […]
Regular rebalancing is the best way to protect a portfolio
It’s a simple fact: investors abhor losses. They engage in all sorts of strategies and practices in order to avoid or minimize losses. At the same time, investors are often excitable and greedy. When a segment of the investment market goes through a prolonged upswing, they throw money at it as they chase recent returns. Many academic studies, as well […]
The richest control even more of the world’s wealth
The continuing concentration of wealth recently has caused even President Bush to lecture the New York Stock Exchange about the dangers of income inequality. In the United States back in the 1960s, the top 1% of households had a net worth that was 125 times greater than the average household net worth. Today, the net worth of wealthy households is […]
IRAs are now charitable giving tools
IRA owners who don’t think they will use all of their accounts in retirement have been given a brief opportunity to make charitable gifts directly from their accounts. A temporary tax rule approved this year allows IRA owners who are 70.5 or older to contribute up to $100,000 to a charity without recognizing the contribution as taxable income. Direct contributions […]