Views from the Hill

For investors, the relentless streaming of media news about markets, business and economics can be overwhelming. Investors are continually bombarded with headlines, charts and financial data over the internet and the press. Topics about U.S. stocks today are popular. All … Continue reading →

With the tax season behind us, we look ahead to new opportunities and challenges presented by the most comprehensive change in Federal tax laws since 1986. Changes are far-reaching, subject to interpretation and revisions, and will impact nearly every person, … Continue reading →

Embarking on a financial plan is like sailing around the world. The voyage won’t always go to plan, and there’ll be rough seas. But the odds of reaching your destination increase greatly if you are prepared, flexible, patient, and well-advised. … Continue reading →

Checking the weather? Guess what — you’re using a model. While models can be useful for gaining insights for making good decisions, they are inherently incomplete simplifications of reality. As disappointed investors increasingly move away from traditional active management investing … Continue reading →

After almost two years of relative calm, in recent days a violent unforeseen increase in stock market volatility around the world has caused anxiety for many investors. From February 1–5, the US market (as measured by the Russell 3000 Index) … Continue reading →

As investors ring in the new year, some may see the occasional headline about the “January Indicator” or “January Barometer.” This theory suggests that the price movement of the S&P 500 during the month of January may signal whether that … Continue reading →

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are receiving intense media coverage, prompting some investors to wonder whether these new types of electronic money deserve a place in their portfolios. Only days ago, the price of bitcoin plunged sharply, declining over 25 percent … Continue reading →

The 10-year anniversary in October of the S&P 500 historical high point before the so-called “Global Financial Crisis” is approaching. Over the following year and a half, US stock markets declined by more than 50 percent. Today US equity markets … Continue reading →

An interesting notion for picking stocks first proposed nearly fifty years ago, and resurrected from time to time, is that blindfolded monkeys throwing darts at pages of stock listings from Barrons can be used to “construct” portfolios that should do … Continue reading →

Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one. — Voltaire “The market hates uncertainty” is a common enough saying, but does it make any sense? Actually, people hate uncertainty. Uncertainty has many different aspects: some that … Continue reading →