Learning Center

Midyear Checkup: A Time to Adapt

Date13 Jul 2015

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Where am I now? Where do I want to go from here? At the start of each year, many of us make it a habit to ask ourselves the two above questions. The answers help us map out a strategy, make resolutions and set goals. This annual exercise offers us the opportunity to take stock...

Focus on the Opportunities, Not the Shoals

Date13 Jul 2015

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More than a decade ago, I learned how to kayak. I practiced in the pool a few times before deciding to test my skills on the river. For one of my first trips, my wife and I traveled to the Snake River just below Jackson Hole, Wyo. We planned to paddle a stretch of the...

Budgeting Guide for the Rich

Date13 Jul 2015

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“You don’t really do this stuff—do you?” The question came from a major network anchor after the camera stopped rolling. The topic was budgeting. He certainly isn’t obtuse, and he wasn’t being patronizing or condescending. It was a legitimate question that accurately reflects the underlying perception held by most people in any demographic–that budgeting is...

A Close Look At Neuberger Funds

Date13 Jul 2015

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In this installment of our continuing series on the ability of actively managed fund families to generate alpha, we’ll evaluate the recent performance of equity funds managed by Neuberger Berman to determine if the firm adds value for its investors. Regardless of whether it actually delivers on its promise, it seems Neuberger Berman’s “active, risk-disciplined...

Mythical Emerging Market Returns

Date13 Jul 2015

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The headline of a May article in Investment News, authored by senior columnist Jeff Benjamin, declares: “When investing in emerging-markets economies, stock picking beats indexed exposure.” As regular readers of my work will most likely not be shocked to discover, this assertion doesn’t reflect my own thoughts, nor is it supported by the historical evidence....

The Battle Over the DOL’s Fiduciary Rule Gets Dirty

Date13 Jul 2015

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The battle over a rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Labor, which would require retirement plan advisors to be fiduciaries to plan participants, has descended to a new low. The securities industry lobby has been earning its keep, persuading some members of Congress that putting the interest of plan participants first is actually a...

High Growth Countries No Sure Thing

Date13 Jul 2015

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Conventional wisdom can be defined as ideas so ingrained in our belief system that they are accepted without challenge. Unfortunately, much of the conventional wisdom about investing is incorrect. For example, the conventional wisdom that investors seeking high returns should invest in countries forecasted to produce high rates of economic growth—such as India and China—is...

A Joyful Way to Look at Budgeting

Date13 Jul 2015

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For most people the “B-Word” (budgeting) conjures up feelings of deprivation and self-denial. As such, when it comes to deciding how to allocate your hard-earned cash, I far prefer a concept I call “joy-based spending” to traditional budgeting. Here’s how it works. Instead of telling yourself all the things you shouldn’t spend money on, you...

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