2018 and older

November 20, 2017 As the holiday season approaches, so does the time for our annual shopping binge. Whether we are big online shoppers, or prefer traditional brick and mortar stores, there is no denying that we spend a lot more…

November 13, 2017 Inflation has been low for years. There are signs, though, that this might change. GDP has moved up to around 3%, unemployment is low enough to raise expectations of wage pressure, and the capital markets are priced…

November 6, 2017 I’m often asked by my friends how to get started with investing. Most of them are college graduates but have had very little education on financial management or investing. At most universities this is something you have…

October 30, 2017 We recently had an opportunity to spend some time with Ben Bernanke as he was visiting Atlanta. He spoke to a small gathering of financial professionals over lunch. The last time we were with him he was…

November 27, 2017 As investment professionals, we are very mindful of the expenses paid for holding particular investments. In recent years regulators, academics, and the media have heralded the advantages of keeping investment costs low through passive, index-based investing.  Active…

October 23, 2017 The statement seemed innocuous: “BBBs rule investment grade bonds”. But that simple statement summarizes an important story about the current state of the credit market. Before explaining why let’s first do a quick refresher on the fascinating…

October 2017 It continues to be a good year for equity investors across the board. The S&P 500 Index finished the quarter up 14.2% year to date, including reinvested dividends. The Russell 2000 Index of small and mid-cap stocks was…

October 16, 2017 One of the more significant business trends in recent years has been the decline of traditional brick and mortar retailers, drowned out by the flood of online shopping. The early casualties include well known names such as…

As the third quarter ended pretty much every US equity market hit all time highs. There is plenty of debate as to the reasons, but maybe it is simply a result of where we are in the economic/business cycle. The…

October 2, 2017 There have been heightened concerns over the behavior of North Korea for months now, but what do we really know about this small country that neighbors China, Russia, and South Korea. A recent BBC article provides some…