Here we are…two weeks until Election Day. This year it seems it can’t come (and go) soon enough! I learned a long time ago that it is best to avoid political conversations with coworkers, clients, and business associates. But this year these conversations seem almost unavoidable. 

Read more.

Friday was yet another interesting day in an interesting year. As you undoubtedly know by now, the UK electorate voted to leave the European Union sending global markets into a tailspin.

Read more.

“In the real world, things generally fluctuate between ‘pretty good’ and ‘not so hot.’ But in the world of investing, perception often swings from ‘flawless’ to ‘hopeless.’ The pendulum careens from one extreme to the other, spending almost no time at the ‘happy medium’ and rather little time in the range of reasonableness. The market is manic depressive. It swings from seeing only positives to seeing only negatives and from interpreting everything positively to interpreting everything negatively.” — Howard Marks, Chairman, Oaktree Capital.

Read more.

This is a great reference card for 2016 tax rates, tax deadlines, retirement account contribution limits, social security information and medicare information. This reference card is also full of other miscellaneous, important bits of information.

Read more.

Benchmarking is an important but often misused exercise. Used properly, a benchmark should provide a reference point for what was possible in a given period of time. It should also allow one to evaluate their own strategy, understand their successes and failures, and improve their process accordingly. Read more.

When Thanksgiving is a blur of food, family, and football, it’s all too easy to lose sight of the holiday’s real meaning. After all, Thanksgiving is an enduring holiday for a reason: there are inspirational lessons to be learned from our ancestors.

Read more.

Almost ten months into 2015, market performance this year reminds me a lot of 2011. The S&P 500 ended that year at 1257.60, fractionally off the 1257.64 level where it ended 2010. The Wall Street Journal stated, “For the S&P 500, 2011 Basically Never Happened.” But 2011 was a painful series of advances, declines, a near bear market decline of 19.4%, and a bumpy recovery to end the year flat. For investors, 2011 was emotionally trying even if nothing really happened.

Read more.

Are You Prepared?

As you may know, my wife has been a successful triathlete. Before our three children arrived she raced as a professional, and now she's back to racing at an elite level while also trying to break into the world of triathlon and performance enhancement coaching. 

Read more

In this review of the first half of 2015, we also address one of the biggest questions for investors: Do U.S. stocks at today’s levels still offer compelling value? 

Read more.

This is a great, handy reference card for tax rates, tax deadlines, retirement account contribution limits, social security information and medicare information. This reference card is also full of other miscellaneous, important bits of information that you can have at your disposal this year.Read more.