Many (most) of my blogs during the past few years have centered on government policy. For each, my colleague Marisa Lenhard, CFA, CFP® (who is incredibly bright and well informed) will ask me, “How does that relate to our clients’ investments?” While it seems intuitively obvious to me, just the fact that she asks the … Continued

Markets continue to roil, further depressing equity and portfolio values. Once again, the determination of long term investors is being tested. In our view, the disconnect between the current economic environment and market perceptions continues to widen. The distress in Greece is creating issues that appear to be self-fulfilling prophecies for many financial institutions in … Continued

During times like these we are often asked what we are doing to protect the value of our clients’ portfolios. This is a fair question and one that deserves an answer. From a macro perspective, we take the time to understand each of our client’s risk tolerance, time horizons, income needs, etc. This information leads … Continued

We thought this was worth sharing: “Investors Who Held On Since 2008 Made Right Move”.  This was published August, 19, 2011 on CNBC.  They report three key findings: Those that changed equity allocations to zero and stayed clear of stocks had an average balance increase of only 2%. Participants who exited after the crash and recently … Continued

The confluence of events over the past few weeks continues to rattle markets, with recent events culminating in Friday night’s downgrade of the United States credit rating from AAA to AA+. The downgrade is a source of embarrassment for our nation. While one can agree or disagree on whether the action should have been taken, … Continued

My colleagues and I spent a considerable amount of time this morning discussing and debating the recent blockbuster disclosure that Warren Buffet’s (CEO Berkshire Hathaway and all around investment guru) fellow executive and heir apparent, David Sokol, had resigned from the company. Mr. Buffet released a statement that Mr. Sokol had resigned, and apparently there … Continued

We continue to hear about the struggles of our economy due to “uncertainty.” Much of the criticism towards Washington focuses on this “lack of certainty.” Businesses have been crying that this lack of certainty regarding regulation and taxes has postponed plans to spend and hire, resulting in growing amounts of cash on their balance sheets. … Continued

The price of gold declined rather sharply over the past several days. The July 26, 2010 Wall Street Journal Commodities headline read “Gold Sinks as Market Worries Ebb.” Investors typically use gold and the common stocks of gold mining companies to hedge their portfolios against inflation and/or political risks. Political risk can take many shapes … Continued