I was listening to a podcast recently with Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, one of the largest and most successful hedge funds in the world. A theme Dalio returned to several times was the… Read More
Tax Loss Harvesting – Another Free Lunch?
Had Harry Markowitz thought about it, he probably would have considered tax loss harvesting a free lunch. Markowitz was a seminal figure in the academic study of investing, and he famously called diversification the only… Read More
Investing in Gold
Questions about investing in gold are almost always a tell. If someone is interested in investing in gold, chances are that person is worried. Over the years, gold has acquired a reputation as a go-to… Read More
Investing in Rental Real Estate – Does It Make Sense for You?
When clients discuss ideas for producing investment income, investing in rental property is – after bonds – among the first to come up. The idea of generating a steady stream of income from a tangible… Read More
Humility and Patience – Characteristics of a Successful Investors
Years ago, I was sitting in on a conference call for a mutual fund that had done well for clients but had stumbled recently. The calls offered a chance for advisors to ask questions of… Read More
The Risks of Chasing Return over the Short Term
The Fed-driven era of low interest rates has certainly brought some advantages, but good returns on “safe” investments like isn’t one of them. Clients regularly ask me where they can invest cash they’ll need -… Read More
Alternatives to Market Timing
In last week’s post, I walked through the challenges of market timing strategies in investing. The buying low and selling high that characterizes an ad-hoc approach doesn’t work, and it can be tough to stick… Read More
Market Timing
I’ve begun reviewing what happens in market downturns in client meetings. It isn’t because I believe a bear market is just around the corner, but rather because it has been nearly 10 years since the… Read More
Investing Outside the Public Markets – Things to Consider
When you have money to invest, everyone will have investing ideas. Some of those ideas might strike you as attractive, particularly if the market has been in the doldrums and your “traditional” portfolio of equities… Read More
Investment Management and Building Your Portfolio – Questions to Ask
In the last few posts, I’ve covered the importance of investment beliefs and also discussed a few surprising things I’ve learned in nearly 15 years of managing investments. In this post, I want to cover… Read More