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Did You Sell in May?

Date30 Jun 2014

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One of the more persistent investment myths is that it is a winning strategy to sell stocks in May and then wait to buy back into the market around November. The oft-repeated catch phrase is, “Sell in May and go away.” Well, this year if you sold your stocks in May, you would probably have...

The Wisdom of Breaking Away

Date23 Jun 2014

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In February 2012, a group of experienced skiers headed into the backcountry near the Stevens Pass resort in Washington State to look for untracked powder. It was a beautiful day, and everyone expected to have a great time skiing the popular Tunnel Creek section. Minutes after the first skiers began heading down the...

Let Go of the Money Worries

Date23 Jun 2014

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How many times have you had a conversation when you or the other person said something like: “I’m so worried about the stock market.” “I’m so worried about retirement.” “I’m so worried about the value of my home.” Assuming you have said or heard a derivation of one of these statements, ask yourself a big...

Gen X, Y investors see fiscal hopes sink in real estate quagmire

Date23 Jun 2014

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Throughout the course of my career, I’ve heard a lot of financial horror stories. The majority of these stories are told by baby boomers whose aggressive stock market strategies went bust, often at the behest of a transaction-oriented “advisor.” The most pain—yes, even marginally greater than that of former Enron employees and Bernie Madoff scam...

A Sad Cautionary Tale of Fraud

Date23 Jun 2014

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Recently, an adviser told me how one of his clients was scammed out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by his son. Let’s call the client “Bill,” the son “Robert,” the adviser “Phil” and the advisory firm “Registered.” Phil works on a team at Registered with another wealth adviser and a portfolio manager. All three interact...

A Cheap Investment That Could Return Millions

Date23 Jun 2014

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In 2006, I wrote The Smartest Investment Book You’ll Ever Read. Prior to that time, many investment books were long and mind-numbing, filled with charts, and intended to make investing so complex that readers would be incentivized to consult with the author or other financial experts. Smartest Investment broke the mold. It was short and pithy. It...

The Other Side of the Advisor Fees Discussion

Date23 Jun 2014

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A recent article by Motley Fool took dead aim at the cost of working with a financial advisor. The title says it all: “The Invisible and Brutal Cost of Using a Financial Advisor.” The premise of the article can be summarized as follows: 1. A hypothetical advisory fee of 1 percent of assets per year significantly reduces...

This Mantra Will Change How You Invest

Date23 Jun 2014

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Few can forget the iconic phrase in the movie “Jerry Maguire,” when Tom Cruise says, “Show me the money!” Here’s a similar mantra that will change the way you invest: “Show me the evidence!” A cursory review of what passes for “financial advice” demonstrates the importance of following this mantra. Here’s a sampling: Pimco’s advice. Virginie...

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