Steve's Blog

The age old Wall Street adage “sell in May and go away” is one of many captions that work, until they don’t.  It suggests selling all of your stocks on May 1st and staying out of the market until November 1st.  This somewhat outdated superstition can be tracked back to the early 20th century when trading volume was significantly impacted by the extended summer vacation season of Wall Street traders.   The track record of the “sell in May and go away&rd

Comments   Don’t fight the Fed. "The Fed", the informal reference to the central banking system of the globes largest economy formed in 1913 to make the financial system of the U.S. more safe, stable, and flexible. Sometimes "the Fed" refers to a single man, the Chairman of the FOMC. Today, that person happens to be Jerome Powell and nobody I know wants to pick a fight with him. So, what does it mean when you hear "don't fight the Fed"? It is a mantr

Reversion to the mean – (or running from it)For many investors “mean” describes how they felt this year when they open their investment statement.  In my experience many investors don’t look passed the first page.  Especially when their account value drops.  For those who dared to venture beyond the first few pages they likely saw the simultaneous correction of the stock and bond markets, something not seen in more than 50 years according to a report from S

What Is a Contrarian?Contrarian investing is an investment style in which investors purposefully go against prevailing market trends by selling when others are buying and buying when most investors are selling. Berkshire Hathaway Chair and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Warren Buffett is a prominent contrarian investor who famously said, "Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful". This is one of his most famous quotes and sums up his appr

Since the end of World War II, we have seen many changes in how countries do business with each other.  Starting with the US and English having a meeting at the Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods New Hampshire, where the International Monetary Fund was conceived and continuing to the World Trade Organization (WTO) founded in 1995. During that 50-year period many more treaties were signed by a larger contingent of nations.  All these things connected the world in such a way that makes it

Saving money when planning a trip—the dos, the don’ts. Imagine coming home refreshed from a wonderful vacation, made even more satisfying because you saved 20%-30% on its cost. That can happen. With a little planning, a trip can become notably cheaper. When you travel can make a difference. Book a trip during the off-season or the “shoulder seasons” adjoining it. Hotels and air carriers hike their prices in peak season, so avoid that time. The same goes for how you travel

To recess or not to recess. The question as to whether we are in a recession, like many things today seems to depend on what political party you belong to. Certainly, no incumbent politician wants a recession on their watch. On July 28th we received an advanced estimate showing the economy in contraction for the second consecutive quarter. The widely held view is a recession is called after 2 consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth, at least since Julius Shiskin, an economist in 1974 came

Wake-Up Call...What is your current morning routine?

For whatever reasons, errors can and do appear on credit reports. Most frequently, errors are due to honest mistakes or misidentification. Nevertheless, you have a right to dispute errors or misleading information contained in your credit bureau files.

It's easy to see how inflation affects your daily life. Gas prices are higher. Electric bills are steeper. Wallets are thinner. But what inflation does to your investments isn't always as obvious. Let's say your money is earning 4% and inflation is running between 3% and 4% (its historical average). That means your so-called "real return" - the stated return minus inflation - is only 1% at best. After you subtract any account fees, taxes, and other expenses...

You’re never too young to begin building an investment portfolio.

Investing is a risky business. Understanding the different types of investment risk and the impacts they play on returns is critical for planning a successful, long-term investment strategy.

Investing is a risky business. Understanding the different types of investment risk and the impacts they play on returns is critical for planning a successful, long-term investment strategy.