You may be wondering, “Buy the dips?” Well, are you good with knives? Because trying to catch a bottom can be painful. And yet, that’s what seems to be happening. Ginsu investors flailing at falling knives with cuts and scrapes like Allstate’s creepy “Mayhem” guy. Bad stuff happens. Deal with it. Markets can be brutal for a long, long time. I’ve yet to speak with anyone who likes losing money. And yet investors make bets they can’t afford to live with on a regular basis. All of a sudden, they realize it was wrong. And I’m not talking about wrong for a few months. I’m talking years or a … [Read more...]
Your Survival Guy: “Sell in May, Buy After Labor Day?”
Thoughts from Your Survival Guy: “Sell in May, buy after Labor Day?” Not me. The volatility is what separates the good investors from the great. You don’t need to be a hero, just “Survive and Thrive.” How do you think ESG looks when the lead proponent says it’s OK to change mid-course because of the problems in Ukraine? Isn’t ESG yet another climate change money grab? If you’re stuck in mutual funds and ETFs, the mothership is voting your shares. Don’t let the “woke” vote their politics with your money. Take a look at the top ten holdings of ESG funds. You might be surprised how … [Read more...]
FRIEND OR FOE: Are You Investing with Time, or Against It?
As pensions loaded up on real estate as a “sure thing, can’t miss” investment, office buildings are drowning from a wave of sublease space. Konrad Putzier reports on the glut of office space in The Wall Street Journal, writing: The amount of space listed for sublease surged in the first year of the pandemic to the highest level in decades in some cities. But it fell in the second half of 2021 as offices leased up and some companies took listings off the market. Now it is rising again. Sublease availability across the U.S. increased 3.6% in the first quarter to 159 million square feet, … [Read more...]
Robo-Advisors: When You Have a Lot More to Lose than Money
Update 5.2.22: Just when you thought robo-advisers couldn't get worse, they're marrying up with ESG investing, which you know from here, here, and here that you should avoid. The target of these two investing fads? Young people, of course. The Wall Street Journal reports: More young adults are looking to invest in ESG, but many don’t know where to start and can’t meet the investment minimum to work with a full-service financial adviser. Money-management firms are adding options to attract these customers, for whom investing even small amounts with an environmental, social or governance … [Read more...]
What Has Your Advisor Done for You Lately?
Does your advisor look at you like a source of revenue or as a valued customer who needs to be treated with the white-glove service you deserve? It’s worth asking, and I’ll get back to that in a minute, but first: What should you do if you’re thinking about retirement or just starting out in the workforce? America’s cities, especially its big blue cities, are a disaster, and that’s a travesty for the country. And I’m not just talking about New York, Chicago, and La La Land—you can add Austin, TX to my list. The one-time beacon of Texas’s economic freedom today resembles any old progressive … [Read more...]
Now Is the Time to KEEP What You’ve Made
You heard me here, here, and here, talking to you about making a plan. I’m not referring to the glossy reports you can get just about anywhere. I’m talking about your number one investment through the years—YOU. You’re the one who’s done the heavy lifting all these years to get to where you are today. It’s been a lifetime of saving and success. There’s a lot to be proud of. Now is the time to make sure you keep what you’ve made and look for a company that’s been around the block a time or two. As my father-in-law, Dick Young, writes: The Magic of Compound Interest Back in 1964, I began a … [Read more...]
Cut the Wait Times at Fidelity and Vanguard with Your Survival Guy
Investing in a chaotic world isn’t easy. You hope you’re doing the right thing. But hope is not a strategy. When I talk with investors like you on the phone, you’re telling me about the hours-long waits you’re enduring with custodians from Charles Schwab to Vanguard and, yes, even Fidelity. The phone tree is alive and NOT well. That’s unfortunate because you deserve more. If you’ve been with me through thick and thin, then you know the plan. You’re hunkered down collecting dividends and interest, in other words, getting paid to be in this market. If you’re not with me, I have no idea what … [Read more...]
YOU’RE NOT A DATA POINT: Don’t Rely on a Robo-Advisor
Why is your lazy cash still sitting on your couch? Why is it eating your food and watching your TV for free while inflation runs hotter than ever? And it feels much higher than any government stats you’re hearing. Your Survival Guy wonders, isn’t it time you kicked your lazy cash to the curb and made it do something with its life? Of course it is. But what to do? Times, they’re a changin’. There was a time, as my father-in-law, Dick Young, reminds me in an early morning email, when investors could invest in low-cost index funds and call it a day. Not anymore, especially with “Robo-Advisors” … [Read more...]
Investors: By the Time You Realize This, It’s Too Late
"If the Phone 'Doesn't Ring, 'It's Me" -- Jimmy Buffett You 'don't need to hear from me to know your breaking point. Because when you think to yourself, "We can't afford to lose more," and you say the same words to your spouse, that's when you know it's too late. And like clockwork, you sell until you can sleep. My take? You've been on a path that was always destined to end poorly. Sure, it would be easy if markets went straight up. But they don't. Prices change, and it's in times like these you're either comfortable with your financial plan, or you're not. There's not a whole lot of … [Read more...]
Don’t Be a FOOL: When Investors Reach for Yield
Quick public service announcement. It’s going to be a busy summer in Newport. Your Survival Guy can sense it. Last night, for example, we went down to the Clarke Cooke House on Bannister’s Wharf for some oysters. It felt like the middle of summer, and it’s only mid-February. If you’re planning to visit Newport, make your reservations now. OK, let’s dig into this. When it comes to investing and personal security, Your Survival Guy looks at risk, first and foremost. As a rule of thumb, I do not base my investment decisions on past performance, and I always look to Dick Young’s North Star for … [Read more...]
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