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The AP reported that a Euclid, Ohio woman called 911 to report a crime. She had ordered eight pieces of chicken at a KFC drive-thru but the restaurant had given her only four pieces.1 “I want my chicken,” the woman was heard telling a dispatcher. She then requested that law enforcement come to the restaurant…
For most investors, 2022 was not a good year. Seemingly, week after week, the stock market was down.1 And to make matters worse, we endured the worst bond market in about 50 years. Meanwhile, the value of people’s portfolios was also being eroded by record inflation. These conditions had many investors wondering if there was a…
There’s an old business school joke about an entrepreneur who prices his widgets at half the cost of making them. “It’s true I’m losing money on every sale,” he explains, “But I’ll make up for it in volume.” Over the past decade this has seemingly been the business model of a host of tech-enabled companies.…
It’s always fun to look through an old newspaper, especially if it was printed more than 50 years ago. On the front page under bold headlines you can read about the biggest concerns of that day. It’s interesting to note how many urgent problems of that era are even thought about today. But even more…
Many people have the misconception that the primary goal of investing is to make as much money as you can as fast as you can. Unfortunately, you can’t just order up outsized returns like a delivery pizza. You have to pay for your chance at them with concentrated risk. The bigger the potential payout, the…
In Homer’s Odyssey, the hero Odysseus is trying to get back home with his ship intact. At one point in their journey, he and his crewmen must pass near the rocks of the sirens. These are creatures with the bodies of birds and heads of women who sing magically enticing songs that cause men on passing…
It seems like all the pharmaceutical ads on TV (or wherever you stream your content) follow the same formula. They say a few words about an illness or condition, then they show ordinary people enjoying the kinds of wonderful activities that make us all jealous on social media: Driving a vintage convertible along the coast,…
According to the American Heritage Idioms Dictionary, William Camden was the first to record the saying, “The early bird gets the worm.” He included it in his 1605 edition of English proverbs.1 Its straightforward meaning is that the person who arrives or acts first is more likely to get what he wants. It’s been a guiding…
In 1992 American political scientist Francis Fukuyama published The End of History and the Last Man. This highly regarded book declared that global politics had reached its final stage. Liberal (in the classical sense) democracy would continue to spread until it was the standard form of government for the nations of the world.1 At the time,…
A friend who was discouraged about their weight loss efforts was bemoaning the necessity of food. “If you have a drinking problem,” they said, “you can give up alcohol. But if you have an eating problem, you can’t just give up food.” The same is true of money. The drive to acquire it can warp…
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If what you thought to be true about your investments turned out to be false, when would you want to know?
Tip Number 1: Look at the SAI of the mutual funds you own. The SEC requires each mutual fund company
Asset Protection Tip Number 1 It should be pointed out that many portfolio managers, financial advisors, stockbrokers, and financial planners
Truth Number 1 There can be times when the market goes up and your equity indexed annuity will get 0% credit.
What does your money really have to do to bring you peace of mind? The answers lie in asking the right questions,
Just by reading The Fiduciary Awareness Guide, you will know more than most plan sponsors about what it means to be a prudent fiduciary.
Those who benefit the most are employers sponsoring a retirement plan and those who are currently investing for retirement.
Hans Christian Andersen recorded a folktale about a poor farmer who takes his horse to market to sell or exchange for something that will be more practical for his farm. But on the way to his destination, the Old Man (as he’s known in the story) makes a series of ill-advised trades. In each case…
More than 40 years ago, if you had made a list of the most influential investors in America, Peter Lynch would have been near the top. From 1977 to 1990 he ran Fidelity’s Magellan Fund, and during this span compounded capital at a rate of more than 29%.1 He achieved this feat by managing to choose stocks…
Forecasts: Reasonable, Methodical, and Wrong – Presented by Mark K. Lund
Late in 2022 the strategy team at Goldman Sachs Research released their forecast for the U.S. stock market in 2023.1 Based on what had happened the year before and on where the economy appeared to be headed, it seemed to be perfectly reasonable. “Zero earnings growth will drive zero appreciation in the stock market,” wrote…
Quarterly Client Letter – 2022 Q4 – Provided by Mark K. Lund, Financial Advisor
Every January, it’s typical to reflect on market data from the year past. You’ll see the results in your own quarterly reports, as well as across the usual flurry of broad market analyses. Even when the numbers aren’t what we’d prefer—which has certainly been the case for 2022—we look at them anyway. It’s good to…
If They Can Predict the Weather, Why Not the Stock Market? Humans have always had a strong desire to know the future. Soon after writing was developed in ancient Mesopotamia the Babylonians began using it to catalog thousands of auguries—observances of natural phenomena that they believed could predict major events.1 We still want to know…
The difference between planning ahead and worrying ahead When was the last time you watched the entire safety demonstration by an airline cabin crew? If you’ve traveled enough, you could probably stand up and give most of the presentation yourself. Using props like a seatbelt, an oxygen mask, and a lifejacket, the attendants talk about…
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