Did you know that there are two different standards for investment advice depending on who provides it?  Advisors (or salespeople) at  brokerage or insurance companies are legally allowed to recommend an investment that may cost you more than alternative investments (thus providing them with more income) and that may not meet your risk or return…
Read more

In my last post I demonstrated the importance of understanding how data is presented when comparing the performance of different investments.  When utilizing a cumulative performance chart, the key takeaway was that the starting point has a significant impact on the perceived results.  In our example, we compared the Dow Jones Total Stock Market US…
Read more

I was having a discussion the other day with someone about investing in international equities.  Her belief was that international stocks have significantly underperformed U.S. stocks for a long time, and therefore she did not see any value in adding them to her portfolio.  As proof, she cited the following chart from the Wall Street…
Read more

ETFGI, an independent research firm focused on the global Exchange Traded Product (ETP) industry, reported that as of the end of Q1 2017 global ETP assets (which include ETFs) exceeded global hedge fund assets by over $800 billion. This is a good thing.  Mostly because it means hedge fund participation over the last two years…
Read more