Which Is Better: Bad Advice or No Advice?

Which Is Better: Bad Advice or No Advice?

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

Understand The Data You Use for Investing (Part 2)

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

Understand The Data You Use for Investing (Part 1)

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

How Much Would You Pay For Promises?

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

New Study: Picking Stocks Is a Losing Bet

Here’s a simple question: which asset class has better historical returns, stocks or one-month U.S. treasury bills?  That’s pretty much a no-brainer.  Most anyone would tell you the answer is stocks.  And they’d be right.  Since 1926 treasury bills have returned a paltry 3.5% annually on average, vs. over 10% for the S&P 500. That’s…
Read more

Beware of Fake News When Investing

The concept of knowledge has recently undergone a radical change, with no less a personage than our new president and his cohorts attempting to legitimize what one of them has referred to as “alternative facts.”  Notwithstanding the societal consequences of government leaders making decisions based on false information, fake news can be especially problematic when making…
Read more